The Legacy of Ancient Greece
Chapter 31 Notes
Greek Contributions to Modern Language and Literature
 Alphabet
 Modern words using parts of Greek words (e.g. tele and phone = telephone)
 Sentence style
 Grammar
 Some punctuation
 Drama: Comedy and tragedy
Greek Contributions to Modern Government
 Democracy, or rule by the people
 Citizen juries
Greek Contributions to Modern Medicine
 Moved away from explaining diseases and illnesses as acts of the gods
 Hippocrates: Taught natural causes, taught his students to observe their patients
and write down observations, Hippocratic Oath
Greek Contributions to the Modern Understanding of the Human Body
 Limited knowledge because Greeks believed that cutting people open would
offend the gods. Moved away from this belief.
 Several centuries after Hippocrates, students discovered that the heart pumps
blood throughout the body; brain was center of the nervous system.
Greek Contributions to Modern Mathematics
 Looked for logical answers in mathematics.
 Pythagoras: Numbers were key to understanding nature.
 Geometry: Land measure
 Euclid: Formed basis for teaching geometry for 2,000 years.
 Hypatia: Taught Greek philosophy and mathematics
Greek Contributions to Modern Astronomy
 Aristarchus: The Earth moves around the sun. This caused controversy.
 Hipparchus: Studied and named more than 850 stars.
 Predictions of eclipses
Greek Contributions to Modern Geography
 Writing about the Earth
 Located places on the Earth relative to the stars.
 Developed a system of latitude and longitude.
 Ptolemy: Geography listed over 8,000 places.
Greek Contributions to the Modern Understanding of Plants and Animals
 Comparative anatomy of animals and humans
 Identified, named, and used plants in medicine.
 Aristotle: classified animals and plants.
Greek Contributions to Modern Architecture
 Architecture: Modern builder
 Columns, friezes, and pediments used to make buildings balanced and stately.
 Modern (especially public) buildings are patterned after Greek architecture.
Greek Contributions to the Modern Theater
 Theater: a viewing place
 Theaters built as semicircles, seats rose steeply so that everyone could see
 Special effects and revolving scenery
 Greek myths and dramas still inspire modern theatrics today.
Greek Contributions to Modern Sports
 Olympic games (776 B. C.) to honor Zeus
 Olympic flame and torch; the altar of Zeus
 Pentathlon: Five events