Regarding the Arts: Many of us have seen the temples at Karnak and Luxor, the Sphinx and the Pyramids, the tombs of the Pharaohs, and may have perhaps rightfully thought for a moment that the Greek temples, theatres, stadiums and statues like Hermes of Praxiteles and Venus of Milo were works of lesser interest than the colossal structures of Egyptian Art.
The Greek works of art are indeed of somewhat restricted dimensions, yet they are unrivalled in perfection in the eyes of those who can feel and appreciate their perfection. The subject will not be elaborated, only two significant points of comparison will be mentioned.Greek antiquities consist of theatres where the People were taught, Stadiums for the games in which they participated, and Temples where they worshiped their Gods. On the contrary the Egyptian antiquities pivot round the life of the Pharaoh. While in Greece, statues and commemorative steles were set up for the artists and sages, the Egyptian architect that constructed the Temple was depicted with his arms cut off at the elbows. Indeed after the construction was completed the Pharaoh had the arms cut off the artist architect so that he might not design and erect a similar building in the future.
Regarding the social structure and the regime: Already during these centuries democratic regimes were established in various Greek cities south of the Olympus. A respect for human existence and the individual form the basis of the regimes. Of course, it should not be taken that the Greek city-states were communities of angels. There were then, precisely as in modern times, the rich and the powerful who in many ways exploited the weaker and the poorer.