There are so many things in the modern world that are influenced by ancient Greece, including language, art, literature, and even psychology. Words such as “echo” and “titanic,” alongside concepts such as the “Oedipus complex” and “Achilles’ heel,” all come from the Greek mythologies.
If you are keen enough, you will realize that some of the themes of ancient Greece have infiltrated modern pop culture, too. We have seen their influence in novels, blockbuster movies, TV shows, video games, and even brand names.
In this article, we will cover how ancient Greece and Greek mythology have inspired modern society.
Democracy
Did you know that the Greeks created the world’s first democracy? Yes, that’s right! Athens may have started out as a monarchy but later turned to an oligarchy, and finally, the Greeks decided to settle on democracy as their form of government.
The Greek democracy was made up of 6,000 assembly members. These were the people who voted on issues concerning the people in Athens. Just like in modern democracies, for a law to pass in ancient Greece, the number of votes cast had to be a majority.
Fun fact: In order to exile someone, all 6,000 votes were required to execute the unanimous decision. Most countries that practice democracy nowadays usually have a type of government led by elected representatives. It is a system in which political power is vested in the entire population or all eligible members of a state.
Greek mythology in pop culture
Some of the most popular stories from ancient Greece are about heroes like Perseus, Theseus, and, of course, Hercules. The Greeks came up with these heroic and godly tales to explain the mysteries that science couldn’t quite figure out back then.
These stories have now been interpreted in different ways and presented to the modern world in theatres and gaming rooms as forms of entertainment.
Some of the well-known Greek myths that have been adapted into pop culture include the sci-fi series Battlestar Galactica, Disney’s Hercules, the bestselling novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel Frankenstein, the God of War video game franchise, and, believe it or not, the billion-dollar footwear company Nike.
In the gaming world, you will find popular titles like God of War, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and the roguelike role-playing game Hades, which draws heavily from Greek mythology. Even casino demo games often feature themes based on Zeus, Medusa, Athena, or Mount Olympus.
The alphabet
Who would have thought that the first thing you learn in junior school is something that came all the way from ancient Greece? The Greek alphabet, which was derived from the earlier Phoenician alphabet, became the first Western alphabet made up of distinct letters for vowels and consonants.
The word alphabet itself is actually a combination of the first two letters in the Greek alphabet, which are, you guessed it, alpha and beta.
If you are a movie buff, you’ve probably watched spy and crime-action thrillers where the characters use some of these exact letters from the Greek alphabet and say words like “Alpha” and “Delta” when communicating via walkie-talkie devices to get clarity.
According to history, the Greek alphabet became a thing around the late 9th or early 8th century BCE, and it had 24 letters starting from alpha all the way to omega. Our modern alphabet, on the other hand, consists of 26 letters A to Z.
Some of the letters we use, including A, B, E, and O, came directly from ancient Greece. In its early stages, the Greek alphabet had a single form for each letter, but later developed upper and lower case letters.
Architecture
The Parthenon is probably the best-known example of Greek architecture. It’s a former temple on the Acropolis which was built in the 5th century BC and dedicated to the goddess Athena. What makes it stand out is its incredible column design. It had seventeen columns along the sides and eight at each end, with another row of six columns tucked inside.
These days, columns can be spotted everywhere in public buildings like churches, libraries, and government institutions. Take Washington, D.C., for example, where you’ll come across similar columns all over places like the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, the Russell Senate Office Building, and the Cannon House Office Building.
The funny thing is that while most Greek structures were inspired by gods, most modern buildings that mimic their structure and style tend to be secular government centers.
The Olympics
The original Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, from 776 BCE to 393 CE in honor of Zeus. These games were a religious festival and a major cultural event where athletes from various Greek city-states met to compete and celebrate Greek culture.
If you’ve ever wondered where the term “Olympiad” came from, it’s simple. It came from ancient Greece since the games were held every four years. Nowadays, we have the Olympic summer and winter games, which are unsurprisingly held every four years.
These two separate events still tip their hat to ancient Greece’s Olympic Games, especially in the opening and closing ceremonies, where a lot happens. Some of the old traditions, such as the leaf crowns and lighting the flame, are ideas that are borrowed directly from ancient Greece.
