Greece/ˈɡriːs/ⓘ (Greek:Ελλάδα,Ellada), officially theHellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία,Elliniki Dimokratia), and historicallyHellas (Ancient Greek:Ἑλλάς,Hellas; ModernGreek:Ελλάς,Ellas), is a country in the southeast ofEurope on the southern tip of theBalkan peninsula. Bounded on land byBulgaria,North Macedonia, andAlbania to the north, to the east byTurkey and the waters of theAegean Sea and to the west and south by theIonian andMediterranean Seas. Regarded by many as the cradle of Western civilisation, Greece has a long and rich history during which it spread its influence over three continents.Read more...
During the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the western provinces wereLatinised, but the eastern parts kept theirHellenistic culture.Constantine I (r. 324–337) legalisedChristianity and moved the capital to Constantinople.Theodosius I (r. 379–395) made Christianity thestate religion and Greek gradually replaced Latin for official use. The empire adopted a defensive strategy and, throughout its remaining history, experienced recurring cycles of decline and recovery. (Full article...)
Image 31Shards of pottery vases on the street, after being thrown from the windows of nearby houses. AHoly Saturday tradition inCorfu. (fromCulture of Greece)
Image 45A page from a 16th-century edition of the 10th century Byzantineencyclopaedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, theSuda. (fromCulture of Greece)
Image 61Alexander the Great also known as Alexander III, king of Macedon, was one of the most successful military commanders in history. (fromCulture of Greece)
Image 69The most famous artist born in Greece was probably Doménikos Theotokópoulos, better known asEl Greco (The Greek) in Spain. He did most of his painting there during the late 1500s and early 1600s. (fromCulture of Greece)
...that theGreco-Buddhist art is an artistic manifestation ofGreco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism between the Greek culture and Buddhism, which developed in Central Asia after the conquests ofAlexander the Great?
...that the country's highest mountain,Mount Olympus was said to be the home of theGreek Gods in ancient Greek religion?
...that theOlympic Games originated in Greece 3000 years ago, and that the 1st games of themodern Olympics were held in Greece in 1896, as a revival of the Games?
...that the Greek state comprises only the centre of theancient Greek world, which comprised also Southern Italy, the coastal areas of modern Turkey and the Black Sea, as well as some colonies in North Africa, Southern France and Spain?
...that even though the modern Greek state was established in 1832, some areas ofGreece were not liberated until after theBalkan Wars andWW2?
Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Zeus fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.
Greek art began in the Cycladic and Minoan prehistorical civilization. The art of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times until the present, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture. In the West, the art of theRoman Empire was largely derived from Greek models. In the East, Alexander the Great's conquests initiated several centuries of exchange between Greek, Central Asian and Indian cultures. During theRenaissance , thehumanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art inspired generations of European artists.Read more...
A short video of the main sites at the ancient sanctuary ofDelphi inCentral Greece. Delphi was considered to be the center of the world by the Greeks and the most important oracle in the Greek world.
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