Greek Legacies
Uploaded by fox_kwiecien on Dec 12, 2003
Greek Legacies
The term legacy is depicted as “something that is handed down or remains from previous generation or time.” (Dictionary) The Greeks formed a new group of thoughts, which lead to the birth of democracy. Greek scientists such as Euclid, Pythagoras, and Archimedes made new discoveries that changed the course of mathematics. Architecture led to new possibilities. Using the definition of the term legacy, we find that ancient Greece had many legacies to offer such as: government structures, science and technology and architecture.
Classical Greece had a lot of legacies to offer, one major legacy being government structures and the new concept of democracy. On example of how government structures fits the term legacy is the city of Athens, which was considered to be a democracy. Athens had an assembly made out of free male citizens over eighteen.(notes) All citizens were allowed to attended public discussions to speak their opinion. Decisions were made from the majority vote. However, there was one flaw in the Athens’ state of democracy; it was not open to women, slaves or foreigners. However, Athens was in fact the start of democracy. Democracy changed the world; it strengthened classical Greece, and left a lasting impact. Democracy is now emplaced in many countries, which used the Greeks state of democracy as a basis for their own. It also had a significant impact on the Greek people because for the first time people where more involved in political process and in making decisions and it forever changed the processes of their political system. It also gave them a sense of continuity, because they had emplaced a system where people felt pride in contributing to their homeland and the need of precipitation was passed down to their children who continue on helping the homeland to reach its fullest potential and it also gives us clues into what Athens was like. In 621 BCE the Athenian named Draco was first to create a legal code based on Hammurabi’s code of law. (Dickey, 1) The legal code examined issues of ownership and debt slavery. This legal code is the basis for all our laws, which exist today. The legal code is foundation for today’s laws. Draco also elaborated on Hammurabi’s law of...