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History and Evolution:
By William E. Steinman:
Part 14, Greece:
June 23, 2003:
From the civilization of Mesopotamia we can skip over Asia Minor
and cross the Aegean Sea to Greece. In Greece we find evidence
of settled agricultural civilizations dating from the New Stone
Age around 7000 BC. However, civilization did not evolve as early
here as it did in Mesopotamia. Gradually, some of these agricultural
communities did evolve into walled towns, but the Greek Mycenaean
civilization really emerged around 1800 BC . From the New Stone
Age to the end of the Mycenaean civilization around 1200 BC, Greece
absorbed many different peoples by migration and invasion. Differences
in architecture, pottery, and tools indicate this.
Although these ancient civilizations of Greece are, by themselves, a fascinating field of study they are outside the scope of this work. For background this period produced its share of kings, wars, empires, and palaces complete with bureaucrats. Architecture was elaborate and walled cities proliferated. Metallurgy was well developed along with other skilled trades. We have found really exotic pottery. Gold and silver utensils were common, at least in the residences of the rulers and wealthy.
As good things usually do, this civilization declined and ended around 1200 BC. There is speculation about the cause. It seemed to be a combination of outside invaders and what may be the biggest volcanic eruption ever. Out of this eruption came the legend of Atlantis. Whatever caused the collapse, it was catastrophic and resulted in what is called the dark age of Greece. This is a period of two or three hundred years which gave rise to the Greek city-states and the ancient Greek civilization.
There were many of these city-states in Greece and the concept was also exported as they established their presence in other areas. Thus, when we speak of Greece in this era, we are including a great deal more territory that a peninsula in the Mediterranean with a few islands. The Greek civilization extended around the Mediterranean, into Asia Minor, around the Black Sea, and into Africa.
Among these city-states there were many interactions, adventures, wars, and also Olympic Games. The first games were held in 776 B.C. on the plain of Olympia. Of primary interest to this study will be the political, spiritual, and philosophical developments of this early Greek culture. We want to look at this with respect to how it influenced the evolution of democracy. Greece is particularly important in this because we find the beginnings of what can be called Western philosophy.
Credited with being the first of the Western philosophers was Thales of Miletus. Miletus was a city of Ionia in Asia Minor. Locate on a lucrative trade outlet on the coast at the mouth of the Menderes river it became a powerful city. Thales is considered to be the founder of geometry. He is attributed with establishing five basic theorems of Geometry. His philosophical theory was that the universe is composed entirely of water. This idea is less important, of course, than the fact that he looked to nature for explanations rather than some mystical deities.
Greece also produce the man who is called the first mathematician. This was Pythagoras who was, like Thales, originally from Ionia of the city Samos. Samos has some pretty nasty rulers at that time so he moved to Croton in southern Italy. There he established an academy for the study of musical harmony and geometry. He also founded something of a religious organization called the Pythagorean brotherhood.
This brotherhood saw Pythagoras as something of a god. Apparently he nurtured this view himself, claiming a relationship with Apollo. These folks believed in a reincarnation kind afterlife and followed some very strict rules of personal purity to prepare for that. These followers of Pythagoras were the first to understand that the world was a revolving sphere. The world was not a flat disc floating in a sea nor was it possible to fall off the edge of the world. We should understand that this was many centuries before Columbus gambled his life for profit from this theory. Lucky for him, the theory proved to be correct.
In addition, the brotherhood influenced the development of geometry and mathematics. They believe the essence of everything was numbers and they discovered the mathematical relationships between musical notes. They developed a unique view of the cosmos correctly believing that the earth was not the center of the universe. Incorrectly they postulated that all of the planets, sun, and stars revolve around some unseen central fire.
Pythagoras taught rather than wrote so not much of what we get now is anywhere near pure. Like all disciples the brotherhood tended to put their own twist on his teachings as they were handed on. This got more confused as time went on producing two different sects of the Pythagorean brotherhood. Thus, Pythagoreanism developed into two different cult like affairs.
One sect was more of a spiritual cult and put their effort into propagating and interpreting the sayings of the master. They also became politically active and helped to establish a Croton dominance in Souther Italy. As is usual when religion mixes with politics there came a reckoning. A coup occurred and Pythagoras decided on discretion. He departed to safety in Metapontum, Italy. That is where he died.
The other sect was a bit more scientific. These followers continued
with the Masters work in mathematics, geometry, and music. Both
of these sects are most important in that they influenced much
of the thinking of the Greek philosophers who followed Pythagoras.
Among those influenced were no less than Socrates and Plato.
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