Egypt and Mesopotanian ideas influence the Greek city states, which in turn become the foundation of Western Civilization

You have learned about man's earliest movements out of Africa and the development of civilizations along rivers. Human communities eventually develop agriculture. With abundant food, people no longer had to be nomadic and instead could settle in permanent villages. The need for water for crops meant that these communities formed around river valleys.

We have talked about river valley civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia (Iraq), Indus (India), and China. While all of these cultures are very different from on another in many ways, all of these river valley civilizations develop the five aspects needed for civilization. These should be in your notes, they may be on the test. In additional these different cultures all learned about new ideas from the cultures around them and incorporate those ideas into their cultures through cultural diffusion.

While ancient Egypt and Mesopotamian Ur developed into important cultural centers, other cultures began to develop in Europe. The Greek civilization took took early complex societies to the next level of development. The Greek city-states (most importantly Athens and Sparta) developed the foundation of Western Civilization. Greek language, religion (the gods and goddesses of mythology), sports (the Olympic games), arts, music, science, and government would have a great effect on the our world today. The city of Athens was the first to develop democracy (demos=the people, aucrocy=government)--citizens using voting to decide their leaders. In so many ways, many of modern America's institutions and culture are based on the early Greek model.

Get to know more about the Ancient Greeks: click and read about Athens, Festivals and Games, Daily life, and Gods and Goddesses (remember, the Greeks, the Egyptians, and Sumerians were polytheists)
http://www.ancientgreece.co.uk/

Learn more about Democracy in the Greek city-state of Athens:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_01.shtml

Compare and contrast ancient Greek Democracy versus modern American democracy:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greekdemocracy_03.shtml

This YouTube clip examines the rule of athletes, specifically boxing (remember, the Greeks invented the Olympics to honor the god Zeus):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yshV0LERye0

Write a one page page 5 paragraph paper explaining how the Greeks have influenced our American society. You can compare and contrast the differences between these two us and the Greeks. Feel free to give your opinion about which society you'd rather live in and way and why. While you are encouraged to express your opinion, make sure that you base your ideas on facts taken from these sources or others that you may find yourself on line.