What does hellas mean in ancient greece. Greece or Hellas
Ancient Greece, Hellas - an ancient Greek civilization in the southeast of Europe, which peaked in the 5th-4th centuries. BC. - the period that received the name classical in its history. The origins of modern human civilization lie in the culture of Ancient Greece.
Centered on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula, the islands of the Aegean Sea and the western coast of Asia Minor, during colonization it spread to Southern Italy, the island of Sicily and the Black Sea region. The history of Ancient Greece is considered in a chronological framework from the III millennium BC. e. until the 1st century BC e., when the Hellenistic states lost their independence and became part of Ancient Rome. The Greeks themselves still call their country Hellas, and themselves Hellenes, having received the name "Greece" from the Romans.
Crete-Mycenaean era (until the 12th century BC). In the 3rd millennium BC. in the Aegean region, a culture of the Bronze Age arose with the most important center on the island of Crete. The formation of classes began here (since the 21st century, the construction of palaces for kings). The economy (bronze production, maritime trade) and art (ceramics, painting) developed rapidly. Greek tribes (Achaeans, Aeolians, Ionians) from the northern regions around 1900 squeezed out the non-Indo-European local population of the Peloponnese and Hellas. They adopted (especially since the 16th century BC) many achievements of Cretan culture, including syllabic writing. Mycenae became the center of power, which from the 15th century spread to the islands of Crete, Cyprus and others. From the 12th century, the Dorians, who were still in their primitive stage, began to advance from the north. They defeated the Mycenaean class society and moved to the Peloponnese.
Homeric period (11-8 centuries BC). After the so-called Dorian invasion, slavery in Greece experienced a decline, however, the use of iron caused a new upsurge in the economy. Around 1000 BC Greek colonization of the western coast of Asia Minor began, which, thanks to constant contacts with the East, surpassed the metropolis. Here, around the year 800, the epic of Homer arose, which is the most valuable source of information about the history of this period, despite the fact that the legendary Trojan War (13-12 centuries BC) is described.
The period of the Great Colonization (8-6 centuries BC). The further economic development of Greece (specialization of crafts, the expansion of the use of slave labor, the export of wine and oil, the growth of ceramics, maritime trade) had certain social consequences. Large landowners from among the tribal aristocracy, having eliminated the power of the leaders-kings, at the same time placed the small landowners in a dependent position, sometimes the latter fell into debt slavery. At the same time, new layers of slave owners arose: wealthy merchants and owners of craft workshops. In the small Greek valleys, cities arose that turned into economic and cultural centers, the final formation of state institutions took place to ensure the class domination of those in power. In many states, the demos to a large extent weakened the position of the aristocracy. The leaders of the demos often ruled like tyrants. Tyranny, however, in most cases was soon replaced by a polis system, while wealthy slave owners (oligarchy) or all full citizens (democracy) could participate in government.
The period of Macedonian hegemony (4-2 centuries BC). After the victory of the Theban democrats (379), Thebes took over the leadership of Greece (BC). Political fragmentation of Greece in the 4th century BC contributed to the stagnation of the slave economy and the impoverishment of the poor. The social struggle weakened the policies. The crisis could only be overcome through state centralization. This task was carried out by Macedonia, whose king Philip 2 at the battle of Chaeronea (338 BC) defeated the Greeks, led by the Athenian democrats (Demosthenes). Philip's son Alexander of Macedon conquered the Persian kingdom, created the prerequisites for an economic and cultural upsurge, in which not so much Greece participated as the Hellenistic states. Greece was under Macedonian rule until the 2nd century BC. Independent political opposition was defended by the Achaean and Aetolian unions, as well as Sparta. Rome gained influence in Greece primarily as an ally of the Greek policies against Macedonia. After the victory over Philip 5 (197 BC), the Romans proclaimed the slogan of "return to freedom". In 168 BC after the battle of Pydna, Macedonia was defeated and in 148 BC. declared a Roman province, to which in 146 BC. all of Greece was annexed. When the Roman Empire was divided (395), the Greek regions passed to the Byzantine Empire.
