Ancient Greece Chapter 7 Summary

Chapter 7, ‘The Art of Ancient Greece’, so far, has been the most enjoyable chapter to read about. When I was younger I read a series of books that combined Greek mythology and the modern day, needless to say, it was my favorite series for a long time. I have grown to love Greek culture and plan to visit Greece one day. Ancient Greece has been known for many things, such as the great philosophers Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, and for their great military prowess. Thanks to history class, we know about many of their architectural achievements like the Parthenon and the huge theaters. One thing that was over looked in history class, in my opinion, was the smaller things like sculptures and paintings. However, I learned many interesting things in this chapter, for instance, the word ‘alphabet’ comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet; alpha and beta. How crazy right? Greece was a very patriarchic society, meaning that it was dominated and ruled by men. Arguably, the world is still ruled and dominated by men, so not much had changed in that sense. Women have, however, gained more influence in modern day western society; like the right to vote, closed the wage gap some, and have
In today’s culture, that would most likely get you thrown in jail. Remarkably, Greek art fits our modern beauty standards, which is probably why I have always considered Greek statues as beautiful. Let’s take a moment to appreciate Greek architecture, and forget about the pedophilic aura of ‘Greek Love’. Greece’s buildings were truly something to behold; even in ruins they command a certain awe. They were complex, strong, intricate, and beautiful all at the same time. Greek theaters, like the one in Epidauros, were large enough to house thousands of guests while at the same time being completely