Culture is what makes a society; what makes the diversity and uniqueness of the world we live in. Ancient Greek culture is much different from modern American culture, but they both have some similarities also. Americans developed some things from the Greek culture; like concepts of math and science, democracy, and also the modern view of beauty. Modern American culture has learned a lot from the Greeks and uses a lot of what we learned from the Greeks today. The difference between American culture and Greek culture is that the Greek culture developed things before the Americans did.
The American culture acted different towards different types of subjects and people. For example the Greeks had a government way before the Americans did. The Americans saw that the Greeks were well managed people, so they developed a government similar to theirs. After watching videos on Greece and talking about their way of life, I have learned a lot about them. I found that what they did affects us greatly today. They have helped organize democracy to what it is today. The Greek culture influences the democracy we have.
While watching the video I was amazed to find that they used voting so long before us. They would use rocks and by throwing them into a large pot they would vote. If they agreed with what was being voted on they would throw in a white rock. If they disagreed they would throw in a black rock. Today in our American culture we vote very similar to what the Greeks did way back so long ago. Now days instead of rocks we use paper to record our vote. Then all the votes are added up and this helps determine the outcome.
One difference is that now days the peoples votes don’t influence the outcome as much. Instead, at least for the president we go by electoral votes. The Greek’s law was quite different from ours now. Back then in order to keep peace, the people wrote on rocks who they would like to see banished from the city. They would also throw these rocks into a pot and the person that came up the most would have to leave the city. Our law is much stricter now and these people would be put in jail, or other punishments would be inflicted.
Another factor that was influenced by the Greeks was leadership. In Greece they had a figure similar to a king. He ruled the people and could do pretty much anything he wanted. There was a voting but other than that the people couldn’t control much. If they had a bad leader, they could overthrow him with enough votes. Today we have a president instead. He helps make decisions but everything he decides is voted on before becoming law. Similar to the Greeks our president can be overthrown with enough votes.
Another legacy left by Greece was their culture and art. With their culture they created the Greek language. The Greeks also invented their mythology, which included gods and goddesses. Through myths, Greeks tried to understand the mysteries of nature and the power of human passion. God lived forever and Greeks attributed human qualities to them. The Olympic Games were originated in Greece around 776 b. c.. They were dedicated to the god Zeus. The arts of classical Greece had a different flair than any other civilization.
The Greeks invented both drama and built the first theaters in the west. Statues in Greece depicted their gods and goddesses in idealized human form, their faces neither showed laughter or anger, only serenity. Overall the Greek society greatly influenced the democracy we have today. Many of the ideas haven’t changed much over the years. Without the Greeks influence our democracy may have been completely different. Their culture influenced the world that is today, and is a part of everything.
