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My Favourite Planet > English > Europe > Greece
Greece History of Greece page 3
 
The Parthenon, Athens, Greece at My Favourite Planet

We are currently working on a detailed articles on the history of Greece, including links to specialist websites. Meanwhile here is a brief historical overview.

Greece has been inhabited for over 7000 years. The earliest civilizations were developed by the Minoans on Crete and the Myceneans in the Peloponnese.

Greece was continually subject to waves of invasions by non-Greeks, as well as wars between the various Greek tribes themselves. One of the most famous wars between the Greeks and Trojans was made legend by Homer's epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey.

City building began around the 7th century BC, leading to the flourishing of classical Greek art, architecture, literature, philosophy, science and politics. The genius of ancient Greece was personified by Homer, Hesiod, Sappho, Aristophanes, Herodotus, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Pythagoras, Pericles, Pheidias, Praxiteles and others.

The Greek city states, especially Athens and Sparta, were perpetually feuding with each other, uniting only to fight encroachment by other powers such as the Persian empire.

During the 4th century BC Philip the Great of Macedonia forced an uneasy unity among the Greeks, and his son Alexander the Great extended Greece's power and influence as far as India to the east and Egypt to the south.

Following Alexander the Great's death, the Greeks resumed fighting amongst themselves until they were finally absorbed first into the Roman empire, then the Byzantine empire and ultimately the Turkish Ottoman empire. During this time various parts of Greece were also invaded and taken over by Venetians, Genoese, Crusaders and others.

The Greek War of Independence from Turkey began in 1821 and continued intermittently until after World War I, giving Greece the geographical boundaries it has today.

Greece was invaded and occupied during both world wars. The Greek Civil War 1945-1949 saw bitter fighting between left-wing and right-wing forces, a struggle which continued politically through the dictatorship of 1967-1974.

Since Greece joined the European Union in 1981, the political, social and economic situation has stabilized and the country has prospered materially. Today Greece is a developed democracy, although it is mainly economically dependent on agriculture and tourism.



See also:

A brief history of Kavala

A brief history of Pella
(hometown of Alexander the Great)

History of Stageira and Olympiada
(hometown of Aristotle)

A brief history of Thrace

A brief history of Alexandroupoli, Thrace
 

Bust of Dionysios Solomos, author of the Greek national anthem at My Favourite Planet

A bust of the Greek poet Dionysios Solomos
(Διονύσιος Σολωμός, 1798-1857) in Corfu.

He wrote the 158-verse Hymn to Liberty
(Ὕµνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν) in 1823,
and lived on Corfu from 1828 until his
death. The hymn was set to music in 1828
by the Corfiot composer Nikolaos Mantzaros
(Νικόλαος Μάντζαρος, 1795-1872), who
founded the Ionian School of music
(Επτανησιακή Σχολή). The first two verses
were adapted in 1865 as the national
anthem of newly-independent Greece.

Made by the Athens-born sculptor Michalis
Tombros (Μιχάλης Τόμπρος, 1889-1974),
the bust was presented as a gift of the
Greek Ministry of Education, and now
stands near the seafront on Dimokratias
Avenue in Corfu town.
 
Greece photo galleries
 

Athens photo galleries at My Favourite Planet

Athens
 

Kastellorizo photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Kastellorizo
 

Kavala photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Kavala
 

Photo gallery of Olympiada village, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Olympiada
 

Patmos photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Patmos
 

Pella photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Pella
 

Polygyros photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Polygyros
 

Samos photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Samos
 

Samothraki photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Samothraki
 

Photo gallery of Ancient Stageira, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece at My Favourite Planet

Ancient Stageira
 

Veria photo gallery at My Favourite Planet

Veria
   
 
 
See also The Cheshire Cat Blog
photo essays about Greece:
 
Athens
(street life)

Athens
(Aristotle's Lyceum)

Dion
  Meteora

Pella

Thessaloniki
  Polygyros

Kastellorizo
(Megisti)
 
 
Map of Greece at My Favourite Planet

Map of Greece

See also our larger interactive map of Greece.
Text, map and photos: © David John,
except where otherwise specified.

Some of the information and photos in this guide to Greece
originally appeared in 2003-2005 on davidjohnberlin.de.

All photos and articles are copyright protected.

Images and materials by other authors
have been attributed where applicable.

Please do not use these photos or articles without permission.

If you are interested in using any of the photos for your website,
project or publication, please get in contact.

Higher resolution versions are available on request.

My Favourite Planet makes great efforts to provide comprehensive and accurate information across this website. However, we can take no responsibility for inaccuracies or changes made by providers of services mentioned on these pages.
 
 
See also
The Cheshire Cat Blog
photo essays about Greece:

Athens (street life)

Athens (Aristotle's Lyceum)

Dion

Meteora

Pella

Thessaloniki

Polygyros

Kastellorizo (Megisti)
 
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Join the group, write a message or comment,
post photos and videos, start a discussion...
< page 2: geography of Greece page 4: facts and figures for Greece >
 
 
 
 
Vyzantino Greek Restaurant, Plaka, Athens, Greece
 
NEWGEN Travel Agency, Athens, Greece
 
Hotel Orestias Kastorias Thessaloniki, Greece - The heart of hospitality beats at the heart of the city
 
Hotel Liotopi, Olympiada, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece
 
Hotel Germany, Olympiada, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Greece
 
Hotel Okeanis, Kavala, Macedonia, Greece
 

George Alvanos

rooms in
Kavala's historic Panagia District

Anthemiou 35,
Kavala, Greece

kavalarooms.gr

 

Olive Garden Restaurant

Kastellorizo,
Greece

+30 22460 49 109

kastellorizo.de

 

Papoutsis
Travel Agency

Kastellorizo,
Greece

+30 22460 49 286

greeklodgings.gr

 
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