Influence of climatic factors on ancient Greek civilization

The formation of a national culture is influenced by many factors, such as economy, geographical environment and foreign culture. Among them, the geographical environment bears the brunt.

Greece

Geographical environment of ancient Greece

The geographical scope of ancient Greece is centered on the Greek peninsula, including the Aegean Sea in the east and the islands and archipelagos in the Ionian Sea in the west, as well as the southwest coast of Turkey, southern Italy and eastern Sicily. Its geographical environment is characterized by hilly land, winding coast and dense islands. As the center of ancient Greek civilization, the central and southern parts of the Greek Peninsula are famous for their numerous harbors and endless straits, which provide natural conditions for Greek civilization to face the sea. As far as Greek land is concerned, it is a barren land with mountains and thin soil. Countless mountains divide Greece into small areas, and extremely inconvenient land transportation and geographical division are important factors that cause Greece's difficulty in reunification and numerous city-States. On the whole, the Greek world is geographically close to the civilization centers of Egypt in the Nile valley and Mesopotamia in the two rivers valley, and it is easy to accept the positive influence of the two civilizations.

The influence of geographical environment on ancient Greek culture

The sea gives us the concept of infinity, infinity and infinity; When human beings feel their own infinity in the infinity of the ocean, they are inspired to transcend the finite. The ocean invites human beings to conquer and plunder, but it also encourages them to pursue profits and engage in business. In this way, he moved from a solid land to an unstable sea, with his artificial construction site and boats, swans on the sea, and braving the waves with agile and ingenious work, with Ling Bo ahead.

The closure of the Mediterranean region relative to the surrounding continents has produced centrifugal force on the inland hinterland. Compared with the Mediterranean, the coastal areas of East Asia have both maritime traffic and convenient communication with inland areas. In terms of maritime transportation, the whole coastal area of East Asia continent is expanding its culture and influence to the surrounding peninsulas and islands.

The maritime trade with the outside world broadened the horizons of the Greeks, increased their knowledge, contacted the culture outside the city-state, enriched their thoughts and made them more eager for freedom. So as to cultivate spiritual freedom; But also can give people more leisure time, so as to freely pursue all kinds of academics. Because of the pleasant climate, Greeks like outdoor activities. Greek citizens' assembly was held in the open square. People gather in open-air public places to praise and criticize democratic politics, comment on people and expound their political views. This kind of social life helps to promote the development of democratic politics and the spirit of freedom. Greece is rich in beautiful and hard marble and high-quality clay, which provides superior conditions for the development of architecture, sculpture and pottery making. In addition, Greece is sunny all year round, suitable for outdoor activities, with special emphasis on physical exercise. Athletes take part in the sports meeting naked, forming a strong love for human beauty. All these have brought favorable factors to the growth and development of ancient Greek culture and art. The unique geographical location provided a platform for the cultural exchange between ancient Greece and the outside world. Greece is close to the two river basins and the Nile basin, so it is easy to accept the advanced cultures of the two eastern civilizations and turn them into their own use. The city of Athens at the top of the Balkan Peninsula is an example. It is the intersection of Greek and world cultures. For orientals, this is the first European city; For westerners, this is the first oriental city. The interaction between the East and the West not only creates different urban landscapes here, but also promotes the collision and communication between the East and the West. Scholars from Asia Minor, Persia, Egypt and other places have brought great leaps in philosophy, rhetoric, physics, astronomy and mathematics. By the 5th century BC, ancient Greece had surpassed the research results of these disciplines in the East in many aspects.

We can now know that both English culture and Greek culture have been influenced by the ocean, which has endowed them with the spirit of taking risks and rigorous quality, and they have both created their own splendid cultures.