The great legislator and one of the seven wise men of Greece, born in Athens in 638; died in 558 B.C. He descended from a distinguished family of Attica, and not only acquired a libvberal education, but enriched his mind by traveling.

Solon

The great legislator and one of the seven wise men of Greece, born in Athens in 638; died in 558 B.C.…

An eminent historian, born in Athens, Greece, about 471; died about 400 B.C. He was a son of Olorus, and studied oratory under Antiphon and philosophy under Anaxagoras.

Thucydides

An eminent historian, born in Athens, Greece, about 471; died about 400 B.C. He was a son of Olorus,…

An eminent general and author, born in Athens, Greece, about 445 B.C.; died in 357 B.C.

Xenophon

An eminent general and author, born in Athens, Greece, about 445 B.C.; died in 357 B.C.

The Lions Gate in Mycenae, Greece.

Lion Gate

The Lions Gate in Mycenae, Greece.

The Parthenon is the best-known surviving building of Ancient Greece and is regarded as one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.

Parthenon

The Parthenon is the best-known surviving building of Ancient Greece and is regarded as one of the world's…

The principal city of Baeotia, in ancient Greece, was situated in the south part of the country, onm the slopes of Mt. Teumessus, and between two streams, the Dirce and the Ismenus.

Thebes

The principal city of Baeotia, in ancient Greece, was situated in the south part of the country, onm…

"In the reign of Philip of Macedon, the coinage of Greece had attained its full development, having a perfect reverse. One of the earliest specimens of the complete coin is a beautiful medal struck at Syracuse, with the head of Proserpine accompanied by dolphins, and for reverse a victor in the Olympic games in a chariot receiving a wreath from Victory-a type which is also found on the reverse of the staters of Philip of Macedon, known as Philips, and largely imitated by other states." — Chambers, 1881

Greek Coin

"In the reign of Philip of Macedon, the coinage of Greece had attained its full development, having…

"Acropolis, 'the highest point of the city.' Many of the important cities of Greece and Asia Minor were protected by strongholds, so named. The A. occupied a lofty position, commanding the city and its environs; inaccessible on all sides except one, which had, for the most part, artificial defences. It contained some of the most important public buildings, especially temples, besides affording a last refuge in case of a hostile attack." — Chambers' Encyclopedia, 1875

Acropolis

"Acropolis, 'the highest point of the city.' Many of the important cities of Greece and Asia Minor were…

"A small coin of ancient Greece, in later times of silver, the sixth part of an Attic drachma, equal to 2.5 cents; multiples and sub-multiples of this coin were also used, and pieces of the value of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.5 oboli, and 1/2, 1/3, 11/4th of an obolus respectively are to be found in collections." — Winston's Encyclopedia, 1919

Obolus

"A small coin of ancient Greece, in later times of silver, the sixth part of an Attic drachma, equal…

An Athenian youth, studying

School

An Athenian youth, studying

This portrait is of the great artist, Tintoretto. He was a Greek painter who included external imagry and scenes of nature in his work.

Tintoretto

This portrait is of the great artist, Tintoretto. He was a Greek painter who included external imagry…

Bias, one of the seven sages of Greece; a native of Priene, an Ionia; celebrated for his practical knowledge and strict regard to justice. He flourished about 550 B.C., and died at a very advanced age.

Bias

Bias, one of the seven sages of Greece; a native of Priene, an Ionia; celebrated for his practical knowledge…

Gold and crystal sceptres from Mycanæ.

Mycanæ:n sceptres

Gold and crystal sceptres from Mycanæ.

A Greek shield.

Greek Shield

A Greek shield.

A poster with important images and facts from the Heroic period (1400-1100 B.C.)

Greece Poster

A poster with important images and facts from the Heroic period (1400-1100 B.C.)

A poster with important images and facts from the period of glory (500-431 B.C.).

Greece Poster

A poster with important images and facts from the period of glory (500-431 B.C.).

