Greece | WCIV102 Project

Defining Characteristics

The ancient Greeks were very focused on the state – everything that they did was meant to ensure that the state was stronger, healthier, and in a better place for the future.
Greece was not united as we know it today. Rather, in the 400s BC (and even after that), Greece was an amalgation of city-states that each had their own loyalties. Sometimes, they would fight each other for land, and sometimes they would be allies against larger invading forces (such as Egypt).
Greece is perhaps most famous for its theater, which was well-known in the ancient world for being spectacular (at least by their standards)¹.
"Greek theater was an antiquated form of therapy." –Dr. Heil²

Literally, "excellence." Technically, anything can be excellent, including animals and buildings.
However, as a moral virtue, the ancient Greeks would say that a person with arete was a person with true excellence within (and they would probably define excellence as supporting the state, meaning that a truly excellent person supported the state over anyone or anything else, themself included).

Logos is not just a term that is used when we discuss the rhetorical triangle. Rather, it refers to the truth.
As best as I can tell, the Greeks valued logos very much. It makes sense, then, they would seek it out in themselves as a marker of moral austerity.

In contrast with Roman pietas, the Greek version was more of an obedience to the state than to any one person in particular.
The Greeks were expected to maintian a feverish obedience to their state – those that didn't could be exiled from the city.
Thus, obedience to the state preempted everything in life: one could not have a family or anything like that if they did not first respect the state. This was, then, the most important cultural value for the Greeks (that we discussed in class).

There was an Olympic truce (much as there is supposed to be today) that was declared before every Olympic Games so that atheletes could travel safely^{3, 4}.
The Greeks can trace themselves back to the same predecessors as Alexander the Great's people, even though the two civilizations eventually split⁵.
Even throughout the great Athenian Plague that decimated the city-state, playwrights like Sophocles kept writing in order to keep the mood light(ish). As a result of this, we have such legendary works as Oedipus the King.
The Greek Parthenon (seen above) was a massive vanity project by Pericles. He convinced the people to go to war in order to fund his beautiful temple, and it massively backfired.