Ancient Greece is rightly considered the cradle of modern European civilization. This state had a significant impact on the development of many areas of human life - science, medicine, politics, art and philosophy. Some monuments of ancient Greece have survived to the present day. It is about them, as well as about the history of the once great power that will be discussed in this article.
Ancient Greece and its historical significance
Under ancient Greece, historians understand the totality of civilizations that lasted about 3000 years: from the third millennium BC to the 1st century AD. The very concept of "Ancient Greece" is not used in the territory of the modern state. In this country, this civilization is called Hellas, and its inhabitants are called Hellenes.
The description of Ancient Greece should begin with its significance and role in the historical development of all Western civilization. Thus, historians rightly believe that it was in Ancient Greece that the foundation for European democracy, philosophy, architecture and art was laid. The ancient Greek state was conquered by Rome, however, at the same time, the Roman Empire borrowed the basic features of ancient Greek culture.
The real exploits of ancient Greece are not world famous beautiful myths, but discoveries in science and culture, philosophy and poetry, medicine and architecture. It should be noted that geographically the territory of Ancient Greece does not coincide with the borders of the modern state. Under this term, historians often mean the vastness of other countries and regions: Turkey, Cyprus, Crimea and even the Caucasus. Monuments of Ancient Greece are preserved in all these territories. In addition, ancient Greek settlements (colonies) at one time were scattered along the shores of the Mediterranean, Black and Azov Seas.
Geography and map of ancient Greece
Hellas was not a single, monolithic state entity. More than a dozen individual city-states were formed on its foundation (the most famous of them are Athens, Sparta, Piraeus, Samos, Corinth). All the states of Ancient Greece were the so-called "policies" (in other words, cities), with adjacent lands. Each of them had its own laws.
The central core of Ancient Hellas is the Balkan Peninsula, or rather, its southern part, the western tip of Asia Minor, as well as many islands located in this region. Ancient Greece consisted of three parts: Northern Greece, Middle Greece and the Peloponnese. In the north, the state bordered on Macedonia and Illyria.
The historical map of Ancient Greece is presented below.
Cities in Ancient Greece (policies)
What did the cities in ancient Greece look like?
We can’t say that they had a chic and luxurious look, as they often like to illustrate in pictures. In fact, this is a myth. Chic and pompous in the ancient Greek policies looked only the main public buildings, but the houses of ordinary citizens were very modest.
Dwellings of people were deprived of any comfort. Historians suggest that the ancient Greeks even slept on the street, under the porticoes. The network of city streets was careless and ill-conceived: most of them did not fall into the sun at all.
The worst situation was in Athens, about which many travelers of that time spoke with contempt. Nevertheless, comfort eventually penetrated into the homes of ordinary Greeks. So, the real revolution in urban planning and street planning at that time was made by the architect Hippodamus of Miletus. It was he who first drew attention to the location of houses in the city and tried to build them in one line.
Architectural Attractions of Ancient Greece
Now it’s worth stopping on one more important question: what did Ancient Hellas leave us with regard to material monuments?
Sights of Ancient Greece - temples, amphitheaters, the remains of public buildings - are preserved in many countries of Europe. But most of them, of course, are in the territory of the modern state of the same name.
The most important monuments of ancient material culture are ancient Greek temples. In Hellas they were built everywhere, because it was believed that the gods themselves dwell in them. These world-famous sights of Ancient Greece stand out from the rest of the architectural monuments of Ancient Hellas - the remnants of the Greek acropolis and other ancient ruins.
Parthenon
Perhaps the most famous monument of ancient Greek architecture is the Parthenon temple. It was built in 432 BC in Athens, and today is the most recognizable tourist symbol of modern Greece. It is known that the construction of this magnificent Doric temple was led by architects Kallikrath and Iktin, and it was built in honor of the goddess Athena - the patroness of the Acropolis of Athens.
Until our time, the central part of the Parthenon with fifty columns was pretty well preserved. In the center of the temple you can see a copy of the sculpture of Athena, made in due time from ivory and gold by Phidias - the most famous ancient Greek artist and sculptor.
The frieze of the central facade of the building is generously decorated with various images, and the pediments of the temple with wonderful sculptural compositions.
Temple of Hera
The oldest temple in ancient Greece is the temple of the goddess Hera. Experts say that it was built in the sixth century BC. Unfortunately, the building was not preserved as well as the Parthenon: at the beginning of the fourth century it was badly damaged by the earthquake.
Temple of Hera is located in Olympia. According to legend, it was presented to the Olympians by the inhabitants of Elis. The foundation, steps, as well as several surviving columns - this is all that remains of the grandiose structures to date. You can only imagine how he looked in those ancient times.
At one time, the temple of Hera was decorated with a statue of Hermes. Today, the sculpture is kept in the Archaeological Museum of Olympia. It is known that the ancient Romans used the temple of Hera at Olympia as a sanctuary. Today, this place is famous primarily for the fact that they are lighting the Olympic flame on the eve of the next Olympics.
Temple of Poseidon
The temple of Poseidon, or rather its remains, are located on Cape Sounion. It was built in 455 BC. Only 15 columns have survived to this day, but they also eloquently speak of the majesty of this building. Scientists have established that at the site of this temple, long before the start of construction, other religious buildings already existed. Tentatively they date back to the 7th century BC.
Everyone knows that the god Poseidon in ancient Greek mythology is the ruler of the seas and oceans. Therefore, it was not by chance that the ancient Greeks chose a place for the construction of this temple: on the steep bank of the Aegean Sea. By the way, it was at this place that King Aegeus threw himself from a steep cliff when he saw in the distance the ship of his offspring Theseus with a black sail.
Finally...
Ancient Greece is a real phenomenon in the history of European civilization, which had a huge impact on the development of European culture, science, art and architecture. The sights of Ancient Greece are the numerous majestic temples, the remains of the acropolis and the picturesque ruins, which have survived in large numbers to this day. Today they attract a huge number of tourists from all over the world.