The period of Greek history in Classical Antiquity is referred to as the ancient Greece. This period has produced many talents that brought about prominent changes to the world, through their valuable works. The notable people of ancient Greece became famous for the important discoveries and works in their respective fields. They enlightened the world by making noteworthy contributions to various fields and expanding knowledge domains. Let us look at some of the famous people of ancient Greece
Archimedes: Born in 287 BC, in Sicily, Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist and engineer. He was also an inventor and an astronomer. One of his most important discoveries is the method to determine the volume of an irregularly shaped object and also well known for his exclamation, "Eureka!" He used the method of exhaustion to calculate the area under the arc of a parabola using the summation of infinite series and brought about an accurate value of Pi. According to recent research, Archimedes was also instrumental in designing machines, which can lift ships out of water and in devising a method to set ships on fire using mirrors. He died in 212 BC. Archimedes is considered as the greatest mathematicians of all times. His works continue to inspire mathematicians all around the world.
Homer: Homer was an ancient Greek epic poet. He is famous for his poetic works, the Iliad and the Odyssey. There are controversies about the original creator of these epic poems but they are largely attributed to Homer himself. Some theories believe that he belongs to 850 BC while others consider him as living during the period of the Trojan War. Except for what the literary works of different ancient writers reveal, there is not much known about Homer. Poems like Little Iliad, the Nostoi, the Cypria and other poems on the Trojan War are believed to be Homer's literary works. The initial influence of the works of Homer is considered to have led to the development of the ancient Greek culture.
Alexander the Great: Born in 356 BC, in Pella Macedonia, was one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. His father was Philip Macedon, an excellent Army General and his mother Olympias was the princess of Epirus. After the death of his father, he began to rule Macedon. He overthrew the Achaemenid Persian Empire and emerged successful in extending the boundaries of his empires. He integrated many foreigners into his army and continued with his military campaigning. Owing to his conquests, Greek settlement and their cultural influences are seen in many parts of the world. He died on June 11, 323 BC in the palace of Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon at around 33 years of age. Some theories believe that he was poisoned by the sons of Antipater while other theories state malaria as being the cause of his death.
Socrates: He was a classical Greek philosopher born in 496 BC. Socrates is considered as one of the founders of Western philosophy. The famous concepts of Socratic irony and the Socrates Method are named after him. The Socrates Method, also known as Elenchus, is a form of philosophical inquiry used to analyze the implications of others' position in order to boost rational thinking and enlighten ideas. Socrates is well known for his contributions to the field of ethics but he was also made valuable contributions to epistemology and logic. Socrates mentored Plato who taught Aristotle. Plato's famous works bear a large influence of Socrates' ideas. His principle clashed with the Athenian politics. He took great efforts to improve the Athenians' sense of justice and continued being loyal to his society. His clashes with the Athenian views of those times, might have led them to execute him.
Pythagoras: Born between 580 and 572 BC, Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek mathematician. The very well known Pythagorean theorem derives its name from this famous mathematician of ancient Greece. Pythagoras was the founder of Pythagoreanism, a religious movement based on religious teaching, common meals, exercise, reading and the study of philosophy. Pythagoras was instrumental in discovering that music was based on proportional intervals of the numbers from one to four. He was pioneering in the discovery of the squares of numbers. He was the first one to think that the earth is round and that planets rotate along an axis. He called moon, the counter-Earth, believing it being a planet and proclaimed that all the planets revolve around a central 'fire', which was later to be discovered as the Sun. This father of Numbers, as he is called, expired between 500 and 490 BC.
Alexander the Great: Born in 356 BC, in Pella Macedonia, was one of the greatest military geniuses of all times. His father was Philip Macedon, an excellent Army General and his mother Olympias was the princess of Epirus. After the death of his father, he began to rule Macedon. He overthrew the Achaemenid Persian Empire and emerged successful in extending the boundaries of his empires. He integrated many foreigners into his army and continued with his military campaigning. Owing to his conquests, Greek settlement and their cultural influences are seen in many parts of the world. He died on June 11, 323 BC in the palace of Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon at around 33 years of age. Some theories believe that he was poisoned by the sons of Antipater while other theories state malaria as being the cause of his death.
Socrates: He was a classical Greek philosopher born in 496 BC. Socrates is considered as one of the founders of Western philosophy. The famous concepts of Socratic irony and the Socrates Method are named after him. The Socrates Method, also known as Elenchus, is a form of philosophical inquiry used to analyze the implications of others' position in order to boost rational thinking and enlighten ideas. Socrates is well known for his contributions to the field of ethics but he was also made valuable contributions to epistemology and logic. Socrates mentored Plato who taught Aristotle. Plato's famous works bear a large influence of Socrates' ideas. His principle clashed with the Athenian politics. He took great efforts to improve the Athenians' sense of justice and continued being loyal to his society. His clashes with the Athenian views of those times, might have led them to execute him.
Pythagoras: Born between 580 and 572 BC, Pythagoras of Samos was an Ionian Greek mathematician. The very well known Pythagorean theorem derives its name from this famous mathematician of ancient Greece. Pythagoras was the founder of Pythagoreanism, a religious movement based on religious teaching, common meals, exercise, reading and the study of philosophy. Pythagoras was instrumental in discovering that music was based on proportional intervals of the numbers from one to four. He was pioneering in the discovery of the squares of numbers. He was the first one to think that the earth is round and that planets rotate along an axis. He called moon, the counter-Earth, believing it being a planet and proclaimed that all the planets revolve around a central 'fire', which was later to be discovered as the Sun. This father of Numbers, as he is called, expired between 500 and 490 BC.
