Ancient Greek Culture

sure- I don't know a ton about it, but in taking several classes (Latin and Greek/Roman culture) I have learned some... what exactly is it you wanted to discuss???

Becca

 

I don't remember hearing that it happened in
Athens as well, but it might have. Both city-states held in high importance the need to be the strongest, bravest, and best in war-even to the point of the infantacide of those babies that were not good enough. To my knowledge, Sparta was more perfect warrior oriented then Athens, but again I don't know for sure.

 

The most that I know about Greek culture pertains to all of Greece (mostly I know about mythology and he Olympics).

 

That sounds a lot like latin (Nominative, Genitive, Dative, Ablative, and Accusative for the nouns) (verbs in present, future, perfect, imperfect, and pluperfect. Passive and active voice, different moods, masculine, feminine, or neuter, and each has a different ending!!!)

 

Well, as far as Spartan society being "dedicated to perpetuating the oppression of the ruling class, which demanded a stultified society in which innovation was not allowed," I'm sure that's something like what I meant( ) but I'm much too young to take all of the society stuff into that much detail! Thanks for the clarification!

 

I too appreciate the greek language very much. And I love classical greek history as well as the works of the poets like Homer.

The Athens/Sparta comparison is very interesting. I think we in the west like to think ourselves cultural descendants of Athens as more "enlightened" than if we were the descendants of Sparta. But I am coming to believe our culture resembles Sparta far more than we like to believe. We are a very militaristic society that has come to place a very high regard for veterans (as an example). And consider our view of wartime presidents - "Saint" Lincoln, who waged a war against his own people, being foremost among our heros. American culture is a culture that glorifies war far more than it does learning.

 

Oh - sorry - I meant to comment about women in Sparta and Athens. I read a book recently about the differences with respect to women. One reason homosexuality was so prevalent in both Sparta and Athens was the feeling that women were not an intellectual match for men and so they were just baby-makers rather than companions for the most part. A boy was by far a preferred conversationalist to a woman. It was not a sexual choice so much as a companion choice. In Sparta, women were generally more "liberated" by necessity - somebody had to run things while the men were off fighting or training for the next fight - much like the "Rosey the rivetter" of WWII. In a way, women ultimately ruled the men since it was they who raised the boys to become men and, it is believed by some, mothers were the ones who warned their sons to come back with their shield or on it (as in it being used as their stretcher). Women did not share the same status in Athens where men were free to run things at home as they did at work.