Definition of Classical Culture

Classical culture is understood as the set of knowledge related to Greek and Roman civilization. It is a subject that is normally studied in compulsory education and in high school and that usually incorporates diverse knowledge (history, art, philosophy, Latin and Greek, mythology, historical figures and all those aspects that make up the cultural legacy of Greece and Rome).

It must be taken into account that studying classical culture not only provides a useful general culture but also allows understand the western culture in which we live, as we are heirs to the ideas and creations of the world classic.

Examples of the presence of classical culture in today's world

If someone sits on your couch to watch a sports competition of the Olympic Games You should know that the Olympics were powered by ancient Greeks.

When we visit a museum of natural Sciences or a library we must bear in mind that the origin of these institutions It dates back to the city of Alexandria in ancient times, where the Library of Alexandria, a center for culture and science, was founded.

Today's lawyers have to know the origin of the right, which is none other than him roman law.

If there are democratic elections in our country, this is possible because the Athenians invented the democracy as a way of government.

Most of the ideas or debates of today have their origin in what philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle or Epicurus thought.

Our way of having fun is related to the ancient world of Greece and Rome, where there were shows in the circus, theater, hot springs where people met, fighting competitions and all kinds of recreational activities.

Classical culture in our communication

Although we are not always aware, when we speak in Spanish we are using two languages, Latin and Greek. Both "dead" languages ​​are present in the prefixes and suffixes we use, in medical terminology, and in the etymological origin of most of the words we use in everyday life.

Without realizing it, we are talking with constant references to classical culture. Thus, we say that someone endures stoically, that so-and-so has an Oedipus complex, that a fortune teller guesses the future or that someone has an Achilles heel. With regard to popular expressions, there are many that have their origin in the classical world (the die is cast, be a bird of ill omen, echo something, this is peccata minuta, etc).

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