Ancient Greek civilization can be said to be the cradle of western civilization, and its glorious history is talked about by later generations. The ancient Greeks who advocated freedom and democracy created one cultural masterpiece after another for later generations, and their huge cultural heritage laid the height of ancient Greek civilization and profoundly influenced the development of western civilization. The development of these civilizations is inseparable from the unique geographical position of Greece.
The geographical scope of ancient Greece includes the present Greek Peninsula, Aegean region, Macedonia and Thrace, as well as the Apennine Peninsula and parts of Asia Minor. Ancient Greece was surrounded by water on three sides, with numerous harbors, mountains, less cultivated land, narrow plains and criss-crossing rivers. This natural environment leads to the coexistence of various economic forms and diversified production and life styles, which is more convenient for the development of navigation, transportation and commerce, thus having a strong impact on the old clan system and blood relationship, which is beneficial to some extent.
The development of ancient Greek civilization has probably gone through three stages: in the archaic era (8th-6th century BC), Athens, the ancient Greek city-state, established the first democratic political country; The classical era (5th-4th century BC) experienced the Greek-Persian war and produced brilliant Greek culture. In the Hellenistic era (4th-3rd century BC), ancient Rome inherited the ancient Greek culture. By the 2nd century BC, the Greek world ended due to the expansion and aggression of the Romans, and was replaced by another great civilization in ancient times: the ancient Roman civilization. In the development of centuries, the Greek world has created brilliant Greek culture, which has had a far-reaching impact on later generations. The main heritages of ancient Greek civilization are: myth, epic, democracy, philosophy, architecture, jury system, Olympics, marathon, love of tragedy, drama, scientific research methods and Socrates methods.
The influence of ancient Greek philosophy and classical Greek philosophy paved the way for modern science and modern philosophy in many ways. In religion, classical Greek philosophy has a far-reaching influence on the Hellenistic development of different religions in the early days. The influence of early Greek philosophers on later generations has never stopped, from early Christian theology and Muslim philosophy to the Renaissance, to the Enlightenment and modern general science.
Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Nowadays, under the slogan of pursuing higher, faster and stronger, the modern Olympic Games has become a big stage to unite the world and enhance the friendship of all countries in the world. It can be seen that ancient Greece left behind not only the simple Olympic legacy, but also the human civilization and spirit contained in the Olympic Games. This living legacy was created and passed down by the Greeks who advocated equality and freedom.
Any discussion about democracy can be traced back to ancient Greece 2500 years ago, especially Athens. The essence of Greek democracy at that time was: majority rule; Everyone is equal before the law; Freedom of personal life. Although democracy at that time had a strong class character and was only aimed at citizens' democracy, there were many drawbacks, but thousands of years ago, this view was far beyond its time, so it deserves our praise. Since modern times, the west has been struggling to pursue democracy, freedom and equality, and the country is eager to embark on the road of democratic politics, but politicians have found that the democracy and philosophy of ancient Greece have provided ready-made answers thousands of years ago. This gave birth to the democratic revolution in the modern west. The world today is a democratic one, with a stronger sense of democracy and a democratic system that is deeply rooted in people's hearts. However, the democratic systems in many western countries are still consistent with those in ancient Greece, showing a strong class nature. For example, the United States has always emphasized "human rights" and sometimes criticized other countries for lacking "human rights", thinking that the democratic system is quite perfect, but does its own democracy really exist? Its politics is still in the hands of a few rich and powerful big capitalists, which is reflected in the fact that it is the spokesman of "democracy" funded by it-the president of the United States. Citizens in the middle and lower classes are often played with the illusion of "democracy" by politicians. In this sense, its democracy is completely consistent with that of ancient Greece, and it is class-oriented. It can be seen that the democratic system of ancient Greece has influenced the western democratic system today.
Thousands of years ago, ancient Greek civilization influenced the progress of western and world civilizations and made great contributions to human civilization, and its brilliant cultural heritage was praised by the world. How much culture and history has the small Greek Peninsula carried, and how many cultural thoughts have been left for us to explore and learn? The wheel of history is still slowly moving forward, but the civilization passed down from ancient Greece is shining more and more with the years, guiding the direction of human progress forever.