Any great Greek facts?

Question

Ok folks, I have a major test to study for that will either make me or brake me! I need just one more credit to graduate and it is in history. We are currently studying Ancient Greece. Any cool facts I can include in my essay? Please yall I really need the help! Thanks

Answer 1

There are some very good plays that are kinda strange i can list some of them. There is one about a guy who became king and married his own mother (BUT at the time he didn't know it. when he found out he gouged his eyes out) there is also a lot of really cool facts about greece and anciect greek mythology at www.mythweb.com it can give you lots of info on greek gods and stuff like that. Hope you essay goes ok! :-)

Answer 2

No facts, but study tips:

Go to your teacher and get a study guide. Look at notes taken in class, Check out a BOOK or 2 from a library. Pick the most important facts and make FLASHCARDS, they help A TON!! Good luck on your exam!

Answer 3

i dono if this will help abt there was this greek mythology about odyseus: wandering Greek hero:the King of Ithaca and one of the senior Greeks in the Trojan War. He is the main character in Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey. This poem became so famous tht now the word "odyssey" is commly used for any long tough journey.
hope tht helped!

Answer 4

Having exported chaos, drama, tragedy and democracy before most nations were staying up late enough to want souvlaki, Greece boasts an unrivalled legacy. But don't expect a visit there to be a sober study of the ancient world - the Greek propensity for partying dates back to Dionysos.

From sometimes smoggy Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the navel of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even - as some might believe - the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini.

When To Go
Conditions are perfect between Easter and mid-June - beaches and ancient sites are relatively uncrowded; public transport operates on close to full schedules; and accommodation is cheaper and easier to find than in the mid-June to end of August high season. Conditions are once more ideal from the end of August until mid-October, as the season winds down. Winter is pretty much a dead loss outside the major cities as most of the tourist infrastructure goes into hibernation from the middle of October till the beginning of April. This is slowly changing, however; on the most touristy islands, a few restaurants, hotels and bars remain open year-round, while the ski resorts on the mainland do thriving business.


Reference link 2 below
Greece Fast Facts

(long form) Hellenic Republic

Capital City Athens (pop. 3,216,200) (2006 est.)

Cities (largest by population) Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Iraklio, Volos

Currency Euro

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
$1.698 trillion (2005 est)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (per capita)
$22,300 (2005 est)

Holiday (national) Independence Day, March 25

Holidays (public) here!

Independence Day March 25, 1821

Language Greek (official)

Population 10,688,058 (2006 est.)

Religions Greek Orthodox

Reference link 3 below
A Brief Description

In some future millennium when the definitive history of Planet Earth is chronicled for all to see, the impact and influence of both ancient and modern Greece will occupy countless chapters.

It was here in ancient times that many accomplished architects, philosophers, poets, teachers and thinkers would prove influential in the development of the Western World, and the collective works and legends of such great men as Aristotle, Hippocrates, Homer, Plato and Socrates live on today, and for very good reasons.

The recorded history of Greece began in the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC), with the rise of many powerful regional cultures. Typical of ancient civilizations, they too eventually crumbled, and in Greece, they were followed by the growth of Athens and Sparta (consequential city-states), as well as the development of Greater Greece.

During this 'Classical Age' massive construction projects were undertaken including the building of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis, enduring literature was written; Socrates, the fabled philosopher, was inspiring the youth of the day with his unwavering commitment to logic and truth, and the spark was lit for the birth of the modern principles of democracy. In 776 BC, the first Olympic Games were held in Athens.

This lengthy creative and prosperous period was eventually interrupted by a Persian invasion of the mainland, a war between Athens and Sparta (won by the Spartans), and the rise of Alexander the Great and the Macedonian Empire. Subsequently the Romans invaded Greece and quickly took control.

The Western Roman Empire began to fade around 300 AD, and Greece became a part of the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Roman Empire. Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) was the capital city and Constantine I became its first Christian Emperor.

The Byzantines lasted for some nine hundred years, until Constantinople was conquered in 1204 during the Crusades. In the early 16th century the Ottoman Turks captured this capital city, and most of Greece was then under Turkish control.

The War of Independence with the Ottoman Turks began in 1821, but Greek independence was the direct result of military support from Britain, France and Russia. For on-going stability reasons, those powers and other European forces decided to install a non-Greek king, and that monarchy concept remained into the 20th century.

During WWI, Greek troops fought with the Allies but there were problems growing on the home front. In 1936 the Communist Party had widespread popular support and in that same year General Metaxas was appointed prime minister by the king and he established what would prove to be a disastrous fascist dictatorship.

In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy and then occupied by the Nazis. After Germany's defeat by the Allied Forces, internal fighting continued in Greece between supporters of the king and Communist rebels, with Communism finally crushed in 1949.

Greece made a positive move and joined NATO in 1952, but a few years later a military dictatorship took control and it soon suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981 Greece joined the EU, and has never looked back.

Greece is quite a remarkable place as you can literally touch the antiquities of the past and stand right where the genesis of our modern cultures and political systems began. You can also enjoy the colorful charms of its many islands, towns and villages, shop till-you-drop in non-stop Athens and meet a friendly face at every turn.

In 2004 the Olympic flame returned home to Greece as this remarkable country played host to the Summer Games. It was a resounding success, one that paid tribute to the assertive, determined and multi-talented citizens of this great land, both past and present.

Answer 5

Greek men are very hairy... women too.