* Homeric society has not yet emerged from the primitive communal system. It did not have a state apparatus of class oppression. The contradictions between individual social groups were not yet so sharpened that such institutions as a standing army, prisons, and courts were required in order to keep the exploited and oppressed social classes in subjection. However, at this time, the gradual separation of the organs of the tribal system from the mass of the people had already begun. Tribal chiefs govern their tribes with little or no public assemblies. The Achaean militia near Troy is led by a council of basilei, the role of the assembly of soldiers is actually reduced to confirming the decisions of this council. And in Ithaca, during the 20-year absence of Odysseus, the people's assembly did not gather. In fact, all matters were decided by the nobility. In the description of the picture of the court, which is available in the epic, the verdict is passed by the elders, and the people only shout sympathy for one or another of the disputing parties.
In terms of size and population, the Greek policies were different. There were very large policies. For example, Lacedaemon, or Sparta, had an area of 8400 square meters. km, and the population is about 150-200 thousand people. The policy of the Athenians had a total territory of about 2500 thousand square meters. km with a population of 120-150 thousand people, but there were very small policies with a territory of 30-40 square meters. km and with a population of several hundred people, such as, for example, the Fokian policy of Panopia (on the border with Boeotia).
* Ancient Greek law in its influence on the further legal development of Europe in no way can be compared with the law of the other main representative of the ancient world, Rome. Not developed theoretically by Greek lawyers, and due to the fragmentation of Greece did not receive the value of a single Greek law, it did not result in a coherent system of norms suitable for reception in other countries. This explains the incomparably smaller proportion of attention that fell to his lot from Western lawyers. Legislation played an extremely small role in the creation of Greek law. Sparta did not have written laws at all, and although Athens had them, they were compiled in a very remote time, they did not reach us in the original. The developed Greek law of the time of orators has never been codified in any complete form. Greece has left us no record of law in the writings of her jurists, whom (in our or Roman sense) she did not know at all.
* Softer forms of paternal power, which took on the character of protection and patronage of the subject rather than actual power; * recognition of sons as full-fledged along with the age of majority; * largely independent property status of the wife; * a significantly greater proximity of communal forms of land ownership (ascertained with sufficient persuasiveness in Homer's poems) to the historical period of Greek history; * the undoubted and strong influence of the social principle on the organization of private property, in relation to real estate, sometimes reaching the prohibition of the sale of hereditary plots of land divided between families of indigenous citizens; * much freer than in Rome, forms of obligations, expressed primarily in a free (informal) contract; * the absence or, at least, a significant limitation of testamentary law and, finally, a number of specific legal entities unknown to Rome, only later some of them received (for example, the mortgage system), these are the main material differences between Greek law and Roman law, usually emphasized by researchers .
The coat of arms of Ancient Greece is the state symbol of Greece and consists of two main elements of an azure shield with a silver cross (a fragment of the flag), and a laurel wreath around the shield. The shield with a cross symbolizes military glory and at the same time the main Greek religion Orthodoxy. The laurel wreath symbolizes the ancient history of Greece, because such wreaths were awarded to the winners of the ancient Olympic Games.
In the days of Ancient Greece, there were no state flags as such (flags were used in the navy to give various signals). Instead, various emblems and symbols were used as identification marks. They were placed on the shields and sails of ships belonging to the army of one or another policy.
National anthem of Greece in the native language ε βια μετράει τη γή. Απ΄ τα κόκκαλα βγαλμένη των Ελλήνων τα ιερά, και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη, χαίρε, ω χαίρε, Ελευθεριά! Anthem of Greece in Russian I recognize the blade of reckoning, Blazing with a thunderstorm, I know your winged gaze, Covering the globe of the earth! The pride of the ancient people, Reborn again, Hello, proud Freedom, Hello, Hellenic love! Hymn to Freedom (Ύμνος εις την Ελευθερίαν) IPA: [ˈ imn ɔ s is tin ɛ l ɛ fθ ɛˈ rian] is a poem written by Dionysios Solomos in 1823, consisting of 158 quatrains. In 1865, the first 24 verses were declared the Greek anthem, but in practice, as a rule, the first 2 quatrains are sung. The music for the anthem was composed in 1828 by Solomos' friend Nikolaos Mandzaros; subsequently he revised it twice (in 1844 and 1861)
Many Greeks do not call themselves Greeks. They preserve old traditions and call their country Hellas, and themselves Hellenes. The very concept of "Greece" comes from the Latin word. Greece for several centuries BC was called a small place in the north-eastern part of the country. But later this name spread throughout the state. For some reason, they are called Greeks in most countries of the world, and the inhabitants of this country themselves imagined themselves as Hellenes in Hellas.
Where did the name Hellas come from?
