4. How do the Ancient Greeks Still Influence our World Today?

    The Ancient Greeks had a very advanced civilization, but we don't study them just because they are interesting or fascinating. We also study them because the world of the Ancient Greeks has greatly influenced our world today.

The Greek Alphabet

     The Ancient Greeks left us their language. They developed an alphabet, and many people in the world today speak Greek, including those in countries outside of Greece.
     The Ancient Greeks left us the Olympics. In 1896, the Olympics were once again held in Greece. They have continued since then and have become an event famous worldwide. The Summer Olympics were held in London this summer (2012) with over 9 million tickets sold and over 2000 medals awarded.
     The Ancient Greeks left us their writing. Philosophers from Ancient Greece are still studied in colleges around the world. The Iliad and The Odyssey are still read, retold, and translated. Scrolls from Ancient Greece are studied to find out more about how the Ancient Greeks thought and wrote. When researching for this blog, I read several historical fiction books about Ancient Greece. The Librarian who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky  is about Eratosthenes, the chief librarian of Alexandria, who accurately measured the circumference of the earth. The Iliad and The Odyssey of Homer retold by Alfred Church retells the events of the Trojan war originally written by Homer. Aleta and the Queen by Priscilla Galloway shows Queen Penelope's adventures at home while her husband Odysseus is finding his way back to his palace. Reading fiction books about the Greeks is a great way to learn more about what their life is thought to have been like.

The God Zeus

     The Ancient Greeks left us their religion. Though we now usually call it mythology, the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece were as real to them as the ways we explain nature today. Indeed, the Greeks used their gods to explain nature. People- adults too, not just children- are still fascinated by the Greeks' mythology. We have written stories, poems, and whole books about their religion.
     The Ancient Greeks left us the remnants of their lives. Archaeologists find new pieces of evidence- pottery, scrolls, anything to show us what their lives were like. In finding these things we learn new things about their past, our past, and how we came to be what we are today.