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How would you explain the greatness of the Greeks in a few sentences? In other words, what was it about them that made their culture/institutions so durable/influential that they hold weight even to this day?
Hard to pin it down to a few sentences.They had a sense of nationalism. They were Greeks first; Athenians, Spartans, etc. second. After defeating the Persians, they became a world power. Alexander the Great made sure they stayed that way.
Really? At the very least you are referring to a slice of Greek history, rather than to the broader context. Greece is well-known for the development of the polis, which by its nature presumes a type of independence from a larger, national sensibility. Yes, they could band together when needed, but would you really say this was due to “nationalism” rather than just saving their hides?
Alright, so maybe it can't be stated in a nutshell. IMO, reasons for Greek greatness are due to their elevation of collective effort on the battlefield, and individual achievement off it; democratic governance which encouraged public participation; a commitment to rational thought which was combined with techne in the arts; and a culture which was highly interested in the deepest of all cosmological issues and addressed them creatively (myth) and very systematically/logically (philosophy).
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