A poster with important images and facts from the period of decline (431-146 B.C.).

Greece Poster

A poster with important images and facts from the period of decline (431-146 B.C.).

A poster with important images and facts of the Greek civilization.

Greek Poster

A poster with important images and facts of the Greek civilization.

The obverse and reverse sides of an ancient coin of Athens.

Coin of Athens

The obverse and reverse sides of an ancient coin of Athens.

A costume of an upper class Greek youth.

Greek Costume

A costume of an upper class Greek youth.

A Greek soldier in the time of Alexander the Great.

Greek Soldier

A Greek soldier in the time of Alexander the Great.

"The Temple of Theseus, the Areopagus, and the Acropolis of Athens." -Breasted, 1914

Athens

"The Temple of Theseus, the Areopagus, and the Acropolis of Athens." -Breasted, 1914

"Street of tombs outside Ancient Athens." -Breasted, 1914

Athenian Tombs

"Street of tombs outside Ancient Athens." -Breasted, 1914

The Coat of Arms of Greece.

Greek Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms of Greece.

Coat of Arms, Greece

The Great Seal of Greece

Coat of Arms, Greece

Coat of Arms, Ionian Islands

The Great Seal of the Ionian Islands

Coat of Arms, Ionian Islands

He was a mathematician, geographer, astronomer, and astrologer. "The name of a line Graeco-Egyptain kings, who succeeded on the division of the empire of Alexander the Great, to the portion of his dominions of which Egypt was the head." -Marshall

Ptolemy in Profile

He was a mathematician, geographer, astronomer, and astrologer. "The name of a line Graeco-Egyptain…

Greek people standing and talking under a tree.

Greeks

Greek people standing and talking under a tree.

Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christian empire, see Christendom, successor to ancient Greece and Rome. Throughout the Middle Ages Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city, known as the Queen of Cities (Vasileuousa Polis).

The City of Constantinople (Byzantium)

Byzantine Constantinople had been the capital of a Christian empire, see Christendom, successor to ancient…

The Parthenon is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis. It is the most important surviving building of Classical Greece, generally considered to be the culmination of the development of the Doric order. Its decorative sculptures are considered one of the high points of Greek art. The Parthenon is regarded as an enduring symbol of ancient Greece and of Athenian democracy, and is considered one of the world's greatest cultural monuments. The Greek Ministry of Culture is currently carrying out a program of restoration and reconstruction. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury, and for a time served as the treasury of the Delian League, which later became the Athenian Empire. In the 6th century AD, the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin. After the Ottoman conquest, it was converted into a mosque in the early 1460s, and it even had a minaret. On 26 September 1687 an Ottoman ammunition dump inside the building was ignited by Venetian bombardment. The resulting explosion severely damaged the Parthenon and its sculptures. In 1806, Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin removed some of the surviving sculptures, with Ottoman permission. These sculptures, now known as the Elgin or Parthenon Marbles, were sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London, where they are now displayed. The Greek government is committed to the return of the sculptures to Greece, so far with no success.

Parthenon

The Parthenon is a temple of the Greek goddess Athena, built in the 5th century BC on the Athenian Acropolis.…

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

Greek Sandal

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

Greek Sandal

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

Greek Sandal

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

Greek Sandal

A sandal worn in Ancient Greece.

"Sarcophagus from the Street of Tombs at Assos in the Troad, excavated by the Archaeological Institute of America." -Whitney, 1911

Sarcophagus

"Sarcophagus from the Street of Tombs at Assos in the Troad, excavated by the Archaeological Institute…

Euphorbia lathyris (Caper Spurge or Paper Spurge) is a species of spurge native to southern Europe (France, Italy, Greece, and possibly southern England), northwest Africa, and eastward through southwest Asia to western China. Other names occasionally used include Gopher Spurge, Gopher Plant or Mole Plant.It is an erect biennial (occasionally annual) plant growing up to 1.5 m tall, with a glaucous blue-green stem. The leaves are arranged in decussate opposite pairs, and are lanceolate, 5-15 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad, glaucous blue-green with a waxy texture and pale greenish-white midrib and veins. The flowers are green to yellow-green, 4 mm diameter, with no petals. The seeds are green ripening brown or grey, produced in globular clusters 13-17 mm diameter of three seeds compressed together.

