How Did The Parthenon Influence Western Civilization

For many years we have been influenced by many ideas from the Greeks. Some things we have today wouldn’t be possible without the Greeks contributions to Western civilization. Out of the many great ideas they had, the three most popular ones are philosophy, math and medicine, and entertainment. These all play major parts in today’s everyday life. In ancient Greece, philosophy was becoming a big thing. Many people were against it and wanted to get rid of philosophers. There was a famous trial in which the Athenians tried to put Socrates to rest. He was accused of attacking conventional ideas and ways of life. They said he was a bad influence on all of Athens. During the trial they gave him three options. He could be killed, exiled, or sentenced to life in jail. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” which means there is no point of living if he has to change his
One of the most popular things was sports. They held the Olympics every four years which would compose of the most famous sports and amazing athletes to play them. One of the most famous events was the discus throw. It was so famous that they even made a statue about it. It is a very fit man, holding a discus back, ready to throw it. The Olympics helped bring sports and competitions to a higher level. Another thing they did for pleasure was watch plays. The most famous plays were tragedies and comedies. There was a famous play called Antigone by Sophocles. In one scene Creon says “And still you dared to overstep these laws.” Antigone then said, “For me, it was not Zeus who made that order. Nor do I think your orders were so strong that you, a mortal man, could overrun the gods unwritten and failing laws…I know I must die… but if I left my brother dead and unburied, I’d have cause to grieve as now I grieve not.” This is one of the more famous tragedies of their time and also a perfect example of how sad these plays can actually