The power of the Greek and Roman civilization was mainly due to their powerful knowledge and scientific bases that have been benefiting the whole world. Greeks and Romans are the ones who exported science and knowledge to the ancient world and even the modern one. In medicine, specifically, a lot of what was a common fact for them in the past is rediscovered today as something new. Most of what was written at that time has been republished millions of times to benefit the current and future generations. Thus, let us know about the greatest writers of this civilization through taking a look at the following top 10 most famous ancient Greek writers.
10 Archimedes
Archimedes was not only an inventor and physicist, but he was a writer as well. He wrote most of his theories, discoveries and ideas like the Archimedes’ screw. The story of his own discovery concerning volume and density was written a number of times for being exciting and the word “Eureka”, means “I Have Found It!”, which he used after his discovery has come to be mentioned in similar situations since then. He went naked in the streets while crying “Eureka” for being excited by his discovery. Unbelievable, isn’t it?
9 Aristophanes
As a comic playwright, Aristophanes wrote a big number of plays but many of which were lost. He was known for his descriptive style and was criticized for not writing many political plays. He was not the kind of writer who would give much criticism. During his life, Aristophanes directed many of his own plays.
8 Euclid
‘The Elements’ is the most brilliant book written by Euclid. The book did not die at all since many mathematicians are still using it as their own reference. The reason of its importance goes back to being the first mathematical book that contains the basic mathematical laws in a comprehensive way.
7 Hippocrates
As a physician, Hippocrates was the man behind the Hippocratic Oath that the doctors swear before they legally start practicing medicine. Hippocrates was the first physician to give descriptions of a number of diseases that have nothing to be known about. He preceded many physicians in his time and before him as well.
6 Euripides
Another ancient playwright is Euripides. He was known as one of the greatest playwrights in ancient Greek. His notable work includes prominent plays like Medea, in which he employed new techniques like the Duo ex Machina. This play tells the tragic story of a mother who, in order to revenge herself on her husband for marrying another woman, kills her husband’s wife and even her own kids to escape after that for starting another life.
5 Herodotus
Not literature and not science, Herodotus was a historian who used to look meticulously at any fact he reads. He loved to collect his data in an organized method of cause and effect. His major work is a book entitled ‘The Histories’. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that no other book about histories was written before it.
4 Sophocles
Known for his masterful tragedy ‘Oedipus the King’, Sophocles went to fame in the Greek world too fast. The trilogy follows Oedipus in his quest for knowledge; he wanted to know his real parents and ends marrying his mother and plucking out his eyes. Antigone and Electra are the two other well-known plays by him.
3 Homer
Homer is the first and greatest epic poet known to the Greeks and humanity. He depicted the life of man in a series of epic poems and the best of which are ‘Iliad’ and ‘Odyssey’. For being a great poet, Homer was described by Plato as the “first teacher, teacher of all Greece, leader of Greek culture” and more showing the importance of this poet.
2 Plato
As a student of Socrates, Plato was able to keep his name in the memory of humanity as long as there are humans. The most famous of his writings is ‘The Republic’ that goes in the form of dialogues through which a number of theories are presented. For example, the theory of forms; it supposes that everything on earth is just a prototype of another copy and while the origin of everything on earth is in Utopia, nothing is ever complete on earth.
1 Aristotle
As the student of Plato, Aristotle studied biology and physics to be one of the greatest philosophers and scientists. He was considered as the first genuine scientist and his writings in philosophy are eternal. No wonder that he was called ‘the first teacher’; his writings come to cover several subjects in different fields such as music, theater, poetry, ethics, logic, zoology, biology, physics, linguistic, politics, philosophy and more.
