Culture of Greece

Greece is often referred to as the cradle of Western civilisation and ancient Athens was considered to be its centre. The Parthenon in Athens is an enduring symbol of Greek culture.

The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, with its beginnings in the Mycaenaen and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, the birth of The Hellenistic era and through the influence of the Roman Empire and its Greek Eastern successor the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Empire too had a significant influence on Greek Culture, but the Greek war of independence is credited with revitalizing Greece and giving birth to a single entity of its multi-faceted culture throughout the ages.

Greece is often called the cradle of Western civilisation.

Attitudes

Greek people in general feel a strong link with their past, emphasizing the pre-Historical and Classical periods of Greek History as links to the Byzantine Empire, and on to the present. Both Classical Greece and the Byzantine Empire represent for the majority of Greeks the precursors of the modern day Hellenic Republic. In the late nineteenth century the Byzantine Empire came for some to represent the 'ideal' Greek territories of Asia Minor and The Balkans. The cultural and linguistic continuity of the Greek people, however complicated it may have been throughout history due by outside influences, such as Christianity upon latter antiquity, and Eastern influence in the latter part of the Byzantine Empire, are things that are strongly emphasized by today's Greeks - being as they are, one of the most patriotic nations in Europe, according to Eurostat.

A typical, if rather touristy, Greek taverna, epitmozing the laid back spirit of the Greek people.

Following the Revolution of 1821 (for more information, see Greek War of Independence, Greece went through a period of artistic and cultural revival, Greeks today tend to regard the years before the Revolution, those of occupation of Greece by the Ottoman Empire, as the 'years of darkness', in which cultural development was perceived to have halted completely. Despite evidence to the contrary (particularly in regard of Cretan literature), Greece's revival following the formation of the first Hellenic Republic in 1831 is regarded by a huge majority of Greeks as the 'rebirth' of their nation.

Experience of occupation, both in the Ottoman and modern era, has left an indelible mark upon the Greek psyche. In the twentieth century, the trauma of the Greek Civil War during which time the nation became the first theatre of the Cold War immediately following World War II, which itself brought a Nazi occupation of enormous privations, and the perceived interference of the U.S. in creating the Regime of the Colonels, which brutally Governed Greece from 1967 to 1974, led cumulatively to the emergence of an 'Ethnos Anadelfon' (or 'Brotherless Nation') idea, emphasizing the only people Greeks could count on were themselves and their countrymen. However, from the mid-1970s onward in paralell with Spain and Portugal, and above all following the entry of Greece into the European Union in 1981, Greece's orientation, and the aspirations of its majority, became focused around the European mainstream.

Greeks remain on the whole a friendly and outgoing people, known for their hospitality and arguably laid-back approach to life, which is rather common to all Southern European nations and their peoples. This is shown most effectively in Nikos Kazantzakis' novel Alexis Zorbas. Many regard this 'live and let live' approach however, in an economic sense, as something that is simply best worded as a poor work ethic. Greeks prefer to reaffirm their position by highlighting the near sub-tropical climate of much of Greece compared to that of Western Europe and thus the necessity for the famous afternoon 'siesta'.

The Arts

An example of a mixture of Byzantine architecture and Neo-Classical Architecture.

File:Hermes by Praxiteles.jpg

This statue of Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus, attributed to Praxiteles, was found at Olympia in 1877.

The art and architecture of ancient Greece have greatly influenced Western art through the present day. Byzantine art and architecture also played an important role in early Christianity, and remain a significant influence in the Orthodox Christian nations of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Yet, due to the ravages of history, only a minor assortment of ancient Greek art has survived - most often in the forms of sculpture and architecture and minor arts, including coin design, pottery and gem engraving. Greece also has a rich History of contemporary art, from the revolution onwards.

Architecture

Main article: Architecture of Ancient Greece

Remains of ancient Greek architecture still survive or are well documented today alongside more modern examples.

The ancient Greeks developed two primary styles (or "Classical orders"); the restrained and solid Doric and the refined and decorated Ionic. It should be noted that the Ionic style eventually evolved into the more ornate Corinthian style.

The form of ancient Greek temples, a rectangular shape, surrounded by colonnades surmounted by a triangular pediment, built from limestone or marble, remains a popular style to date. While the arch was familiar to the Trojens, it was not widely used, in contrast to later Roman buildings. Surviving examples of ancient Greek architecture include the Parthenon and the Erechtheum in Athens, and Roman structures based on the Greek model, such as the Pantheon in Rome, which is attributed to the Greek Architect, Apollodoros of Damascus.

