Signature Assignment: Classical Greece
Harkirat Gill
West Coast University
Cultural Pluralism
INTRODUCTION
Ancient Greece has gifted the western civilization more than any other culture. The western civilization that we live in today would not be possible if it were not for the ancient Greek culture. It seems as though most of our ideas and practices have been adopted from ancient Greece. However, that may be due to the society of ancient Greece being years ahead of their time. Greeks had a main belief and that was celebrating and highlighting the importance of human beings. With that main fundamental belief supporting each step they chose to take, they were able to pave the path for the rest of the world.
HISTORY
Classical Greece was a time period of around 200 years. Specifically speaking Classical Greece took place at the beginning of the fifth century B.C. and it ended in 323 B.C with the death of Alexander the Great. This time period symbolized a time period of war and conflict. Initially there was conflict and war between the Greeks and the Persians but additionally there had been war and conflict between the Athenians and the Spartans. Other than being known as an era for war and conflict, Classical Greece was moreover known as an era of cultural and political achievement. Classical Greece created the foundation for western civilization.
Explain how your chosen culture is represented in the United States
CULTURAL CONTEXT
Represented in the US
The culture of Greece was evolved over thousands of years, making it the backbone of western culture. Classical Greece, as explained earlier, created the foundation for western civilization. Most of western politics, art, science, theatre, literature, and philosophy has been derived from this period of Greek history. The United States is run by democracy, which we can thank the Greeks for. Democracy, trial by jury, and lawful equality have all stemmed from the Greek culture. The alphabet is one of the first things we learn growing up, it is no surprise that it is derived from the Greek alphabet, the Phoenician alphabet. The Greek alphabet was the first alphabet containing distinct letters for vowels and consonants. Letters such as A, B, E, and O originated from the Greek alphabet (Gray et al., 2017).
The first library in the world had been the library of Alexandria. It had been built in Egypt but that was when Egypt was under Greek control. The main reason the library of Alexandria had been built was due to the accumulation of knowledge. Once the library had been built any ships containing any type of science or philosophy works had to declare it when passing through the Alexandrian harbor. The work was copied and placed in the library. The library of Alexander was meant to hold over 700,000 scrolls of work. In the world there are millions of libraries but the first initial library was the library of Alexandria.
Individualistic/Collective
Classical Greece consisted of an individualistic society. According to John W. Danford, we have been taught by the ancient Greek political philosophers that man is by nature a political being. In ancient Greece there was something called a polis, which as a city state or a fortified town surrounded by land and villages. Each and every citizen of the polis (except for females and slaves) were able to make an individual contribution to society. Assertion of views and ideas against another was common. It was encouraged for a human being to take control of their own destiny. For example in the ancient world there was vast amounts of art and work created but the creator never wrote their names on the work or became celebrated. In Greece the artist was recognized allowing them to create an identity as individual artists (Katz, 2003).
Artistic
Art is reflective of the society that has created it. According to Gray et al., (2017) Greeks incorporated a fundamental principle of their culture known as arete, arete meant excellence and full potential. Greek art and architecture is meant to highlight the progress and importance of human beings. Most of the artwork and architecture in Greece was sponsored by the government. It was all intended for public display and was a source of pride. Most of the government buildings in Washington, D.C. are inspired by the Greek architecture (Katz, 2003).
Values
One value that was of high importance in Greece was intelligence. Men were required to attend school and learn. Males were trained in art and citizen training. Citizen training prepared the males for the two aspects of adult life in Greece, peace and war. Another value would be glory, it was the equivalent of fame. It was believed that once you died your soul would be sent to Hades but the souls that had achieved glory would be the ones granted some privileges in Hades. Lastly another value is loyalty, it is the most influential value. Loyalty had been imbedded in their life and thinking. There was loyalty to family which meant doing what is best for your family. Then there is loyalty for the community which refers to doing what is needed for the community. Lastly and most importantly there is loyalty to the Gods and that meant never questioning their motives.
