Ancient Greece (c. 800 – 146 BCE)

Ancient Greece (c. 800–146 BCE) birthed Western civilization's foundational concepts in democracy, philosophy, and science. The city-states, especially Athens, pioneered participatory government while philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle established critical thinking traditions. Greek innovations spanned geometry (Euclid), physics (Archimedes), and medicine (Hippocrates). Their architectural orders, Olympic Games, and literary classics (Homer's epics) became cultural cornerstones. Alexander the Great's conquests spread Hellenistic culture across three continents. Greece's emphasis on rational inquiry, artistic perfection, and civic debate created intellectual frameworks that still shape modern governance, education, and aesthetics worldwide.