Why can Athens and Roman civilization become the roots of western culture?

In 476, after the demise of the Western Roman Empire, Europe entered the Middle Ages, and its civilization was abandoned, which was called the "Dark Age"14th century. In order to break through the church rule, the emerging bourgeoisie played the banner of reviving Roman civilization, thus creating modern European civilization. Therefore, it can be said that modern western culture directly inherited the Roman classical culture.

Greek Aegean civilization is the beginning of European civilization, Greek civilization, especially Athenian civilization, is an important source of materials for the European Renaissance and Enlightenment, and also the beginning of the revival of modern experimental science in Europe.

As for Roman civilization, it is recognized that it has three major influences on European civilization: the first is military, that is, the use of force to turn the Mediterranean into an inland sea; The second is very important, that is, religion, that is, Christianity, which is an extremely important part of European civilization; The third is law, Roman law and Roman court practice are the beginning of all European and American legal systems.

1. The word philosophy used by modern westerners originated in ancient Greece.

2. The achievements of natural science and humanities in ancient Greece and Rome have become the source of modern western science.

3. Ancient Greece is the hometown of European drama.

The painting art of ancient Rome has a great influence on modern western painting.

Language is the carrier of culture, and writing is the cornerstone of civilization.

Greek is one of the earliest scripts. Besides scripts, Greece is also rich in culture, such as philosophy (Socrates and his disciples), art (music, dance, murals, sculpture, painting), myth (Zeus) and so on. ), epic (Homer), etc. Democracy and freedom that her people believe in are still the spiritual core of western civilization. Although the Roman Empire conquered this small country, it was conquered by her civilization, and brought its footprints to Europe, Asia, Africa and other places with its own architectural techniques (bathhouses, temples, waterways) and legal spirit (twelve bronze tables).

In western tradition, people used to call western culture (civilization) "Christian culture" or "Christian civilization". This is because western culture has three sources;

1。 The ancient Greek civilization, represented by Socrates and Aristotle, developed into the later scientific tradition;

2。 Ancient Hebrew civilization and Judaism originated from the fear of God, which led to the concept of religious original sin.

3。 The legal civilization of ancient Rome developed into a modern legal concept. These three civilizations are summarized in Christianity, and a huge cultural system has been built in the west in the form of religious belief.

The Greek culture created by the Greeks has extraordinary infiltration. It can transcend the limitation of time and space and spread to Apennines, Rhine and Bactria with the sailing fleet and Roman legions. She has infinite vitality, which has been absorbed and transformed by later civilizations from time to time and has become an eternal treasure of mankind.

Ancient Greece is the cradle of western civilization and a symbol of human wisdom. Although she did not form a unified country, they were closely linked by the same language, the same faith and the same history. Their "all-encompassing talents and activities ensure their position in the history of human development, which no other country can match." The ancient Greek nation not only created rich and colorful civilizations, but also dominated in literature, history, science, philosophy and art, and also gave birth to all the embryos of modern western civilization.

Crete: the birthplace of Greek civilization

Greek civilization originated in Crete, an island that is said to be located in the "center of the world". Here, theseus, the future king of Athens, once broke into the maze and cut off the terrible head of Minoan cattle, becoming a hero worshipped by the Greeks. At the beginning of the 20th century, this maze was miraculously excavated, and news that shocked the world broke out. Now, when people are faced with the ruins of the palace that have been dusty for thousands of years and admire the exquisite murals and meticulous and unique utensils, they can't help but sigh that Crete should be the birthplace of Greek culture.

However, the ruthlessness of history swept away the glory of Crete. Savagery has replaced civilization, savage folk customs, endless fighting, flowing blood and struggling death. This is an era that needs heroes, and there are indeed heroes. Their scorching achievements call for future generations to admire them. So Homer, a blind poet, rekindled the fire of Greek culture and broke through the night. He wrote two epics, Heriat and Odyssey, enthusiastically eulogizing the Almighty God and the warriors of wyndell dichinson, whether it was the sacred Athena and Poseidon, or the mortal Achilles and hector, whether it was the Greeks or Trojans, whether it was the winners or losers, all heroes were respected by this respectable person. Pindar is a rising poet after Homer. He is brilliant and ambitious. He regards poetry as a tool to spread his value. He once solemnly declared to the world: "I will ignite this dear city with burning poems and let it burn." Let my language spread to every corner of the world faster than horses and winged wheels in Mercedes-Benz. " Pindar's poems are magnificent and give people infinite beauty.

