Essays on Ancient Greece

Introduction The controversy surrounding the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, is a longstanding and complex issue that raises questions about cultural heritage, historical ownership, and the role of museums. This essay examines the arguments from both sides of the debate, exploring the…

The movie I watched was “Troy” and it depicts the Greek culture. The setting of “Troy” was placed around 3,200 years ago in Sparta, Mycenae, Ithaca, Phita, and Troy Greece, also can be known as the Bronze Age. The main characters of the movie are…

Philip ll was stabbed to death at his daughter’s wedding by a former guardsman. Alexander, Philip’s son, immediately proclaimed himself king of Macedonia following his father’s death. Taught by the superb minds of Aristotle and his father, Alexander flourished as the king of Macedonia and…

While no contemporary textual evidence has survived over the years, Alexander the Great’s legacy has lived on. The unstoppable force that was Alexander the Great was the most accomplished conqueror that lived in the third century. His significance to history can be examined by studying…

Sparta, a military focused civilization, is known for its extremely harsh training, the Agoge.Today I will speak about three major things that made Sparta what it is in today’s world: Lycurgus, the Agoge, and the battle of Thermopylae. Lycurgus, shown in this picture was a…

The title of the text is Peloponnesian Wars and it is written by Thucydides. He narrates the war which took place between 431-404 BCE. The war that is narrated broke out after the Persian Wars. The two biggest city-states at the time, Athens and Sparta,…

The first of the wars, between Greece and the Persian Empire, was the Battle of Marathon. Some Greeks had settled at the coast of Anatolia in a region called Ionia. Around 546 B.C., the Persians conquered the area and The Ionian Greeks revolted. They asked…

Lifestyle in Athens seems better off to me than the troubling domicile housed in Sparta. Athens remains my pick for a place of habitude out of the duo because Athens definitely had more calm and tranquility than the violence in Sparta who raised child soldiers…

The Laocoon and his son’s, is one of the famous marble sculptures you can see today. This particular sculpture was carved during the Hellenistic Period between 1520 and 1525 by Baccio Bandinelli and can be found in the Vatican, where it remains to this day….

Everyone acknowledges the polar differences in leadership within Greece. One of the highlights in leadership differences within Greek civilization was the difference between Athenian and Spartan values. Athens was led by the philosophical Pericles while Sparta was led by the warring Lycurgus. Spartan life is…

“What art is, in reality, is this missing link, not the links which exist. It’s not what you see that is art; art is the gap” (Duchamp). This quote perfectly explains the piece of art in which is used as the focal point of this…

The Parthenon is one of the unique architectural symbols of any civilization period. The building was constructed between 447 and 432 B. C. The temple was constructed as a replacement of the temple that had been destroyed in Persia in 480 B. C. Parthenon refers…

Re: The return of the Parthenon Marbles Dear British minister of culture, I am writing this letter to address the issue of returning the Parthenon Marbles. I most certainly think that the Parthenon Marbles must be returned to Greece and I have three strong reasons…

People who lived in Uzbekistan is about 55,000 to 70,000 years ago which is as early as the Palaeolithic Period (Old Stone Age). In the 1st millennium bce in the fertile region around the Amu Darya, the silk road between china and Europe act as…

In the 5th century BCE, two city states were prominent in the mainland of Greece, Sparta and Athens. The Spartan Oligarchy served the common people of Sparta significantly better than the Athenian Democracy served the Athenians. This is evident in the way they dealt with…

While both the Spartan and Athenian poleis were considered a major polis of their time period, their citizens had vastly different lifestyles that contributed to their city’s reputation as a free city. Spartans were known for their ascetic, militaristic lifestyle with their extreme dedication to…

Ortega and Gasset, pointed out that Greece and Rome represented the only absolute trip in time that could be made. The classical Mediterranean world has been a closed and perfect example of civilization, which was followed by all possible avatars that can affect an evolved…

When Sparta is said, the first impression that comes to mind is power. Also, there is such a phrase like “Spartan power”. However, what is the key role behind such great authority? It is obvious from some sources that Spartans are well-known for their strong…

Spartan ladies were noted in the ancient Balkan nation for having additional freedom than elsewhere within the Greek world. To contemporaries outside of the city, Spartan ladies had a name for lewdness and managing their husbands. Not like their Athenian neighbors, Spartan ladies could rightfully…

Greek holds a significant place in the world history. Athens and Sparta are one of the most contributing societies in ancient civilization as well as our modern society. Their perspectives on life, values, and beliefs have shaped our modern life. However, even though both were…

Introduction When you think of someone great, who comes to mind? Many important people in history have been defined as “great”, but what does greatness really mean, as it varies depending on different points of views, and who really defines greatness? Was it Julius Caesar,…

Introduction In literature, the way that people treat others is based solely on feelings and actions. The Odyssey is no exception to this. In Homer’s epic The Odyssey, both gods and goddesses have certain feelings and thoughts on the past actions of Odysseus and use…

This bronze sculpture is the head of Poseidon, Greek god over the sea. The internationally recognized sculpture was created during the Hellenistic period (300-30 BC). The date this specific sculpture is said to be around 227-221 BC according to the museum of fine arts in…

Poseidon, Zeus, Hades, do you know who these greek gods are? Do you know Poseidon? Let’s get educated on the god of bulls Poseidon. Most people know him as the god of the sea, but he is so much more than that. He is the…

Americans in the eighteenth century were tired of absoluter rulers. They resented their lack of freedom. As time wore on and the close of the eighteenth century approached, colonists hated being forced to house soldiers and all they wanted was liberty. Plutarch’s Lives, popular reading…

