The Greeks were perhaps the most civilized and advanced civilizations in the past.  This group of people first moved to "Greece" in about 1500 B.C.  On this page you can learn about gods, famous philosophers, buildings and more.

           Apollo was the Greek god of prophecy, music, the sun, and healing.  Whenever someone died suddenly, the Greeks believed he/she was struck down by Apollo's arrows.  Apollo was the most skilled god on the lyre.  Many sources say he invented it, though he did not.

          Athena was the goddess of crafts, the domestic arts, and of war.  The city of Athens was named and built after her.  Her symbol is an owl and, appropriately, she is the goddess of wisdom.  Athena and Poseidon both wanted Athens to be named after them so they had a contest.  Athena made an olive tree appear in Athens while Poseidon created a spring.  The water was as salty as the sea, so it wasn't useful.  Athena's gift was most useful so they named it after her.

           Hephaestus was the Greek god of the forge and of blacksmiths.  He was also often called the “Ugliest” God because of his bad looks.  Whenever Aphrodite was born, all of the gods wanted to marry her, but Zeus wouldn’t allow it.  Because of this, he married off Aphrodite to Hephaestus.  He was a marvelous architect and jewelry maker.  He even made the marvelous palace for the gods atop Mount Olympus and he made the armor that Achilles used during the Trojan War.

           Hera was the jealous, spiteful husband of Zeus.  She was also the goddess of marriage.  Hera hated many people, including Heracle (Hercules), who was born from a former wife of Zeus.  When Hercules was still a baby, Hera sent snakes to kill him.  However, Hercules was strong and killed the snakes.  Hera hated Zeus in almost all tales of ancient Greek mythology for many different reasons.

          Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses.  Poseidon was a brother of Hades and Zeus.  They had arguments and, in the end, decided that Zeus would be lord of the sky, Hades was lord of the underworld, and Poseidon was king of the sea.

           Zeus was the ruler of the gods.  He is father to several heroes including Perseus and Heracles.  Zeus had many wives, so Hera hated him (and for a good reason too).  Zeus also carried lightning bolts at his side to smite unworthy humans down in war.

           Greek philosophers gave us the basics for modern science and physics.  These philosophers were necessary for modern sciences and other subjects to exist today.  Some of these philosophers include Socrates, Plate, and Aristotle.

           Socrates was a brilliant philosopher of Athens who spoke nothing but the truth.  Socrates himself left no written records but his pupil, Plato, recorded much of what Socrates did.  He came up with the Socratic Method which many philosophers use today.  It is a method of thinking that questions your own thoughts.  Many youths were loyal followers of Socrates, even though he disapproved of this.  Socrates was then accused of corrupting the youth of the city and of interfering with the city's religion.  He was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock.

           Plato was Socrates' best student who wrote down basically everything Socrates did.  After his master died, he traveled to Italy and Egypt to study.  There he studied with the Pythagareans learning mathematics, astronomy, and music.  After returning home to Athens, he established a school called the Academy.  People who went to school here were taught about the Socratic Method among other things.  During the end of his life, Plato wrote many excellent works about society and government.

           Aristotle was born in Greece in Stagira.  At first he trained and studied medicine, but later he went to the Academy and studied with Plato.  He often debated with Plato, as he didn't agree with some of Plato's beliefs.  Whenever Plato died, Aristotle wasn't appointed Head of the Academy.  He left Athens once again but later returned and set up his own school.  Near the end of his life, he moved out of Greece for the last time and died.

           The Greeks had outstanding architects who designed beautiful buildings - buildings whose form the United States still uses today in buildings in Washington, D.C.  Information on two famous places is listed below.

The Pantheon is the best preserved ancient building of the world.  It was built to honor Athena and is located in present day Greece.  It has a giant portico (porch) at the front and a giant circular room inside.  The only natural light in the entire Pantheon comes from an oculus (skylight) in the dome.  This skylight was built so that at different times of the day, the sun hits certain places inside the Pantheon.

           Nicknamed the "sacred rock", the Acropolis was the most important site of ancient Greece.  Three important buildings were built here.  They were the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike.  The Parthenon now is the official symbol of Greece.  The other two temples were constructed in 420 B.C.  All three of these monuments at the Acropolis were built and designed by the Greek architect, Kallikrates.