When a lot of people think about ancient Greece, they think about the Parthenon and famous rulers like Alexander the Great. It is true that Alexander helped the empire expand to become a world power. However, there was life before Alexander's great conquests.
Before the Grecian Empire became a force to be reckoned with, there were the Medo-Persian power that preceded it. Slowly but surely Greece became a military might because it had many leaders with political ambitions. Athens for example, played an important role in the progress of ancient Greece. When Athenians defended Greece from the invading Persian Empire armies, they realized that they could withstand the wrath of a more powerful army. They victory of the Greece over Persia at the Battle of Marathon has been popularized by the Olympic Games. This was of course not the only battle that affected Greece but was one of the most famous. The Greeks were ancestors of the Minoans and Mycenean. These two civilizations influenced the Greeks in many ways, and the Greeks influenced the Romans in many ways.
Years later, under the rule of Alexander the great, Greece wielding more power and extended its culture all over Asia Minor and into the Far East. This was a great way for the young ruler to inculcate Hellenistic values all over the nations that have fallen under the empire. When Alexander died at a very young age, four of his generals took over and divided the Empire into smaller kingdoms. They had success but not as important as that of Alexander. After a period of 150 years, Rome became the next Empire that took over the world scene. That said, Greece continued to impact the lives of many of its former colonies. This can be seen in the monetary exchange and the language used in commerce up until the first century after Christ and well after.
Because Of the way Greece and its rulers expanded their culture, the language became an international means of communication. People who traveled for business had to speak Greek in order to be able to communicate. Apart from warfare, ancient Greece was also a place of erudition. Philosophy, literature and theater were appreciated form of intellectual exchange. Ancient Greece was also a place where mathematics played an important role. For example, the Pythagoras theorem that is still used today in mathematics came from ancient Greece. It can safely be said that Greece has contributed to modern life in many ways that most will imagine.
It is said that there is nothing new under the sun and analyzing history and the legacy of past civilizations like ancient Greece, it is apparent that we owe a lot of what we know to those who preceded us.
