Olympic Games (interesting, actually)

[SigniferOne]

These are all examples which hopefully illustrate the point I am trying to make, and I believe SigniferOne, too: namely that the Greeks originally adopted many influences from the east, but brought science, (sports) culture and civilization to another level through their originality. In that sense, I believe, the Greeks are still rightfully portraited as a civilization which made itself.

Exactly.

In exactly the same way, one could say that somebody like Aeschylus was a writer who "made himself" -- although it was the early man who had to discover writing for him, and that the Phoenicians taught him their alphabet.