Background:
Archaeologists
are still struggling to gather enough evidence before reaching the final
conclusions about the significance of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. At the end of
the nineteenth century, Homer's story and poetry were not limited to the island
of the Aegean Sea, and an advanced civilization was discovered on the west
coast of Asia Minor. Find the ruins of a hundred cities, including the epic
city of Troy. Which is called the Aegean or pre-classical Greek civilization.
The
civilization is made up of the island of Crete, the mainland of the Greek
peninsula, the west coast of Asia Minor, and a small island in the Aegean Sea.
The inhabitants of this civilization had a rich culture and tradition. This
civilization has been divided into two parts. E.g.
Contributions of Greek Civilization
1. Minion Civilization: The origin of the civilization that originated on the
island of Crete dates back to 3000 to 1400 BC.
2.
The second is the Mycenaean or Aegean civilization: Mycenae, located in the southern part of mainland
Greece. It is named after the city. This civilization lasted from 1600 to 1100
BC. It is thought that floods or foreign invasions brought an end to this
civilization.
Geographical
Location and Period: Greece is surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, the Mediterranean
Sea and the Aegean Sea. The names of two cultures are associated with Greek
civilization. One is Hellenic and the other is Hellenistic. The Hellenic
culture is centered around Athens, the capital of the Greek peninsula. On the
other hand, under the leadership of the Greek hero Alexander, a new culture was
born in a mixture of Greek and non-Greek cultures centered on Alexandria in
Egypt. In history, this culture is known as Hellenistic culture.
Military city
Sparta:
Sparta was one of
the numerous city-states that developed in ancient Greece. It was located in
the region of Pelapenesas in southern Greece. Sparta was different from other
cities. Analyzing the nature, it is seen that they were influenced by Martial
law. Instead of focusing on human development, they focused on conserving
military power. In 800 BC, the warriors
were able to capture Sparta in a long battle. These defeated locals were called
Helots. They would revolt whenever they got a chance.
The number of defeated inhabitants who were forced into
slavery was much higher. As a result, the Spatter kings had no choice but to
retain power and suppress the rebellion.
The lives of the Spartans were devoted to defending Sparta.
Spartan society was created around the need for war. The main purpose of the
government was to prepare civilians for war and to conduct war. They were
socially, politically, economically and culturally backward due to excessive
focus on the military.
Democratic city-state Athens: The first democracy in ancient
Greece was in Athens. At first, however, Athens was a monarchy. In the seventh
century BC, a kind of aristocracy was established instead of a monarchy. Power
goes to the elite. They only looked after their own interests in the name of
governing the country. As a result, anger is created in the minds of common
people. Although it was not possible for them to seize power. But some people
took power in their name. They were called 'Tyrant'. Dissatisfaction among the people and
there was a fear of revolt among the deprived peasants. As a result, in the
middle of the seventh century BCE, there was a change in the system of
government. Earlier, the children of aristocratic families were considered as
aristocrats. It is now recognized as an elite by the standard of money.
At a time of grave crisis in the country, all classes
unanimously called for a few reforms. Among them was Solan, who was born into
an aristocratic dynasty. He enacted some new laws and reduced the rigidity of
one law. He passed laws to free farmers from debt. Many economic reforms were
also carried out during his time.
After Solan, Pisistratus and Cleisthenes came forward to
give the people their rights for welfare. They passed many laws for the welfare
of the people. However, the ultimate democracy was established during Pericles.
His period is called the Golden Age of Greek civilization. He came to power in
460 BC and ruled for 30 years. He accepted the demands of all the political
rights of the citizens.
He established the right of citizens to free participation
in the administration, law and justice. A jury appointed from among the
citizens was responsible for the trial.
In the age of Pericles, Athens reached the pinnacle of
prosperity everywhere. In 430 BC, a quarter of the people died in the terrible
plague of Athens. Pericles also died in this epidemic. The suffering of Athens
began soon after his death.
The city-state of Athens, which made an unforgettable
contribution to world civilization in all fields of science, philosophy, literature
and politics, fell to the military city-state Sparta. The long-running war
between the two states is known in history as the Battle of Pelapenesia. The
Battle of Mate took place three times between 460 and 404 BC. In this war, the
two states formed an alliance with each other's allies. The alliance of Athens'
allies was called the Dalian League. The alliance that Sparta formed with its allies, on the
other hand, was called the Pelapenesian League. In this deadly battle, Athens
lost its dignity and independence. 369 BC Athens goes under Sparta. The
city-state then occupied Thebes, Athens. In 338 BC, Athens was conquered by
Macedon King Philip Theras of Macedonia (Greece).
