The Legacy of Ancient Greece

SS.6.W.3.5&7

Greek Contributions to Language Our alphabet grew out

of the one the Greeks used, so many English words have Greek roots.

The word alphabet comes from the first 2 letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta.

The word telephone is made up of the Greek words for “far off” (tel) and “voice” (phone).

Greek Contributions to Government Democracy, or rule by

the people, began in Athens.

Since citizens made decisions for their government, the practice of having citizens serve on juries also began in Greece.

Fortunately, citizenship today includes many more people than in ancient Greece.

Greek Contributions to Medicine A Greek man named

Hippocrates approached medicine in a more scientific way.

He believed that diseases had natural causes and taught his students to carefully observe patients and write down what they saw.

Hippocrates is often called the “father of modern medicine,” and even today people who become doctors take the Hippocratic Oath to be honest and preserve life.

Greek Contributions to Understanding the Human Body In the beginning, Greek

understanding of the body was limited because they believed that dissection, cutting into a body, offended the gods.

As these beliefs changed over time, later Greek medical students were able to name and describe the organs inside the body.

They learned that the heart was a pump that sent blood throughout the body, and the brain was the center of the nervous system.

Greek Contributions to Mathematics Pythagoras, a Greek scientist,

believed that numbers were the key to understanding nature.

He was especially fascinated with geometry which comes from a Greek word that means “to measure land.”

Pythagoras is probably most well known, though, for his Pythagorean Theorem.

Euclid was another important Greek mathematician whose textbook was used for the teaching of geometry for over 2,000 years!

Greek Contributions to Astronomy Astronomy comes from the

Greek word for “star.” A Greek scientist named

Aristarchus was the first person to suggest that Earth moves around the sun, although many did not believe him for hundreds of years.

Another Greek, Hipparchus, studied and named more than 850 stars!

He also figured out how to estimate the distances from Earth to the sun and the moon.

Greek Contributions to Geography Geography comes from

the Greek word meaning “writing about the Earth.”

To describe where places were, ancient mapmakers developed the system of latitude and longitude.

A Greek scientist, Ptolemy, wrote a book on geography that contained over 8,000 places with maps that represented the curved Earth on a flat surface.

Greek Contributions to Understanding Plants and Animals

The philosopher Aristotle collected information about many types of plants and animals.

He organized animals into groups such as vertebrates (animals with backbones) and invertebrates (animals without backbones).

He also divided plants into groups such as herbs, shrubs, and trees.

The way we classify, or group, animals and plants today reflects Aristotle’s work.

Greek Contributions to Architecture The word

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

Greek styles are still used in many buildings today.

You already learned about the 3 types of Greek columns.

Pediments

These are triangular shapes where roof lines come together.

Friezes

A frieze is a horizontal band that runs above doorways and windows.

The frieze may be decorated with designs or carvings.

Stoa

Many houses have covered porches.

These porches come from the Greek stoa, a covered line of columns.

Greek Contributions to Theater The word theater comes

from a Greek word that means “a viewing place.”

The Greeks even invented special effects such as hoists to lift actors off the stage and make it seem as if they were flying.

They also created scenery that revolved, or turned.

Greek dramas are still performed today all over the world.

Greek Contributions to Sports The first Olympics were

held in 776 B.C.E. to honor the Greek god Zeus.

Today’s Olympics reflect ancient Greek customs.

During the opening ceremony, an athlete lights the Olympic flame.

This custom comes from the time when the first Olympic athletes lit a fire on the altar of Zeus.