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while greatly different, traces back to classic Greek tragedy and comedy.

It was not only things of the mind that interested the Greeks. They believed in the all-round development of man, and athletics played a specially important part in their lives. Our words "gymnasium" and "stadium" are really Greek words. Every four years Greeks came from

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Pythagoras developed the theory that the world is round.

all over the country to watch or take part in the great athletic contests held at Olympia, in southern Greece. These Olympic games, which were the forerunners of our modern Olympics, were held in honor of the god Zeus, and lasted for five days. The winners were crowned with laurel and received great honor in their home cities.

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Democritus was the first to study the science of atoms.

The ancient Greeks had a passion for freedom-so much so, that they lost it, for the city-states, jealous of their freedom, independence, and prestige, did not learn how to cooperate with each other. Instead, they fought each other bitterly and became so weakened by their conflicts that a conqueror from the north, Alexander of Macedonia, easily overcame them in 338 B. C. Then, with the aid of his Greek subjects, he conquered a vast empire deep in the Asiatic heartland. Today, the Greeks think of Alexander the Great as a Greek.

In time, Greece fell before a new Western power, Rome. Many of the ancient Greek cities were rebuilt and restored by the Romans, so that you will often find both Latin and Greek letters on monuments. This is true at Olympia

and Delos, to mention only two places.

In the fourth century after Christ, the Roman Emperor, Constantine, embraced Christianity and moved his capital to the Grecian city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (now Istanbul). The Byzantine Empire, which dates from this time, lasted about a thousand years until the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453. The Turks ruled the Balkan Peninsula until the Greek war of independence that began in 1821.

Thus, the modern Greek can be said to be heir to two great civilizations and cultures: First, the ancient Greek, which contributed so much to the progress of civilization throughout the Western world; then the Byzantine, which bequeathed great religious and artistic traditions.

Greece was a kingdom from 1832 until 1924. Then for 11 years it was a republic. In 1935, King George II returned to the throne. Greece's greatest statesman during the 20th century was Eleftherios Venezelos. His son, Sophocles, has also served as leader of the Liberal Party, which his father founded. During World War II, the King left Greece when the Germans occupied the country. In 1946, after a plebiscite, the King was again recalled to head his country. The present monarchs are King Paul and Queen Frederika. The Prime Minister is Field Marshal Alexander Papagos.

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Fishing village on the island of Hydra off the Greek coast.

THE LAND AND THE CLIMATE

"The isles of Greece, the isles of Greece!
Where burning Sappho loved and sung,
Where grew the arts of war and peace,
Where Delos rose, and Phoebus sprung!
Eternal summer gilds them yet,

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-Lord Byron

You can see on a world map that Greece is small. It will appear about the size of Alabama. Yet it has the seacoast and islands of southern California, the mountains of Colorado and New Hampshire, the sunshine and citrus belt of Florida, and a blue sky and blue sea found in few other places.

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The Isles of Greece: Scenes from Euboea (left) and from Santorin.

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