SPIRITUAL CULTURE OF THE HELLENES AND FACTORS OF ITS FORMATION

Abstract

Such factors as the "Hellenic wonders" of the great Hellenic culture, mentioned by the well-known authors of ancient times, include: a) the exceptional talents of the Hellenes; their profound rationalism and intellectualism, intuitive genius, active vitality, and insatiable curiosity; b) leisure, free time; c) the remarkable mobility of the Greeks; d) the spirit of competition, known as the "agonal soul"; and e) the polis, the polis way of life. A unique feature of the Hellenic soul is also highlighted in this article—an extraordinary aestheticism, which permeated all areas of ancient Greek culture: mythology, philosophy, art, science, education, and even politics (the Hellenes viewed the polis aesthetically and took pleasure in its beauty). Additionally, the Pythagorean factor played a role in rationalizing this characteristic of the Hellenic soul.

Additionally, we consider the education system, which played a crucial role in shaping Hellenic culture, to be both a manifestation of the "Hellenic wonders" and a factor in its creation.

And, of course, the polis—an extraordinary cultural phenomenon with its socio-political structures, value system, and way of life. The polis encapsulates the fate of ancient Hellas, explaining both its glory and its eventual downfall.

Key words: Mythos, Philosophy, Art, Science, Cosmos, Polis, Aestheticism, Rationalism.