10 Things the Ancient Greeks Gave Us

Herodotus is widely believed to be "The Father of History" and one of the first known historians. A contemporary of Socrates, he is the first known historian to treat examine and write about history through investigative means. He wrote "The Histories" which details the Greco-Persian Wars. While some of its content has been dismissed as fanciful, much of it has been confirmed as accurate by modern historians.

The Ancient Greeks created the earliest form of alarm clock which worked by dispensing pebbles at the set alarm time. Apparently the ancient philosopher Plato used this system to help him get up in time to teach his academic lectures.

The first modern Olympics may have not begun until 1896 but the Olympics actually began in Ancient Greece. Ancient historical records show that the earliest Olympics took place in 776 BC. Dedicated to the Greek Gods, these sport competitions included chariot racing, running and boxing and prize winners were awarded laurel wreath crowns.

The earliest recorded practice of medicine is found in ancient Greece. Hippocrates was an ancient Greek physician who is often regarded as the "Father of Western Medicine." One of his most famous works was the "Hippocratic Oath" which brings up ethical considerations and practices that many doctors still use today.

Many of history's greatest philosophers lived during the times of ancient Greece. From Pluto to Socrates to Anaximenes - all of these ancient Greek philosophers are still firm fixtures in modern philosophy classes around the world.

Aristotle not only declared that the earth was round, but he is also regarded as the "Father of Zoology." He was the first known person to classify animals and plants. He classified them by grouping them by similar characteristics. These groups were called genera and he further divided these within the genera.

Modern Western democracy has much of its roots based in ancient Greek politics. The ancient Greeks created the idea of a constitution and in Athens any citizen could speak to the assembly and vote on decisions by simply holding up their hands.

While geometry existed before the ancient Greeks, it was the ancient Greeks that decided that specific rules and mathematical truths about geometry must be established. Thales of Miletus, regarded as Father of Geometry, established a number of geometrical axioms and rules in the 6th century BCE. Later came Pythagoras, Euclid, and Archimedes, whose findings and theories on geometry are still taught in schools today.

The earliest known form of a jury hails from ancient Greece. During the fifth century BC a jury was created in the ancient Greek city of Athens. During this time a typical jury contained 501 men but for major trials this could go up to several thousand. Once both the defendant and accuser had presented their arguments the jury decided their decision by casting their vote by placing a specific disk in a marked urn.

Modern mathematics has much to thanks from ancient Greek mathematics. From pythagorus theorem to extensive histories of mathematics written by leading Greek historians, the ancient Greeks greatly valued mathematics and had a huge influence on what we learn in modern mathematics today.