Legacy of Ancient Greece

The Legacy of Ancient Greece

​Literature and History

• ​The English Alphabet grew out of ancient Greeks.

• ​Many English words have Greek roots.

• ​English grammar and punctuation are based on Greek writing.

• ​Greeks developed historical writing.

• ​Herodotus "Father of History" wrote of the past.He wrote History of the Peloponnesian War, an account of the conflict between Athens and Sparta in the 400s B.C.E.

• ​Thucydides himself participated in the war, serving in the Athenian army. Although he was an eyewitness to history, he was careful to present facts rather than his own viewpoint or opinion.

Multiple Choice

The word alphabet comes from ?

• the ideas of Aristotle

• the work of the writer Thucydides

• the first two letters of the Greek alphabet

• the Greek words meaning "word" and "parts"

Multiple Choice

Why is Herodotus called the "father of history?"

• he had many children

• he taught in the agora

• he was an important leader

• he wrote about the past

​Government

• ​The Greek concept of democracy, or rule by the people, began in Athens.

• The practice of citizens serving on juries also began in Greece

• ​The basic principles of American and Greek democracy are the same.

Multiple Choice

Which is part of American democracy that comes from the ancient Greeks?

• juries of citizens

• a Council of Elders

• official religion 

• independent city-states

Multiple Choice

How was ancient Greek democracy different from American democracy today?

• Everyone did not always agree.

• All citizens voted on every issue.

• People could speak their opinions.

• Strong speakers influenced others.

​Medicine

• ​Hippocrates "Father of Medicine"

• ​Taught students to write down observations and ask questions.

• ​Believed diseases had natural causes.

• ​Brought a scientific way of thinking about medicine.

• ​Today's doctors take the Hippocratic Oath.based on these ideas of ethical behavior. Doctors promise to be honest, to preserve life, and to keep information about their patients private.

Multiple Choice

How did Greek scientists make their discoveries?

• They got the citizens to vote.

• They translated Egyptian texts.

• They built complicated machines.

• They observed and asked questions.

​Mathematics

• The Greeks enjoyed reasoning, or searching for logical answers to nature's mysteries. Greek scientists often found those solutions in the field of mathematics.

• ​Pythagoras started school for math theories.

• ​Greeks created new and improved methods for measuring shapes and spaces.

• ​Euclid developed a geometry textbook.

• ​Hypatia was the first woman mathematician.

Multiple Choice

Pythagoras and Euclid most likely have written about?

• rock, stones, dirt

• skin, blood, and bones

• lines, circles, and squares

• actors, costumes, stages

​Astronomy

• Astronomy, the scientific study of outer space, comes from the Greek word for “star.” Ancient Greeks were pioneers in this field.​

• Aristarchus, a Greek scientist, suggested the Earth moves around the Sun.

• ​Hipparchus studied and named more than 850 stars.

• ​Hipparchus figured out estimation distances between Earth, moon, and the sun.

• ​Hipparchus theories helped to predict eclipses of the moon.

Multiple Choice

Which of these ideas came from ancient Greece?

• Earth moves around the sun.

• The planets affect how humans live. 

• It is good to connect the star patterns.

• The moon seems to change shape.

​Geography

• The study of geography has origins in ancient Greece. The word geograph comes from Greek words that translate to “writing about the earth.”​

• Herodotus made the first world map, using information from travelers.

• ​Ptolemy invented latitude and longitutude.

• ​Ptolemy wrote a book that showed Earth's curve on a flat surface, with over 8,000 places in the world listed.

Multiple Choice

Who would use the lines of latitude and longitude?

• painter

• mapmaker

• astronomer

• architect

​Biology

• About 600 B.C.E., Greek thinkers believed each event has a cause and an effect, so they examined the natural world through this lens.

• ​Greeks identified many types of plants and gave names to the different parts of plants.

• ​Greeks discovered that plants reproduced by their seeds.

• ​Greek doctors used plants to treat people.

• ​The way we classify animals and plants today is based on Aristotle's work.

Multiple Choice

How did Aristotle affect todays study of plants & animals.

• He thought of cutting people open to see how the body worked.

• He discovered that lungs filled with oxygen.

• He created a classification system.

• He invented a machinge for measuring growth.

​Architecture

• The word architecture comes from a Greek word that means “master builder.”​

• Greeks used columns to make their temples balanced & stately.

• ​Greek styles are still used today in many public buildings and homes.

• ​Today's design of covered porches reflect a Greek stoa, which is a covered line of columns.

Multiple Choice

What part of today's builidng is from ancient Greek?

• the use of columns

• the honoring of gods

• the effect of the lights.

• the importance of the steps with religion

​Theater

• ​Greek theaters were built in semicircles with steeply built rows of seats.

• ​Greeks invented special effects.

• ​Writers have been inspired by Greek myths and stories.

• ​Greek dramas are still performed all over the world.

Multiple Choice

How are theaters today like the ones in ancient Greece?

• The back of the theater is open.

• People pay more for front row seats.

• The stage is built on a hill.

• The seat are in steep rows so people can see and hear.

Multiple Choice

Which of these words best describes the types of Greek Drama?

• festival and comedy

• musical and drama

• theater and tragedy

• tragedy and comedy

​Sports

• The first Olympic Games were held in ancient Greece in 776 B.C.

• ​Today's Olympics reflect ancient Greek customs, such as the lighting ceremony.

• ​Modern Olympic events grew out of Greek contest, such as the pentathlon.

Multiple Choice

What was the purpose of the first Olympics?

• to honor the gods

• to choose military leaders

• to decide who would be king

• to reach the top of Mount Olympus

Multiple Choice

What is one way the modern Olympics is like ancient Greeks?

• the location

• many countries send athletes

• games are held every year

• athlete lights a flame