2 CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHERS WHO COMBINED IONIAN WITH DORIC ARCHAIC THOUGHT

Archaic Ionian and Doric philosophical thought clearly laid the foundations of European philosophy. With the passage to the classical period, the Greek philosophers pondered the pre-existing opposing conceptions and formulated their own. Through their theories, then, they tried to logically marry the "immovable" of the Ionians with the "unchanging" of the Dorian philosophers.

Thus the classical era begins with two important Greek Combinatorial philosophers, Empedocles (494-434 BC) and Anaxagoras (500-428 BC).

Empedocles, therefore, taught that the universe is composed and decomposed by four unchanging "rhizomes": water, earth, air and fire. In his view, each genesis and decay is caused by mixing the four aforementioned "rhizomes" in different proportions for each morphology. This view was later accepted by the Atomic philosophers. In addition, Empedocles described the universe as immovable in its entirety according to the Eleatic model but as moving in its parts according to the Heraclitean model.

Anaxagoras' interests were a little different. He was the first to raise the issue of nutrition. He sought to explain how from the food we put in the mouth, things are formed that did not exist before, that is, flesh from non-flesh, bones from non-bones, etc. He finally came to the conclusion that matter is composed of molecules of all kinds, forms, shape, size and number. He also argued that in every physical body there are molecules of all kinds. For example, water and bread contain elements of the same nature as our body, so there are no simple elements, "rhizomes" (water, air, earth, fire). In addition, according to Anaxagoras, the amount of matter remains constant. Finally, Anaxagoras considered the Mind as a driving force for the processes of genesis, which for him was a substance completely different from the components of matter. Thus he continued the notions of the division of the concept of substance into matter and energy.

2 DORIC PHILOSOPHICAL CURRENTS THAT DIVIDED THE WORLD IN THE REAL AND THE PHENOMENON: PYTHAGORIANS AND ELEATS.

It is true that European philosophical thought was born by the Ionian materialist philosophers. But in every spiritual activity that begins to exist, there is usually continuity. Actions converging and diverging in relation to the initial course, come to contribute to its development.

In contrast, then, to the first philosophical achievements of the Ionian spirit, came the answers of the Doric one, from Greeks of Lower Italy. In fact, the aristocratic, theocratic and puritanical views that were gradually expressed, departed from the materialistic direction and led to a more transcendental, mystical view of the world.

The Orphic and Pythagorean philosophers, therefore, led by Pythagoras (570-496 BC), subjugated the physical world to a transcendental reality, projecting on the concept of the physical body metaphysical beliefs related to the soul. The Pythagoreans expressed the belief in the distinction between body and soul, between the apparent and the real.

A special feature of Pythagorean philosophy was the attachment of greater importance to numbers than to bodies in the study of the physical world, leading philosophical thought to a kind of mysticism. Essentially, the Pythagoreans deified the numbers, as shown in their following text:

"We must consider the works and the essence of the number according to the power that is in the decade. So, great is the power (of numbers) and complete and omnipotent and divine and heavenly life's and human's principle and guide etc .. And without it, everything is infinite and invisible etc .. No lie is accepted by the nature of the number, etc. "

In response to the beliefs of the Materialists and the Pythagorean philosophers came that of the Eleats, led by Parmenides (515-440 B.C ..). His point of view came in reaction to the motile universe of Heraclitus. He ruled out the beginning and the end, the birth and the death, the increase and the decay, the movement and the change, the division and the discontinuity of the Heraclitic being. This is how he explained the physical world as an apparent world.

The Pythagorean and Eleatic philosophers caused the division of the concept of the materialistic life of the Ionian philosophers into matter and energy, leading to the birth of spiritualism and materialism.

4 ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHERS SEARCH FOR THE PRINCIPLE OF THE WORLD

The archaic era of Greek history was very important for the evolution of Greek and European culture. The main reason is that then the foundations of philosophical thought were laid. The general social and political conditions in the life of the Greeks contributed in this direction. In the 6th century BC the kingdom and the aristocracy were set aside. New social classes, such as those of the merchants and artisans, emerged between the ranks of the wealthy landowners and the poor workers. In the context of social change, the way of thinking has changed. Belief in myth ceased and the human mind began to wonder about nature, spirit, knowledge, practice, society and the law. A special field of intellectual creation that is a testimony to the new spiritual interests of the Greeks of the archaic period is their lyric poetry.

Until the 6th century BC the Greeks tried to attribute the creation of the world to anthropomorphic deities, for whom they had created a rich set of myths. The first steps of philosophy were based on these myths. So the first perception of the series of events that gave birth to the world was this:

1) Initially there was a chaotic situation.

2) The chaotic state was fertilized by some sperm.

3) The produced material result was divided into parts.

4) Then the celestial bodies and the phenomena were formed.

5) Life was born.

The first important philosopher to attempt to interpret the world was Thales (625-546). He considered water as the beginning of the world. After traveling to the east gaining rich knowledge, he systematically engaged in astronomy, mathematics, geography and engineering. In place of the mythical deities of the seas and rivers, he put the natural element of water as part of the world, arguing that it has life in it and favors its development.

In 610 - 546 BC the philosopher Anaximander also lived. He set "Infinity" as the beginning of the world, which expressed the physical existence of the mythical entities Chaos, Night, Air, Ocean. Beginning with infinity, Anaximander proceeded to formulate the concept of the Incorruptibility of Matter.

Anaximander's version of the creation of the world is interesting. He considered that from "infinity" was secreted the "fertile", that is, the sperm of the hot and the cold. Thus a cold nucleus that eventually formed the earth's mass was surrounded by warm material, which exploded creating the rest of the celestial bodies. Anaximander considered temperature transitions as a mechanism for the creation of life. Finally, Anaximander was the first to claim that man came from other species of animals.