In ancient times, not all of Greece was called Hellas. Now culturologists associate this name exclusively with Ancient Greece. In journalism, and in scientific literature, the word "Greeks" is constantly used. Hellas and Greece are identical concepts. Modern Greece did not always have the same borders. Territorial boundaries have changed over the centuries. Now some part of Greece belongs to the Turkish state, another to Italy. The lands occupied in antiquity by Italy passed to Greece. Undoubtedly, the civilization that is today part of Europe originated a very long time ago. Scientists call ancient times - antiquity. If we translate this word into Russian from Latin, we will get the term "antiquity". With Antiquity, scientists associate both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Researchers used to call the ancient and the north of the Mediterranean along with North Africa, some part of Asia, all of Europe. The places where today scientists find traces of Greek and Hellenic civilization are usually considered to be the heritage of European and Greek culture.
Greece. Where is it, what country?
The southern part of the Balkans is Greece. In this state, they are accustomed to value their wealth. Among them are not only fossils, but also water resources. The country is washed by the Mediterranean, Aegean, Ionian. The water element of Greece is beautiful. Picturesque seascapes, delightful island part. The lands of this state are fertile, but there is very little land. It is always dry and hot here, which at any time favored not crop production, but animal husbandry.
Antique myths provided the basis for the cultural traditions of this country. So, Pandora, who gave birth to several children, was married to the Supreme Thunderer Zeus. One of the sons was named Grekos. Two more - Makedon and Magnis. All historians say with one voice that Greece is named after the eldest son of Zeus. Grekos inherited courage, militancy, courage from his father. But at first, only one of the regions of the north-west of Athens was called Greece.
The eldest son of the supreme celestials never sat still. He traveled a lot, not for the sake of conquest, but more to establish new cities on empty lands. So a number of states appeared in Asia Minor. Formed Grekos and colonies in Italy. He took control of almost the entire Apennine Peninsula. It is known that the inhabitants of Italy, the townspeople, who were ruled by Grekos, were called Greeks. Other researchers believe that Greece is a Roman term, and the Greeks themselves called themselves Hellenes.
But the word "Greece" was well established in the minds of foreigners so that to this day few foreigners do not think of officially calling the Greeks Hellenes. Such a concept is typical only for the scientific world of culturologists, historians and Greek scholars. Even Aristotle wrote that the Hellenes did not always refer to themselves as such. There is evidence that in ancient times they were called Greeks. Here, apparently, ancient Greek mythology makes itself felt. Later, the Greeks had a ruler named Hellenes. Allegedly, by the name of the king, they called themselves Hellenes. But this is just another theory that has the right to life.
Let's take a look at Homer's Iliad. In the part that describes the Greek campaign against Troy, there is a mention that among the alien warriors from almost the same region, there were those who called themselves residents of the city of Gray (Greeks) and Hellenes (from a place in Thessaly). All of them, without exception, were strong and courageous. There is another conjecture about the origin of the concept of "Greeks". There is evidence that there were once several policies and cities in the possessions of Achilles. One of them was called Ellas. And the Hellenes could come from there. The writer Pausanias mentioned in his writings that Gray was a fairly large city. And Thucydides talked about Farrow as about Grey. That's what they called it before. Aristotle says that even before the inhabitants of present-day Greece began to be called Greeks, they called themselves that way in the pre-Hellenic period.
As a result of simple deductions, we can say that the Greeks and Hellenes are 2 tribes that existed in the neighborhood or practically on the same territory, and originated at about the same time period. Perhaps they fought among themselves, and someone became stronger. As a result, culture and traditions were borrowed. Or perhaps they lived in peace and subsequently united. Scientists say that both Hellenes and Greeks existed until the adoption of Christianity. Later, people who did not want to become followers of the new religion were still called Hellenes (they were more “friends” with the gods of Olympus and Zeus the Thunderer), and adherents of Christianity were called Greeks. Researchers believe that the term "Hellenes" means "idolater".
Modern painting
Outside of Greece and now it is called differently. The inhabitants themselves now call themselves Greeks, the country - Hellas with the Hellenic language, sometimes Greece. However, all Europeans are accustomed to alternate names. In the Russian sense, Hellas is Ancient Greece. The inhabitants are Greeks. The language is Greek. In almost all European and Russian languages, Greece and Hellas have similar sounds and pronunciations. The East calls the inhabitants of this country differently. In some cases, the names change dramatically. Among them:
- Jonan.