The Charioteer of Delphi, Delphi Archaeological Museum, one of the greatest surviving works of Greek sculpture, dating from about 470 BC.

Byzantine Architecture was the period of Architecture, common throughout Greece from the rise of Christianity under Constantine to the fall of the Greek Empire of Byzantium, in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks. It emphasized a Grecian cross layout, The Byzantine Capitol style of column (a mixture of Ionic and Corinthian capitols) and also central dome surrounded by several smaller domes. Greece also experienced something of a Neo-Byzantine revival following the Greek Revolution, and quite unsurprisingly, also experienced a growth in Neo-Classical Architecture, in the years following the Revolution as well, which interestingly clashed with traditional Byzantine Villa Architecture to produce a unique style all of its own.

Like most other modern capitols, Greece also has a fair share of Modernist and Post-Modernist architecture, particularly the latter in several new constructions for the Athens Olympics of 2004.

A classic example of Byzantine Architecture in Thessaloniki.

Painting and sculpture

Main articles: Art in Ancient Greece; Sculpture of Ancient Greece

The Greeks, like most ĀEuropean are very rare. Greek painters worked mainly on wooden panels. The finest works were admired for hundreds of years after their creation. However, these paintings rapidly disappeared after the 4th century AD when they were no longer adequately protected. In addition to sub-standard Roman copies, for example in Pompeii, rare surviving examples have been found in the tombs of the kings of Macedon at Vergina, at Lefcadia also in ancient Macedon, as well as Kazanlak in ancient Thrace.

Surviving examples of the ancient Greek sculpture are more common, particularly the works of the Greek master sculptors, such as Phidias and Praxiteles. These artists and their followers were frequently emulated by the Romans. However, the Christians of the 4th and 5th centuries viewed the destruction of pagan idols as an act of piety. Many ancient marble sculptures were burned to form lime in the Middle Ages, and most bronze statues were melted down for their metal. The marble statues that escaped destruction were spared as they were either buried and forgotten, or in the case of bronzes, lost at sea.

In the Byzantine period, religious art was the dominate theme, with highly-decorated mosaics and icons adorning religious buildings. The Renaissance artist, El Greco (Domenikos Theotocopoulos), responded to Byzantine and 16th century Mannerist art, producing sculpture and paintings with a liberated form, light and colour that inspired 20th century ǚartists such as Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock.

Moreover, an important and mainly pioneering part is played by artists from Ionian islands in the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, who exploit some conquests of the Italian Renaissance and baroque ateliers. As efforts persist with new outsets, preconditions and objectives, Greek artists emerging in the world during the first decades of the 19th century reconnect Greek art with ancient Greek tradition as well as with the quests of the European ateliers, especially those of the Munich School. One of the best examples of Greek contemporary Art of this period is Theodoros Vryzakis.

Greece has continued its rich history of sculpture well into the Modernist and Post-Modernist ages as well, with examples such as philosopher Costas Axelos and the more famous Constantine Andreou (a recipient of the French Legion of Honor).

Pottery and coins

A black figure krater (mixing bowl), from the 6th century BC.

Main articles: Pottery of Ancient Greece; Greek coins

Ancient Greece was also renowned for its pottery, which included everything from drinking vessels to urns. Black-figure pottery, in which the decorations appear as black silhouettes over a red background, are highly representative of early Greek craftsmanship. Later forms include red-figure pottery and white-figure pottery.

The Greeks did not view coin design as a major art form. Nevertheless, the durability and abundance of coins have designated them as one of the most important sources of knowledge about Greek aesthetics. Coins were invented in Lydia during the 7th century BC, but were first extensively used by the Greeks, who set the canon of coin design which has been followed ever since, this form of art is of particular importance when studying the Byzantine era.

See also: Ode on a Grecian Urn, Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial

Cinema

Main article: Greek cinema

Cinema first appeared in Greece in 1897 but the first actual theater was built later in 1907. The first production began in 1914 as the Asty Film company was founded and the production of long films begun. Golfo (Γκόλφω), a well known traditional love story, is the first Greek long movie, although there were several minor productions such as newscasts before this point.