Caper Spurge

Euphorbia lathyris (Caper Spurge or Paper Spurge) is a species of spurge native to southern Europe (France,…

The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is an impressive "tholos" tomb at Mycenae, Greece (on the Panagitsa Hill) constructed around 1250 BCE. The lintel stone above the doorway weighs 120 tons. The tomb was used for an unknown period of time.

Treasury of Atreus

The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is an impressive "tholos" tomb at Mycenae, Greece (on the…

The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is an impressive "tholos" tomb at Mycenae, Greece (on the Panagitsa Hill) constructed around 1250 BCE. The lintel stone above the doorway weighs 120 tons. The tomb was used for an unknown period of time.

Treasury of Atreus Doorway

The Treasury of Atreus or Tomb of Agamemnon is an impressive "tholos" tomb at Mycenae, Greece (on the…

The Ionic order column originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia. The Ionic order column was being practiced in mainland Greece in the 5th century BC. The first of the great Ionic temples was the Temple of Hera on Samos, built about 570 BC–560 BC by the architect Rhoikos. It stood for only a decade before it was leveled by an earthquake. It was in the great sanctuary of the goddess: it could scarcely have been in a more prominent location for its brief lifetime. A longer-lasting 6th century Ionic temple was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Greek Ionic Order

The Ionic order column originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia. The Ionic order column was being…

The Ionic order column originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia. The Ionic order column was being practiced in mainland Greece in the 5th century BC. The first of the great Ionic temples was the Temple of Hera on Samos, built about 570 BC–560 BC by the architect Rhoikos. It stood for only a decade before it was leveled by an earthquake. It was in the great sanctuary of the goddess: it could scarcely have been in a more prominent location for its brief lifetime. A longer-lasting 6th century Ionic temple was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Greek Ionic Order (Side View)

The Ionic order column originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia. The Ionic order column was being…

The Ionic order column originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia. The Ionic order column was being practiced in mainland Greece in the 5th century BC. The first of the great Ionic temples was the Temple of Hera on Samos, built about 570 BC-560 BC by the architect Rhoikos. It stood for only a decade before it was leveled by an earthquake. It was in the great sanctuary of the goddess: it could scarcely have been in a more prominent location for its brief lifetime. A longer-lasting 6th century Ionic temple was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Roman Ionic Order

The Ionic order column originated in the mid-6th century BC in Ionia. The Ionic order column was being…

Guilloche, usually spelled without the acute accent on the final e, describes a repetitive architectural pattern widely used in classical Greece and Rome, consisting of two ribbons that wind around a series of regular central points. These central points are often blank, but may contain a figure, such as a rose. Guilloche is a back-formation from guilloché, so called because the architectural motif resembles the designs produced by Guilloche techniques.

Guilloche Ornament Painted on Burnt Clay, from the Ruins of Nineveh

Guilloche, usually spelled without the acute accent on the final e, describes a repetitive architectural…

A drawing on a Greek vase.

Vase Drawings

A drawing on a Greek vase.

A drawing on a Greek vase.

Vase Drawings

A drawing on a Greek vase.

A Greek jug from Rhodes.

Jug from Rhodes

A Greek jug from Rhodes.

Temple at Assus, Greece.

Temple at Assus

Temple at Assus, Greece.

Nike and Bull.

Nike and Bull

Nike and Bull.