- Yavana (in Sanskrit).
- Yavanim (Hebrew).
These names come from the concept of "Ionians" - residents and settlers from the coast of the Ionian Sea. According to another theory, Ion was the ruler of the Greek islands. So the inhabitants of Hellas and the coastal islands were called by the Persians, Turks, Jordanians, Iranians. According to another version, "ionan" are rounded headdresses, which the Greeks still wear to this day, protecting themselves from the sun's rays. The inhabitants of the East were the first to notice this, and now they call the Greeks Ionans. The practice of Georgians regarding the perception of the Greeks is interesting. The Greeks call Hellenes “berdzeni”. In their language, such a concept means “wisdom”. There are nationalities that call the Greeks "Romios", since a large period of the life of this state is connected with the history of the Roman Empire.
The experience of the Russians is remarkable. The ancient Russians never forgot the phrase "The way from the Varangians to the Greeks ...". The foundations of the Greek culture of that period, when the main trade routes crossed with Russia, will never be forgotten, as they are reflected in the folk epic of the Slavs. At that time they were called Hellenes in Europe, but in Russia they are Greeks. However, scientists believe that it was the Greeks who were the merchants. Goods arrived in Russia from Byzantium, which was just inhabited by people from Grey. They were Christians and brought the foundations of their faith and culture to the Russians.
And today in Russian schools they study the legends and myths of Ancient Greece, the history and culture of Greece and Rome. In Russia, it is customary to refer to the inhabitants of this country as “Greeks”. This country has always been proud of its talented poets, historians, architects, sculptors, athletes, sailors, philosophers. All figures left an indelible mark on the minds of researchers and scientists around the world. Greece influenced the development of the culture of Europe and even the countries of Asia and the East.
Modern researchers have found evidence that the Greeks called some "gryks". This is the Illyrian people. According to mythology, the progenitor of this nation just bore the name "Greek". The concept of "Hellenism" began to revive by the beginning of the 19th century in the ranks of the Greek intelligentsia. Over time, the assertion that the Greeks are not Greeks also spread to the broad masses of the people.
As soon as the Greeks did not call themselves and did not hear different appeals addressed to them. The reason for everything is the origin of nationalities, linguistic dogmas, customs, traditions. Achaeans, Dorians, Ionians, Hellenes or Greeks? Now the inhabitants of this country have quite diverse roots and have the right to call themselves, according to the legends and myths that have developed in some areas.
Mini Hotel
Mini-hotel, ILIAHTIADA Apartments is a small modern hotel, built in 1991, located in Halkidiki, on the Kassandra peninsula, in the village of Kriopigi, 90 km from Macedonia Airport in Thessaloniki. The hotel offers spacious rooms and a welcoming atmosphere. This is a great place for an economical family vacation. The hotel is located on an area of 4500 square meters. m.
Seas of Greece
For many tourists, it is not the Greek resorts themselves or the islands to which they plan to go that are important, but the seas washing the territories of recreation areas. Greece is almost the only country that is rich in different seas, however, almost all of them are included in the Mediterranean, but they have their own characteristics and distinctive features. There are three main seas. In addition to the Mediterranean, it is the Aegean and Ionian. They are marked on all maps.
Thessaloniki in Greece. History, sights (part three).
The ruins of the Roman Forum are a unique heritage of history and decoration of the central part of Thessaloniki. Forum - the heart of social life in antiquity - was built at the end of the II century. BC. on the site of the former Macedonian Agora. Until the 5th century it was the executive center of Thessaloniki, which played a great economic, political and social role in the life of the city, regularly gathering high-ranking, influential and authoritative personalities who came here to feel the rhythm of secular life.
Garden and vegetable garden in Greece
mediterranean diet
The ancient Greek civilization in its development went through several periods that are extremely important for the characterization of the ancient Greek culture as a whole - proto-Greek (to-ry of the Aegean world and the "Homeric" period), Greek archaic, Greek classics, as well as the period of Hellenism.
