RELIGION

Religion 

The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens is the best-preserved of all ancient Greek temples.

Classical Greece

Classical Athens may be suggested to have heralded some of the same religious ideas that would later be promoted by Christianity, such as Aristotle's invocation of a perfect God, and Heraclitus' Logos. Plato considered there were rewards for the virtuous in the heavens and punishment for the wicked under the earth; the soul was valued more highly than the material body, and the material world was understood to be imperfect and not fully real (illustrated in Socrates's allegory of the cave).

Hellenistic Greece

Alexander's conquests spread classical concepts about the divine, the afterlife, and much else across the eastern Mediterranean area.Jews and early Christians alike adopted the name "hades" when writing about "sheol" in Greek. Greco-Buddhism was the culturalsyncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed in the Indo-Greek Kingdoms. By the advent of Christianity, the four original patriarchates beyond Rome used Greek as their church language.

Modern Greece

Example of Greek Orthodox visual hagiography.

The Greek Orthodox Church, largely because of the importance of Byzantium in Greek history, as well as its role in the revolution, is a major institution in modern Greece. Its roles in society and larger role in overarching Greek culture are very important; a number of Greeks attend Church at least once a month or more and the Orthodox Easter holiday holds special significance.

The Church of Greece also retains limited political influence through the fact the Greek constitution does not have an explicit separation of Church and State; a debate suggested by more conservative elements of the church in the early 2000s about identification cards and whether religious affiliation might be added to them highlights the friction between state and church on some issues; the proposal unsurprisingly was not accepted. A widely publicised set of corruption scandals in 2004 implicating a small group of senior churchmen also increased national debate on introducing a greater transparency to the church-state relationship.

Greek Orthodox Churches dot both the villages and towns of Greece and come in a variety of architectural forms, from older Byzantine churches, to more modern white brick churches, to newer cathedral-like structures with evident Byzantine influence. Greece (as well as Cyprus), also polled as, ostensibly, one of the most religious countries in Europe, according to Eurostat; however, while the church has wide respect as a moral and cultural institution, a contrast in religious belief with Protestant northern Europe is more obvious than one with Catholic Mediterranean Europe.

Greece also has a significant minority of Muslims in Eastern Thrace (numbering around 100-150,000), with their places of worship guaranteed since the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne. The Greek state has fully approved the construction a main mosque for the more recent Muslim community ofAthens under the freedom of religion provisions of the Greek constitution.

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Ancient Greek Dialects
.In the archaic and classical periods, there were three main dialects of the Greek language, Aeolic, Ionic, and Doric, corresponding to the three main tribes of the Greeks, the Aeolians (chiefly living in the islands of the Aegean and the west coast of Asia Minor north of Smyrna), the Ionians (mostly settled in the west coast of Asia Minor, including Smyrna and the area to the south of it), and the Dorians (primarily the Greeks of the coast of the Pelopennesus, for example of Sparta, Crete and the southernmost parts of the west coast of Asia Minor). Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were written in a kind of literary Ionic with some loan words from the other dialects. Ionic, therefore, became the primary literary language of ancient Greece until the ascendancy of Athens in the late fifth century. Doric was standard for Greek lyric poetry, such as Pindar and the choral odes of the Greek tragedians.
Attic Greek - a subdialect of Ionic, was for centuries the language of Athens. Most surviving classical Greek literature appears in Attic Greek, including the extant texts of Plato and Aristotle, which were passed down in written form from classical times.
Hellenistic Greek - Koine - As Greeks colonized from Asia Minor to Egypt to the Middle East, the Greek language began to evolve into multiple dialects. Alexander the Great (356 BC-323 BC) was instrumental in combining these dialects to form the "Koine" dialect (Greek for "common"). Imposing a common Greek dialect allowed Alexander's combined army to communicate with itself. The language was also taught to the inhabitants of the regions that Alexander conquered, turning Greek into a world language. The Greek language continued to thrive after Alexander, during the Hellenistic period (323 BC to 281 BC). During this period the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, appeared.
For many centuries Greek was the lingua franca of the Roman Empire. It was during Roman times that the Greek New Testament appeared, and KoinÈ Greek is also called "New Testament Greek" after its most famous work of literature