Remains of the circular walls round towns and palaces, which are known under the name Cyclopean, exist at the present day. These are found both in Greece itself and in many of the Greek colonies, as in Italy and Sardinia. Such walls consist of gigantic polygonal blocks of stone, the corners of which fit accurately into one another. Other structures of this kind consist of regular blocks of equal height. Both kinds are constructed entirely without mortar.

Cyclopean Masonry

Remains of the circular walls round towns and palaces, which are known under the name Cyclopean, exist…

Remains of the circular walls round towns and palaces, which are known under the name Cyclopean, exist at the present day. These are found both in Greece itself and in many of the Greek colonies, as in Italy and Sardinia. Such walls consist of gigantic polygonal blocks of stone, the corners of which fit accurately into one another. Other structures of this kind consist of regular blocks of equal height. Both kinds are constructed entirely without mortar. The Lion Gate served as the gateway to the city of Mycenæ.

The Lion Gate at Mycenæ

Remains of the circular walls round towns and palaces, which are known under the name Cyclopean, exist…

Peculiar vaulted buildings often existed in connection with the palaces for the preservation of valuables; the base of these treasure-houses is circular, and their covering of a dome shape; it does not, however, form an arch, but courses of stones are laid horizontally over one another in such a way that each course projects beyond the one blow it. till the space at the highest course becomes so narrow that a single stone covers it. Of all those that have been preserved till the present day, the treasure-house of Atreus at Mycenæ is the most remarkable.

Section of the Treasury of Atreus

Peculiar vaulted buildings often existed in connection with the palaces for the preservation of valuables;…

Peculiar vaulted buildings often existed in connection with the palaces for the preservation of valuables; the base of these treasure-houses is circular, and their covering of a dome shape; it does not, however, form an arch, but courses of stones are laid horizontally over one another in such a way that each course projects beyond the one blow it. till the space at the highest course becomes so narrow that a single stone covers it. Ornamental fragments, which belonged to these buildings, lead to the conjecture that Mesopotamian art had some influence on the earliest Grecian buildings.

Pillar Fragment from the Treasury of Atreus

Peculiar vaulted buildings often existed in connection with the palaces for the preservation of valuables;…

The Gargoyle Lion Head was found in Metapontum, Greece.

Gargoyle Lion Head

The Gargoyle Lion Head was found in Metapontum, Greece.

This Gargoyle Lion Head is made out of terracotta and is found in Athens, Greece.

Gargoyle Lion Head

This Gargoyle Lion Head is made out of terracotta and is found in Athens, Greece.

The Gargoyle Lion Head is found in the Parthenon of Athens, Greece.

Gargoyle Lion Head

The Gargoyle Lion Head is found in the Parthenon of Athens, Greece.

This Horse Head is found at the Parthenon in Athens.

Horse Head

This Horse Head is found at the Parthenon in Athens.

The Greek akroter serves as an ornamental finish to the apex of a gable. It is painted in the temple of Wingless Victory in Athens, Greece.

Greek Akroter

The Greek akroter serves as an ornamental finish to the apex of a gable. It is painted in the temple…

This Greek akroter is painted in Acropolis, Athens. It serves as the ornamental finish to the apex of a gable.

Greek Akroter

This Greek akroter is painted in Acropolis, Athens. It serves as the ornamental finish to the apex of…

The finial foliated shaft is a Greek design of the choragic monument of Lysikrates in Athens.

Finial Foliated Shaft

The finial foliated shaft is a Greek design of the choragic monument of Lysikrates in Athens.

The ionic capital is a design of a scroll rolled on both sides with spiral curves. It is found in Bassae, Ancient Greece.

Ionic Capital

The ionic capital is a design of a scroll rolled on both sides with spiral curves. It is found in Bassae,…

The antique Corinthian capital is a found in Melos, Greece. It is a design of a two rows of leaves that clothe the lower cylindrical part of the capital.

Antique Corinthian Capital

The antique Corinthian capital is a found in Melos, Greece. It is a design of a two rows of leaves that…