Ancient Greece is where the cultural sensibilities of the present Western civilization took root. The era of Ancient Greece spans from circa 1100 BC to around 146 BC. Most of what we know today of Ancient Greece is courtesy the works of historians such as Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon. We have also learnt a lot from extant monuments dating back to the age of ancient Greece as well as archaeological findings in the form of sculpture, pottery, textiles, metal work, etc.

The Greek civil society in the days of ancient Greece was dominated by religion and temples to the Greek Gods abounded. Temple architecture in ancient Greece followed three primary styles or orders. The Doric, exemplified by the Parthenon, Ionic from the middle classical period of Greek art exemplified by the Erechtheum, and the Corinthian which was the most ornate as exemplified by the temple of Apollo at Bassae.

Ancient Greece was made up of several city-states or “polis”, the most prominent of which was Athens. The population of Ancient Greece consisted of free citizens and slaves. Women took their place in society through their husbands. The free citizens were primarily farmers and military service was compulsory.

Principles of governance in ancient Greece evolved from being a government of landowners, then a council of free citizens, and finally to being a democracy. Some of the most landmark wars in human history that shaped the course of civilization were fought during the age of Ancient Greece. The included the Persian Wars that established Greek identity and the Peloponnesian wars that brought an end to Athenian hegemony.

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