Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, is a Balkan country located in southeastern Europe.The country borders the Mediterranean Sea and the Ionian Sea. The rich culture, food, and chain of islands make Greece a popular tourist spot today.Ancient Greece is known as one of the most influential civilizations to ever exist as the ancient Greek civilization is credited with various achievements that paved the way for a better future for the world and the country itself. Ancient Greece was a prosperous civilization and various self-governing city-states were formed that would rule their own cities.Ancient Greece is long considered to be the birthplace of democracy and philosophical thinking. The civilization taught the Western civilization several new methods of learning and also produced some of the most intellectual and influential personalities that are still known today. Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Archimedes, played a huge role in popularizing Greek culture throughout the world.Not to forget, Alexander the Great, who achieved great success in conquering and expanding his empire, was Greek by birth!If you like this article about ancient Greek culture facts, do check out our other interesting articles about ancient Greek clothing facts and ancient Greek art facts too!What was ancient Greek culture like?The term ‘Ancient Greece’ does not apply to the region as the country was divided into different city-states that had their own laws and were self-governed. Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and Thebes were some of the largest cities, with Athens being the center of the Greek Empire and one of the most influential cities of ancient times.Sparta too was a large, dominant city and was constantly at war with Athens. However, these city-states, despite their anonymity towards each other, would come together to face a common enemy. Sparta was the brawn of the country and Athens was the brains as Sparta devoted most of its resources to training Spartan men to be fine soldiers, whereas Athens spread its wings in the field of learning. Athens was the residence of Greek philosophers and a place of learning and logical thinking.Ancient Greeks believed that the Earth was spherical based on the studies of Pythagoras. They also rationalized the importance of the night sky on a scientific basis instead of it being linked with supernatural events.One of the most interesting facts about the culture is that Ancient Greeks believed that beans contained the souls of the dead, so they did not eat beans.Theater and literature were hugely popular in ancient Greek society. Theatres are believed to have come to prominence in the sixth century BC in Athens. Tragedies were played during religious festivals.Oral traditions were of utmost significance in ancient Greek society and in the early parts of Greek history. Homer’s epic poems, ‘Odyssey’ and ‘The Iliad’ were compiled into writings around the eighth century BC.Greek sculpture, architecture, and art heavily influenced other cultures. Greek architecture was influenced by Egyptian art and the Greeks, over years, created their own form of Greek art.Greek sculptors took extra care in creating sculptures as they took the poise, proportion, and emotions of the human body and put these into the art they created. Ancient Greek figures are some of the most popular relics of ancient civilizations that can be found today.If you are looking for cool facts, you’ll be interested to know that the Olympic games were invented in Greece! They were invented to honor Zeus and consisted of games like wrestling, chariot racing, and boxing. Wrestlers were the strongest people in the city.Ancient Greeks, unlike most of the world, condoned slavery! An estimated 80,000 slaves made up classical Athens’ population.Music was quite a significant part of ancient Greek society and festivals were held for the Greek gods. Instruments would be played as entertainment, for celebrations and festivals, and for the gods. Children would learn to play instruments from the age of six!Ancient Greek architecture made the use of columns an important part of their structures as most Greek structures were embedded with columns. Doric, Corinthian, and Ionic columns were the most used.What is the main culture in Greece?Ancient Greeks took pride in their lavish feasts, especially the wealthy class. Feasts were held to celebrate name days and other versions of societal festivities. Garlic, fennel, onions, and various unique spices were used in the food.Olive oil is widely used in Greek culture alongside other food items like yogurt, zucchini, pork, octopus, fish, and chicken.With over 430,000 ton (390089.44 met ton) of olive oil exported annually, Greece ranks thirds on the list of countries with the largest olive export.Ancient Greece was one of the most influential empires of its time and excelled in politics, arts, science, language, education, and philosophy. The Greek culture impacted the Roman Empire too. Through the Roman Empire, Greek society was introduced to Western culture. Classic Greek culture was adopted by the Byzantine Empire and the strong influence of the Greek culture-based Byzantine Empire can be seen in the Golden Age of