The Greeks were the first civilization to do many things. That is what they are known for. Recognized as the masters of learning in their day and time, they focused more on the mind instead of the gods. Although the Greeks may have made many advancements in civilization, they were definitely not the perfect society. The Greeks have been overly romanticized, which causes many negative aspects of the Greek society to be overlooked. This optimistic outlook ignores some major failures and problems of the Greeks. Instead of ignoring these problems, they should be studied and learned from. Although Greeks were leaders in art, drama, political thought, and philosophy in their time, their civilization has been overplayed and is by no means perfect.
             Greeks tried to apply their civilized knowledge to art. Drama became a way for Greek ideology to be expressed. Sophocles, the father of Greek drama, really took advantage of this. He was able to voice his opinions and emphasize the ability of the human to reason. Up until the Renaissance, there was no general appreciation for drama and art. Although it is obvious that Greek drama and art have had a positive impact on our modern culture, I don't think that it is safe to say that they are the very reason that we have art and drama today.
             Political ideas of liberty and equality were brought into Greek society. Greeks developed city states and the idea that an individual can be elected to office instead of born into it. Schools of thought, dedicated to the philosophy of government, were founded. These schools are where Socrates and his pupil, Plato, taught their ideas of how government should run and how equality should come before the law. This is where Greeks began the beliefs of humanism, which takes God out and stresses human power. Humanist beliefs stress the importance of the individual, uniqueness of the individual, talents of the individual, and the
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