The Greek language is the official language of the Hellenic Republic and has a total of 15 million speakers worldwide; it is an Indo-European language. The Greek language is particularly remarkable in the depth of its continuity from its beginnings in pre-history maybe as the Linear A script associated with Minoan civilization, though there's no proof of a relation with Greek language. recent studies shows that Minoan civilization is likely to be derived from Luwian people of Anatolia ^[2]. Greek language is clearly detected in the Mycenean Linear Bscript, and then eventually the dialects of Ancient Greek, of which Attic Greek bears the most resemblance to Modern Greek. The history of the language spans 3000 years.

Greek has had enormous impact on other languages both directly on the Romance languages, and indirectly through its influence on the emerging Latin language during the early days of Rome. Signs of this influence, and its many developments, can be seen throughout the family of Western European language.

Katharévousa

Katharévousa is a purified form of the Greek Language midway between modern and ancient forms set in train during the early nineteenth century by Greek intellectual and revolutionary leader Adamantios Korais, intended to return the Greek language closer to its ancient form. Its influence, in recent years, evolved toward a more formal role, and it came to be used primarily for official purposes such as diplomacy, politics, and other forms of official documentation. It has nevertheless had significant effects on the Greek language as it is still written and spoken today, and both vocabulary and grammatical and syntactical forms have re-entered Modern Greek via Katharevousa.

Literature

Main article: Greek literature

Greece has a remarkably rich and resilient literary tradition, extending over 2800 years and through several eras. The Classical era is that most commonly associated with Greek Literature, beginning in 800 BCE and maintaining its influence through to the beginnings of Byzantine period, whereafter the influence of Christianity began to spawn a new development of the Greek written word. The many elements of a millennia-old tradition are reflected in Modern Greek literature, including the works of the Nobel laureates Odysseus Elytis and George Seferis.

[edit]Classical Greece

The first recorded works in the western literary tradition are the epic poems of Homer and Hesiod. Early Greek lyric poetry, as represented by poets such as Sappho and Pindar, was responsible for defining the lyric genre as it is understood today in western literature. Aesop wrote his Fables in the 6th century BC. These innovations were to have a profound influence not only on Roman poets, most notably Virgil in his epic poem on the founding of Rome, The Aeneid, but one that flourished throughout Europe.

Classical Greece is also judged the birthplace of theatre. Aeschylus introduced the ideas of dialogue and interacting characters to playwriting and in doing so, he effectively invented "drama": his Oresteia trilogy of plays is judged his crowning achievement. Other refiners of playwriting were Sophocles and Euripides. Aristophanes, a comic playwright, defined and shaped the idea of comedy as a theatrical form.

A Byzantine Gospel of the 13th Century, it shows the increasing trend towards the use of ivory as an artistic tool.

Herodotus and Thucydides are often attributed with developing the modern study of history into a field worthy of philosophical, literary, and scientific pursuit. Polybius first introduced into study the concept of military history.

Philosophy entered literature in the dialogues of Plato, while his pupil Aristotle, in his work the Poetics, formulated the first set criteria forliterary criticism. Both these literary figures, in the context of the broader contributions of Greek philosophy in the Classical and Hellenistic eras, were to give rise to idea of Political Science, the study of political evolution and the critique of governmental systems.

[edit]Byzantine Greece

Main article: Byzantine Literature

The growth of Christianity throughout the Greco-Roman world in the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries, together with the Hellenization of theByzantine Empire of the period, would lead to the formation of a unique literary form, combining Christian, Greek, Roman and Oriental (such as the Persian Empire) influences. In its turn, this would promote developments such as Cretan poetry, the growth of poetic satire in the Greek East, and the several pre-eminent historians of the period.