Proto-Greek culture at the turn of 3 - 3 thousand BC the ancestors of the later Greeks settled in the space adjoining the Mediterranean Sea, where 3 centers of culture were formed - Minoan, Crete-Mycenaean and Cyclatic (center = - Cyclades archipelago) cultures (to-ry of the Aegean world) 14 . The later Greeks considered themselves the autochthonous population of Greece, however, they also retained the idea of the existence of some ancient people who originally inhabited Hellas and the adjacent islands. There is very little information about this period: generally, the culture of this period is an intermediate stage between the cultures of the Ancient East (with their static nature, conservatism, strict canonicity) and the culture of Ancient Greece (freedom, democracy, beauty and "liberty") State. system, apparently, resembled oriental despotism; at the head is the king-priest, here the palace is the concentration of the political, economic, social and religious life of the state. The Cretan-Mycenaean culture is a weak consolidation of the Achaean world (large centers in Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos). Deciphering ancient Cretan writing - probably, the entire household was documented. life of the state: information about the economy (probably was at a higher level than the economy of the Greek archaic), a high level of specialization of handicraft activities. Art more cheerful (than in Eastern cultures), less constrained by canons: (examples of art from excavations - frescoes on the walls of the palace at Knossos 15 - images of Cretan women, the so-called "Parisians", the fresco "Priest King", etc.; distinguish. a feature of architectural structures is monumentality - for example, the famous lion gate in Mycenae, decorated with a relief depicting 2 lionesses, surrounded by huge stone blocks piled one on top of the other - the Greeks themselves believed that these walls were erected by the Cyclopes (one-eyed giants)). Predominance in the Proto-Greek world - Achaeans(echoes of their power - in the famous poem by Homer "Iliad" about the history of the Trojan War - probably it was a major conquest campaign of the Achaeans on an important trading and strategic point on the coast of Asia Minor) 16 . But the predominance of the Achaeans in the Aegean world was put to an end by the arrival at the turn of the 12th - 11th centuries. BC. new proto-Greek tribes (Dorians), who opposed the bronze swords of the Achaeans with more effective iron weapons (but in general, the culture is more primitive).
By 15 a.m. BC. almost all civilizations of the Aegean world ceased to exist - perhaps natural disasters befell them, while the rest fell into complete dependence on the Achaeans.
Period Doric culture (sometimes called Homeric) - 12 - 8 century. BC. With t.sp. economy a step back was taken in comparison with the cultures of the Aegean world: cattle breeding flourishes, trade and crafts are undeveloped, but, at the same time, the development of iron smelting and processing techniques, iron tools (axe, chisel). Political system- 12 - 8 century. BC. transition from a tribal system to a polis-type organization. The main social unit is the phratry (a type of brotherhood). The origin of slavery - however, the slaves are not separated by an impenetrable line from the whole society (for example, in Homer, slave servants wash clothes with the daughter of the basileus Nausicaa) Art- the art of the Dorians is primitive (we can mainly judge about it by decorating household items - vessels - with a geometric pattern - for this reason, the period is sometimes called the era of geometric style). The famous work belongs to the same period. Homer - The Iliad and The Odyssey 17 (approximately the life of Homer can be attributed to the 9th - 8th century BC) . The author sings of distant times (tentatively related to the civilizations of the Aegean world), admires the life structure and exploits of the Achaeans, trying to convey to the listeners the enchanting visions of a long-vanished world.
Pushkin:
I hear the silent sound of the divine Hellenic speech
I feel the shadow of the great old man with a confused soul.
(According to legend, the Homeric epic began to take shape in the first. third of the 1st millennium BC, when Greece, poor and devastated, experienced a “dark” time after the resettlement of the Dorians from the Balkans - as a memory of past greatness, of times when gods and people performed great feats. The Homeric epic absorbed ancient songs, myths and historical legends, transformed by the imagination and fiction of the poet.
