The Greco-Persian Wars
The Greco-Persian Wars had their roots in the conquest of the Greek cities of Asia Minor, and particularly Ionia, by the Achaemenid Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great shortly after 550 BC. The Persians found the Ionians difficult to rule, eventually settling for sponsoring a…
The Delian League
The Delian League, founded in 478 BC, was an association of Greek city-states, with the number of members numbering between 150 and 330 under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Persian Empire after the Greek victory in the Battle of…
What role do the gods play in the Odyssey?
The Odyssean gods are the ancient Greek gods referenced in Homer’s Odyssey. The story’s major gods include Athena, Poseidon, Calypso and Circe; minor gods include Ino, Hermes, Zeus, and Heracles. The Odyssey’s major gods include Athena, Poseidon, Calypso, and Circe. In Homer’s Odyssey, the gods play a critical role in…
5 Great movies about Ancient Greece
Troy An adaptation of Homer’s great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved. 300 King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480…
Aspasia
Aspasia of Miletus (470-410 BCE, approximately) is best known as the consort and close companion of the great Athenian statesman Pericles. She was a metic (a person not born in Athens) and, accordingly, was not allowed to marry an Athenian and had to pay a tax to live…
Women in Ancient Greece
Women in the ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman’s place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children. We do know that Spartan women were treated somewhat differently than in other states. Most men worked during the day…
Acropolis of Athens
T he Acropolis hill, so called the “Sacred Rock” of Athens, is the most important site of the city. During Perikles’ Golden Age, ancient Greek civilization was represented in an ideal way on the hill and some of the architectural masterpieces of the period were…
6 museums in Greece you must visit
Acropolis MuseumMost of the artifact unearthed at the Acropolis of Athens are now exhibited at the Acropolis Museum, including the most extensive group of Korai statues, and the sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon. Athens National Archaeological MuseumThe largest museum of Greece hosts the most…
The meaning of Greek art
Probably art even more than literature reflected the true character of Hellenic civilization. The Greek was essentially a materialist who conceived his world in physical terms. Plato and the followers of the mystic religions were, of course, exceptions, but very few other Greeks had much…
The Parthenon
At the approximate position where the Parthenon was built later, the Athenians began the construction of a building that was burned by the Persians while it was still under construction in 480 BCE. It was presumably dedicated to Athena, and after its destruction, much of…