4.11.1 Medicine, mathematics, science and philosophy Ancient Greece gave us many important ideas that still affect us today. These include democracy, the Olympic Games and advances in science, maths, architecture, medicine, philosophy, drama and poetry. Greek civilisation was at its peak in the ýfth century BCE. By the fourth century BCE, Greek culture spread all the way to India because of Alexander the Great’s conquests. After the Romans conquered Greece in 146 BCE, they also adopted Greek culture and helped pass on these ideas through time. Most ancient Greeks believed that sickness was a punishment from the gods. Hippocrates (c. 460–377 BCE) changed this idea by teaching that sickness came from problems in the body, like diet. His Hippocratic Oath is still important for doctors today. Mathematics, science and philosophy Ancient Greece had many great thinkers. Anaxagoras, Aristarchus and Eratosthenes studied astronomy and suggested that the Earth orbits the sun. Pythagoras (c. 582–500 BCE) arranged pebbles to show connections between space and numbers; he is famous for Pythagoras’s theorem (see SOURCE2 ). He also believed the Earth was round and that everything was made of four elements: earth, air, ýre and water. Euclid created important ideas in geometry, while Thales (c. 624–546 BCE) discovered static electricity. Archimedes, in the third century BCE, found key principles in physics. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle helped develop philosophy. Aristotle taught that planets, the moon and stars moved around the Earth, a belief held for nearly 2000 years.
SkillBuilder discussion Historical signiýcance 1. Who was Pythagoras? 2. Identify the mathematical discovery that is attributed
SOURCE2 Pythagoras was a philosopher and mathematician. He discovered that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the side opposite the right angle equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
Count the pebbles in this square. Compare the total with the combined total below.
to Pythagoras. What type of triangle did Pythagoras’s theorem apply to?
3. Consider why
Pythagoras’s theory is this useful and relevant to us.
The longest side is called the hypotenuse.
Find the total of the pebbles in these two squares.
4.11.2 Architecture, drama and poetry The Greeks created building styles we still use today. Many modern buildings are inþuenced by ancient Greek designs. For example, St George’s Hall in Perth has a portico like an ancient Greek temple. Theatre was very popular in ancient Greece. One famous Greek playwright was Aristophanes (c. 448–380 BCE). He wrote funny plays that are still performed today. Many ancient Greek sayings are still used because they are relevant today. For example, Aesop, a fable writer from the sixth century BCE, said, ‘We hang petty thieves and appoint great ones to public ofýce’ and ‘In union, there is strength’.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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