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The Mycenaean represents the first advanced and distinctived Greek civilization in mainland Greece. It had palatial states, urban organization, works of art, and a writing system. -
Ancient Greek architecture has influenced many architectural styles of today. For example, the use of columns and pediments. -
The Greek alphabet derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet. It was the earliest known alphabetic script to have distinct letters for vowels as well as consonants.Greek letters were also often used to represent functions in mathematics and science. -
The ancient Greeks were the first to create complex literature. Their literature still influences us to this day. Homer composed his poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. His poems were very influential and still are today. -
Each year, the various city-states of Greece sent athletes to festivals of games. These games were held to honor the gods. The most important and prestigious were the games held at Olympia, which honored Zeus, the king of the gods. The Olympics still exist today and bring many people and countries together every year. -
The first Democracy was developed in Athens. The Athenian leader introduced a system of political reforms that he called demokratia. This meant “rule by the people". The United States has a democracy today which was inspired by Athens. -
In the Peloponnesian war the two most powerful city-states in ancient Greece went to war. Theese two city-states were Athens and Sparta.The Peloponnesian War marked a significant power shift in ancient Greece, which favored Sparta. -
The Academy was a famous school in ancient Athens founded by Plato. It is considered to be the world's first university. Aristotle studied there for twenty years. -
Alexander the Great was one of the world's greatest military generals. He created a vast empire that stretched from Macedonia to Egypt and from Greece to part of India. Since the Empire was so huge, it allowed for Hellenistic culture to become widespread. -
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who made important contributions to logic, criticism, rhetoric, physics, biology, psychology, mathematics, metaphysics, ethics, and politics. He was a student of Plato for twenty years. Although he was a student of Plato's, he is famous for rejecting Plato's theory of forms.