Special Sub-Topic: Greece was Great ...Why? Click Here To Play: Greece was Great ...Why?

This man lived from 470 BCE to 399 BCE. He lived at the height of Athenian power. He spent his life asking questions and debating. He was sentenced death because he debated the existence of the gods and goddesses. He chose death by poison, and drank hemlock.

Socrates. The Oracle of Delphi called Socrates one of the wisest men in all Greece. Socrates devoted himself to asking questions and searching for someone who knew all of the answers. All he found, in the end, was resentment from the officials of Greece.

One of the first mathematicians, he was from Miletus. He discovered five geometric theorems. His knowledge of geometry helped to improve navigation.

Thales. One of Thales' theorems described that the angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are equal.

Socrates famous pupil, Plato, also changed the course of Greek civilization. He wrote the arguments Socrates took part in, but Plato also took the front seat when it came to his own theories. In 388 BCE, Plato opened an Academy where he taught philosophy and science. Which of his books was the first about political science?

The Republic. Plato lived from 427 BCE to 347 BCE. He believed that a state could only make the best of every citizen if every person followed the four basic virtues: truth, wisdom, courage, and moderation.

This man is often considered the most famous Greek mathematician. He lived from 582 BCE to 500 BCE. By laying out pebbles in the sand, he studied the pattern of numbers.

Pythagoras. Pythagoras of Samos' most famous theorem concerned the right-angled triangle. He proved that where ACB is a right angle, the side AB squared equals the sum of AC squared and CB squared. This is called the Pythagorean Theorem.

The Greeks made significant discoveries in the field of astronomy. Which man formulated the view that the sun was the centre of the universe?

Aristarchus. Aristarchus said that the sun was the centre of the universe, and the earth travelled around the sun. He lived from 310 BCE to 230 BCE.

This man was a pupil of Plato's. He served as tutor to Alexander the Great for seven years. In 323 BCE, he established his own school called the Lyceum.

Aristotle. Aristotle (384 BCE to 323 BCE) was especially interested in biology. His system of investigation is the basis of modern biology.

The Greek astronomer Hipparchus calculated the revolution period for the moon to go around the earth. How far off was he in his calculations?

less than a second. Hipparchus (165 BCE to 125 BCE) calculated that the moon took 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.5 seconds to travel around the earth.

This man lived from 460 BCE to 377 BCE. He was known as the father of medicine. His name even describes an oath that doctors still take today.

Hippocrates. Hippocrites were actors in Greek thatre. Hippocrates was born on the island of Cos in the south Aegean. He made important contributions to the diagnosis of epilepsy and other illnesses. The Hippocratic oath serves as a promise not to harm another person.

What mathematician wrote thirteen books on geometry in the Hellenistic age?

Euclid. Euclid lived from 365 BCE to 300 BCE. His books were still used by teachers as recent as a hundred years ago. His principles are still part of geometric studies today.

Archimedes (287 BCE-212 BCE) is most famous for his proof of pi. Another incident that he is noted for is running around the city screaming "Eureka! I've got it!" What solution did he find?

Displacement. He noticed that an object weighed less in the water than it did out of the water. He calculated that the difference in the object's weight was exactly the same as the weight of the water the object displaced. So who made Ancient Greece so important for the development of our civilization? It's the inventors, the scientists, and the politicians, of course!