History of Ancient Greece and Its Historic Reformation - Research Paper Example

European history The history of the ancient Greece started many years ago from the Archaic Period up to the end of antiquity. The history of the ancient is one of the most unique histories that the world has ever come across. According to the history of the ancient Greece, role of reason and inquiry were given significant importance. Ancient Greece has seen lots of ups and downs as far as the social, cultural, economical and political conditions are concerned. The history of the nation has undergone significant reforms. The Greek cultures were so much powerful during those days that it has significant influences on the Roman culture. The history of the country starts from the Stone Age. Minoan and Mycenaean kings also have contributed significantly to the history of the country. This paper will try to enlighten the history of the ancient Greece and its historic reformation. The ancient Classical and Hellenistic periods of Greece are without any shadow of doubt the most splendid eras the world has ever come across. Those periods left behind lots of ideas, art and concepts. The history of the ancient Greece is popularly known as the building blocks of the western civilization. Before the 8th century BC, the country was submerged in the dark era. In the 8th century the country started to came out of the Dark Ages. It was introduced by the fall of Mycenaean civilization. During that period the country replaced Mycenaean script with Greek alphabet1. Archaic period of Greece witnessed Lelantine War which was the oldest documented war as far as the Ancient Greece is concerned. This period was almost three century before than the time of classical age. During the Archaic period the country advanced a lot as far as the art, poetry and technology were concerned. After the Archaic period, the next period is popularly known as the Classical Period. This period lasted for almost 200 years. The period has undergone lots of annexations by the Persian Empire. Different political thoughts, architectures, philosophy, and scientific thoughts are the results of this era only. The Hellenistic period of Greece is significantly marked due to the presence of the Alexander the Great. Alexander III was famously known as the Alexander the Great2. He was one of the most military geniuses that the world has ever produced. This Macedonia based military genius taught the whole Greek people about the modern war fare. Like the other Greek people the genius was highly inspired by the divine ambition. The king rewrote the history of the Greece with his indomitable spirit and hunger for leadership. He has significant contribution as far as the ancient Greece history and its reforms are concerned. He tried to conquer the world and with every single endeavor had increased the significance and the prosperity of the ancient Greece. After the death of Alexander, conflict started among the various generals. Great philosopher Aristotle contributed significantly as far as the Greece history is concerned. He was born in 384 BC on the northern part of the Greece. He was one of the most prominent figures as far as the ancient Greece is concerned. Due to his philosophical and scientific knowledge the country was significantly benefited. He was versatile genius and his expertise was there in different things like biology, ethics, botany, chemistry, physics, politics, zoology and etc. His versatile geniuses and enthralling capacities was one of the reasons for the country’s revolution. Alexander the Great was significantly influenced by the philosophy and thinking of the great Greek philosopher. Art and architecture were significantly important to the ancient Greece. Various arts and architectures were the symbols of the prosperity of the country. From the age of ancient Greece and during the period of reformation, art and architecture were given significance important. The then arts and architecture of the country were the clear cut reflections of the social and cultural factors. Lives of the Greek people were significantly dominated by the religion and different religious beliefs. That is why temples and architectural works of the country were so beautiful. Greek Art and architecture has the significant effects on the modern day reforms also3. The country was full of different natural resources like stones, marbles and lime stones. Greek people used all those natural resources for the sake of art and architecture. Greek arts and architecture were more related with the Gods, Heroes, Mythical Creatures and Events. All those architectures talked about different stories related with the ancient Greece. Historically people of Greece were very thoughtful in nature. They use to reflect their thoughts into their arts and architectures. Neolithic period of Greece witnessed the practice of food production. It was 7000 BC when the people of the country started the construction of huts. During the 750 BC first Greek colonies were introduced in Italy and Sicily. During the Archaic Period the country was divided into separate independent states. Those states were famously called as the Polis. During that period of time the Greek society was divided into two halves. One half comprised of free people and the other half comprised of slaves. Slaves were used by the freemen. At that point of time there were very little human rights were present for the slaves. As the society started to reform the free men started to divide in to two groups. Thos groups were Citizens and Metics. Historically Citizens were the most