[edit]Modern Greece

Giorgos Seferis (left) and Odysseas Elytis (right); Nobel laureates in Literature.

Modern Greek Literature was born out of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and the subsequent independence of Greece in 1831, and as such, Greek literature of the period is heavily influenced by revolutionary themes, although the impact of the Greek literature of the Enlightenment could also be highlighted, as well as the influence of the Byzantine Empire's Acritic songs and romance.

Moving into the twentieth century, the modern Greek literary tradition spans the work of Constantine P. Cavafy, considered a key figure of twentieth century poetry, Giorgos Seferis (whose works and poems aimed to fuse the literature of Ancient and Modern Greece) and Odysseas Elytis, both of whom won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Nikos Kazantzakis is also considered a dominant figure, with works such as The Last Temptation of Christ and The Greek Passion receiving international recognition.

INTRODUCTION OF GREEK HISTORY

The first evidence of human life in Greece dates back to the Palaeolithic period between 120,000-10,000 B.C. However, it was not until the Neolithic period dated approximately 7,000 - 3,000 B.C. that Greek civilisation grew and flourished. Many remains of settlements and burial chambers of this period have been discovered in Thessaly, Macedonia and the Peloponnese. The first urban centres appeared during the Bronze Age (3,000-1100 B.C.) Evidence of these have been found all over modern day Greece, for example, in some North Eastern Aegean islands, the Cycladic islands, Crete and the Greek mainland. 

During the Minoan period in Crete (approximately, 2nd millennium B.C.) a more sophisticated, organised society developed with a culture specific to that region. The first scripts were invented and communication opened up between the Minoans and people from the East Mediterranean countries. This led to an exchange of culture and ideas which became not only established as part of Minoan culture but spread to influence cultures, religion and government all over the Aegean islands and mainland Greece. During this time Crete became the main exporter of jewellery, skilled craftworks, oil and wine as well as importers of food and raw materials. It was during this time in Crete that the first major mercentile navy was developed. 

This state of affairs continued until around 1500 B.C. when the tragic destruction of Crete occurred due to the eruption of the volcano of Santorini. The Mycenaeans, based on the Greek mainland were able to take advantage of this collapse of Cretan culture and established themselves as the leading force throughout the Aegean in the last centuries of the 2nd millennium B.C. Their cities in Mycenae, Pylos, Tiryns, Thebes, Iolkos and Athens became the bureaucratic centres of their vast kingdom. This period of Mycenaean civilisation saw the conquest and settlement by Greeks. Their society was based essentially upon warfare and its elite class were war-chiefs. Their culture thrived for around four hundred years. The cities of the warlords were large and powerful, art and agriculture flourished and there was great prosperity. However, unlike the earlier Minoan societies the wealth was not distributed amongst the population. As a monarchical society, it was the warring kings who accumulated the riches of the society and spent vast amounts of it upon battles and invasions. 

This continued until around 1200 B.C., by which time the power of the Mycenae kings was declining and by the 12th century BC their dominance had collapsed - considered by some to be due to the invasion of the Dorian tribes from the north of Greece. Alternatively, it is postulated that as the Mycenaean superstructure weakened it was overthrown by other groups of the Mycenaean population who then settled in many of the areas formerly controlled by them.

Following the Mycenaeans,there was a long period of cultural and economic stagnation which lasted from around 1150-900 BC. This Dark Age however ended with the emergence of the beginning of the Greek renaissance, known as the Geometric period (9th-8th century BC). The Greek city-states were formed and, as in all subsequent renaissance times, the Geometric period saw the development of literature and arts. Homeric epics and the Greek alphabet were both created during this time of enlightenment. The Archaic Period which followed during the 7th-6th centuries BC saw fundamental political and social changes. The Greek city states began to colonise and open up their dominance, establishing colonies at all points of the compass, North Africa to the south, the Black Sea to the north and Spain to the west.

