Ancient Greek Values
①Ancient Greek civilization has greatly helped the building of today’s society. Many countries now still base their laws and ethics (伦理) on the teachings and doings of ancient Greeks. In everyday life, ancient Greeks valued loyalty, glory, intelligence and hospitality (好客). These may seem simple values, but they did effectively shape ancient Greece into a most referenced culture in history.
②During ancient Greece, men were required to go to school and learn. Boys were taught at home until they were 6 years old and then sent off to school. Ancient Greek schools featured a structure that had boys in school from the age of six until fourteen and then an optional additional four years. The boys were trained in arts and in citizen training. Citizen training prepared Greek boys for two aspects of adult life, which were peace and war.
③Glory for young men in ancient Greece was the same as fame to young people today. Stories of war glories and battles were handed down to young men so that they desired to make their names along with the victory of a battle.
④Helping your fellow man was an important aspect of life in ancient Greece. Ancient Greeks were kind and generous. They offered food, shelter and protection to travelers without question. They believed that helping others was their brotherly duty.
⑤Loyalty is perhaps the most important value of ancient Greek civilization. It was stressed in everything the Greeks did. They believed in loyalty to the family, the community and most importantly to the gods. The gods of ancient Greece often sent tests to citizens. Keeping faith through the tests was a sign of loyalty and belief.