Editing Classics (section)

==Classical Greece==
{{Main|Ancient Greece|Outline of ancient Greece|Timeline of ancient Greece}}

Ancient Greece was the civilization belonging to the period of Greek history lasting from the [[Archaic Greece|Archaic period]], beginning in the eighth century BC, to the [[Roman conquest of Greece]] after the [[Battle of Corinth (146 BC)|Battle of Corinth]] in 146 BC. The [[Classical Greece|Classical period]], during the fifth and fourth centuries BC, has traditionally been considered the height of Greek civilisation.<ref>{{harvnb|Shapiro|2007|p=3}}</ref> The Classical period of Greek history is generally considered to have begun with the [[First Persian invasion of Greece|first]] and [[Second Persian invasion of Greece|second Persian invasions of Greece]] at the start of the Greco-Persian wars,<ref>{{harvnb|Shapiro|2007|p=2}}</ref> and to have ended with the death of [[Alexander the Great]].

Classical Greek culture had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of the [[Mediterranean Basin|Mediterranean region]] and Europe; thus Classical Greece is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of Western civilization.

===Language===
[[File:AncientGreekDialects (Woodard) en.svg|right|thumb|alt=|Map showing the regional dialects of Greek during the Classical period]]
{{Main|Ancient Greek|Mycenaean Greek language|Koine Greek}}

Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning the Archaic ({{Circa|8th}} to 6th centuries BC), Classical ({{Circa|5th|lk=no}} to 4th centuries BC), and Hellenistic ({{Circa|3rd|lk=no}} century BC to 6th century AD) periods of ancient Greece and the ancient world. It is predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek. Its Hellenistic phase is known as Koine ("common") or Biblical Greek, and its late period mutates imperceptibly into Medieval Greek. Koine is regarded as a separate historical stage of its own, although in its earlier form it closely resembles Classical Greek. Prior to the Koine period, Greek of the classical and earlier periods included several regional dialects.

Ancient Greek was the language of Homer and of classical Athenian historians, playwrights, and philosophers. It has contributed many words to the vocabulary of English and many other European languages, and has been a standard subject of study in Western educational institutions since the Renaissance. Latinized forms of Ancient Greek roots are used in many of the scientific names of species and in other scientific terminology.

===Literature===
{{Main|Ancient Greek literature}}
The earliest surviving works of Greek literature are [[epic poetry]]. [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]'' and ''[[Odyssey]]'' are the earliest to survive to us today, probably composed in the eighth century BC.<ref>{{harvnb|Kirk|1985|p=47}}</ref> These early epics were oral compositions, created without the use of writing.<ref>{{harvnb|Kirk|1985|p=43}}</ref>
Around the same time that the Homeric epics were composed, the [[Greek alphabet]] was introduced; the earliest surviving inscriptions date from around 750 BC.<ref name="Kirk-45">{{harvnb|Kirk|1985|p=45}}</ref>

<!-- Need to put something about archaic poetry here...
Some of the earliest Greek poetry to be composed in written form was that of [[Archilochus]], around a century after the introduction of the Greek alphabet.<ref name="Kirk-45"/> -->
European [[drama]] was invented in ancient Greece. Traditionally this was attributed to [[Thespis]], around the middle of the sixth century BC,<ref>{{harvnb|Winnington-Ingram|Gould|Easterling|Knox|1985|p=259}}</ref> though the earliest surviving work of Greek drama is [[Aeschylus]]' tragedy ''[[The Persians]]'', which dates to 472 BC.<ref name="WIGEK-258">{{harvnb|Winnington-Ingram|Gould|Easterling|Knox|1985|p=258}}</ref> Early Greek tragedy was performed by a chorus and two actors, but by the end of Aeschylus' life, a third actor had been introduced, either by him or by [[Sophocles]].<ref name="WIGEK-258"/> The last surviving Greek tragedies are the ''[[Bacchae]]'' of [[Euripides]] and Sophocles' [[Oedipus at Colonus]], both from the end of the fifth century BC.<ref>{{harvnb|Winnington-Ingram|Gould|Easterling|Knox|1985|pp=339–40}}</ref>

Surviving Greek comedy begins later than tragedy; the earliest surviving work, [[Aristophanes]]' ''[[Acharnians]]'', comes from 425 BC.<ref name="Handley-355">{{harvnb|Handley|1985|p=355}}</ref> However, comedy dates back as early as 486 BC, when the [[Dionysia]] added a competition for comedy to the much earlier competition for tragedy.<ref name="Handley-355"/> The comedy of the fifth century is known as [[Old Comedy]], and it comes down to us solely in the eleven surviving plays of Aristophanes, along with a few fragments.<ref name="Handley-355"/> Sixty years after the end of Aristophanes' career, the next author of comedies to have any substantial body of work survive is [[Menander]], whose style is known as [[New Comedy]].<ref>{{harvnb|Handley|1985|p=356}}</ref>

===Mythology and religion===
{{Main|Greek mythology|Religion in ancient Greece}}

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their [[Deity|gods]] and [[hero]]es, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece. Modern scholars refer to the myths and study them in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of ancient Greece and its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

Greek religion encompassed the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in ancient Greece in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. These different groups varied enough for it to be possible to speak of Greek religions or "cults" in the plural, though most of them shared similarities. Also, the Greek religion extended out of Greece and out to neighbouring islands.

Many Greek people recognized the major gods and goddesses: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes, Demeter, Hestia and Hera; though philosophies such as [[Stoicism]] and some forms of [[Platonism]] used language that seems to posit a transcendent single deity. Different cities often worshipped the same deities, sometimes with epithets that distinguished them and specified their local nature.

===Philosophy===
{{Main|Ancient Greek philosophy}}
[[File:Socrates Louvre.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A bust of Socrates|So influential was Socrates to classical philosophy that earlier philosophers are today known as [[pre-Socratics]].]]

The earliest surviving philosophy from ancient Greece dates back to the 6th century BC, when according to Aristotle [[Thales of Miletus]] was considered to have been the first Greek philosopher.<ref>Aristotle, Metaphysics Alpha, 983b18.</ref> Other influential pre-Socratic philosophers include [[Pythagoras]] and [[Heraclitus]]. The most famous and significant figures in classical Athenian philosophy, from the 5th to the 3rd centuries BC, are [[Socrates]], his student [[Plato]], and [[Aristotle]], who studied at [[Plato's Academy]] before founding his own school, known as the [[Lyceum (classical)|Lyceum]]. Later Greek schools of philosophy, including the [[Cynicism (philosophy)|Cynics]], [[Stoics]], and [[Epicureans]], continued to be influential after the Roman annexation of Greece, and into the post-Classical world.

Greek philosophy dealt with a wide variety of subjects, including political philosophy, [[ethics]], [[metaphysics]], [[ontology]], and [[logic]], as well as disciplines which are not today thought of as part of philosophy, such as biology and rhetoric.