This was the start of what has come to be known as the Classical period. By the 5th-4th centuries BC Athens dominated both politically and culturally in what is called the 'Golden Age of Pericles', only to lose this dominance at the end of the Peloponnesian War in 404 BC The 4th century BC saw the development of Macedonians as a new force in the Greek world. Philip II, king of Macedonia and his son Alexander played a leading role. In 388 BC the eighteen year old Alexander led the Macedonian cavalry to victory at the Battle of Chaeronea. After the assassination of his father Phillip in 336 BC during an expedition to free the Greek states of Asia Minor from the Persians, there was unrest between Greeks and Macedonians in Thebes.

Alexander conquered Thebes and, as a warning to other Greeks, destroyed the city, leaving only their temples standing. Greeks and Macedonians again joined forces under Alexander and went on to conquer Persia, Egypt and regions as far as the Indus River. His tremendous empire radically changed the political and cultural situation in the then-known world.
After his early death at the age of thirty three his vast empire was divided amongst his generals and although the political entity that he created did not continue, his legacy was a uniform economic and cutlural world that stretched from the Straits of Gibraltar to the Indus River. In the succeeding Hellenistic Age (3rd to 1st centuries BC) the Greek city-states had lost their position of power and prestige although they did remain self-governing and independent of each other.

This, however, was soon to change for, in 146 BC, Greece was conquered by the Romans and the country absorbed into their expanding empire. This occupation though was not wholly negative as Greek culture was greatly admired by the Roman emperors and there was respect and admiration for the Greek cities, especially Athens. Apostle Paul in the first century BC was instrumental in spreading Christianity throughout Greece. In the 4th century AD the Emporer Constantine the Great decided to move the empire's capital away from Rome to Constantinople. This shift of focus to the east of the Empire heralded the beginning of the Byzantine period in Greece.

For one thousand years the Byzantine Empire was one of the most powerful military, economic and cultural forces throughout Europe meeting its downfall in 1204 when Constantinople was seized by the Crusaders from the west and the spoils divided up amongst the victors. Parts of Greece were given away to western leaders whilst strategic coastal areas were taken over by the trading Venetians. The restoration of the Byzantine Empire was attempted in 1262 only to be dismantled again by the Turks culminating in its complete destruction in 1453. This period in Greek history saw its absorbtion into the Ottoman Empire, beginning with the capture of Constantinople in 1453, followed by the capture of Athens in 1456 and, in the decade 1460-1470, adding Achaia, Morea, Euboea and Mistra to its expanding territories. Crete was the last area of Greece to fall under the Ottoman rule in 1669.

The Ottoman empire went on to flourish in Greece for four hundred years and it was not until the Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) that it was finally ousted. Greece was the first country to secure its independence from the Turkish occupation. After a long and bloody conflict, in 1830 an independent Greek kingdom was formed which was finally ratified by the Treaty of Constantinople in July 1832. This kingdom however did not cover all of modern day Greece. The struggle for liberation of all the regions of Greek speaking people continued right up to the end of the Second World War. The Ionian islands were incorporated in 1864, followed by parts of Epirus and Thessaly in 1881.

In 1913 during the Balcan wars and under the leadership of the great Greek politician Eleftherios Venizelos, Macedonia, Epirus and the Eastern Aegean were included followed in 1919 by Western Thrace. It was a more drawn-out process however for the island of Crete. Its final steps for independence began in 1898 and continued until 1913 when Crete unified with Greece at last. The Dodecanese were the last group of islands to join Greece in 1948.