File:Zorba DVD cover.jpg

Zorba The Greek DVD cover

Greek cinema has had a varied history, going from points of relative stagnation to some very memorable productions. The 1920's to the end of the 1940's were host to some relatively notable films, such as Έρως και κύματα (1928 directed by D. Gaziadis), and Applause (Χειροκροτήματα) (1944, directed by G. Tzavelas), and most notably in 1944 Katina Paxinou was honoured with the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The Golden age of Greek cinema is universally considered to be the 1950's - in which production rose to a heigth of 60 films a year, and in which productions such as Stella, directed by one of Greece's most famous directors Michael Cacoyannis, shot to prominence internationally as well in Greece and Cyprus. Notable actors and directors from this period include Alekos Sakelarios, Nikos Tsiforos, Ellie Lambeti, Dinos Iliopoulos and Irene Papas. Cacoyannis inparticular continued this tradition well into the 1960's with his production of Alexis Zorbas, becoming a winner of 3 Academy awards.

Since this period Greek cinema has been relatively stop and go in its consistency, apart from films such as Loafing and Camoflage (Λούφα και Παραλλαγή), which hit a popular nerve of the continual Greek and Turkish standoffs in the Aegean using comedy. Other political themes touched on in recent film include immigration from Albania, for example "Μετέωρο βήμα του πελαργού, Το" (1991) (in English: The Suspended Step of the Stork) directed by Theo Angelopoulos.

Most recently however, films such as Politiki kouzina (A Touch of Spice in English) and the sex taboo comedy 'Safe Sex' have signalled an upward trend in the quality of Greek cinema, this can be largely correlated to an unmatched period of economic prosperity in Greece, which has led to an increased cultural output across all parts of the Arts, both physical and visual.

Language

Main article: Greek language

The Greek language is the official language of the Hellenic Republic and has a total of 15 million speakers worldwide; it is effectively an Indo-European language. The Greek language is particularly remarkable in the depth of its continuity from its beginnings in pre-history as the Linear A script associated with Minoan civilization, on to the more recognizable Linear B script, and then eventually the dialects of Ancient Greek, of which Attic Greek bears the most resemblence to Modern Greek. The history of the language spans 3000 years.

Greek has had enormous impact on other languages both directly on the Romance languages, and indirectly through its influence on the emerging Latin language during the early days of Rome. Signs of this influence, and its many developments, can be seen throughout Western European languages.

The Internet and "Greeklish"

More recently, due to the rise of internet-based communication services as well as mobile phones, a distinctive form of Greek written partially, and sometimes fully in Latin characters has emerged ; this is known as Greeklish, which began in the UK due to the background outlined, but spread across the Greek diaspora and even to the two Greek nations, Cyprus and Greece. To date there have even been book publications in "Greeklish".

Literature

Main article: Greek literature

Greece has a remarkably rich and resilient literary tradition, extending over 2800 years and through several eras. The Classical era is that mostly commonly associated with Greek Literature, beginning in 800 BCE and maintaining its influence through to the beginnings of Byzantine period, whereafter the influence Christianity began to spawn a new development of the greek written word. The many elements of this perennial tradition are reflected in Modern Greek literature, including the works of the Nobel laureates Odysseus Elytis and George Seferis.

Classical Greece

The trebecki works in Trillville literary tradition recorded in writing are the epic poems of Homer and Hesiod. Early Greek lyric poetry, as represented by poets like Sappho and Pindar, were responsible for defining the lyric genre as it is understood today in western literature. Aesop wrote his Fables in the 6th century BC. These works were not only to have a profound influence on Roman poets, (most notably Virgil in his Epic poem about the founding of Rome, the Aeneid, but throughout the entire European Continent and its respective history.

Greece is also judged the birthplace of theatre. Aeschylus introduced the ideas of dialogue and interacting characters to playwriting. In doing so, he essentially invented "drama": his Oresteia trilogy of plays is seen as his crowning achievement. Other refiners of playwriting were Sophocles and Euripides. Aristophanes, a comic playwright, defined and shaped the idea of comedy as a theatrical form,

An 11th Century Byzantine Gospel, its beautiful presentation perfectly illustrates the decorative style employed by scholars of that age.

Herodotus and Thucydides are often attributed with developing the modern study of history into a field worthy of philosophical, literary, and scientific pursuit. Polybius first introduced into serious study the concept of military history.