In the following essay I am going to be discussing how values changed from the Hellenic period to the Hellenistic period, and what factors led to those changes. The values I will be looking at include how humanism changed to individualism, how idealism changed to…

Hellenistic Period Alexander the great perished in the year 323 BC. His immense empire deteriorated and was split into many different kingdoms. This breakup symbolizes the thoughts and tendencies of the artists in the Hellenistic era. The old art centers were contained in the Greek…

In ancient Greece, two major movements of art were during the Classical and Hellenistic periods. These two periods together collectively spanned from about 480 BCE to 30 BCE. The Classical age was split into many sub-periods – such as Early Classical, High Classical, and Late…

“I do not suppose that I know”. These words are the foundation of Socrates’ teachings. Not only a philosophical archetype, but as a pragmatic individual Socrates’ teachings still remain relevant today. Socrates’ teachings didn’t consist of teaching in the usual manner. Instead, his teachings focused…

Pericles and the Peloponnesian Wars Pericles was the leader of the city-state Athens during the early part of the Peloponnesian Wars, a series of battles with Athens’s main enemy, Sparta. Pericles was also the one who came up with the battle-plan for Athens. While some…

“The only wisdom is to know that you know nothing” are words said by Socrates, who is known as the father of Western philosophy. The persistent belief he had in his lack of knowledge led Socrates on an exploration to find if anyone had any…

Troy vs. the Illiad When focusing on the subject of ancient Greek literature, “The Iliad” is probably one of most important and mysterious epics ever told. This story is believed to have been composed by a blind man named “Homer” sometime between 725 and 675…

Costumes play a huge role in developing a character in a play. Aristophanes points out a common trend in Euripides’ plays: he tends to dress his kings and heroes in rags. This could be to emphasize their suffering, or it could exist to serve a…

The Trojan War According to the Greek legend, the Trojan War was fought between the Greeks and the citizens of Troy. The direct cause of this war was the beauty of Helen of Troy. She was the daughter of the Greek god Zeus and Leda,…

The Battle of Thermopylae in Three Perspectives The Battle of Thermopylae was a famous battle fought between the invading Persians, and the defending Greek city-state alliance. This battle was recorded many historians, including Herodotus and Diodorus, and is even being continued to be written about…

Herodotus’s Thermopylae: A Successful Rendering of History Here I intend to write about the success of Herodotus’s account of the battle of Thermopylae. The first step toward evaluating his success is to determine by what standard we should judge his work. Herodotus himself begins his…

“The Battle of Thermopyale” The author of “Histories of Herodotus” is Herodotus himself. Herodotus was to be considered the “father of history”. He was the first man to record events and how they happened. His work includes factual information along with myths and legends. The…

The Golden Ratio: The Parthenon The Parthenon, seated atop the Acropolis of Athens, is one of the greatest architecture accomplishments in the history of the world. Constructed by Ictinus and Callicrates from 447-432 BC, during the Golden Age of Greece, The Parthenon stood as physical…

World Civilization I Athens and Sparta Athens and Sparta are two of the most well know Greek polis, or city-states in the ancient world. Sparta is known for its rigorous education and training for both men and woman and their ferocity in battle. Athens is…

Greece is a country in Southern Europe that is located on the Balkan Peninsula. It is a popular tourist destination because of its geography, climate, history, and architecture. Most of Greece’s history comes from Athens and Sparta. These were the two prominent Greek city-states during…

Greek civilization has been a topic of fascination for many people for a number of decades, and it has provided a grandiose amount of influence in the world, both historic and modern. The territory of the Greek society was comprised of many poleis, which encompassed…

Discuss How and Why Rome Became Involved in Mainland Greece and outline Rome’s Actions in Greece Down to Flamininus’ Proclamation of Freedom in 196. Rome has had its sights set on mainland Greece since they first encountered each other during Pyrrhus’ invasion of Southern Italy…

Alexander III was born in Pella, Macedonia, in 356 B.C. to King Philip II and Queen Olympias. He also was the ruler of Macedonia and Persia. Philip II the second was raised to be a great military man. He turned Macedonia into an army type…

The Indian campaign of Alexander the great began in 326 BC. After conquering the Achaemenid Empire of Persia the Macedonian king (and now the great king of the Persian Empire), Alexander, launched a campaign into the Indian subcontinent. The rationale for this campaign is usually…

Alexander the Great born in 356 BC in Pella was the king of Macedonia, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and one of the greatest military intellectual of all times. Even at an early age, Alexander had the potential to become a great leader. Through all…

Poseidon is also known as Neptune, the God of the Sea, Earthquakes, floods, drought and horses. Neptune is seen as a mature man with a hefty build and dark beard holding a trident. He was depicted as a mature man with a sturdy build and…

Alexander the Great was the ruler who covered more territory and conquered more lands and people than any other ruler in history. He led his army halfway across the known world of his time to the Indus River before turning back 6 years later. So…

Alexander the Great’s beliefs, views, and actions were directly influenced by the cultures, events, and ideas of his time. Alexander’s background and location also played a big role in developing his perception of the world. The most important element of Alexander’s background was his exposure…

Ancient Greek Tragedy In 600BC, or thereabouts, something pretty cool happened. Theatre as we know it was born! Well, that isn’t strictly speaking true. Let’s say, rather, that Ancient Greek Theatre was born! And with it came a host of legendary theatre makers. Sophocles, Aristophanes,…