Historical Info Archives - Page 2 of 6 - GreeceMe

The currency in the ancient Greek world

The history of the currency Money is used in all seasons in all directions and for all purposes. Its acquisition was for centuries one of the main aspirations of people. The coins are a basic unit of money. Currencies were changed, altered, adapted to the specific changes that led to or caused by different social, economic and historical conditions. The first coins were made in Asia from electrum, an alloy of gold and silver at the end of the 7th century. The precious metal gave it the value, the small format made it easy to carry, the symbol of each

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Ancient Greek Art – Ancient Greek Pottery

In general, ancient Greek vases were decorated before firing. The forms and other motifs were drawn and “colored” as the clay was still wet. By firing the “colors” penetrated the pores of the clay and were stabilized – thus their good preservation until today. The ancient potters, of course, used no dyes used to decorate pottery. Instead, they took advantage of the chemical reactions of iron oxides, containing the clay during firing. These oxides have a tendency to get red color when placed in oxidizing combustion conditions and black when they come under reducing conditions (ie without the presence of

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The Heraeum temples

Heraeum temple is an ancient temple also known as sanctuary which was dedicated to Hera queen of Olympian gods. There were many temples of this kind with the most important of them being the Argive Heraeum located about 5 miles northeast Argos in Greece.  This is where Hera’s cult was actually established early in 750 BC. This is a location that was also home to a number of other temples of which the last known temple was Doric order which was designed by architect Eupolemos in 423 BC.  The temple housed a very important gold as well as ivory statue

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The Ionian Revolt

 The Ionian Revolt (499-494 BC) was the result of the hard effort of the Greek cities on the eastern coasts of the Aegean Sea (also known as Ionia of Asia Minor) to free themselves from the Persian inspection which finally ended up to a strong conflict. During this conflict, the abilities of the Greeks and Persians were challenged greatly. The final dominance of the Persians which was a result of the bad organization and the lack of cooperation through the rebellious Greeks. Without a capable leadership, underestimating the Persian military force and internally fragmented, the Ionians of Asia Minor led

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Ancient Greek food

Greece provides an ideal climate for growing lemons, olives, zucchini (courgettes) beans, eggplant (aubergines) and peas. This type is of climate is also great for herbs such as basil and mint, oregano, garlic and thyme which grows in abundance on the hillsides.These herbs are grown on large scales which are pollinated by the bees giving the locally produced honey a unique taste. Few of the islands in Greece have larva rock which provides an idyllic surface to produce some of the delectable ancient Greek food. Over the period of time, Greek cuisine has been influenced by many foreign cultures. Foreign

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Greek Gods and Goddesses

The ancient Greeks projected upon the twelve gods their own faults and strengths, passions and weaknesses, their loves and hatreds, their nightmares and dreams. Jupiter (Zeus) The “Father of gods and people,” Zeus / Jupiter, the king of Olympus and the twelve-leader, lord of lightning, Punisher and protector, lover and warlord, he defeated his father Cronus and the Titans and threw the Giants in Tartarus. He was the undisputed ruler of the universe and controlled everything. Known for his amorous adventures, he always caused the jealousy of his wife, Hera. The Greeks attributed him with many nicknames, the most famous

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Byzantine art and Architecture

The Roman Empire was divided into two parts, the Eastern and Western Roman Empires before it fell in 476 AD. Out of these two parts the “Western Roman Empire fell down in 476 AD. However, the Eastern Roman Empire did not fall and was miraculously saved to preserve the Roman culture. Constantinople was declared as the capital city and the Eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantine Empire. After that the development of the empire started. The first and foremost achievement of the Byzantine Empire was the construction of religious buildings with fabulous and charming designs. Among the other innovations, the

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The Ionian or Decelean War

Sparta reinforced its war against Athens in 414 BC. At this time, Sparta had a very powerful army and navy. Athens had suffered serious losses amongst its sailors and finance to support the war was dwindling. Under the orders of King Agis, the Spartans occupied Decelea, effectively blocking the Athenians from accessing their silver mines. Under constant and relentless attacks from the Spartans, the Athenian empire started to crumble. The Persian Empire entered the war in support of Sparta. The military commander, Alcibiades, who had fled to Sparta was called back by the Athenian navy in order to help them.

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Ancient Greece – The Geometrical Times

The ancient Greece or Greek civilization is considered as one of the most ancient civilizations in the history of humanity. Studies on the archeological remains of this civilization confirm that this civilization was highly developed. According to studies the life style and inventions of this civilization indicates the high sense of aesthetics and order in this ancient civilization. The ancient Greeks were mainly dependent upon the seawater for their food and trade. They mainly built their houses near the shores. Travelling in boats from one place to another brought this ancient civilization to contact with other cultures. In this way,

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The Athenian democracy – How it worked

During the fifth century BC, the Athenian democracy developed as an institution having certain interesting phenomena which are now helpful to understand our modern political systems. The most important point is to know how the structures of the state were formed, how they worked and finally how they were influenced and affected by the powerful and influential political groups. The success of a political system cannot be accessed only by having checks and balance of the technical skills through which a constitution is made. Political philosophy cannot help you to understand a flourishing practical system and cannot even assist you

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