The civilization of ancient Greece officially died in the centuries after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. Despite becoming obsolete around this time thanks to the emergence of the Roman Republic, many of the ideas and stories from the period have endured in popular culture ever since. No matter where you look in the entertainment industry, you’ll encounter these classic sagas.
It’s hard to think of another civilization that’s had as remarkable an impact as ancient Greece, and this is a testament to the power of the stories of the time.
Ancient Greek Themes are Everywhere from Slots to the Big Screen
Even people who claim to have no knowledge of ancient Greece will most likely have absorbed some through mainstream entertainment. Everywhere you turn in the slots sector, in particular, there are games that draw on this legendary period. If you visit an online casino for real cash games, ancient Greek gods feature in numerous titles. For example, there’s Legend of Athena, Zeus Lightning Power Reels, and Poseidon Fortune that all draw inspiration from the Olympians.
Hollywood is constantly taking ideas from ancient Greek culture and repurposing them for modern audiences. In some cases, there are direct adaptations of past stories. For instance, Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy was based on Homer’s Iliad. The 2004 movie depicted the iconic decade-long siege of the historical city, a story that has been passed down through the ages. This epic war was recently retold by Stephen Fry as it continues to retain a place in mainstream consciousness.
There are other, much looser adaptations of Greek tales. Rick Riordan penned the hugely popular Percy Jackson & The Olympians book series, which was brought to life on the big screen by 20th Century Fox. More recently, The Eternals borrowed several ideas from Greek mythology, with a few of the characters directly taken from the legends. For example, Ikaris is clearly based on the mythological figure, Icarus.
Why are the Stories so Popular?
Many people believe that modern western culture all stemmed from ancient Greece. It’s true that people nowadays can easily relate to and identify with characters in the stories from back then. It also helped that the Romans and many other cultures that followed borrowed ideas and continued some of the legends that first emerged in Greece.
Despite featuring a vast number of fantastical elements that couldn’t possibly be true, many of the stories from Greek myths feature realistic characters. They go through many of the same predicaments that people do in everyday life and often have to battle internal struggles to choose between right and wrong. Even the gods are imperfect and prone to committing horrific sins. It also helps that a lot of the stories and concepts have made it into the English language, helping people to relate to them more.
Stories from ancient Greece have been kept alive for thousands of years by popular culture, with countless writers reimagining the tales. These themes are still relatable because the characters in the fables found themselves in similar dilemmas to everyday people.
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