What was it about Greek civilization that other generations have admired and attempted to emulate?
In a word, what other generations admired about Greek Civilization was, “Quality.” The Idea of Greek civilization was the achievement of “Quality” in everything they did. They strove for perfection in all of its forms, and came closer to achieving it than any other civilization in antiquity. Their art, sculpture, architecture, literature (poetry, plays, histories), their philosophy, mathematics, science all betokened a mountain peak of achievement that took the rest of western civilization centuries to process. It is impossible to overestimate the impact of Greek civilization on the development of the western mind. They simply excelled; and we have been inspired and mystified by that “Excellence” (Arete, ἀρετή) ever since.
