The most influential and oldest national literature in the Western world comes from the Greeks. Ancient Greek literature became the model for all later literature. Many different and significant types of literature were introduced. These include lyric and epic poetry, philosophical essays and dialogues, tragic and comic drama, literary letters and critical and biographical history.

The first important form of Greek literature was epic poetry. Epics are long narrative poems. Most of them inform us about the heroic deeds of mortals or divine beings. Homer is considered the greatest Greek poet. He composed the “Iliad” and “The Odyssey”, which are two famous epic poems. He composed these during the 700’s BC. Both of these poems

Athens became the center of Greek culture during the late 500’s BC. During the height of this period, from 461 to 431 BC, the arts, including literature, flourished. These years are referred to as the Golden Age. Drama, especially tragedy, became the most important literary form during the Golden Age. Three great tragic playwrights were Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Aeschylus is noted for the seriousness, complexity of thought and majestic language. Euripides was called the “philosopher of the stage.”

The government of ancient Greece was also very complex and it set the stage for the way many of today’s countries govern. In ancient Greece by the 700’s BC, the city-state formed. The city-state can also be referred to as a polis. Most citizens of a city-state claimed a common ancestry, followed the same customs and religious practices and spoke the same Greek dialect. A city-state gave its members a sense of belonging because they were like one large family. Most city-states of ancient Greece were governed by a small group of wealthy men. This form of government is called oligarchy, in which a few powerful people rule. During the 500’s BC, some city-states began to move toward democracy. All citizens were granted the right to vote on government policies hold political office and serve on a jury. Many poor citizens could not afford the time to participate in democratic government. Women and slaves had no political rights, even in the democracies. The most successful democracy of ancient Greece during the 400’s BC was Athens. Every male Athenian citizen had the right to serve in an assembly. An assembly passed laws and determined government policies. Yearly, the citizens selected a council of 500 men. This council ran the day-to-day business of government and prepared the bills that the assembly debated and voted on.

Aristotle also wrote important works, including Poetics, a masterpiece of literary criticism.

Some topics in this essay:
Plato Aristotle, Sparta Citizens, BC Lyric, Ancient Greek, Hesiod Hesiod, Isocrates Demosthenes, BC Athens, War Thucydides, Euripides Aeschylus, , ancient greece, lyric poetry, greek literature, 400’s bc, epic poetry, golden age, melic poetry, countries govern, ancient greek, set stage,