Greek Legacies

            Many of the words used today in the English language originated from Greek. Greek legacies are their governmental systems, culture and arts, and science and technology. Classical Greece was a time where the growth of a community held strong through times of plague, wars, and numerous breakthroughs. .
             A major legacy left by classical Greece was a government based on direct democracy. With a direct democracy, citizens ruled by majority vote. The citizenship was expanded to all free males, except foreigners. Those not considered citizens were women, slaves, and all foreigners. In 621 b.c.e., Draco, an Athenian lawmaker, wrote the first legal code. In the legal code, Draco dealt with contract and property ownership. It also included debt slavery. In classical Greece, citizens were also allowed to bring charges of wrong doing with a trial by jury. Direct democracy was a new innovation that not only changed the world, but also helped classical Greece become a great and powerful nation.
             Another legacy left by Greece was their culture and art. With their culture, they created the Greek language. The Greeks also invented their mythology, which included gods and goddesses. Through myths, Greeks tried to understand the mysteries of nature and the power of human passion. Gods lived forever, and Greeks attributed human qualities to them. The Olympic Games were originated in Greece around 776 b.c.e. They were dedicated to the god Zeus. The Greeks even suspended the wars between city-states so the athletes of the Olympics could compete. .
             Philosophers, lovers of wisdom, were determined to seek the truth. There philosophy was based on two assumptions: that the universe (land, sky, and sea) is put together in an orderly way, and subject to absolute and unchanging laws, and that people can understand these laws through logic and reason. The three main philosophers of classical Greece are Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.