Greek Culture

Greece is more than just being the cradle of civilization. Its getaways are unprecedented: pristine, white sand beaches, under the Greek sun. Apart from the sizzling summer heat (Greece is mostly dry and really hot in this season), summer in Greece is not complete without the must-see festivals that are both religious and modern in nature. Summer in Greece will definitely keep you busy and enjoying with almost a hundred festivals and activities spread all throughout the season. Greece has quite a lively religious culture, which is mostly the center of their festivities. The festivities may not fall on the same dates every year so it’s advised to check with the locals before going to the area.

The ancient Greeks were not only great inventors, philosophers, mathematicians, architects, and scientists – they were also great athletes. Not to mention that the first Olympic games happened in Greece on 776 BC in the then flourishing city of Athens during the classical period, a part of which is known as the Golden Age. Since religion played a huge part on the lives of the early Greeks, sports in ancient Greece were held as an offering to entertain their gods and goddesses.

The Neolithic period (6500-2900 BC) presents an important part in the history of Greece. The early Greeks learned to domesticate plants and animals and built permanent settlements on the coast. They depended on the Aegean Sea for trade and other necessities. As a result to this, between 3000-1500 BC, three communities thrived in Greece: the Aegeans, Achaeans, and Pelasgians.

The Minoan Civilization

The birth of the mother of all civilizations. This is how the golden age of Greece was marked and soon became the foundation of modern civilization. It was in this era that democracy was given a face. With democracy as the form of government and, notably, the wealth of the Athenian empire laid vast opportunities for many citizens to excel in arts, literature, drama, politics, and philosophy.

Democracy in ancient Greece was adopted at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War in 480 – 323 BC. There was great conflict in ancient Greece during this period between the Spartans and the Athenians. The Athenians dominated in most parts of Greece and they were the center of intellectual ideas. It was the Persian adviser of Herodutos who urged the latter to adopt democracy in ancient Greece as the form of government. Democracy is coined from the words demos, meaning “the people of the country”, and krateo which means, “rule”. The aim of the Athenian democracy in ancient Greece is to promote equality under the law.

Ancient Greece may be remembered by the number of wars waged and won against invaders or the conflict between the Athenians and the Spartans in the ancient times. The Persian Wars for instance ran from the middle of the sixth century until they were driven away by the Athenians around 500 BC. Additionally, within Greece, city-states were also in conflict with each other. Most famous was the clashes between Athens and its neighbor Sparta, also called the Peloponnesian War that ran for decades (431 – 404 BC). The Spartans had a solid and superb infantry compared to the phalanx of Athens but the latter had a superior naval fleet (consisting of 200 ships) that maintained their strength throughout the Peloponnesian war.