13 Signs You Know You’re From A Greek Family

The ancient Greeks created the world’s first democracy. Athens started out with a monarchy and then advanced to an oligarchy until it finally reached a democracy. The democratic government consisted of 6,000 assembly members, all of whom were adult male citizens. The assembly voted on issues throughout Athens.

Greece and Rome, two ancient societies, both influenced many aspects of modern life. Their advancements were utilized in many later cultures. They influenced almost every part of today’s world, such as government, language, and architecture, as well as making scientific advancements.

One of the biggest contributions by Greek mythology is the long-standing tradition of the Olympics. The ancient Olympics originally began in the year 776 BC and were primarily held in the honour of Zeus, the father and king of Greek God and Goddesses.

Traditions Only Greeks Can Understand

• Name Days. It is true that the tradition of “name days” exists in many European countries, but in Greece, these name days are strongly respected and celebrated.
• First Day of the Month.
• Evil Eye (Mati)
• Spitting.
• Name Giving.
• Saints’ Day Celebrations.
• Plate Smashing.
• The Christmas Boat.

• You converse in Greek in public to exclude others from hearing.
• Your hair is one shade, pure black.
• You have many superstitions.
• You celebrate New Year’s Day more than the average person.
• It’s a huge deal if you get the quarter in Vassilopita on New Years.

One of the most common Greek words is έλα (ela). It is the imperative of the verb έρχομαι (erhomai, to come) and literally it means come (in the second singular person): “Έλα! Το λεωφορείο φεύγει!» (Ela! To leoforeio fevgei.

The ‘Greek custom’ has been a euphemism for homosexuality since Roman times. ‘Greek love’ is sometimes used to refer to anal intercourse, and nowadays even, ‘doing it the Greek way’ still describes anal intercourse.

Most Greeks live as nuclear families in a single household; however, the extended family is kept close and visited often. In some cases, more than two generations may live together. Greek parents generally have a lot of influence over their children throughout their lives and are deeply devoted to them.

The ancient Greeks implemented their values of loyalty, glory, intelligence and hospitality into everyday life. While these values may seem simple, they effectively shaped an entire civilization into a culture that is one of the most referenced in history.

There are, however, some things that remain consistent. Greek people are very proud of who they are and speak of their heritage with great passion. They are united by their traditions, religion, language, music, food, and wine. All of these form the backdrop of Modern Greek culture and Greece’s cultural identity.

98% of the Greeks are Christian Orthodox. The rest of the population are Muslims, Roman Catholics, and Jewish. Greece and Russia are the only countries to have such a big proportion of Orthodox Christians.

The civilization of Ancient Greece emerged into the light of history in the 8th century BC. Normally it is regarded as coming to an end when Greece fell to the Romans, in 146 BC. However, major Greek (or “Hellenistic”, as modern scholars call them) kingdoms lasted longer than this.

How was Greece bailed out? The last €61.9bn was provided by the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) in support of the Greek government’s efforts to reform the economy and recapitalise banks.

Originally Answered: Did Greece and Rome coexist? Strictly speaking, one would have to say no. The great Greek empires had broken up by the time the Roman empire arose. However, both civilizations were certainly contemporary and aware of one another, and even neighbors via the Greek colonies in southern Italy.

In the end the Kingdom of Greece won and Greece remained capitalist. The Kingdom of Greece would join NATO along with Turkey in 1952, placing them fully in the Western Bloc. In 1967 Greece fell victim to a military coup and became a military dictatorship from 1967-1974.

They defeated Macedonia at the Battle of Cynoscephalae in 197 BC and then again at the Battle of Pydna in 168 BC. Rome continued its conquest of Greece. The Greeks were finally defeated at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC. Rome completely destroyed and plundered the city of Corinth as an example to other Greek cities.

Assuming that Greece was conquered by Macedons/Seleucids before Rome, there will be more and more problems for the republic… In near term: Rome would decline very soon: east was far more richer (Seleucids were the great power with money at that time), while west consisted only in forests and barbaric tribes.

Ancient history includes the recorded Greek history beginning in about 776 BCE (First Olympiad). This coincides roughly with the traditional date of the founding of Rome in 753 BCE and the beginning of the history of Rome.

Classical Antiquity (or Ancient Greece and Rome) is a period of about 900 years, when ancient Greece and then ancient Rome (first as a Republic and then as an Empire) dominated the Mediterranean area, from about 500 B.C.E.