Greece Big 5 Project
By:Ty & Tommy. Geography, Historical prespective ,essential
Geogrophy
Famous Landmarks
The Acropolis
The Acropolis in Athens, easily Greece's most famous landmark, remains as a display of the longevity of Greek civilization and a tribute to Greek architecture. The first structures of the Acropolis, or raised citadel, were constructed in the 5th century before Christ. Although there are several buildings and monuments in the Acropolis, the most recognizable is the Parthenon, which was a temple built for the Greek goddess, Athena. The three other main monuments of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Acropolis are the Propylaea, the temple of Athena Nike, and the Erechtheion. The Propylaea is the entrance gate to the Acropolis; the temple of Athena Nike was built to worship Athena as the Goddess of Victory; and the Erechtheion is another temple that was used for religious rituals
Rhodes
Rhodes, the capital of the island Dodecanese, was originally planned by Hippodamus of Miletus in 5th century B.C. Fortified during the Crusades and home to mosques and baths from Ottoman rule, Rhodes offers visitors the chance to connect with the history of a thriving medieval city. The Palace of the Grand Master, Rhodes' most famous landmark, is now a museum, but used to be a Byzantine fortress until it was converted to a residence by Knights of the Order of Saint John, in the early 14th century. Within the Old Town of Rhodes, you can visit other famous Greek landmarks along the Street of Knights, such as the Hospital of the Knights, the Church of Our Lady of the Castle and the Orthodox Cathedral of Rhodes.
Olympia
The archaeological site of Olympia continues to be one of Greece's most famous landmarks because it was the site of the first Olympic Games, in 776 B.C. Olympia was built as a sanctuary to worship Zeus, the father of the Greek gods and goddesses. The Altis, or sanctuary, contains two main temples. You can view the ruins of the Temple of Zeus and the Temple of Hera, who was one of Zeus's sisters and his wife. The Doric structures of Olympia have influenced architecture throughout history, beginning with temples built in southern Italy and Sicily in the 5th century B.C.
Athens
Besides the Acropolis, Athens has several other landmarks. Two of the most famous Greek landmarks in Athens are Hadrian's Arch and the Theatre of Dionysos. Hadrian's Arch is the symbolic entrance to the city that was built early in the 2nd century A.D. in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, after he visited Athens. The Theatre of Dionysos, built in the 5th century B.C., once hosted performances by Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylos and Aristophanes.
Delos
The entire tiny Greek island of Delos is an archaeological site that has been continuously excavated since 1872. The birthplace of Zeus's son, Apollo, Delos is a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo that has attracted visitors for centuries. Delos was also the birthplace of Artemis and ancient Greece's religious center. The partial excavation of the ancient site in Delos has unearthed several famous landmarks. The most famous landmarks on Delos are the Sanctuary of Apollo, several agoras, or places of assembly and the famous Terrace of the Lions, marble lion statues dedicated to Apollo.
This article is from U.S.A. Today.
Historical Perspective
Greek history
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The Greek
According to archaeological and historical sources the story of Greece began deep in prehistory, and has continued to our days. This timeline outlines the major periods and events of the Greek civilization from the Mesolithic period until the end of the Hellenistic Era.
This brief history of Greece is compiled here as an introduction to web readers and to provide the historical background that’s needed to appreciate all the subjects of Ancient Greek civilization. It was no easy task to compress the history of Ancient Greece into a concise format that would be appropriate both for Online reading and as a precise overview of the subject. This history is divided into the major Greek history eras:
Introduction | Overview | Stone Age | Bronze Age | Dark Ages | Archaic | Classical | Hellenistic
History & Culture Special Topics
- One of the most entertaining and enticing aspects of Greek culture is its elaborate mythology that involves gods, heroes, deeds, and mortals, all of which colored the physical world with elaborate stories and personalities. Myths, legends, deeds, and heroes permeated ancient Greek thought, enriching a large portion of literature and art. The pages here are a mere point of reference to provide "color" and context to the rich history and culture of ancient Greece.
If we search for one location, one overarching symbol that defines the highest achievement of Greek civilization that defines its splendor, we would undoubtedly arrive at the Acropolis of Athens. Partly because Athens was always in the avant-guard of Greek achievement, but mostly because the art and architecture on the barren rock represent the logical conclusion of almost a thousand years of cultural development. The History of the Acropolis is dividied here in the following topics:
Prehistory and Bronze Age
Athenian Legends
Archaic
Classical
Post-Classical
Ottoman
ModernFrom the 6th and until the 2nd century BCE the Agora as the heart of the government, as a public place of debate, as a place of worship, and as marketplace, played a central role in the development of the Athenian ideals, and provided a healthy environment where the unique Democratic political system took its first wobbly steps on earth.