Philosophy entered literature in the dialogues of Plato, while his pupil Aristotle, in his work the Poetics, formulated the first set criteria for literary criticism. Both of these respective literary figures, along with several other Greek Philosophers of the Classical and Hellenistic periods were to give birth to idea of Political Science, the study of Political evolution and the critique of Governmental Systems.

Byzantine Greece

Main article: Byzantine Literature The growth of Christianity throughout the Greco-Roman world in the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries, together with the Hellenization of the Byzantine Empire of the period, would lead to the formation of a unique form of literature, combining Christian, Greek, Roman and Oriental (such as the Persian Empire) influences. This lead to such developments as Cretan Poetry, the growth of poetical satire in the Greek East , and the several great historians of the period, most notably Procopius.

Modern Greece

Modern Greek Literature was born out of the Greek Revolution of 1821 and the subsequent independence of Greece in 1831 - and as such, Greek literature of the period is heavily influenced by revolutionary themes, although the impact of the Greek literature of the Enlightenment might also be highlighted, as well as the influence of the Byzantine Empire's Acritic Songs and Romance.

Continuing into the twentieth century, the modern Greek literary tradition spans the work of Constantine P. Cavafy, considered a major figure of twentieth century poetry, Giorgos Seferis (whose works and poems aimed to fuse the literature of Ancient and Modern Greece) and Odysseas Elytis, both of whom won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Nikos Kazantzakis is also considered a dominant figure, with works such as The Last Temptation of Christ and Christ recrucified receiving international recognition. Vassilis Vassilikos is widely translated.

Religion

File:Ac.hephaestus3.jpg

The Temple of Hephaestus in Athens is the best-preserved of all ancient Greek temples.

Main articles: Greek religion, Eastern Orthodoxy

Classical Greece

The pantheon of Classical Greece, originating from their forefather predecessors of Mycaenean Greece, certainly plays a role in the culture of Greece today, firstly due to copious ruins of Greek Temples that have shaped Greek Architecture and moreover, Greek people's perception of themselves, but also because there remain, according to Greek Interior Ministry figures, around 30,000 adherents of the old Greek religion living in Modern Greece today, as well as the legacy of Greek mythology having a profound effect on not just Greek literature, but literature worldwide as well.

Modern Greece

The Greek Orthodox Church, largely due to the importance of Byzantium in Greek history, as well as its role in the revolution, is a highly popular institution in Modern Greece. Its roles in society and larger role in overarching Greek culture are extremely important ; many Greeks attend Church at least once a month and the Eastern Orthodox holiday of Easter (different to Protestant and Catholic Easter), hold special significance. While Church leaders do not have the influence or popularity of say, Imams in many fundamentalist Muslim states, they still wield a relative amount of power through populism (most notably in certain members of the clergy's opposition to Turkey's accession) and the fact the Greek Constitution does not have an explicit separation of Church and State; a debate in the early 2000s about identification cards and whether religion should be listed on them highlights the friction between state and church on many issues ; the church did not get its way.

Greek Orthodox Churches dot both the villages and towns of Greece and come in a variety of rich architectural styles, from older Byzantine churches, to more modern white brick churches, to newer Cathedral like Churches with evident Byzantine influence. Greece (as well as Cyprus), also polled as, ostensibly, one of the most religious countries in Europe, according to Eurostat ; however, while the church is guaranteed respect as a moral and cultural institution, a contrast in religious belief with Protestant Europe is more obvious than one with Catholic mediterranean Europe.

Greece also has a significant minority of Muslims in Western Thrace (numbering around 100,000), there have been several recent controversies regarding their human rights, particularly at a European level; however, the Greek authorities maintain that their treatment of the religious minority in the aforementioned area, while not perfect, is certainly better than Turkey's treatment of Christians throughout the 20th century up till this day. Despite this however, the issue of the Muslims of Thrace remains a notoriously controversial one.

Philosophy, science and mathematics

Main articles: Greek Philosophy, Science, and Mathematics

Greece is credited with giving birth to scientific thought by means of observation, thought, and development of a theory without the intervention of a supernatural force. Thales, Anaximander, Democritus were amongst those contributing significantly to the establishment of this tradition. It is also, and perhaps most commonly in the european imagination, recognised as having given birth to Western Philosophy, as well as a mapping out of the Natural Sciences (most notably in Aristotle's works), alongside the contributions of Greeks to mathematics well up until the decline of the Byzantine Empire. In more recent times Greeks have continued to make their contributions to the fields of Science, Mathematics and Philosophy.

