<P> The art of ancient Greece has exercised an enormous influence on the culture of many countries from ancient times to the present day, particularly in the areas of sculpture and architecture . In the West, the art of the Roman Empire was largely derived from Greek models . In the East, Alexander the Great's conquests initiated several centuries of exchange between Greek, Central Asian and Indian cultures, resulting in Greco - Buddhist art, with ramifications as far as Japan . Following the Renaissance in Europe, the humanist aesthetic and the high technical standards of Greek art inspired generations of European artists . Well into the 19th century, the classical tradition derived from Greece dominated the art of the western world . </P> <P> Greek mythology consists of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their religious practices . The main Greek gods were the twelve Olympians, Zeus, his wife Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Demeter, and Dionysus . Other important deities included Hebe, Hades, Helios, Hestia, Persephone and Heracles . Zeus's parents were Cronus and Rhea who also were the parents of Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter . </P> <P> The civilization of ancient Greece has been immensely influential on language, politics, educational systems, philosophy, science, and the arts . It became the Leitkultur of the Roman Empire to the point of marginalizing native Italic traditions . As Horace put it, </P> <Dl> <Dd> Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit et artis / intulit agresti Latio (Epistulae 2.1. 156f .) </Dd> <Dd> "Captive Greece took captive her uncivilised conqueror and instilled her arts in rustic Latium ." </Dd> </Dl>

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