Delphi was inhabited since Mycenaean times (14th - 11th c. B.C.) by small settlements who were dedicated to the Mother Earth deity. The worship of Apollo as the god of light, harmony, and order was established between the 11th and 9th centuries. Slowly over the next five centuries the sanctuary grew in size and importance. During the 8th c. B.C. Delphi became internationally known for the Oracular powers of Pythia.
Dodona is an important ancient Greek oracle, second in fame only to Delphi. It is located in a strategic pass at the eastern slopes of the imposing Mt. Tomaros, close to the modern city of Ioannina in western Epiros. It was dedicated to Zeus and Dione, and the Greeks believed it to be the most ancient of oracles.
Archaeological evidence testifies to the island's habitation since the 7th millennium BC After the 5th millennium BC we find the first evidence of hand-made ceramic pottery which marks the beginning of the civilization Evans, the famed archaeologist who excavated Knossos, named "Minoan" after the legendary king Minos.
Nurtured by the fertile and secure island of Crete, and situated in the middle of the Mediterranean, the inhabitants of the island developed an advanced culture evident in the artifacts their labor produced. A joyous seafaring people, the Minoans did not create monuments to their gods, or kings. Instead, their art speaks of a humble religion, and their architecture serves the well being of the community, and reveals their relationship to nature and to themselves.The sanctuary at Olympia (Ολυμπία) is positioned in a serene and fertile valley between the Alpheios and the Kladeos rivers in western Peloponnese, in Elis. It was the host of the Olympic games for a thousand years in antiquity.
For the ancient Greeks, the Olympic games existed since mythical times, but no definitive time of their inauguration can be identified with any certainty. The first Olympiad was held in 776 BCE, and this is the year that provides the first accurate chronology of Greek history. The Olympics were held every four years during the second (or possibly the first) full moon in August, and the festivities lasted five days.
This is the Greek timeline link http://ancient-greece.org/resources/timeline.html
This is from http://ancient-greece.org/history.html
Economics
Economy of Greece
Greece is a developed country with an economy based on the service sector (81%) and industry (16%). Agriculture contributed 3.4% of the national economic output as estimated in 2012.[2] Important Greek industries include tourism and shipping. With 18 million international tourists in 2013, Greece was the 7th most visited country in the European Union and 16th in the world.[33] The Greek Merchant Navy is the largest in the world, with Greek-owned vessels accounting for 15% of global deadweight tonnage as of 2013.[34] The increased demand for international maritime transportation between Greece and Asia has resulted unprecedented investment in the shipping industry.[35]
The country is a significant agricultural producer within the EU. Greece is a large economy in the Balkans and is a regional investor.[36][37] Greece was the 2nd largest foreign investor of capital in Albania, the 3rd in Bulgaria, in the top-three in Romania and Serbia and the most important trading partner and largest foreign investor in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.[38][39][40] The Greek telecommunications company OTE has become a strong investor in former Yugoslavia and other Balkan countries.[38]
Greece is classified as an advanced,[41] high-income economy,[42] and was a founding member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC). The country joined what is now the European Union in 1981.[1] In 2001 Greece adopted the euro as its currency, replacing the Greek drachma at an exchange rate of 340.75 drachmae per euro.[1][43] Greece is a member of the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, and was ranked 34th on the Ernst & Young’s Globalization Index 2011.[44]
The country's economy was devastated by World War II, and the high levels of economic growth that followed from 1950 to 1980 have been called the Greek economic miracle.[45] Since 2000, Greece saw high levels of GDP growth above the Eurozone average, peaking at 5.9% in 2003 and 5.5% in 2006.[46] The subsequent Great Recession and Greek government-debt crisis, a central focus of the wider European debt crisis, plunged the economy into a sharp downturn, with real GDP growth rates of −3.1% in 2009, −4.9% in 2010, −7.1% in 2011, −7.0% in 2012 and −3.9% in 2013.[47][48][49] In 2011, the country's public debt reached €355 billion (170% of nominal GDP).[50][51] After negotiating the biggest debt restructuring in history with the private sector, Greece reduced its sovereign debt burden to €280 billion (137% of GDP) in the first quarter of 2012.[52] After 6 years of economic decline, Greece achieved a real GDP growth rate of 0.7% in 2014.[53][6]
This article is from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Greece