Due to its strategic position, straddling east and west, Greece was considered a vital link. In 1952, Greece became a member of NATO. On 21st April 1967 there was a coup d'etat led by colonels of the Greek military and this state of affairs continued until July 1974 when a referendum led to the rejection of constitutional monarchy, establishing in its place the current Presidential Parliamentary Democracy. Since 1981 Greece has been a member of the European Union. Evidence of modern day Greece's long and turbulent history can be seen all over the Greek mainland and its islands. Countless archaeological sites, museums and collections of artefacts, from the Palaeolithic period to the Roman era, exist for visitors to wonder at. The period of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires can also be seen with the many churches, monasteries, castles and other buildings and monuments in every area of Greece that the visitor will encounter.

The Greek past is truly remarkable. It has influenced and taught the modern world much of what it is today, and its ancient language still lives on in the sciences (pi, omega, sigma), expressions (Don't be such a Cassandra) and everyday words (history, taxi, wine).
Then, of course we have the cultural heritage of art, architecture, politics, ideas and ideals.
We owe a lot to the ancient Greeks, and a good way to honour them is to remember them. The many stories and personalities are entertaining as well, so take some time and look in the Who is Who in the Greek Antiquity and Who is Who in Greek Mythology sections.If you can't find a specific name, let us know and we'll try to add it to our lists.

Geography of greece

Greece Geography - regions counties climate borders coastline seas rivers lakes and mountains

Greece is located in the southern part of the European continent and belongs tot he Balkan Peninsula.The Greek Climate .Greece belongs to the Mediterranean European countries and because of this it has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and dry summers.  However, the climate in Greece varies from region to region.  For example, the islands have smaller differences of temperature during the day than the mainland. Western Greece has more rain than the eastern part. Northern Greece has a colder climate than the rest of the country. The Ionian islands and southernCrete have the best climates with very small differences between winter and summer temperatures. The Aegean islands have less rainfall and they experience strong winds in summertime known as the Meltamia.

Regions of Greece: Greece is divided into 13 geographical regions and each region is divided into prefectures.  The region of east Macedonia and Thrace have the prefectures of Evros, Xanthi, Rodopi, Drama and Kavala. In the region of central Macedonia are the prefectures of Serres, Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Kilkis, Pella, Imathia and Pieria.  In the west Macedonia region are the prefectures of Kozani, Kastoria, Florina, and Grevenon.  In the region of Epirus are the prefectures of Arta, Ioanina, Thessprotia and Preveza. In the region of the Ionian islands are the prefectures of Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Lefkada. In the region of western Greece are the prefectures of Aetoloakarnania, Achaia and Ilia.  In the regions of pelopenesse are prefectures of Corinthia (Corinth), Messinia, Arkadia, Lakonia and Argolida.  In the region of Thessalia are the prefectures of Larissa, Trikalon, Karditsa and Magnesia. In the region of Sterea Ellas are the prefectures of Fokida, Fthiotida, Evrytania, Viotia and Evia. In the region of attica is the prefecture of Attica where the capital of Greece, Athens, is located.  In the region of the north Aegean are the prefectures of Lesbos, Samos and Chios.  In the region of the south Aegean are the prefectures of theDodecanese and the Cyclades. And finally, in the region of Crete are the prefectures of Heraclion,Chania, Lasithi and Rethymno.

Greece Geography - regions counties climate borders coastline seas rivers lakes and mountains

Greece is located in the southern part of the European continent and belongs tot he Balkan Peninsula.The Greek Climate .Greece belongs to the Mediterranean European countries and because of this it has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and dry summers.  However, the climate in Greece varies from region to region.  For example, the islands have smaller differences of temperature during the day than the mainland. Western Greece has more rain than the eastern part. Northern Greece has a colder climate than the rest of the country. The Ionian islands and southernCrete have the best climates with very small differences between winter and summer temperatures. The Aegean islands have less rainfall and they experience strong winds in summertime known as the Meltamia.