The causes of the Trojan War (reality) are the campaigns of one of the Greek. tribes - the Achaeans - to the coast of Asia Minor to conquer the rich Trojan lands. Mythologically - the revenge of the Achaeans for the abduction of Helen, the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, by the son of the Trojan king Priam, prince Paris. "Heavenly" reasons - the decision of the supreme god Zeus and Gaia-Earth to destroy the human race for wickedness, according to this plan, the most beautiful woman on Earth, Elena (daughter of Zeus and the goddess of revenge Nemesis), is born. The kyklic poems (the foundations of Homer's poems) tell about the causes of the war, about the campaign against Troy, about its ten-year siege, about the destruction of Troy with the help of a wooden horse, about the rivalry of heroes, and, finally, about the return of heroes to their homeland. The Iliad itself tells about the events of the last 51 days of the siege of Troy (the heroes are Achilles, Agamemnon, the leader of the entire Achaean army and their quarrel over the treacherous act of Agamemnon, who took away the beautiful concubine from Achilles). Odyssey - does not have a through plot line, tells about the return of heroes to their homeland (Odysseus at the nymph Calypso, at a feast at the Feacs talks about visiting Hades, how he bypassed the tricks of the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, the subsequent plot - Odysseus in Ithaca cracks down on the impudent suitors of his wife Penelope) Heroes of Homer are often cruel, cunning, vindictive, and at the same time they are not gods, but simply people with their weaknesses, hopes, they cry and suffer, love ... The drama of Odysseus's personality is in the epithet long-suffering, which Homer gives him. The heroes of Homer are always accompanied by the gods (for example, Odysseus is the wise Athena), but this direct connection with the deity does not prevent the Homeric person from acting independently and creating his own life with his own hands (sometimes a person’s independence even causes fear among the gods) Antiquity perceived Homer as an ideal and a role model, and Roman heroic poetry (for example, Virgil) developed under the sign of Homer.
Subsequent periods - archaic and classical can be considered the actual culture of ancient Greece. Archaic culture of Ancient Greece (7 - 5 centuries BC) - the formation of the Greek. mythology, social systems, arts; Greek classics (5-4 centuries BC_ - the highest flowering of ancient Greek culture.
An ancient legend says that when God created the world, he accidentally dropped a handful of stones into the sea. And these stones miraculously turned into flowering islands and rocky atolls. This is how Greece was born, which was called Hellas thousands of years ago. Its inhabitants - Hellenes - told the whole world about the beauty of Aphrodite and the power of Zeus, about the bloody mysteries of the Cretan labyrinth and 12 labors of Hercules. And the Hellenes taught us the word "democracy".
Once upon a time, many centuries ago, numerous islands and the southern coast of the modern Balkan Peninsula were inhabited by people who proudly called themselves Hellenes, and their country - Hellas.
Hellas - the self-name of Greece - was originally the name of a city and region in southern Thessaly (a Greek province) and only then gradually spread to the whole of Greece.
Many mountain ranges with snow-capped peaks entangled Hellas. Day after day, sea waves turned the coastline of Hellas into rocky bays full of reefs and dangerous undercurrents. But the Greeks loved their country so much that with their tireless work they decorated its rare plains with flowering gardens and vineyards. It was impossible to imagine more diligent and patient farmers than the Hellenes. They turned the earth strewn with stones into fields of ears of wheat, working tirelessly and then watering every patch of it. And the mountain slopes, thanks to the cares of the Hellenes, were covered with neat rows of countless grape bushes, the fruits of which turned into sparkling wine, allowing you to forget about fatigue and enjoy life. The Hellenes were also famous as excellent seafarers. It could not be otherwise - after all, the sea surrounded them from all sides.
The life of the Hellenes was filled with numerous myths and ancient traditions. They were carefully passed down from generation to generation. One of these legends tells of a terrible flood that covered the whole world in just a few days. Almost no one managed to escape from this element. Tradition says that only one man named Deucalion managed to survive. He became the ancestor of a new generation of people. One of his sons - Ellin - settled just in this region. The Hellenes are his direct descendants.
04.06.2015
Under the general name Ancient Greece or Hellas - united numerous states that existed in the south of the Balkans, the Aegean Islands, the Thracian coast, the western coastline of Asia in the period from 3-2 millennia to 100 years. BC.
The social system of Greece during this long period underwent various changes - from simple tribal relationships to the formation of vast policies that own colonies, with developed culture and art, trade relations, science, politics and special religious beliefs. The ethnic composition of countries is constantly changing. So in Hellas in the 3000s. BC. Lelegs and Pelasgians predominated, but they were gradually supplanted by the proto-Greek tribes of the Ionians and Achaeans. The later developed Achaean and Ionian states disintegrated after the Dorians invaded.
State system of Hellas
By the 6th century B.C. Ancient Greece was inhabited by three powerful ethnic groups - the Aeolians in the northern territories, the Dorians - in the center, the Ionians - in Attica and on the numerous Aegean islands. City-policies were formed, and it was in them that social principles arose and improved, which became the basis for the future European civilization .
In just over 200 years - from the 8th to the 6th centuries. BC.- Hellas became the vanguard of culture, science, arts for the whole world.
