"Legacy of Mediterranean cultures"
[p. 72]
[...]
LEGACY OF MEDITRRRANEAN CULTURES: GREECE AND ROME.
Greek and Roman culture contributed to our Western culture:
-an essentially humanist intellectual and artistic development, meaning that humans were at the centre of these societies. They designed a world built for humans.
-a sense of freedom and individualism
-the concept of the citizen in contrast to that of the subject, which is characteristic of the Eastern cultures. In both Greece and Rome, the idea of the citizen prevailed, as a free person who was part of and responsible for a community.
-the concept of democracy and the Republic.
-the origins of our language, our science and our political, cultural and religious institutions.
If all words of Greek and Latin origin were removed, we would need to invent a new language in order to communicate. The majority of our names, institutional terms, names of months and scientific disciplines are derived from Greek and Latin.