Islam and the Renaissance.An estimated 98% of the Greek population consists of Christian Orthodox Greeks. The remaining 2% are comprised of people who practice the Jewish, Islamic, and Roman Catholic faiths. Russia and Greece happen to be the only countries to have such a massive population of Orthodox Christians.Ancient Greeks, despite worshipping deities like Goddess Athena and the God Zeus, were superstitious. Different regions have different traditions and superstitions that they practice.Approximately 13.5 million people around the world speak the Greek language that is based on Indo-European languages. Greek is the official language of the country, Greece. There are various renditions of the language that are used in different regions of the country. Some other languages used in the country are Armenian, Macedonian, Turkish, Romani, and Bulgarian.Around 40% of the total Greek population lives in the capital city of Athens.How old is the Greek culture?The origins of ancient Greece are estimated to have begun in the early 8th century BC when Greece came to the forefront of the world as one of the most developed empires.The end of this period of Greece culture is thought to have come about when the Romans conquered Greece in 146 BC. However, the Greek civilization simply did not disappear. It continued to exist until the end of the ancient world.Greeks called their country ‘Hellas’ or ‘Hellada’. The name ‘Greece’ originated from the Romans referring to the region as ‘Graecia’ which translates to ’the land of the Greeks’ in the Latin language.Ancient Greece did fall into a Dark Age which is termed as a lost period with no progress in the civilization or progress made by the Greeks during this period. The name Dark Age is a direct reference to the complete lack of knowledge.The advent of the Greek Dark Age is indicated by the fall of the Mycenaeans, who resided in southern Greece.What is the Greek culture called?Greece is the English name given to the Hellenic Republic.The name comes from the ancient Latin word for the region. Ancient Greeks referred to themselves as ‘Hellenic’ and the word ‘Romaic’ was originated from the Byzantine Greek term.Did You Know?The white statues that are a remnant of ancient Greeks gods and goddesses were actually painted in an array of colors! The colors faded away as time passed.Ancient Greeks worshipped many Gods and Goddesses! Shrines and temples were built to worship these deities. Athena, Hermes, Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite are some of the commonly known deities in the Greek world. The ancient Greece religion was based around these deities living on Mount Olympus. 12 of the Greek gods lived on Mount Olympus. Not all lived on Mount Olympus, though. Hades, the God of the Underworld is not included among Olympian Gods as he was thought to live in the Underworld.King Leonidas of Sparta is known for his bravery as he fought against a large Persian army with only 300 soldiers. Leonidas’ battle is an extremely popular fight in the history of ancient Greece.The Classical Period began with the end of a Greek tyrant in 510 BC and ended with Alexander’s death in 323 BC. This period is of great importance to the legends of ancient Greece and in the ancient Greece timeline as it was the period where democratic governments were formed and scholars like Socrates and Plato took center stage.Handshakes originated in ancient Greece! Yes, among the fascinating and amazing facts about Greece, the origin of the handshake is one! The earliest depiction of the handshake can be seen in structures built in the fifth century that shows the Goddess of ancient Greek mythology, Athena and Hera shaking hands.Greek culture and Asian culture saw a coming together as a direct result of Alexander the Great’s conquest. Greek became the common language among like-minded people and Greek architecture and art can still be found in countries that were part of the expansion of Alexander’s empire. Some of the Mauryan empire sculptures have the Greek design style embedded in them.Philosophy, rational thinking, and public speaking were given tremendous importance. Hippocrates’ medical insights along with the narratives of Herodotus and Thucydides are proof of the importance of logical thinking in the ancient Greek population.Mathematics, formulas, and theories derived by ancient Greek mathematicians like Pythagoras, Archimedes, and Euclid are still used to this day. These mathematicians were born in the Hellenistic and Classical periods and have become a huge part of the world of knowledge.The capital city of Athens is estimated to be 3,400 years old. Athens has been inhabited for at least 5,000 years approximately.There are around 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Greece. The Acropolis, Medieval City of Rhodes, and Mouth Athos are some of the monuments that grabbed the attention of the world on the ancient Greece map.The national sport of Greece is soccer (football).Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ancient Greek culture facts then why not take a look at ancient Greek food facts, or ancient Greek temples facts.
Greece, officially known as the Hellenic Republic, is a Balkan country located in southeastern Europe.
