The Greeks

A civilization that boomed for about a thousand years and contributed more to the development of western civilization more than any other culture. Most believe that Greek people set the foundation to western civilization, the first to use reason, and the first to embrace the present world. It's said that to understand our culture one must have an understanding of the ancient Greek culture, or else considered ignorant. The Greeks have contributed things such as myths and epics, art, military weapons, law, government, science and mathematics. The most important of these innovations would have to be their athletics, and Architecture.

Famous for their extraordinary architecture it's no wonder why so many of our government and public buildings are replicated after the Greeks. The formulas used to build these beautiful building have influenced modern architects for centuries. The architects of ancient Greece took pride in perfection and precisian. Most famous for their limestone columns, they made sure to build them perfect to the human eye. Instead of constructing the columns to be straight, they built them using gentle curves making everything appear more symmetrical. The two different architectural styles in ancient Greece were the Doric and Ionic. The earliest of the buildings were designed in the Doric style, such as the Parthenon. The Doric columns are rather sturdy yet plain. The ionic Columns were built thinner and more elegant. The tops of them had a scroll like structure, unlike the flat Doric style. Buildings such as the Erechtheum and the small temple of Athena were built in the Ionic style. It's to the Greeks we owe for their architectural innovations to western civilization

The Greeks were very passionate about athletics. They took pride in the perfect human physique: strong, fit, cut, graceful human bodies. To test who was the best and most fit, the Greeks would often turn everything into an agon, or competition.