so what about the classical era?
The Classical Era was the time when Athens and Sparta dominated the Hellenic world using their cultural and military achievements. These two cities joined up with other Hellenic states, and rose to power through reforms, alliances, and a lot of victories against the Persian armies. The team and the Persian armies were rivals until they had a long, nasty war. See also Understand the Wars! This war was concluded with the results of Athens first, Sparta second, and the emergence of Macedonia being the dominant power of Greece.
Athens and Sparta actually didn't know that the other city existed in the Early Classical Era, until the middle of the 5th c. BCE. Political and cultural disposition of the two cities made them occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. While Sparta was a closed society and was governed by a small government led by two kings, Athens grew to be an adventurous and open society, being governed by a Democratic government.
In the time that Perikles was the leader in Athens, or also known as the Golden Age, a lot of massive building project were done. For example, the Acropolis was built on a rock.
Athens and Sparta actually didn't know that the other city existed in the Early Classical Era, until the middle of the 5th c. BCE. Political and cultural disposition of the two cities made them occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. While Sparta was a closed society and was governed by a small government led by two kings, Athens grew to be an adventurous and open society, being governed by a Democratic government.
In the time that Perikles was the leader in Athens, or also known as the Golden Age, a lot of massive building project were done. For example, the Acropolis was built on a rock.
what is acropolis?
Acropolis, ἀκρόπολις; from akros or akron, "highest", "topmost", "outermost" and polis, "city", is a settlement, especially a citadel, that is built on high grounds. These hills are chosen for mainly defense purposes.
The Acropolis rock is part of a Late Cretaceous limestone ridge that goes through the Attica plateau in the northeast to the southwest. It includes the Likavitos hill, the Philopappos hill, the hill of the Nymphs, and the Pnyx. The rock starts from the basin about 70 meters and goes up to a flat top 300 meters long by 150 meters wide. The flat top is due to the numerous landfills that have been there for construction of fortifications and temples since the Mycenaean era. For Neolithic men, Acropolis was the greatest location they could find for habitation and worship location, because the place had so many shallow caves, the water springs and steep slopes. |
Cultural, scientific, and educational achievements (that was a mouthful)
As mentioned before, the city of Athens created Democracy, with western governments like Great Britain, France, and USA using it a thousand years later. Also, the Classical Era of Greece achieved figuring out some areas of philosophy. Greek philosophers were great thinkers who were determined to seek truth to a certain object or question no matter where it led them. Three of the most famous philosophers are Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. The other things that Greece had achieved were art and architecture, math, literature and science.
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Thales, one of the very first scientists of Ionia, explained matter, saying that everything around us is made out of water, or liquid that is very similar to it. Anaximenes, another scientist, stated that prime matter, limitless and eternal, is the building material for the universe. These Greek scientists both had the idea that the universe is built out of one uniform substance.
Read the page below for more information about scientific achievements. See also: Greece's Achievements! |
Some Positive Aspects, What about some negative?
In Classical Greece, they have developed what is so called 'equal' human rights for democracy. Is it really that 'equal' though? This element of 'equality' includes so many things that is unfair. When it is time to vote, only about 1 out of 10 people can vote! Why? It is either because you are two young, you are not, rich or maybe because you are a female. Is that fair? I guess some citizens get to choose, but what about the other 90%? Do they not get a say? Not 'everyone' has equal rights yet. Only some do.
Also, female rights is a major problem back then. Not only can they not vote, they can't even choose who they want to marry! They get appointed to a husband, usually by the father. No matter what they think, that is who they are marrying, as long as the family of the male says yes. Maybe the only reason for the girl to marry that man is because he is rich, not even because of his personality. Also, girls have to marry people that are so much older than them. The man is probably old enough to be the dad of the women. How is that even fair for the girl? The girl probably has to be a widow for half of her life! She also has to spend half of her happy childhood caring for the man and her children! She is a child herself! Even though in Classical Greece they came up with what is 'fair', but is it really that fair? |