Wars are some things that have colored our history for centuries. They have determined the way our world is now and they have shaped it into what it has become. However there is a question proposed; what would our world and cultures look like if the outcome of a war was different? What would happen if say the Persians had won the last Greco-Persian was? Not only would Europe and Asia be affected but, America as we know it would cease to exist. Without the Greek influence from after the last Greco-Persian war America and most of the “Western” countries would have completely different languages, democracy all over the world and even in America would not exist. Also the theatre would be completely different, if it would be around at all, as well as a difference in the art this is around today, including architecture.
The ancient Greek language is a stem from which many other languages have sprouted. Ancient Greek was a stem for many Latin words and even though Latin is a “dead language” because no one speaks it today, it is a stem for many languages such as English, Italian, Spanish, German and even many scientific words used today. Not only does ancient Greek have a part in many languages through its part in Latin it has also had a part in the languages on its own. Since Greek has been extremely important to the formation of modern languages, a victory by Persia and the ensuing domination of Greece would most likely mean that modern languages would be a derivative of Persian. This would mean that many languages as we know them today would not exist or be extremely different due to Persian influence.
The idea of democracy was established in ancient Greece in its golden age. The Greeks knew that dictatorship and absolute rulers were not the best idea for the people so they came up with the idea of democracy. America has used the idea of democracy but they have altered it a little bit. In ancient Greece the people could show up and speak for themselves (known as Direct Democracy), whereas in America we elect representatives every few years to speak on our behalf (known as a Representative Democracy). The Persian government at the time of the war had kings. If the Persians had won against Greece the people of Greece would no longer be as free. This means they would no longer have a government of their own so there would be no democracy. Without democracy the United States and many other countries such as France and Germany would not have the government they know today.
The birth of tragedy and comedy is credited to the Greeks in their “golden age”. Some sources even state that the theatre was established and brought about in Greece. If the Persians had won the war against Greece and gained control over it, who could tell if the Greeks would have been free enough to produce the theatre or be inspired enough to produce comedies and tragedies if their way of living was not as they desired? Many cultures all over the world have established theatre systems and without them the world would seem more dull and callous. Without theatre the world would not know and not have seen the amazing talents of William Shakespeare, Aurthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Neil Simons. The world would not have classical ballets and dances (which were established due to the theatre’s influence in the French courts) such as Giselle, the Nutcracker, Swan Lake and La Bayadere. It would be tragic to not have these classical ballets in the world. The theatre would not the only part of the arts affected by the fall of Greece and its failure to have as much influence as it had due to a loss to the Persians.
In museums around the world many ancient Greek art is displayed and it is displayed for good reason. The art that came from Greece after the war with the Persians to the time of the fall of Greece have been some of the most well-known and renowned pieces in the entire world. Even modern-day artists strive to master the styles of the works of art from ancient Greece. Greek artists inaugurated mimesis which is the artistic imitation of nature and this concept has been used ever since its invention. Also the Greeks found it to be very important to show the entirety, this method was reborn in the Renaissance era and is still used today. Not only that but Grecian sculptures are some of the most famous sculptures there are, for instance Aphrodite de Milos (also known as Venus de Milos), Nike of Samothrace (also known as Winged Victory) and Discobolus.
Along with establishing and founding certain methods of creating the art the Greeks helped form architecture to what it is today. The Parthenon has been admired for centuries and used as an inspiration for many pieces of art and buildings. The Parthenon was a temple to Athena built in Athens, Greece. The original temple was destroyed by the Persians in the was so if Persia had gained control over Greece the chance are slim that this amazing piece of architecture would exist. The Parthenon mat be one of the most memorable and inspirational pieces of art and architecture there is. Without the height of Grecian power and influence after the Greco-Persian war many buildings would neither exist nor have as exquisite features as they do today.
In conclusion many of the aspects of today’s world would be very altered and even non-existent if it were not for the Grecian influence after the Greco-Persian war. Some of these aspects, mentioned earlier, are language, government, theatre and art. Without Greece winning the Greek and Persian war life as we know it would be incredibly inconsistent with what we know as normal.
kagreeekandroman 