Greece's
Contribution to Civilization: Although the Greek city-states were geographically
isolated, their cultures were identical. Despite their political differences,
they seemed to inherit the same cultural heritage. Their language, religion,
literature, sports were all tied to one culture. Athens was the main
contributor to various aspects of this culture. And the name of this culture is
Hellenic culture.
Education: Greek philosophers had different ideas about education. They have given moral and importance. Some of them thought that governance should be in the hands of well-educated citizens. The education system should be in line with the needs and goals of the government. The main purpose of education was to teach obedience and discipline. Boys from independent Greece used to go to school from the age of seven. The sons of rich people are deprived of education till the age of 18 years. The sons of artisans and farmers received primary education. It was forbidden for the children of slaves to go to school. The girls could not go to any institution to study.
Literature: The creation of ancient Greece in the field of literature
is still a valuable resource in human society. Hammer's Iliad epic is his
wonderful example. The final development in the field of literature was in the
composition of plays. The Greeks were particularly adept at composing Biagant
plays. Aeschylus is said to be the father of such dramas. The name of his play
is Prometheus Bound '. Cefoclis was the best playwright in Greece. He wrote
more than a hundred plays. Among
his famous plays are King Oedipus, Antigone and Electra. Another famous
playwright is Euripides. Aristophanes was famous for his conciliatory and
satirical writings. Heraldus was known as the father of history. The first
history book written by Herodotus was about the war between Greece and Persia.
Thucydides was the father of scientific history. The title of his book was 'The
Pelapenesian War'.
Religion: The Greeks had twelve gods and goddesses. In addition to
worshiping various natural forces, they also worshiped heroes. Zeus was the
king of the gods. Apollo was the sun god; Poseidon was the god of the sea.
Athena was the goddess of knowledge. These four were the best of the twelve.
Priests performed religious duties under the direction of the state. At the Temple
of Delphi on the island of Dallas, people from different cities came together
to worship the god Apollo.
Philosophy: There was an unprecedented improvement in philosophical
thought in Greece. Thinking about how the world was created, how it is changing
every day, is the beginning of philosophy in Greece. Thales was an early
philosopher. He was the first to explain the natural cause of the eclipse. Then
the rationalist philosopher appeared in Greece. They were called sophist. They believed that there was no
ultimate truth. Pericles was their follower. Socrates was the most famous of
these philosophers. The main aspect of his education was to build an ideal
state and honest citizen. He also taught to protest against unjust rule. Plato,
a disciple of Socrates, was able to advance Greek philosophy to the extreme.
Aristotle, a disciple of Plato, was also a great philosopher.
Science:
The Greeks first practiced science in 600 BC. Greek scientists were the first
to draw a map of the world. They are the first to prove that the earth is a
planet and that it revolves in its own orbit. Greek astronomers were able to
determine the cause of solar and lunar eclipses. The moon has no light of its
own. Lightning and lightning were caused by natural causes, not by the wrath of
Zeus - a fact they were the first to discover. Euclid was also an expert in
geometry and physics. The famous mathematician Pythagoras and the medical
scientist Hippocrates had considerable fame.
Architecture and Sculpture:
There was a great improvement in Greek art, especially in architecture and
sculpture. Patterns of Greek painting can be seen in pottery. Beautiful
examples of architecture are scattered all over Greece. They used to build
palaces on big pillars. And the pillars of the palace were beautifully
decorated. The Parthenon temple or the temple of the goddess Athena is one of
the architectural masterpieces. The ruins of beautiful architectural monuments are still
visible in the Acropolis of Athens. Greek sculpture gave birth to a golden age
in the history of art in the world. The famous sculptors of that era were
Myron, Phidias and Praxitelles.
Sports:
Special attention is paid to children's sports. They lose their handcuffs in
school sports. The Greeks had a keen interest in sports. On the day of the
festival, various sports competitions are held in Greece. The most famous of
these was the competition held in honor of the god Zeus. The best athletes in Greece took
part in the Olympic Games. There were competitions in running, wrestling, wheel
throwing, javelin throwing, boxing, etc. The winners will be rewarded with
garlands made of olive branches. This game was held every four years. Players
from different cities took part in this game. Around this game, a friendly
attitude instead of animosity developed among the Greek city-states.
AUTHOR-M. ZAMAN(RASEL)
HISTORY OF GREEK CIVILIZATION){kind=link}
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