The center of ancient Greece was considered Athens with the predominance of democratic trends in the state system. Other policies are also known, such as Sparta or Lakonika, where the social system was headed by oligarchs, and a paramilitary regime was introduced among the population with the cult of a physically perfect body. in Athens, Corinth, Thebes slaveholding became widespread, which was then a sign of the high economic status of city-states.
Contradictions constantly arose between the policies, based on competition in trade relations and power. This regularly led to military conflicts, with skirmishes occurring mainly between Athens and other cities. In addition to internal clashes, ancient Greek city-states constantly defended themselves from external enemies. 5th-6th centuries BC. characterized by wars with Persia - the ancient Greek states united in Delian League, of which Athens was elected head.
In 400s. Macedonia reached its peak. The father of the future legendary commander, King Philip II, subjugated the country after the victory at Chaeronea, when the coalition troops of the Greek policies were defeated. Alexander the Great subsequently created a huge state, which increased due to numerous colonies on the territory of conquered Persia, Egypt, but his power was short-lived. The vast empire quickly fell apart after the death of the king, but it was then that science, art and advanced political ideas spread from ancient Greece to the developed states of that era.
Ancient Rome, its legislation, culture were based on the ancient Greek principles of social relations, continued and developed the traditions that originated in Athens - the main policy of Hellas. In the 30s. 1st century BC Hellas became a region of the Roman Empire, almost 5 centuries later Greece formed the core of the eastern part of Rome - Byzantium.
Culture of Ancient Hellas
Ancient art arose and took shape in the ancient Greek city-states, when the rest of Europe was ruled by barbarian tribes. Various crafts were available to the ancient Greek masters, which gradually developed into the highest forms of art - sculpture, architecture, painting, music, theater and choreography, rhetoric, philosophy and poetry.
The culture of Greece was far from homogeneous throughout the vast territory of Hellas. Crafts and culture, worldview and philosophical currents were formed under the influence of ideas from Egypt, Phenicia and Assyria, and yet the ancient Greeks created a direction peculiar only to them, which cannot be confused with other currents. Artisans and artists of Hellas are characterized by a special view of life and the world, a philosophical orientation of creativity. The very technique of ancient Greek architects, sculptors and painters is the subject of imitation and study of modern masters, the basis of many masterpieces that appeared centuries after the collapse of Ancient Hellas.
Religious views the ancient Greeks undoubtedly deserve special attention. It is their beliefs that reflect the worldview of the entire society of that time, a penchant for symbolism, which helped build the relationship of man with nature and with the whole world. Ancient Greek symbols, designations, plots, names are deeply rooted in the minds of modern people - this knowledge is now considered elementary, and without them it is impossible to penetrate and study new and recent history and culture, read works classical masters, understand the origins of creativity of many artists, composers, poets.
Historical figures of Hellas
Ancient Greek philosophers, historians, sculptors and artists, as well as generals, strategists and orators laid the foundations of modern sciences, arts, politics, and social relationships. It is difficult to overestimate the activities of historical figures of that time. After all, without their ideas and their implementation, the modern world would undoubtedly look completely different.
Plutarch and Ovid, Demosthenes and Homer, Lycurgus and Solon - their works are interesting even today, cause admiration and often become the basis for new views. The works of famous philosophers of that time are included in the mandatory list of the educational program of influential universities, where future statesmen and politicians study. The laws of most countries are based on democratic principles that first arose in Hellas.
The "Golden Age" of Hellas - the era of an outstanding politician, strategist, orator Pericles marked the rise of democracy. It was then that the foundations of taxation were established, taking into account the incomes of various segments of the population, the possibility of allocating material assistance to the poor, teaching them the crafts, arts and knowledge of that time. Free citizens participated in the election of rulers and had the right to control the work of the state administration. The society of developed democracy gave impetus to the emergence of such famous personalities as Herodotus, Phidias, Aeschylus.
The greatest commander Alexander the Great contributed to the even greater enrichment of Greek culture due to the achievements of the conquered peoples. Being a highly developed person who has gone through school Aristotle, Alexander the Great spread the Hellenic worldview over vast territories far beyond the Balkan Peninsula, created new policies with philosophical and art schools, libraries.
Even Roman conquerors and, having subjugated the Greek territories and caused the actual end of Hellas, they treated the works of Greek scientists with special awe and respect.
Many outstanding philosophers, artists and scientists enjoyed great honor and worked already at the court of the Roman emperors, continuing to preach progressive views and forming famous schools, improving and honing their skills already on the territory of Ancient Rome.
