literature 2- world literature

2.  OFFICIAL NAME: Hellenic Republic
 FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Parliamentary republic
 CAPITAL: Athens
 POPULATION: 10,722,816
 OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Greek
 MONEY: Euro
 AREA: 50,942 square miles (131,940 square kilometers)
 OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Greek

4. History
 Indo-European peoples, including the
Mycenaeans, began entering Greece about
2000 B.C. and set up sophisticated civilizations.
 About 1200 B.C. , the Dorians, another Indo-
European people, invaded Greece, and a dark age
followed, known mostly through the Homeric
epics.
 At the end of this time, classical Greece began to
emerge (c. 750 B.C. ) as a loose composite of city-
states with a heavy involvement in maritime trade
and a devotion to art, literature, politics, and
philosophy.

5.  Greece reached the peak of its glory in the 5th
century B.C. , but the Peloponnesian War (431–
404 B.C. ) weakened the nation, and it was
conquered by Philip II and his son Alexander
the Great of Macedonia, who considered
themselves Greek.
 By the middle of the 2nd century B.C. , Greece
had declined to the status of a Roman
province. It remained within the eastern
Roman Empire until Constantinople fell to the
Crusaders in 1204.
 In 1453, the Turks took Constantinople and by
1460, Greece was a province in the Ottoman
Empire.

6.  The Greek war of independence began in
1821, and by 1827 Greece won independence
with sovereignty guaranteed by Britain,
France, and Russia
 The protecting powers chose Prince Otto of
Bavaria as the first king of modern Greece in
1832 to reign over an area only slightly larger
than the Peloponnese peninsula.
 Chiefly under the next king, George I,
chosen by the protecting powers in 1863,
Greece acquired much of its present
territory.

7.  During his 57-year reign, a period in which
he encouraged parliamentary democracy,
Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia, Crete, and
most of the Aegean islands were added from
the disintegrating Turkish empire
 Unfavorable economic conditions forced
about one-sixth of the entire Greek
population to emigrate (mostly to the U.S.)
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. An
unsuccessful war against Turkey after World
War I brought down the monarchy, which
was replaced by a republic in 1923.

8. Greek Culture: History, Culture,
Traditions, and Religion
 Standing at around the same size as the state of
New York, Greece is a country that is rich in
history, culture, traditions, and religion. They’re
known for their belief in the Greek Gods,
where philosophy was first discovered, the
amazing architecture such as the Parthenon, and
the creation of the Olympics, just to name a
few. Even though the country has been through a
lot of changes throughout history, the people still
value Greek culture.

9. Music
 During Ancient Greece, music
was considered a gift from the
gods. It was attributed to
Hermes with the lyre, Athena
with the flute, and Pan with
the panpipes.
 Music was performed during
all sorts of occasions such as
weddings, religious
ceremonies, festivals, parties,
and military activities.
 It was also used during
dramatic performances held
in theaters such as plays and
recitals.

10. Food
Since the climate in Greece is
mostly hot and dry, this means
that the people rely heavily on
fresh food. Their diet consists of a
lot of vegetables and fruits, and
some meats. As far as meat goes,
they eat mostly lamb, pork and
chicken. However, they do not
consume as much meat as most
other cultures.
The most popular Greek food is
the gyro, which is considered a
street food snack. It’s a pita
sandwich usually containing
seasoned meat, salad, cucumbers,
garlic and yogurt

11. Clothing / Fashion
 Ancient Greeks usually wore
simple garments that hung
over their bodies. The peplos
was a sleeveless, one-piece
fabric with a hole cut out for
the head.
 The chiton was very similar to
the peplos except it had
sleeves for the arms. They
were both usually made of
wool since sheep farming was
widespread and it helped
keep them warm during the
cold winters.

12. Religion
 According to the history of Orthodoxy, Saint Paul was the
first to come into Greece to preach Christianity, back in 49
AD. As of today, about 98% of the country’s population is
Christian Orthodox. They are considered, however, to be
more free and have less restrictions than other
denominations of Christianity. For example, a priest in
Greece can marry someone. Following a divorce, Greeks
can remarry in church.
 Another difference is that Greeks only attend church
occasionally, not weekly. Their faith is still as deep and
strong as any other Christian, but they also believe in the
“Greek spirit”, which is represented by independence and
freedom.

13. Greek
alphabet The Greek
alphabet
consists of 24
letters, each with
an uppercase
and lowercase
form. The
letter sigma has
an additional
lowercase form
(ς) used in the
final position:

14. Tourist spot
Acropolis, Athens
 Considered the symbol
of Athens and Greece, and
indeed of Western
civilisation, the Acropolis is a
rocky mound rising in the
heart of modern Athens and
crowned by three
magnificent temples dating
from the 5th century BC.

15. Tourist spot
Santorini
 The most dramatic of all the
Greek islands, Santorini is best
known for the cliff-top towns of
Fira and Oia, which lie on the
west coast, overlooking the
deep, blue sea-filled caldera.
Made up of typical Cycladic
whitewashed cubic buildings,
many of which have been
converted into boutique hotels
with infinity pools, both Fira
and Oia are considered romantic
destinations, popular for
weddings and honeymoons

16. Tourist spot
Rhodes
 the largest of Greece’s
Dodecanese islands, is known
for its beach resorts, ancient
ruins and remnants of its
occupation by the Knights of
St. John during the Crusades.
The city of Rhodes has an Old
Town featuring the medieval
Street of the Knights and the
castlelike Palace of the Grand
Masters

17. Author background
Homer
Idealized portrayal of Homer dating to
the Hellenistic period. British Museum.
 best known as the author
of the Iliad and the
Odyssey. He was believed
by the ancient Greeks to
have been the first and
greatest of the epic poets.
 Author of the first known
literature of Europe, he is
central to the Western
canon.

18.  Homer was the most important and earliest of the
Greek and Roman writers. Greeks and Romans didn't
count themselves educated unless they knew his
poems.
 His influence was felt not only on literature, but on
ethics and morality via lessons from his masterpieces.
He is the first source to look for information on Greek
myth and religion.
 Yet, despite his prominence, we have no firm evidence
that he ever lived.

19. Iliad
 “The Iliad” (Gr: “Iliás”) is
an epic poem by the
ancient Greek poet Homer,
which recounts some of
the significant events of
the final weeks of the
Trojan War and the Greek
siege of the city of Troy
(which was also known as
Ilion, Ilios or Ilium in
ancient times).

20. The Odyssey
 The Odyssey is Homer's
epic of Odysseus' 10-year
struggle to return home
after the Trojan War. While
Odysseus battles mystical
creatures and
faces the wrath of the gods,
his wife Penelope and his
son Telemachus stave off
suitors vying for Penelope's
hand and Ithaca's throne
long enough for Odysseus to
return.