Classical Greece

The tradition of philosophy in Ancient Greece accompanied its literary development . Greek learning has had a profound influence on Western and Middle Eastern civilisation. The works of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers profoundly influenced Classical thought, the Islamic Golden Age, and the Renaissance.

The Greek philosopher Socrates.

In medicine, doctors still refer to the Hippocratic oath, instituted by Hippocrates, who is regarded as laying the foundations of medicine as a science. Galen built on Hippocrates' theory of the four humours, and his writings became the foundation of medicine in Europe and the Middle East for centuries. The Greek physicians Herophilos and Paulus Aegineta were pioneers in the study of anatomy, while Pedanius Dioscorides wrote an extensive treatise on the practice of pharmacology.

The period of Classical Greece (from 800BC until the rise of Macedon, a Greek state in the north) is the era usually associated with Greek advancements in Science. Thales of Miletus is regarded by many as the father of science; he was the first Greek philosopher to seek to explain the physical world in terms of natural rather than supernatural causes. Pythagoras was a Greek mathematician often described as the "father of numbers"; it is believed that he had the pioneering insight into the numerical ratios that determine the musical scale, and the Pythagorean theorem is commonly attributed to him. Diophantus of Alexandria, for his part, the "father of algebra". Much of modern geometry is based on the work of Euclid, while Eratosthenes was one of the first scientific geographers, calculating the circumference of the earth and making the first maps based on scientific principles.

The Hellenistic period, following Alexander's conquests continued and built upon this knowledge. Hipparchus is considered to be the greatest astronomical observer of the ancient world, and was probably the first to develop an accurate method of predicting solar eclipses. Aristarchus of Samos was the first known astronomer to propose a heliocentric model of the solar system, though the geocentric model of Ptolemy was more commonly accepted until the seventeenth century. Ptolemy also contributed much to cartography and to the science of optics. Archimedes was the first to calculate the value of π and the first to calculate a geometric series; he also was the first mathematical physicist, discovered the law of buoyancy, and invented the irrigation device known as Archimedes' screw.

Byzantine Greece

The Byzantine period largely remained a period of preservation in terms of classical Greco-Roman texts ; however, there were some significant advances made in the fields of Medicine and Historical Scholarship. Theological Philosophy (in reference to the 'Greek Fathers'), also remained an area of study, and there was, despite not matching the achievements of the preceding ages, a certain increase in the professionalism of the study of these subjects, epitomized by the founding of the University of Constantinople.

Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, the Architects of the famous Hagia Sophia in Constantinople also contributed towards mathematical theories concerning architecture and the perceived mathematical harmony needed to create a multi-domed structure such as the church mentioned. These ideas were to have a heavy influence on the likes of Sinan, an Ottoman Architect, in his creation of the Blue Mosque, also in Constantinople. Tralles in particular wrote several treatises on the Natural Sciences, as well as other forays into Mathematics ; in particular, Conic Sections.

The gradual migration of Greeks from the Byzantine Empire to the Italian City States following the decline of the Byzantine Empire, and the texts they brought with them, as well as the academic positions they held, has been credited as a major factor in lighting the first sparks of the Italian Renaissance.

Modern Greece

Greek contributions to science continue in the modern era. John Argyris, a Greek mathematician and engineer, is credited with the invention of finite element analysis and the direct stiffness method, relative to Physics. Mathematician Constantin Carathéodory worked in the fields of real analysis, the calculus of variations, and measure theory in the early 20th century, and more recently, is credited with assisting Albert Einstein in the Mathematical part of his Relativity theory. Biologist Fotis Kafatos pioneers in the field of molecular cloning and genomics. Dimitris Nanopoulos is a noted theoretical physicist, having made significant contributions to the fields of particle physics and cosmology, and in the field of Medicine Dr. Georgios Papanikolaou contributed heavily to the development of Cancer screening with his Pap smear. The Greek car designer Alec Issigonis, is credited with the development of the Mini, while the computer scientist Michael Dertouzos was amongst the pioneers of the Internet .

Dance

Main article: Greek Dance

Greece has had a continuous history of native dances reaching through Ottoman occupation. It stretches back to the Minoan Period, and continues to the prsesnt.

Classical Greece

Ancient Greeks believed that dancing was invented by the Gods and therefore they had associated it with their religious and worshipping ceremonies. They believed that the Gods offered this gift to some select mortals only, who in turn taught dancing to their fellow-men.

