Greek Legacies

government

1 gave us democracies where people have power and majority rules

2 rule of law

3 a two house legislature

4 gov paid people who work in public office

5 most govs in the world today have some form of a democracy

mythology

still used in sports teams (Tennessee Titans, Michigan Spartans, USC Trojans),

movies (Percy Jackson, Clash of the Titans, Hercules, Troy)

products (Midas Mufflers, Nike shoes, Ajax dish soap, Trident gum, Pandora radio)

medicine

Hippocrates is the father of Western medicine. Said sickness and disease were from natural caused not evil spirits. He created the Hippocratic Oath . A set of rules for practicing medicine that doctors still use today. Ex) Do your best for the sick, do no harm, and keep the secrets of your patients.

Olympics

The ancient Greeks loved athletics and sports. Their legacy is shown in the modern-day Olympic Games which began with the Ancient Greeks in 776 B.C. (Today there are 10,000 athletes from over 200 nations and over 4 billion people around the world watch.)

Architecture

Greek architecture was copied by the Romans. Later, Renaissance architects tried to imitate the Greek style of architecture. Today many government buildings are built in Greek classical style using pillars and columns. Ex.) U.S. Capitol Building, U.S. Supreme Court building, even Stanton Middle School.)

Math

In the field of mathematics we still use many of their theories and ideas today. Pythagorean Theorem (discovered by Greek mathematician Pythagoras) to find a missing side of a right triangle in geometry. A squared plus B squared = C squared.

Euclid introduced the study of flat shapes and lines taught in geometry classes today. (Euclidean geometry.)

Philosophy

The philosophies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are still studied today The Socratic Method is used in modern day universities and law schools today.

history

Many later historians model their work from Greeks like Thucydides. He was an Athenian soldier on the losing side of a war but still wrote neutral (non bias) about the events that took place. He hoped they would learn about their past mistakes.

theater

The Greeks invented drama where written work is performed by actors.

Greek theater introduced the ideas of the comedy and tragedy and dramatic irony (Thanks Sophocles)

Greek theater influence art throughout Europe including plays by William Shakespeare Today, we imitate the Greeks with Broadway plays, television, and movies.

science

Aristotle laid the foundation for science when he used reason and careful observations with detailed notes to better understand the world. He also studied biology and dissected animals to better understand how organs functioned.

Archimedes invented the water screw that we still use today. He is considered the father of simple machines that we still use today like the screw, pulley, and lever. He came up with Archimedes' principle to explain how the upward buoyant force comes from the weight from the fluid that is displaced. (How aircraft carriers float.)