Greece's simple archaic era is an era when Greeks continue to export immigrants overseas. Their colonies spread all over western Europe, southern Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor and the Black Sea coast, from Masaria to Byzantium, from Portia to Sinop, just like countless roots protruding from the trunk of Greece, they hungrily sucked the cultural nutrients of the surrounding soil. Egyptian religion, Persian philosophy, Phoenician writing, Babylonian astronomy and "barbarian" art, countless ancient civilizations and thousands of years of cultural achievements all spread rapidly to the rolling hills of the Peloponnesus, to the fruitful orchards in Attica and to the poorer mountainous areas than attiya. Greeks are very lucky. They are the darlings of thousands of people, embraced by many ancient civilizations and enjoying the elegance left by oriental civilization.

Drama: It has played a role in enriching people's spiritual life.

Greeks love life and enjoy it. "Give full play to people's main abilities within the scope provided by life and make life perfect"-this is the definition of happiness written by ancient Greece. This is a concept full of vitality, which runs through the whole Greek history. Elegant drama has just played a role in enriching people's spiritual life. Sophocles is a master of Greek tragedy. Although his works have been washed and polished in distant years and passed down from generation to generation, they still have beautiful style and excellent skills. The taste of "classical" is like this, washing and practicing, quiet and solemn; Lively and temperate; Solemn and elegant. Its structure is also classical, each line of poetry is interrelated, and gradually evolved to a climax, showing the significance of its theme. Greek literature and art are fruitful, and the achievements of drama are by no means accidental. Perhaps the victory of the Greek-Persian war gave the Greeks the confidence and passion necessary to create a great drama era, or perhaps the trade was developed. Economic prosperity enables them to support chorus and drama competitions that cost thousands of dollars. Besides Sophocles, there are other great playwrights, such as Aeschylus, euripides and aristophanes, who created scenes of joy and sadness with their own pens. Touching people's hearts, the scene has created one vivid and outstanding character image after another. Democratic atmosphere is the source of vitality and richness of Greek drama. Aeschylus can make Prometheus despise arrogance from Olympus without fear of being suppressed by medieval theocracy. Euripides can break through the barriers of the idea that men are superior to women, and let the humiliated Medea speak the heartfelt words that "only women are the most painful" in the world. Wonderful Greek drama will always be a precious legacy of mankind.

History: Greeks' Reflection on the Past

The ancient Greeks regarded thinking about the memory of the past as the innate instinct of human beings. They don't want to keep their cognition on the surface of the problem, but trace back to the essence of things, so as to achieve perfect rationality. The Greeks had a sense of history for a long time, but they didn't know that Homer played the role of a historian. Although his poems have literary elements, there are also many historical facts. Troy's successful excavation itself proves the authenticity of Homer's records. The magnificent Greek-Persian War, the countless sufferings and severe tests suffered by the Greeks in this war, all left indelible marks on the minds of the Greeks. This stimulated the great historian Herodotus, who vowed to pass on this epic story to future generations and make it immortal. From this, the History of Persian War, regarded as a classic historical work, was born, and Herodotus gained the reputation of "the father of history". Thucydides later pushed Greek historiography to a new peak. He witnessed the Peloponnesian War at the end of the 5th century BC, and it is hard to forget that the brothers among the city-states put on heavy armor, picked up spears and daggers and rushed at each other mercilessly. Compatriots fell in batches, and relatives died one by one; The god of plague is flying all over the sky, and the bones are exposed on the hill. This is simply a Greek disaster and nightmare! The trauma of the war and the ups and downs of the country and individuals deeply impacted Thucydides' mind, prompting him to write a masterpiece "The History of the Peloponnesian War" with his heart, and set up a monument admired by future generations in the history of historiography.

Science: It provides an opportunity for the vigorous development of Greece.