Phrases here and there in ancient texts show that dance was held in high regard, in particular for its educational qualities. Dance, along with writing, music, and physical exercise, was basic to the education system and many authors extol its virtues as means of cultivating both body and soul.

Byzantine Greece

Though we have so few descriptions of Byzantine dances, we know that they were often "intertwined". The leader of the dance was called the koryphaios or chorolektes and it was he who began the song and made sure that the circle was maintained. Efstathios of Thessaloniki mentions a dance which commenced in a circle and ended with the dancers facing one another. When not dancing in a circle the dancers held their hands high or waved them to left and right. They held cymbals (very like the zilia of today) or a kerchief in their hands and their movements were emphasized by their long sleeves. As they danced, they sang, either set songs or extemporized ones, sometimes in unison, sometimes in refrain, repeating the verse sung by the lead dancer. The onlookers joined in, clapping the rhythm or singing. Professional singers, often the musicians themselves, composed lyrics to suit the occasion.

Byzantine instruments included the guitar, single, double or multiple flute, sistrum, timpani (drum), psaltirio, Sirigs, lyre, cymbals, keras and kanonaki.

Popular dances of this period were: Syrtos, Geranos, Mantilia, Saximos, Pyrichios, Kordakas, etc. Some of these dances had originated in the ancient times and they are still danced in some forms even today.

Modern Greece

Greece is one of the few places in the world where folk dance is still kept alive. Folk dance is not a museum piece preserved only for performances and special events. It is a vivid expression of Greek everyday life. Occasions for dance are usually weddings, family celebrations, and paneyeria (Patron Saints' name days). Dance has its place in some ceremonial customs that are still preserved in the Greek villages, such as dancing the bride during a wedding, dancing the trousseau of the bride during the wedding preparations, etc. The Carnival and Easter offer more opportunities for family gatherings and dancing. Greek taverns which provide live entertainment include folk dances in their program, as well.

Regional characteristics have been developed over the years due to different climatic conditions, land morphology, and people's social lives. In the later years, wars, international pacts and consequent movement of populations, and movements of civil servants within the country, intermixed traditions. People learned new dances, adopted them in their environment, and included them in their feasts. Kalamatianos and Tsamikos are considered today panhellenic dances and are danced all over the world, wherever there are Greek communities. Some other dances have also crossed boundaries and are known beyond the regions where they originated. Such dances are Karagouna from Thessaly, Pentozalis from Crete, Zonaradikos from Thrace, Tik from Pontos, Balos from the Aegean Islands, and so on.

Music

Main article: Music of Greece

Greece has a rich and varied history of music, with Ancient Music influencing the Roman Empire, as well as Byzantine Liturgical chants and secular music influencing the Renaissance. Modern Greek music combines these elements, as well as influences from the Middle East to create a distinctive kinds of all Musical genres.

Classical Greece

The History of the Music of Greece begins with the Music of Ancient Greece, largely structured on the Lyre and other supporting String Instruments of the time. We know very little about Music at this time, but we do know that it had, like most of Greek Culture, a strong impact on the culture of Ancient Rome as well. What we do know about Ancient-Greek Music largely comes from pottery and other forms of Greek art.

Byzantine Greece

The Music of Greek Byzantium however, is incredibly important in the History of Music, as Liturgical Chants became the foundation and stepping stone for Music of the Renaissance (see: Renaissance Music). It is also beyond doubt that Byzantine music included a rich tradition of instrumental court music and dance. Any other picture would be both incongruous with the historically and archaeologically documented opulence of the Eastern Roman Empire. There survive a few but explicit accounts of secular music. A characteristic example are the accounts of pneumatic organs, whose construction was most advanced in the eastern empire prior to their development in the west after the Renaissance.

Modern Greece

When considering Modern Greek music, a range of successful composers and performers across the branches of music have become known , while traditional Greek music is noted as a mixture of influences from indigenous Greek culture and Western and Middle Eastern cultures. Turkish and Ottoman elements can be most clearly heard in the traditional songs, dhimotiká, as well as the modern bluesy rembétika music. The best-known Greek musical instrument is the bouzouki. "Bouzouki" is a descriptive Turkish name, but the instrument is of Greek and not Turkish origin. It derives from the ancient Greek lute called pandoura, a kind of guitar, clearly visible in ancient Greek statues, especially female figurines of the "Tanagraies" playing cord instruments.