Religion
In Classical Greece religion was seen as personal, direct, and present in all areas of life. In Greece the religion was specifically classified as polytheistic. Polytheistic meant that the Greeks believed in multiple deities. The twelve gods and goddesses, also known as the Olympian Gods, were the core of their belief system. The twelve Olympian Gods included Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Ares, Aphrodite, Haphaestus, Hermes, Hestia, and Dionysius. The Olympian Gods were worshipped daily as it was part of their everyday life. Temples such as Parthenon and the Temple of Poseidon were dedicated to Poseidon. It varied for each household on how they chose to worship. Another example would be the Olympia Games which were dedicated to Zeus, the king of the Gods. The Greeks would practice their religion in a variety of methods. Telling stories (making sure they are written down and preserved) is just one example of practicing. Another would be performing a ritual and making sacrifices. Religion was many times used and aided Greeks in explaining how the world that we live in came to be. Stories that we hear today were not just mere stories for the Greeks. Those same stories had been the foundation and core of their religious beliefs (Gray et al., 2017).
SEX AND GENDER ROLES
The main purpose of marriage in a Greek society was to procreate and hand down the family assets to the next generation. Marriage was arranged by parents when their children were still young. Dowry and gifts of land were common. It was highly believed that in order for the female to produce a male heir she must be a virgin at the time of her marriage. Sexual experimentation for a female was looked down upon and not tolerated. Prior to marriage females were not permitted to date, had to chaperoned in public, and typically kept home. After marriage a married woman was expected to uphold modesty and chastity (Cohen, 1992). Maintaining the household, cooking, cleaning, and raising the children were just some of the tasks that a married woman in Greece had to observe. Males on the other hand were more likely to engage in sexual experimentation. Dating was not allowed for a male either, same as it was for a female. Greek males typically married when they inherited family assets, which for many was later on in life (20s-30s). Due to marriage later in life, males would resort to household servants, professional courtesans, and homosexual relationships as alternative outlets of sexual activities. According to Mark Golden (2012), in Greek society a marriage consisted of some extremely young females (early teens) with mature adult males (20s-30s).
ACCULTURATION
In order for us to acculturate into the Classical Greece society, women must first be willing to give up any and all rights they hold. Unfortunately, women and slaves were not given any rights. Second we must be willing to live in a society that segregates different genders, Females and males, before marriage, are typically not permitted to communicate much with the opposite sex growing up. War was very common in ancient Greece as it was seen to bring a sort of glory. Men would often have to go off to war. If we were to acculturate into ancient Greece, we would be taking several steps back in terms of advancement.
CONCLUSION
It was unknown to me that the western society that I grew up in and live in has been influenced immensely by Classical Greece. The United States holds some of the same values, arts, politics, and ideas as ancient Greek. It is kind of hard to grasp because Classical Greece took place hundreds of years ago and one would think that it would no importance in today’s time and age. Yet, here we are today practicing trial by jury and democracy along with other things. We are still impacted by what the ancient Greek society had created and morphed. It is truly a legacy.
References
Benjamin Gray; Exile, Refuge and the Greek Polis: Between Justice and Humanity, Journal of Refugee Studies, Volume 30, Issue 2, 1 June 2017, Pages 190–219,
https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/few027
Cohen, D. (1992). Review Article: Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Ancient Greece. Classical
Philology, 87(2), 145-160. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/269527
Katz, M. (2003-07-11). Ideology and “the Status of Women†in Ancient Greece†. In  (Ed.), Sex
and Difference in Ancient Greece and Rome. : Edinburgh University Press,. Retrieved 3
Aug. 2018, from
http://edinburgh.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.3366/edinburgh/9780748613199.001.0001/upso-9780748613199-chapter-2.
Sakoulas, Thomas. Archaic Acropolis. Ancient-Greece.org. 03/08/2018 <http://www.ancient-
greece.org/history/acropolis-archaic.html>.