Anaximenes (585-525 BC) considered air as a basic element of the world and believed that all material bodies and natural phenomena are created by its thickening and dilution. By air he meant matter and energy together. He also taught that the air was before the birth of the universe and remains forever its basic essence, advancing the issue of cosmogony in cosmology. Considering hot, cold, wet and dry as states of the air, he tried to understand the qualities of matter and the explanations of quantities.

Heraclitus (540-480 BC) was the fourth and most important materialist philosopher of the archaic era. This philosopher considered the universe as a fire that transforms into various forms. He also taught that "Τhis world, the same for all in general, neither god nor man made it but it has always been and is will be an eternal fire, which lights up in moderation and goes out in moderation."

Explaining the structure of the world, the philosopher formulated the notion that fire first turns into sea and half of it into land while the other half into currents. All this becomes fire again.

One of the well-known views of Heraclitus was that "Everything changes and nothing remains constant."

6 GREAT FEMALE SCIENTISTS OF ANCIENT GREECE

After my reference, in a previous post, to creative women of fine arts in Ancient Greece, I would like to refer to six important ancient Greek scientists.

Let's start with Aglaoniki, the daughter of the king of Thessaly, Igitor. This was the first female astronomer in Greece. Apollodorus writes that Aglaoniki could accurately calculate the time of the eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. She was helped by the Chaldean eclipse cycle, which she modified.

In modern times the name of the ancient Greek astronomer was given to the homonymous crater of the southern hemisphere of Aphrodite.

The next memorable Greek scientist was the doctor Agnodiki, who lived in the 4th century BC. century. At that time, women were not allowed to practice medicine, so in order to study it, Agnodiki disguised herself as a man and thus presented herself at the University of Alexandria. The Greek doctor later began to practice her profession, continuing to be disguised as a man. To her clients, of course, her secret was confessed. As her reputation for scientific success grew, the jealousy of her fellow doctors against her began to grow. She was therefore falsely accused of having illicit relations with her female patients. Thus, Agnodiki was forced to reveal that she was a woman, a fact that led her to trial. At the trial, all the women who were treated by her defended her. Thus Agnodiki was acquitted and the law on the abortion of women in medical science was repealed.

Aspasia was another exception of an ancient Greek woman who dealt with medical science and more specifically with gynecology and obstetrics. Her views and techniques were so remarkable that they were adopted by various doctors and surgeons of the Byzantine period.

Aspasia introduced her own surgical techniques for uterine hemorrhoids, varicoceles, and hydroceles, both of which are similar to recent, modern methods.She developed a technique for moving a breech baby to ease delivery.She also worked on preventive medicine with pregnant women.

Antiochis was a Greek physician and pharmacologist from Lycia. She became known for her book "Syntagologio". Her work was recognized by her compatriots, who in the 1st century AD erected a column in her honor with the inscription:

"For Antiochida, daughter of Didotos from the city of Tlos,

recognized by the Parliament and the Municipality of the city of Tlos

for her experience in medical science

this column has been set up. "

Cleopatra was a woman with excellent knowledge of Chemistry. She is known for her work "Gold production". Another well-known work of hers was "Cosmetics". In it he wrote about cosmetics, hair dyes, prescriptions for alopecia, hair loss, hair growth etc.

Finally, the famous Hypatia, the daughter of Theon, who was born in Alexandria in 370 AD, should definitely be mentioned.

In 392 AD Hypatia traveled to Athens, where he studied at the Neoplatonic School of Plutarch the Younger and his daughter, Asclepigenia. She also studied with Proclus and Hierocles. Then she went to Rome, where she continued her studies impressing with her intelligence and eloquence.

In 398 Hypatia returned to Alexandria, where he taught mathematics and philosophy. In 400 he succeeded Plotinus in the seat of philosophy at the Museum.

Isichius the Jew, who was her student, wrote about her:

"She was wearing the simple cloak of the philosopher and was running through the center of the city, publicly explaining the texts of Plato and Aristotle to those who wanted to hear them."

Hypatia produced a rich body of work on mathematics, astronomy, engineering and philosophy. Unfortunately this was destroyed by the burning of the library of Alexandria. Some of its excerpts were saved in works by other authors.

Hypatia also built a device for refining water, an instrument for measuring water level, and a graduated bronze hydrometer for measuring the specific gravity of a liquid.

Hypatia's insistence not to embrace Christianity, its teaching and its involvement in the political life of Alexandria, turned the Christian leadership of the city against it. Thus in 415 AD, under the orders of Cyril, the Patriarch of Alexandria, a fanatical mob of Christians violently dragged her into the streets and executed her with shells and shells.

The death of Hypatia was considered the end of ancient science.

9 PAINTRESSES OF ANCIENT GREECE

Greeks but much more foreigners when thinking of ancient Greek culture, associate it almost exclusively with male historical figures. Indeed, the position of the majority of women in ancient Greece was at home. However, there were some women who, breaking the status quo of the time, dealt with creative areas of the human spirit, thus gaining an important place in the history of human civilization.

Since I personally love the art of painting, I would like to mention briefly, in the first phase, some Greek women artists who were distinguished in this field in antiquity.

So, let's begin with Alexandra. 

Alexandra was the daughter of the Greek painter, Neokles and lived

THE HISTORIC ISLAND OF DELOS: Images from the interesting Greek TV programme "The time machine" ("Η μηχανή του χρόνου").

Most foreigners visiting Greece usually have in mind various cosmopolitan islands that are offered for tourism and entertainment. But how many people know the enchanting island of Delos in the Cyclades complex?

14 BEAUTIFUL GREEK POEMS THAT WILL MAKE YOU ADORE GREEK LITERATURE

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