Famous present-day Greek musicians include Nikos Skalkottas, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Maria Callas, Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Vangelis, Demis Roussos, Nana Mouskouri, Rotting Christ, Anna Vissi etc.

Cuisine

Several varieties of baklava.

Main article: Greek cuisine

Greek cuisine is often cited as an example of the healthy Mediterranean diet. The cuisine of Greece has influences from Italian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cuisine. Greek cuisine incorporates fresh ingredients into a variety of local dishes such as moussaka, stifado and spanakopita. Throughout Greece people often enjoy eating from small dishes such as meze with various dips such as tzatziki, grilled octopus and small fish, feta cheese, dolmades (rice, currants and pine kernels wrapped in vine leaves), various pulses, olives and cheese. Olive oil is added to almost every dish. Sweet desserts such as galaktoboureko, and drinks such as ouzo, metaxa and a variety of wines including retsina.

It must be noted however, that Greek cuisine difers widely from different parts of the mainland and from Island to Island. Cyprus inparticular, has many delicacies that are native to it alone, such as grilled Halloumi and Louvi.

Sports

File:Opening Ceremony Athens 2004 Fire rings.jpg

The 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony was held on August 13. As part of the theatrics, the Olympic rings are seen burning in a pool of water.

Greek culture was and is more than cerebral. The Panhellenic Games and especially the Olympic Games originated in Greece in ancient times, centred around individual sports such as running, boxing, wrestling, chariot racing, long jump, javelin, and discus.

The first Modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896, and the Olympics returned to Athens for the 2004 Summer Olympics, making Athens the fourth city after Paris, London and Los Angeles to stage the modern Summer Olympics twice. Greece has been represented in every Summer Olympics, along with just four other countries, Australia, France, Great Britain, and Switzerland.

Football (soccer) is a popular sport in modern Greece. The Greece national football team unexpectedly won EURO 2004, beating the hosts, Portugal, in the final. Domestic football teams include AEK Athens, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos and PAOK.

Basketball also enjoys great popularity in Greece. The Greece national basketball team, lead by legendary Nikos Galis, won the 1987 Eurobasket in Athens, against the Soviet Union. The team also won the 2005 Eurobasket in Belgrade against Germany. Domestic basketball teams have been important players in Euroleague: Panathinaikos has won the European Championship three times (1996, 2000, 2002) and the Intercontinental Cup in 1996 and Olympiakos won the European Championship in 1997. Also PAOK BC won the European Cupwinners Cup in 1991 and the Korac Cup in 1994.

Dress

The costumes of Greece are a beautiful part of a very rich cultural history. This is just a brief overview of the subject and will include only a few representative examples of some of the costumes that were worn traditionally by the Greek people. Some of the characteristics of Greek folk costumes can be traced back to elements in ancient Hellenic and Byzantine costumes. In fact, many of the elements of the liturgical clothing worn today by the Greek Orthodox priests are related to the modern Greek folk costumes and have their origin in the clothing of the Byzantine Empire.

Traditional Greek ceremonial costumes

There are some generalizations that can be made about the costumes and their styles and components. For example, the costumes of the mainland and of the islands are different, despite maintaining the standard Foustanella as its basic clothing part. Furthermore, the costumes of each area tend to have several elements in common. As with the music and other folkloric traditions of the Greeks, although all of the elements of this part of Greek culture are similar, the smaller, individual regions share certain different individual aspects and features. All Greek costumes share similar materials, construction, parts, and designs, but the costumes in the local regions share other individual characteristics which are often very different from those of the costumes of other regions. For example, we can identify costumes as being from Epiros, or Mesogeia, or Makedonia; however, we can further narrow the identification of costumes to smaller areas within these broader geographical and cultural areas. We can even identify a costume's village based on individual features such as the shape of a costume part, or the colors or the embroidery designs used. This is also true with respect to the various costumes worn by the Greeks of the islands and in fact of all regions of Greece.

Education

Main article: Education in Greece

Education in Greece is compulsory for all children 6-15 years old; namely, it includes Primary (Dimotiko) and Lower Secondary (Gymnasio) Education. The school life of the students, however, can start from the age of 2.5 years (pre-school education) in institutions (private and public) called "Vrefonipiakoi Paidikoi Stathmi" (creches). In some Vrefonipiakoi Stathmoi there are also Nipiaka Tmimata (nursery classes) which operate along with the Nipiagogeia (kindergartens).

