Ancient Greece and democracy

In short: In ancient Greece philosophy, theatre, science and the first democracy arose. City-states (poleis) such as Athens and Sparta shaped European culture.

In more detail: The Athenian democracy of the 5th century BC let free male citizens vote on laws. Women, slaves and immigrants were excluded.

In detail

• Philosophers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle raised basic questions of knowledge, ethics and the state.
• Science: Hippocrates in medicine, Euclid in geometry, Archimedes in physics (auftrieb-und-archimedes).
• Olympic Games: Since 776 BC every four years at Olympia in honour of Zeus.
• Theatre: Tragedy and comedy, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes.
• Persian Wars and Peloponnesian War: Greek city-states fought Persia and later each other.
• Alexander the Great: Spread Greek culture to India in the 4th century BC (Hellenism).