Ancient Greece became famous for its great thinkers and philosophers. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were great men who looked for logical explanations of everyday things. Many people in Greece, however, did not believe in what philosophers had to say. In 399 B.C. Socrates was sentenced to death because of his teachings and because he did not believe in Greek gods.

Famous playwrights and poets wrote works that are still performed in theatres today. Architects designed beautiful buildings.

Scientists explored medicine, physics , biology and mathematics. They observed nature and also carried out experiments.



Bust of Socrates
Image: Photograph by Greg O'Beirne. Cropped by User:Tomisti, CC BY-SA 3.0,
via Wikimedia Commons



Words

  • carry out = to do something that is already planned
  • explanation =the reasons you give for why something happened
  • explore = to find out new things
  • observe = watch
  • playwright =  someone who writes plays
  • poet =  a person who writes lines that rhyme
  • scientist =  a person who is trained in science
  • sentence =  to give someone punishment
  • teachings = the ideas that a person teaches