powerful section of the society as they belong to the Athenian parents. This section of the society enjoyed lots of privileges. They were allowed to take part in the government of the local state or Polis. They even could have take part in the Jury Service also. On the other hand Metics were ignored, they had to pay taxes, required to serve in the army. But they were not allowed to achieve the full citizenship of the country and they were not allowed to own a land or house. All the above factors are clearly indicating that social inequalities were significantly evident in the ancient Greece. Gender discrimination was also an important factor as far as the history of the Greece is concerned. The whole society was dominated by the men. All the social status was attached with the men. Public participation of a woman was social taboo in the Greece. All the accolades and rewards were designed for the men only. They were the main decision makers of the society and as well as the country. Sexuality was also an important factor related with the history of Greece. It is being observed that in the various Greek architectures and sculptures sexuality has been depicted. For the various occasions men and solders have been depicted as naked. On the other hand in the same picture women were depicted as covered with clothes4. Sexuality was so highly recognized that men use to involve in naked public parade. As far as the sexuality is concerned penis was the main symbol of fertility for the Greek people. Rape was a common instant of sexuality in the ancient Greece. Rape was considered as the right of men to dominate women. In 146 BC, the whole peninsula of Greece came under the Roman rule. During this period of time Greece history witnessed lots of reforms. New buildings were made by the several emperors. The first library was introduced in the country. It was known as Titus Flavius Pantaenus. Wind towers were built. During AD 66, Nero a Roman Emperor participated in the Olympics game. He was the first non Greek person who participated into the event. During that reformation period a clear cut Roman influence was felt in the Greek culture. After that, during the Isthmian Games the freedom of Greece was declared. In 2nd and 3rd century the country was divided into provinces. All the provinces were given names like Achaea, Sparta Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace. After that also the country faced lots of invasion. Due to the abundance of natural resources the country attracted lots of foreigners. Greek history has significant social values and cultural dynamics. The history has attracted lots of people over the years. In the context of global civilization, Greek history has comprehensive contribution. During the period of Aristotle history of Greece had evolved a lot. It has acted as the guiding stars for the Greek people. In those days athletes of the Greece were given significant importance. Olympics were invented in the ancient history only. Greek people use to worship various Gods and Goddesses. In different kinds of cultural aspects influences of the Gods and Goddesses were evidently clear. Inequality in the social context was present. Only the original Greek people were suppose to get various facilities in their society. The society was significantly dominated by the male gender. Women had very little scope to take part in the societal activities. Sexuality was also an integral part of Greek social life. During the period of Alexander the Great, people of Greece came to know the modern techniques of the warfare. During ancient period people of Greece use to have superior self esteem due to their advance races and cultural backgrounds. Arts and architecture were also important part of the Greek history. Over the years arts and architectures of the country came across significant reforms. Reflection of various social issues and activities were clearly present in their arts and architectures. The country had full of natural resources and people of the ancient Greece used those natural resources for their societal improvements and prosperity. The above paper is has clearly indicated the detailed history of the ancient Greece and it also given significant stress on how the history of the country reformed. All the above discussions and facts are clearly indicating that Greece has a reach historical back ground as a nation is concerned5. It can be easily termed as the foundation of the western civilized world. All the facts are clearly articulating that the Greek people were creative, significant focus towards the arts and cultures. The paper also has categorically indicated contributions of the people like Alexander the Great and the philosopher like Aristotle6. All these people have contributed enough for the prosperity and the improvement of the Greece. According to this work, reformation in the Greek history came by step by step measures and it took thousands of years. References 1. Ancient Greece. "Greece Timeline." Accessed October 15, 2014. http://www.ancient-greece.org/resources/timeline.html. 2. Ancient Greece. "Introduction." Accessed October 15, 2014. http://www.ancient-greece.org/history/intro.html. 3. Finaly, George. A History of Greece. London: Cambridge University Press, 2014. 4. Jenkins, Ian. Greek Architecture and Its Sculpture. New York: Harvard University Press, 2006. 5. Vedia Izzet, Robert Shorrock, John Taylor., “Greece and Rome (Second Series),” The Classical Association. 59, no, 2 (2012): 45-47. 6. Barbara A. Barletta., “Greek Architecture,” American Journal of Archaeology. 115, no,4 (2011): 611-613. Read More