Ancient Greece's Influence On The Modern World

Greek Culture Ancient Greece was one of the most thriving countries in the early sixth to eighth AD centuries. Ancient Greece still has a huge impact on the modern world as they perfected skills we still use today. The Ancient Greeks were known for their advances in architecture, cuisine, and entertainment. The Greeks had a heavy influence in todays architecture since some of our governmental buildings are based off of old Greek architecture. Common materials used in their architecture were “wood, brick, limestone, marble, and terra cotta metals like bronze” (Art). In their sculptures the Greeks used “mainly stone, marble, and limestone since there were plentiful in Greece” (Art). The most common shape of “buildings were rectangles and
usually made from limestone or tufa” (Art). Another type of common “houses were made out of bricks and built on a stone floor” (Wroble 10). Light was provided to the whole house through skylights (Wroble 10). There were three main styles of Greek architecture; including Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian style. “Doric style was sturdy and had a plain top, Ionic was thinner and more elegant, and finally, Corinthian was uncommon but sometimes seen on Roman temples” (Living and Working Spaces). Contrary to these popular styles theaters were built very differently. Theaters were large, roofless, and built on the sides of hills (Greek Theatre). The Greeks were very advanced to come up with this discovery of using your natural surroundings to their benefit. Having the theaters built on hills allowed the sound to travel easier, and allow the audience at the top to be able to see the play down below. Since sound traveled easier in these structures it allowed the actors to not strain their voices. Most plays were based on religion and dealt with the mythological gods. In fact the Greeks used architecture to display their faith and loyalty to the gods through their many types of construction. The main types of buildings were used for “religious, civic, domestic, funerary, or recreational” purposes (Art). The most common of these five styles was religion. “Greek life was dominated by religion and so it is not surprising that temples were the biggest and most beautiful” (Living and Working spaces). Columns on these fancy temples were engraved with nature, battle scenes, and mythological creatures (History for Kids). However “temples also had political purpose as well, they were built to celebrate civic power and pride” (Living and Working Spaces). Houses were also used for religious regions, many “houses had an alter to worship the gods located in the courtyard” (Wroble 10). Houses were also seen attached to workshops and store fronts (Introduction to Greek Architecture). Some of these houses could be attached to taverns which were used to sell food and drinks.
Common foods eaten by the Greeks were “grapes, olives, figs, eggs, fish, and bread which were eaten on a low table” (Wroble 14). A normal greek breakfast consists of bread, honey, and cheese (Green 41). These common foods show how “Greece is home to one of the healthiest diets in the world” because of their simple diet (Greek Cusine). Holiday foods were similar to a meal they share on Christmas. The most essential Christmas food was the “Chistopsomto, which is a loaf of bread that is drizzled with honey, and eaten on Christmas Eve” (Greek Cuisine). As for preparation, meals were normally “cooked on a simple brazier
or charcoal grill” (Starr 41). As for where food was eaten, “men ate propped up on pillows on long couches” (Wroble 14). A weird fact about the Greeks was that they believed they should “use food to show how they were civilized people living in a barbaric world.” They believed “drinking wine straight up was barbaric” (Food).
On the contrary the Greeks actually had parties called Symposium which was a drinking party (Music and Entertainment). Similarly they believed they were civilized yet “utensils were rarely used” (Greek Cuisine). Finally a last weird fact was that the Greeks only prescribed milk for medicine and not for drinking (Food). The Greeks also had strict guidelines for meals. For example, “At formal dinners men and women ate separately” (Food). “Women and children were rarely seen at banquets” (Food). The women and Children were not allowed to even be seen in the dining room so they had to eat in the kitchen (Wroble 14). Finally the last main guideline was to mix wine with water so it would not be considered barbaric
(Food). Similarly to cuisine guidelines the entertainment business was also very strict, especially in the Olympic Games. “Participation in the Ancient Olympic games was initially limited to freeborn male citizens of Greece” (Olympic Games). Women's events did not exist and married women were not even allowed to attend (Olympic Games). “The first written records of the Ancient Olympic Games date back to 776 BC” (Olympic Games). “The original Olympic Games were a sporting festival held every four years to honor Zeus” (Green 27). The first champion of the games was “a cook named Coroebus who won the only event at the time which was a 192 meter footrace” (Olympic Games). The Pankration is believed to be the most exciting event. This event is a “mixture of boxing and wresting, where almost any tactic is permitted” (Khan Academy). Another form of entertainment was the theatre. The theatre “consisted of three main elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the audience” (Greek Theatre). The skene was a building behind the stage where costumes were kept and actors prepared themselves before the show. There were three forms of Greek drama including tragedy, comedy, and satyr (Greek Theatre). Satyr plays were similar to tragedy plays where they had a joking matter to provide a less serious atmosphere. Tragedies were the most common of these types of plays and actors in Greek plays consisted of “amateurs not professionals males” (Greek Theatre).