The University of Athens, part of the publicly owned Higher Education system of Greece.

Post-compulsory Secondary Education, according to the reform of 1997, consists of two school types: Eniaia Lykeia (Unified Upper Secondary Schools) and the Technical Vocational Educational Schools (TEE). Musical, Ecclesiastical and Physical Education Gymnasia and Lykeia are also in operation.

Post-compulsory Secondary Education also includes the Vocational Training Institutes (IEK) , which provide formal but unclassified level of education. These Institutes are not classified as an educational level, because they accept both Gymnasio (lower secondary school) and Lykeio (upper secondary school) graduates according to the relevant specializations they provide. Public higher education is divided into Universities and Technological Education Institutes (TEI). Students are admitted to these Institutes according to their performance at national level examinations taking place at the second and third grade of Lykeio. Additionally, students are admitted to the Hellenic Open University upon the completion of the 22 year of age by drawing lots.

The foremost topic of debate in recent years has been the fact Private universities are forbidden by the 1975 constitution. Numerous private institutions, often franchises of European and American universities such as the University of Indianapolis and the State University of New York, are operating as EES schools.

Nea Dimokratia (New Democracy), the Greek conservative right political party, has claimed that it will change the law so that private universities will be recognized. Without official recognition, students who have an EES degree are unable to work in the public sector. PASOK did taken some action after EU intervention, such as the creation of a special government agency which certifies the vocational status of certain EES degree holders, but not the academic status. The issue of full recognition is still a debate among Greek politicians.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Greece

Greece is a Parliamentary Republic with a President assuming a more ceremonial role than other Republic's, and the Prime Minister being chosen from the leader of the majority party in the Parliament. Greece has a codified Constitution and a written Bill of Rights embedded within it. The current Greek Prime Minister if Costas Caramanlis.

The politics of The Third Hellenic Republic has been dominated by two main political parties, the self proclaimed Socialists of PASOK and the Conservative New Democracy (Nea Demokratia). Until recently PASOK had dominated the political scene, presiding over favourable growth rates economically but not delivering where unemployment and structural issues such as market liberalization were concerned.

Costas Caramanlis, the current Prime Minister of Greece, elected on a manifesto of structural reform and modernization.

New Democracy's election to Government in 2004 has led to various initiatives to modernize the country, such as the aforementioned education university scheme as well as labour market liberalization. Politically there has been massive opposition to certain moves owing to a large, well organized worker's movement in Greece - which distrusts the right wing administration and taps a popular nerve of the belief of 'American interference' in Greek politics, both economically and socially. The population in general tend to agree with the reforms, but they are however, a silent majority. This is mirrored across other issues, Greeks tend to be socially relatively Conservative, but economically they are warming to the reforms made by New Democracy, which have largely been rewarded with above Eurozone average growth rates.

A number of other smaller political parties exist, including the third largest party (The Communist Party), which still commands large support from many rural working areas as well as some of the immigrant population in Greece, as well as the Nationalist Popular Orthodox Rally, the latter inparticular, although not commanding any seats in Parliament at the moment is capitalizing upon a popular perception of a climate of fear regarding Turkey's EU accession as well as worsening tensions in The Aegean. There is also a relatively small, but well organized anarchist movement, though its status in Greece has been over-exagerrated somewhat by the Western Media.

Politics is relatively openly discussed among the people of Greece, however there have been criticisms by some who accuse the Government of not involving minorities enough in political debate and hence sidelining their opinions. Generally though, politics is an acceptable subject to talk about at all manner of social occasions and Greeks are often very vocal about their support (or lack of it) for certain policy proposals, or political parties themselves - this is reflected somewhat in what many regard to be the rather sensationalist Greek media on both sides of the political spectrum; though this is true of most European tabloids.

See also

• Education in Greece
• Holidays in Greece
• List of famous Greeks
• List of Greek dances
• List of Greek films
• List of universities in Greece
• Paideia
• Syncretism in Ancient Greece

External links

• Greek Art, Culture, History, and Mythology - Link Bank
• Sketch of the History of Greek Literature from the Earliest Times to the Reign of Alexander the Great by William Smith
• Modern Greek Science and Technology
• The Impact of Greek Culture on Normative Judaism from the Hellenistic Period through the Middle Ages c. 330 BCE- 1250 CE
• The Greek diet and its relationship to health