Greece was known as the "Birthplace of European Civilization" (Aquino & Badilles, 2006, p. 80) because its culture became the epitome for the succeeding american civilizations. The tale of the ancient greek language civilization is a painful history of foreign supremacy. But their civilization was built on sturdy basis and led by useful market leaders that created prices and traditions that are still being used and noticed by modern societies. It is because of this that the Greek civilization flourished, kept in mind, celebrated and accepted by the whole world.
One factor that can be considered as an integral part of the development of Greek civilization is its geography. The geography of Greece possessed an overwhelming effect on its political, social, economic and public growth. The geographical features of early Greece added to its advantages and drawback.
Ancient Greece can be found at the tip of Balcan peninsula in Southwestern Europe. It is surrounded by three seas: in the south is the Mediterranean Sea; Ionian Sea in the west; and the Aegean Sea in the east. The Corint Gulf attaches the separate region of the Peloponnesus, which is the southern suggestion of Greece, and Africa (Willis, 1985). The Greek mainland is a peninsula which expands into the MEDITERRANEAN AND BEYOND. The center of early Greece is consisted of mountainous and robust lands. The Pindus Hill, which is 8700 feet high, runs down the Middle of the Balkan Peninsula and is considered as the dominating range (Burns up, 1958). Greece is a strategic location for empire building since it dished up as the crossroads between Africa, Asia and Europe.
Three physical features that damaged Greece the most included the climate, the mountains and the seas. Ancient Greece's local climate is temperate, so that it is comfortable to the people to be outside of their homes nearly every time. This allowed them to engage in outdoor life of their city-states. These were able to interact with each other which enabled them to organize outdoor activities such as athletic contests, general population gatherings, entertainment and art shows, and meetings, which aid to the introduction of a rich and particular Greek culture.
The second geographical feature is the mountains. Greece is a mountainous society. Almost 70 to 80 percent of Greece is covered and dominated with mountains (Aquino & Badilles, 2006). The advantage of the mountains is that they contributed to the preservation of the purity of Greek culture. Because of the mountains, inhabitants of ancient greek language civilization were secluded to their area bringing on rare connections with other civilizations. One bad effect of this geographical feature is that it served as an all natural hurdle which acted like wall surfaces separating different communities. It hindered communication among neighborhoods and slowed down the release of new ideas and technology. It also obstructed the development of a unified system of authorities. The Greeks ingenious solution to this problem is to developed the polis or the city-state. The creation of the city-states indicates the start of Greek's classical age group because the emergence of the polis began the numerous great accomplishments of the civilization (Willis, 1985). In addition, it proved that democratic government works better in smaller state governments (Willis, 1985). Every polis has its government and laws and regulations and it helped promote people's participation in politics affairs. It also provided cover and security to the inhabitants. Because claims are smaller, the demands and needs of the individuals were easily mirrored in the laws and policies that the federal government established. Another downside of this physical feature is the fact that only few lands were dedicated to farming. Few small valleys and plains of early Greece provided plantation land for folks. Adding to the drawback is the the rocky lands and poor dirt which are not well suited for the domestication of plant life. Although they experienced such down sides in farming, they still attempted to cultivate olives and grapes. In addition they domesticated sheeps and cattles instead of farming. The introduction of the polis also helped in their issue because it allowed them to supply enough food for the smaller population.
The last and probably the most important physical feature is the ocean. Having been encircled by three major physiques of water offered as an edge since it allowed early Greeks to visit and trade. The nearness of Greece to major trade routes allowed the success in maritime commerce (Aquino & Badilles, 2006). The sea also made the people became fishers, sailors and merchants. They excelled in ship buildings and voyaging for their knowledge about seas around them. Inside the Greco-Persian wars, the Greeks used the seas to their benefit. They build smaller better ships to pass through narrow routes plus they exhibited their skills as naval armies. Also, the seas allowed the Greeks to depend seriously on trade. The Greeks get what they cannot develop through trading. The exchanged essential olive oil, wine, wool and pottery with grains and other natural resources, which got a limited supply throughout that time. For their proximity to the seas, seafood became the Greeks' staple food. Additionally, trade encouraged ethnical diffusion. It empowered the exchange of ideas with other culture and the spread of Hellenistic culture. It also encouraged them to have further knowledge about different existing civilizations in those days.
To sum everything up, the mountains of Greece limited the civilization's agricultural improvement and politics unity. But, instead of being a drawback, the constraints provided historical Greece with a more powerful and well-developed communities. Adding to that will be the seas that hook up Greece with one another and the whole world. The seas provided Greeks with wider perspectives about other civilizations and encouraged them to find ways about how to properly utilize their limited resources. It just affirms that geography, in one way or another, molded and afflicted the ancient Greek civilization.
References
- Aquino, G. & Badilles, D. (2006). Friendly studies in perspective III. Makati City, Philippines: Diwa Scholastic Press Inc.
- Burns, E. M. (1958). European civilization. NY: W. W. Norton and Co. Inc.
- McNeil, W. H. (1999). A world history: 4th release. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Willis, F. R. (1985). European civilization. USA: D. C. Health insurance and Company.
