(R.SQUARE)HISTORY OF GREEK CIVILIZATION

 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.

The Ancient Greek Civilization

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)