The Greek Civilization

The Greek civilization was one of the most advanced civilizations in the world. It had a profound influence over the world as its cultural, artistic, philosophical, political and scientific achievements became the foundation of modern Western culture and is believed as the cradle of civilization. The Greek civilization reached its apex under Alexander the Great and ushered in a period of remarkable achievements.

 The civilization of Greece can be classified in to three periods-the Archaic period, Classical period and the Hellenistic period. The Archaic period of Greek civilization is the period in Greek history following the Greek Dark ages and beginning from the 8^th century BCE to the second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BCE. It was the period which witnessed many changes in the language, art, architecture and politics of Greece. The driving force behind these changes was the increase in population of Greece and an increase in the amount of trade which contributed to colonization and an increase in intellectual pursuits. In the Archaic period Greece comprised of city states or polis. However, the polis did not assume the form of socio-political organization in the Archaic period and it only achieved unity in the classical period. Both Athens and Argos for example combined into single settlements near the end of the Archaic period.

The Archaic period of Greece was characterized by the age of tyrants. Historians have given various explanations for the rise of tyranny in the Archaic period. The most popular explanation is given by the Greek philosopher Aristotle who argued that people set up tyrants as a response to the intolerance of the nobility. But there is no proper evidence for the age of tyranny. Historians have also raised doubts about the historicity of the Trojan’s war and over the identity of Homer the author who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey.

The Archaic period was followed by the Classical period of Greek history. It refers to the period of Greek history which saw the Persian wars at the start of the 5^th century BCE and the death of Alexander in 323 BCE. The Classical period saw wars and conflicts initially between the Greeks and the Persians and eventually between the Greek city states of Athens and Sparta. The period also saw remarkable progress in the political field. The English word democracy originated from the Greek word demokratia which means ‘’rule by the people’’.

The Greco Persian wars were fought between an alliance of Greek city states of Athens and Sparta on one side and the Persians on the other side. In 498 BCE Greek forces sacked the Persian city of Sardis. In 490 BCE the Persians sent a naval expedition against the Greeks at the battle of Marathon. However, it was at the battle of Thermopylae that the Persians defeated the Greeks. Eventually at the battle of Salamis the Greeks defeated the Persians.

The defeat of the Persians by the Greeks led to the dominance of Athens in the political, economic and cultural fields. Democracy or the rule by the people became the defining feature of the Greek city states. In order to protect the distant territories from future Persian attacks Athens organized a confederacy called as the Delian League in 478 BCE. But the shifting alliances among the various Greek city states led to wars between them. Thucydides, Herodotus and Hippocrates were the most influential of the Greek philosophers. The magnificent Parthenon at Acropolis was built in honour of the Greek goddess Athena.

With the victory of Sparta in the Peloponnesian war and the conflict among the various Greek city states like Corinth, Thebes and Macedon, Philip II of Macedon emerged. Macedon was located at the periphery of the Greek world and had a strong and centralized government compared to most Greek city states. Philip II was an expansionist king and he greatly expanded the Macedonian territory. In 352 BCE he conquered Thessaly and Magnesia and he also formed the League of Corinth. However, he was assassinated and was succeeded by his son Alexander.

Alexander annexed the whole Persian empire and he also conquered Egypt, Asia Minor, Levant, Mesopotamia and parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The years of constant war eventually led to Alexander’s death in 323 BCE. After Alexander’s death his empire fragmented into small states.

The Hellenistic period of Greek civilization occurred after the death of Alexander during which Greek philosophy, culture, literature, music, theatre, artistic achievements and mathematics found their way into the countries conquered by Alexander. Euclid and Pythagoras were the most eminent Greek mathematicians whose mathematical ideas and Archimedes physical principles became a milestone in the field of science. Greek culture contributed significantly to the fusion of Hellenistic culture and Buddhist architectural elements in art. The Seleucid empire, the Indo Greeks and the Greco Bactrian kingdoms were formed after Alexander in West Asia and the north western parts of India.The legacy of Greek civilization is visible even today as can be seen in the sciences, philosophy and architecture. Though the Romans conquered the Greek civilization Greek influences can still be seen in their architectural buildings.