Aesop
Aesop was a Greek writer and/or collector of fables about whose life is hardly known. He is said to have been born a slave and later released, but many believe he is a legendary figure. Aesop's Fables are animal stories with moral lessons, many of which are from Oriental and ancient sources dated hundreds of years before his time. Aesop's Fables II (c. 550 B.C.) A collection of 258 additional fables from Aesop. Controversy among scholars ranges from such debated issues as the number of fables written by Aesop (certain fables, for instance, appear on Egyptian papyri dated close to 1,000 years before he was born) to arguments as to whether Aesop in fact actually ever existed at all. Regardless of authorship, these fables seem to have an almost universal appeal.
Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos was a Greek philosopher responsible some of the most important developments in mathematics, astronomy and the theory of music. He left Samos because of the tyrant who ruled there and went to southern Italy about 532 BC. He founded a philosophical and religious school in Croton that had brought many followers.
Of his actual work nothing is known. His school practiced secrecy and communalism making it hard to distinguish between the work of Pythagoras and that of his followers. His school made outstanding contributions to mathematics.
Olympia
Olympia is located on the north-west corner of the Peloponnese in the prefecture of Elia, a little under 200km (124mi) east of Athens.
One noticable story about the origin of the Olympic Games revolves around Zeus. It was said Zeus once battled his father, Kronos, for control of the world. They battled atop a mountain that overlooked a valley in southwestern Greece. After Zeus defeated his father, a temple and immense statue was built in the valley below to honor him. This valley was called Olympia, and soon religious festivals developed there as people came to worship Zeus and to approach as nearly as possible his great strength. It is believed that these religious festivals eventually led to the creation of the Olympic Games.
Plato
Plato was probably one of the greatest philosophers of all time.
As a young man Plato had political ambitions, but he became disillusioned by the political leadership in Athens. He eventually became a disciple of Socrates, accepting his basic philosophy and dialectical style of debate: the pursuit of truth through questions, answers, and additional questions. Plato witnessed the death of Socrates at the hands of the Athenian democracy in 399 BC. Perhaps fearing for his own safety, he left Athens temporarily and traveled to Italy, Sicily, and Egypt.
Pursuing an opportunity to combine philosophy and practical politics, Plato went to Sicily in 367 to tutor the new ruler of Syracuse, Dionysius the Younger, in the art of philosophical rule. The experiment failed. Plato made another trip to Syracuse in 361, but again his engagement in Sicilian affairs met with little success. The concluding years of his life were spent lecturing at the Academy and writing. He died at about the age of 80 in Athens in 348 or 347 BC.