Greece is a country with a particularly rich and ancient history. Excavations show that the first settlement is dating from the Palaeolithic era. During the second millennium BC, Greece gave birth to the great civilisations of the Minoan , the Mycenaean and the Cycladic civilisation on the greek islands of the Centre Aegean.
Greece History was the Golden Age and the most famous world wide during this period lived the greatest philosophers and mathematicians. Then, the history of Greece is a succession of various invasions and dominations: the Macedonians formed a strong Empire, followed by the Romans and the Byzantine Empire which ended with the invasion of the Turks. The Ottoman rule lasted for 400 years and was a dark period for the inhabitants of the ex-Byzantine Empire. Wanting to finally win their freedom, people of the Greece territory started to organise themselves and various revolts exploded against the Turkish oppressor.
During the Bronze Age the powerful Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean maritime civilisations flourished. According to Homer, this was a time of violence and wars based on trade rivalries, although it is thought that Minoan culture was generally peaceful and harmonious. By the 11th century BC the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures had collapsed, due to changing patterns of trade and a Dorian invasion from the north, and a 'dark age' ensued.
The Independence War started from the Peloponnese in 1821 and ended on March 1831, with the establishment of the new and independent Greek State. A monarchy was established a few years after that by the Great Powers. Then Greeks elected Eleutherios Venizelos as their Prime Minister; but only a few years after, he was assassinated. A civilian war followed as well as the terrible German and Italian occupation and the dictatorship of Metaxas (1967), which ended in 1974. This very incomplete and summarized recapitulation of the Greek history gives a taste of its complexity and of the sufferings alienation of its population who often fought for its freedom.
The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, with its beginnings in Ancient Greece, through the influence of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and Greek independence. Greece is often called the cradle of Western civilisation.
The art and architecture of ancient Greece have greatly influenced Western art through the present day. Byzantine art and architecture also played an important role in early Christianity, and remain a significant influence in the Orthodox Christian nations of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Yet, due to the ravages of history, only a minor assortment of ancient Greek art has survived - most often in the forms of sculpture and architecture and minor arts, including coin design, pottery and gem engraving.
The ancient Greeks developed two primary styles (or "Classical orders"); the restrained and solid Doric and the refined and decorated Ionic. It should be noted that the Ionic style eventually evolved into the more ornate Corinthian style.
The form of ancient Greek temples, a rectangular shape, surrounded by colonnades surmounted by a triangular pediment, built from limestone or marble, remains a popular style to date. While the arch was familiar to the Greeks, it was not widely used, in contrast to later Roman buildings. Surviving examples of ancient Greek architecture include the Parthenon and the Erechtheum in Athens, and Roman structures based on the Greek model, such as the Pantheon in Rome.
The religion of ancient Greece is well-known in the modern western world via Greek mythology. Tales of the Greek gods and mythological heroes remain popular to this day.
Greek paganism was never a unified belief system. The Greeks worshipped a large pantheon of deities, with the Olympians predominating, but with many local deities recognised as well. Deities from other cultures were freely adopted by the Greeks, and through syncretism many gods from other lands throughout the Mediterranean were identified with their Greek counterparts (most notably the Roman gods.) The ancient Greeks also developed a number of mystery religions such as the Eleusinian Mysteries. These mystery cults became widely popular in late antiquity, and are perceived by some as precursors to Christianity.
The population of Modern Greece includes small minorities of Muslims, Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. A minute number of Greeks are practitioners of Hellênismos, which is a modern attempt to reconstruct the pagan religion of ancient Greece.
National name: Elliniki Dimokratia
Area: 50,942 sq mi (131,940 sq km)
Population (2005 est.): 10,668,354
birth rate: 9.7/1000;
density per sq mi: 209
Capital (2003 est.): Athens, 3,247,000 (metro. area), 747,300 (city proper)
Other cities: Thessaloníki
Currency: Euro (formerly drachma)
Languages: Greek 99% (official), English, French
Religions: Greek Orthodox 98%, Islam 1.3%, other 0.7% |
