The Legacy of Ancient Greece

Transcription

1 The Legacy f Ancient Greece 31.1 Intrductin (p.297) Stry f Archimedes ( Eureka! ) Curisity and careful bservatin are imprtant parts f science This way f thinking is just ne f the gifts we have received frm the ancient Greeks 31.2 Greek Cntributins t Mdern Language and Culture (p.298) Our alphabet grew ut f the ne the Greeks used Many English wrds have Greek rts English grammar, punctuatin, and paragraphing are all based n Greek writing The Greeks invented drama, including bth tragedy and cmedy They als develped histrical writing The Greek writer, Herdtus, is knwn as the father f histry 31.3 Greek Cntributins t Mdern Gvernment (p.298) Demcracy, r rule by the peple, began in Athens The practice f having citizens serve n juries als began in Greece There are imprtant differences between mdern demcrat and ancient Greek demcracy In Athens, all citizens debated n every issue tday we elect representatives t speak fr us and make laws Only native-brn men culd be citizens in Athens tday wmen are citizens, and peple frm ther cuntries can becme US. citizens t Athenians were prud that their gvernment allwed citizens t cntrl their wn destiny This idea is the basis f demcracy tday 31.4 Greek Cntributins t Mdern Medicine (p.299) Fr centuries, the Greeks believed that the gds and gddesses cntrlled natural events, including health and sickness They didn t knw abut the natural causes f disease and healing A Greek man names Hippcrates changed the way peple thught abut health and medicine He believed that diseases had natural causes

2 He taught his students t carefully bserve their patients and write dwn what they saw Hippcrates is ften called the father f mdern medicine Tday, peple wh becme dctrs take the Hippcratic Oath they prmise t be hnest, t preserve life, and t keep infrmatin abut their patients private 31.5 Greek Cntributins t the Mdern Understanding f the Bdy (p.299) The Greeks interest in athletics gave them sme knwledge abut the way peple s bdies mve, but their understanding f the bdy was limited That was partly because they culdn t lk inside t see hw the bdy wrks The early Greeks believed that cutting peple pen wuld ffend the gds As these beliefs changed ver time, the Greeks made new discveries 31.6 Greek Cntributins t Mdern Mathematics (p.300) The Greeks lves reasning, and they lked fr lgical answers t nature s mysteries Greek scientists ften fund thse answers in mathematics One scientist, Pythagras, belied that numbers were the key t understanding nature He started a schl where students develped mathematical theries Like many Greeks, Pythagras was especially fascinated by gemetry (the branch f mathematics invlving pints, line, planes, and figures) Gemetry began as a system fr measuring areas f land Anther famus Greek mathematician was Euclid His gemetry became the basis fr the teaching f gemetry fr mre than 2,000 years Greek culture prduced the first wman t earn fame as a mathematician, Hypatia She taught Greek philsphy and mathematics in the city f Alexandria 31.7 Greek Cntributins t Mdern Astrnmy (p.300) The Greeks were pineers in the field f astrnmy (cmes frm the Greek wrd fr star ), as well A Greek scientist named Aristarchus was the first persn t suggest that Earth mves arund the sun

3 This idea upset many Greeks wh believed that Earth was the center f the universe Anther Greek, Hipparchus, is ften called the greatest astrnmer f the ancient wrld He studied and named mre than 850 stars He als figured ut hw t estimate the distances frm Earth t the sun and the mn His theries allwed later scientists t accurately predict eclipses f the mn 31.8 Greek Cntributins t Mdern Gegraphy (p.301) The wrk f Greek astrnmers als cntributed t gegraphy, the study f Earth s surfaces Gegraphy cmes frm Greek wrds meaning writing abut the Earth As astrnmers recrded the psitins f stars, mapmakers began t lcate places n Earth relative t the stars T describe where places were, they develped a system f lngitude (a measure f hw far a place n Earth is frm an imaginary line that runs between the Nrth and Suth Ples n the glbe) and latitude (a measure f hw far a place n Earth is frm the equatr) A great gegrapher f ancient times was the Greek scientist Ptlemy His bk, Gegraphy, cntained maps that shwed hw t represent the curved Earth n a flat surface 31.9 Greek Cntributins t the Mdern Understanding f Plants and Animals (p.301) By studying the anatmy, r bdy structure, f animals, the Greeks als learned abut the human bdy this knwledge helped dctrs in their medical studies The Greeks identified many types f plants and named their parts They als discvered that sme plants are useful as medicines Greek dctrs used many plants, especially herbs, t reduce pain and help peple heal The philspher Aristtle was fascinated by living things He cllected infrmatin abut many types f animals and plants then he rganized animals int grups such as thse with backbnes and thse withut backbnes ; he als divided plants int grups such as herbs, shrubs, and trees The way we classify, r grup, animals and plants tday reflects Aristtle s wrk

4 31.10 Greek Cntributins t Mdern Architecture (p.302) The wrd architecture cmes frm a Greek wrd that means master builder Greek styles are still used in many buildings tday They are especially cmmn in public structures like gvernment buildings, schls, churches, libraries, and museums Greek Cntributins t the Mdern Theater (p.302) The wrd theater cmes frm a Greek wrd that means a viewing place Greek theaters were built as semicircles with rws f seats that rse steeply frm the stage s that everyne in the audience culd see and hear The Greeks even invented special effects Perhaps the greatest Greek cntributins t the theater are their stries and plays Greek Cntributins t Mdern Sprts (p.303) The first Olympics were held in 776 B.C.E. t hnr the Greek gd Zeus Tday s Olympics reflect ancient Greek custms During the pening ceremny, an athlete lights the Olympic flame Many mdern Olympic events grew ut f Greek cntests Example: the pentathln (Greek wrd meaning five cntests) Included the ftrace, discus thrw, lng jump, javelin thrw, and wrestling The Greeks invented this event as a test f all-arund athletic skill Althugh the five cntests are different tday. The pentathln is still an Olympic event QUESTIONS: 1. Greece cntributed t ur language tday. The wrd gegraphy cmes frm the Greek wrds meaning. 2. What were the tw mst imprtant majr cntributins that Greeks made thrughut their rule? 3. What wuld Scrates have liked abut the way Greeks apprached their studies?

5 4. Because the ancient Greeks develped demcracy, what remains as a part f American plitics tday? 5. With which field are Pythagras and Euclid assciated? 6. Describe sme key cntributins that the Greeks made in Gemetry, Astrnmy, Gegraphy, and Bilgy. 7. What cntributins did Hippcrates make twards medicine? 8. Greek styles are still used in many buildings tday. List the type f building that yu wuld see a Greek influence. 9. Write an ancient Greek cntributin that cntinues t influence tday fr the fllwing areas f life: Language Sprts/Entertainment Gvernment Astrnmy Mathematics