1 Athenian Democracy Was Exclusive Only male citizens over the age of 18 had a place in the political process. The rights afforded to citizens and non-citizens differed greatly, whereas the current American system provides equal protection to all citizens.

The Athenian definition of “citizens” was also different from modern-day citizens: only free men were considered citizens in Athens. Women, children, and slaves were not considered citizens and therefore could not vote. Ostraka are shards of pottery that were used as a voting ballot in ancient Greece.

The government of ancient Athens was a democracy. However, not every Athenian had equal opportunity to participate in democracy. Anyone could live in a Greek city-state, but not everyone could be a citizen. Citizens had rights and privileges that non-citizens did not have, including the right to vote.

The democracy of Ancient Greece, and most famously of the city-state of Athens, was direct democracy, meaning that the population voted directly on legislation that would affect their lives. The government of the modern day United States, on the other hand, is a democratic republic.

What was the biggest difference between government in ancient Athens and in ancient Rome? Athens allowed all citizens to vote, while Rome was a republic. Each city-state had its own form of government.

The daily life of an ancient Greek was very similar to our lives today. Greek society was similar to the society that most of us enjoy today because it was full of a rich culture. This means that ancient Greeks could enjoy exotic foods, good music, and read literature, just as we do today.

The Greeks made important contributions to philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. Literature and theatre was an important aspect of Greek culture and influenced modern drama. Greek culture influenced the Roman Empire and many other civilizations, and it continues to influence modern cultures today.

Of Course learning either language would help you with the other but it would benefit you much more to learn ancient Greek first and then move on to modern Greek. Modern Greek was built off of ancient Greek words and many words and phrases are either copied directly or adapted from ancient ones.

Automatic Doors. An invention we largely take for granted today, the automatic door was first developed in ancient Greece by the Heron of Alexandria. A roaring fire would be lit on a large altar and some of the heat would be siphoned to a pot of water below.

The Baghdad Battery, also known as the Parthian Battery, is said to be the oldest in the world; it is about 2,000 years old.

Inventions

Find out some of the most important Greek inventions and discoveries that are still used by people all over the globe….

• Olympics. Source: Pixabay.
• Astrolabe. Source: Andrew Dunn/Wikimedia Commons.
• Theatre.
• Water Clock.
• Greek Fire.
• The lever.
• The Crane.
• Pap Smear.

What is Greece Famous For?

• The Birthplace of Democracy.
• The Beginnings of Philosophy.
• Geometry and the Pythagorean Theorem.
• Western Medicine and the Hippocratic Oath.
• The Olympic Games.
• Drama and the Theatre of Epidaurus.
• Greek Mythology and Mount Olympus.
• Cartography and Map Making.

Most Ancient Greeks have dark hair and dark eyes, even though blonde hair is often idolized and associated with Greek gods. Artificial hair coloring was also pretty common among the wealthier Greeks. Many Ancient Greeks described themselves as having a skin tone in the middle between pale and dark.

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. As a culture (as opposed to a political force), Greek civilization lasted longer still, continuing right to the end of the ancient world.

Top 15 Influential Ancient Greeks

1. Alexander the Great. Alexander III of Macedon, commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας), was a king of Macedon, a state in northern ancient Greece.
2. Socrates. Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher.
3. Homer.
4. Aristotle.
5. Plato.
6. Pericles.
7. Pythagoras.
8. Archimedes.

Top 10 Facts About Ancient Greece!

• Ancient Greece had lots of city-states.
• Marathons came from Ancient Greek times!
• About one third of the Ancient Greeks were slaves.
• The juries were huge!
• They worshipped many Gods and Goddesses.
• 12 of the Gods and Goddesses lived on Mount Olympus.
• Greeks called themselves ‘Hellenes’.

Why did Greeks stop believing in the gods? – Quora. Because they believed too much. The ancient Greeks were polytheistic, which means not only that they believed in many gods, they believed in all the gods. In those times that was true of most cultures.