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Ancient [[Greece]] has had an enormous amount of impact on culture in the western world.  Some of the first works of literature in the west of which we have record come from Greece, and although they were created at a time after older works from [[Mesopotamia]] or [[China]], such epic poems as the ''[[Iliad]]'' and ''[[Odyssey]]'' have exerted wide influence over generation after generation of western thinkers.

Ancient [[Greece]] has had an enormous amount of impact on culture in the western world.  Some of the first works of literature in the west of which we have record come from Greece, and although they were created at a time after older works from [[Mesopotamia]] or [[China]], such epic poems as the ''[[Iliad]]'' and ''[[Odyssey]]'' have exerted wide influence over generation after generation of western thinkers.

Greece was home to many other "firsts" in the [[humanities]], such as the first [[history]] and [[historian]], [[Herodotus]], the first practitioners of [[mathematics]], many developments in [[political science]] including the creation of [[democracy]] and [[republic]]s (albeit in [[oligarchy|oligarchic]] form), and virtually the whole of the fundamentals of classical western [[philosophy]], as found in the works of [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]].  Much of [[architecture]] has its roots in Greece, as well.

Greece was home to many other "firsts" in the [[humanities]], such as the first [[history]] and [[historian]] ([[Herodotus]]), the whole of the initial development of [[drama|dramatic]] and [[comedy|comedic]] plays, the first practitioners of [[mathematics]], many developments in [[political science]] including the creation of [[democracy]] and [[republic]]s (albeit in [[oligarchy|oligarchic]] form), and virtually the whole of the fundamentals of classical western [[philosophy]], as found in the works of [[Plato]] and [[Aristotle]].  Much of [[architecture]] has its roots in Greece, as well.

It is difficult to fairly ascribe to Greece the roots of [[science]], since science as a recognizable discipline only became distinguishable rather recently, but for most of history what we consider science has been entwined with philosophy and politics, and in that form the Greeks (particularly [[Archimedes]]) were once more the progenitors.  To this end, they created the first [[siege engine]]s, the first [[alarm clock]], and many other inventions.

It is difficult to fairly ascribe to Greece the roots of [[science]], since science as a recognizable discipline only became distinguishable rather recently, but for most of history what we consider science has been entwined with philosophy and politics, and in that form the Greeks (particularly [[Archimedes]]) were once more the progenitors.  To this end, they created the first [[siege engine]]s, the first [[alarm clock]], and many other inventions.

== See also ==

== See also ==

*[[Pythagoras]]

*[[Pythagoras]]

*[[Greek mythology]]

*[[Greek mythology]]

== External links ==

== External links ==

*[http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/1/5/231719/2003 Ancient Greek Contributions to Western Civilization]

*[http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/1/5/231719/2003 Ancient Greek Contributions to Western Civilization]

*[http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3607/ Deep Roots of Ancient Greece]

*[http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3607/ Deep Roots of Ancient Greece]