But, no. The Greeks didn't create Western Civilization because the only non-awkward definition of Western Civilization is that scion of the Roman Church.
Surely the cultural exchange with Greeks contributed to this.
Greece was always eastern facing as far back as before Alexander. It is only with the Cold War that they glanced West.
Aside for Magna Grecia, Greeks have very scant presence in Western Europe.
All the great Romans revered Greece and Greek.
Anyway I don't know why I'm explaining history to some random angry kid online, have a nice day
How about the over 1600 years of history since the split of the Roman empire?
The 1000 years since the Schism?
The 500 years since the Fall of Constantinople?
The Eastern Roman Empire was of a completely different character than the Western one, follows a vastly different path, and one that started diverging (due to all the heresies [0]) as early as Constantine. Since the fall of Constantinople the Greeks had very limited contact with the West until independence in the late 19th century.
According to you the West didn't do anything, didn't evolve, in the last 1600 years since we've been de facto incommunicado?
For example, to say that the West of the Scholastics is "Greek" when the Greeks have always rejected them (with very poignant criticism might I add) is a laugh in the face of the Scholastic's transformational contribution to the West (above all our modern university system).
St Augustine [1] , Boetius [2], and the Papacy [3] create the West anew from of these ingredients.
[0] which (Russian Orthodox) Solovyev lays at the feet of a jealous Greek hierarchy [1] accepted but looked down on by the Greeks [2] the last of the ancients and the first of the Scholastics [3] the most foundational institution for the West and rejected by the Greeks
This has little to do with Christianity.
And I find little interest in this pointless discussion, therefore this is my last reply.
But my point is that the West is Rome enlightened by Greeks and humanized by Jews.
What is Athens + Jerusalem? Eastern Europe. Orthodoxy. (No beef, btw. Ive been to Meteora and just missed a chance to stay in Mt. Athos)
What is Rome + Athens + Jerusalem? The Catholic Church.