In order to build pyramids, palaces and temples, and to measure the fertile land left by the flooding of the Nile, the Egyptians studied measurement methods. In order to learn the commandments of God, priests often observed the sky. Compared with them, the Greeks showed more interest in the mysteries of the universe and the laws of everything. Alexander's expedition almost made the Greeks see the "end of the world". Facing the rough Indus River and crossing the inaccessible Caucasus, they can't help feeling their ignorance and ignorance. At the same time, a large number of Hellenistic cities have sprung up at the intersection of Asia, Africa and Europe, and libraries have mushroomed, which undoubtedly provides an opportunity for the vigorous development of science. As we know, Pythagoras discovered the "universal theorem" very early; Euclid summed up the previous experience and founded system geometry. His Principles of Geometry has been circulated for thousands of years and has been a popular teaching material in European universities until now. Archimedes of Syracuse is good at thinking. He realized the existence of buoyancy from the water overflowing from the bath, worked out the mathematical formula of the equilibrium position of the floating body, and founded hydrostatics. He gained strength and confidence from science, and asserted that if he was given a fulcrum, the whole earth would be shaken, which was a fearless spirit and perseverance to challenge nature. This is the value of Greek scientists. Roman soldiers killed Archimedes, who begged him for more time to think. Unexpectedly, he was accused of being unforgivable forever. Greek astronomy benefited from Babylon. As early as before Copernicus, Samoan Aristak doubted "geocentric theory". Bacos made the main astronomical instruments and quadrant at that time, and invented the calibration method to determine the ground position by latitude and longitude, and calculated the lengths of solar year, lunar year and sidereal year, and the values were quite accurate. Romantic Greeks also gave mythical colors to the confusing sky and the constellations they divided. Whenever night falls, we sit in the quiet farmhouse yard and look up at the sky, daydreaming in the flicker of fireflies and starlight, as if we saw Apollo running to the fairy playing the harp in winged flying shoes, flying horses flying over the lion's head, and fierce Orion waving his cane at the wolf star ... except for outstanding astronomy, physics and mathematics,

Wisdom: Pushing the Greeks to Seek the Highest Truth

The Greeks admire wisdom, and the god in charge of wisdom in their minds is the beautiful and magical Athena. Few ancient civilizations have produced so many philosophers and sages as Greece. Flowers bloom and fall, winter goes and summer comes, the moon moves and the stars move, and rivers flow. Greeks are always confused by the uncertainty of the world and are willing to explore eternal truth. Wise men have flashes and endless ideas. Thales of Miletus regarded the water that gave birth to life as the source of everything. Anaximani insists that the air around him is the foundation of the universe, and Heraclitus seems to see the final answer from the dancing flame. He said, "The world was not created by a god or a person. That was a long time ago, now and in the future. " Parmenides and democritus also expressed their views. This situation in which a hundred schools of thought contend benefits from the development of trade. Where there is trade, there is the flow of people, and the elites of all countries will inevitably collide with the sparks of thought. After defeating the Persians, Athens became one of the most developed city-states in the Greek world. A perfect democratic system releases the air of freedom, and magnets generally attract talents from all over the world and give them leisure to think. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Xenophon all won the crown of the kingdom of wisdom under such conditions. Ugly and disheveled, Socrates wrote nothing, but inspired Plato to forget drama, sports and women and pursue the supreme truth. Plato got a rest garden in the suburbs, and later became the world-famous "Athens College", focusing on teaching mathematics and philosophy. There, students don't have to pay, and women can stop and listen. It is like a melting pot, which brings together the cultural achievements of Greece for hundreds of years and refines them. We always divide Plato's thoughts into logic, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics and politics, but his theory is not systematic, but mixed in a beautiful and thoughtful dialogue. Plato believes that everything depends on thought, worships the love of truth beyond body and spirit, and longs for a society without degeneration, poverty, tyranny and war. In his ideal country, everyone has the right to receive education, and the wise rule ignorance. Aristotle inherited Plato's career. He is knowledgeable and brilliant, and has left a solid footprint in philosophy, politics, logic, rhetoric, poetics and Neo-Confucianism.

Greece is a nation that dares to think, challenge and practice. Although some of the most commendable works no longer exist, a careful study of the remaining buildings, sculptures and bottle paintings can still provide insight into the brilliance of Greek artistic achievements. The Parthenon is a masterpiece of Greek architecture and a symbol of people's conquest of nature. Every part of it has a lasting balance, which will not be overturned because the Taurik columns it supports are deliberately different in length. It stretches, stretches, stands upright, strong and harmonious with elegance. The Greeks advocated the beauty of the human body and made statues of Almighty God and outstanding figures of the Olympic Games. They appreciate men's masculinity and women's graceful charm. The posture of the "discus thrower" swinging his arms backwards and twisting his knees always makes people feel an irresistible force. Venus of Milos's elegant "S" shape and broken arm are fascinating. The combination of red and black produces a steady and elegant visual effect. The Greeks used them as glaze colors for firing pottery, and told touching legends on bottles and jars with ever-changing geometric figures and flowing lines: there were carriages galloping on the battlefield, odyssey's arduous journey back to China, and the seductive voice of Sai Ren, a banshee in the depths of the sea. No wonder Marx spoke highly of Greek art, thinking that it can not only give spiritual enjoyment to future generations, but also be "a standard and unattainable model in a sense". Time can pass and strength can be replaced, but the civilization created by the Greeks will never be erased like an eternal flame.