Regions of Greece: Greece is divided into 13 geographical regions and each region is divided into prefectures.  The region of east Macedonia and Thrace have the prefectures of Evros, Xanthi, Rodopi, Drama and Kavala. In the region of central Macedonia are the prefectures of Serres, Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Kilkis, Pella, Imathia and Pieria.  In the west Macedonia region are the prefectures of Kozani, Kastoria, Florina, and Grevenon.  In the region of Epirus are the prefectures of Arta, Ioanina, Thessprotia and Preveza. In the region of the Ionian islands are the prefectures of Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Lefkada. In the region of western Greece are the prefectures of Aetoloakarnania, Achaia and Ilia.  In the regions of Pelopenesse are prefectures of Corinthia (Corinth), Messinia, Arkadia, Lakonia and Argolida.  In the region of Thessalia are the prefectures of Larissa, Trikalon, Karditsa and Magnesia. In the region of Sterea Ellas are the prefectures of Fokida, Fthiotida, Evrytania, Viotia and Evia. In the region of Attica is the prefecture of Attica where the capital of Greece, Athens, is located.  In the region of the north Aegean are the prefectures of Lesbos, Samos and Chios.  In the region of the south Aegean are the prefectures of theDodecanese and the Cyclades. And finally, in the region of Crete are the prefectures of Heraclion,Chania, Lasithi and Rethymno.

The Greek seas: The Aegean Sea is actually divided into three parts, north central and south. In the old days the Greek seamen gave the different parts of the Aegean sea different names. the area around the north Aegean Islands was known as the Thrakiko Pelagos. the area between the Cyclades and the Dodecanese was known as Ikario Pelagos. the seas south of the Saronic Islands down to the S.E. Cyclades Islands was called Myrtoon Pelagos. The sea north of Crete was known as the Cretan Pelagos (Kritiko). Finally, the sea between the S.E.Cyclades Islands, Rhodes and Karpathos was called Karpathion.

The Ionian Sea stretches between the west coast of Greece and the coast of Southern Italy. The Ionian sea has some of the deepest waters of the Mediterranean and in some parts can reach a depth of 5,000 metres.
The seas around Greece cut in and out of the shoreline creating an interesting lacework coastline with many large and small peninsulas, gulfs and caves. Because of this geographical morphology Greece has the longest coastline in the Mediterranean.

From antiquity to the present day the sea has played an important role in the life of the Greek people. As an island nation the only chance they had for developing both politically, culturally and economically was to expand and become proficient at seafaring in order to communicate, both with each other and with other nations. Still today, the Greek fleet is one of the largest in the world. Thus, once could argue that the sea has been paramount to the development of both modern and ancient Greece.

Lakes ,Rivers and Valleys of Greece

Most of the lakes of Greece are located in northern Greece, mainly in the region of Macedonia. Among them the lakes of small and big Prespa and the lakes of Volvi and Vegoritis. the lake of Trihonis is located in Sterea Elada

Most of the biggest rivers of Greece have their springs on the mountain range of Pindos. Among them, the rivers Aliakmon, Pinios, Acheloos, Kalamas and Arahthos rivers. The rivers of Evros and Nestos have their sources in Bulgaria. In the Peloponese are the rivers of Alfios and Eurotas with their sources in the Taygetos Mountains.

The largest valley of Greece lies between the east slopes of Vermion mount the south slopes Paikon mount and west of Thessaloniki facing to the south the Aegean sea  with the cultivation of cotton ,tobacco ,wheat ,peaches ech. The next largest is the Valley of Thessaly (Kampos Thessalias) . InTthessaly Valley, at the village of Kileler, was the first agricultural revolution in Greece in .1910.
There are smaller valleys in many regions of Greece where the main fruit production of Greece is cultivated. This is especially so in the valleys of Crete the garden of Greece with the biggest production in oranges ,tomatoes ,olives and olive oil ,cucumbers and many other kind of fruits and vegetables .In North Peloponese valleys on the northern slops of  Helmos and Kylini mountains with cultivation of sultana grapes in Corinthia, lemons and grapes in Achaia.