Creative Expression in Ancient Greece

The civilization of ancient Greece produced classics in almost all genres of creative expression: literature, philosophy, music, the visual arts, and architecture. These classics advanced the aesthetic principles of clarity simplicity, balance, regularity, and harmonious proportion. As a style, Classicism is characterized by these aesthetic principles and by the related ideals of reason, moderation, and dignity (Fiero 29). Greek culture is a very original culture in their way of life. A good example is the Parthenon. It towers in height with its beautifully elegant and simple design. It served as a shrine to Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war. Many people visit it each year for its history and unique structure. It had a columned design, made marble and realistic lifelike sculptures the first of its kind. Greek architecture has a specific look and feel to it that has been repeated in inspiration of many artists. It has been used as a design for many current structures, including banks, and libraries. The Iliad and the Odyssey are very unique epics that are the first of their kind. During the long period of political and social turmoil that followed, storytellers kept alive the history of early Greece, the adventures of Mycenaean’s, and the tales of the Trojan War, passing them orally from generation to generation (32). It was not until at least the ninth century B.C.E. that these stories were transcribed; and it was yet another three hundred years before they reached their present form. They became “national” poems of ancient Greece, uniting Greek-speaking people by giving literary authority to their common heritage (33). They tell stories that the Greeks held close and wanted to last forever within their culture. These are even used for inspiration today in writing and poetry. Both are also taught in high school in basic literature classes. They carry lessons that we use in today 's culture; for example, the concepts that everyone makes mistakes (even

Cited: Fiero, Gloria K. Landmarks in Humanities. 3rd ed. New York. McGraw Hill, 2013. Print