ANCIENT GREECE

In ancient Greece, where every object had a god or goddess associated with it, the greatest influence on the human mind was that of mythology—a collection of innumerable legends about lofty, immortal beings and superhuman heroes. Although an aura of mysticism sur-rounded their origins and deeds, the early Greeks regarded the mythological creatures as historical realities of whom they remained in great awe. (Whole volumes have been written on this very vast subject, including an encyclopaedia.)

Greek mythology formed the staple of most Greek poetry and drama. It also influenced the thinking of philosophers and historians to a marked degree. Medieval poets and nearly all the English poets from Shakespeare to Robert Bridges turned to it for inspiration. But stimulating as it was to the arts and literature, it failed to provide the kind of ambience in which men of science, in the modern sense of the word, could flourish.

The Greeks may have had the most illustrious civilization of ancient times, but they did nothing to set in motion the processes of scientific thinking, which came much later to Europe. If scientific thought reached Europe, it was entirely due to the stimulus given to it by the Muslims, for, up to that point, the concept of polytheism had acted as a deterrent to progress. The concept of monotheism, on the contrary, ushered in a whole new era of intellectual liberty.