The Greek and Roman empires: history and influence

Greek and Roman History

The Greek and Roman civilizations each played an important part in shaping the history of today.

It is interesting to look at these two cultures and the major contributions of each.

Greek History

The Greek civilization was defined in the 5th century BC by the Golden Age. Athens was home at this time to "statesmen such as Pericles, Solon and Lycourgos.

Pericles, who lived from 495 to 429 B.C., was responsible for bringing democracy to Athens and building monuments such as the Parthenon atop the Acropolis. Under his leadership, Athens reached the pinnacle of its power in ancient times (unknown, Cemetery)."

Thucydides, who is 'considered one of the greatest of the ancient writers (unknown, Cemetery)," and the Greek philosopher Aristotle who taught at the school known as the Lyceum, also lived in Athens during this time. Thucydides is known for his reference to the ancient Greek cemetery, Demosion Sima, as well as his documentation of the Peloponnesian War, which "occurred during Pericles' rule (unknown, Cemetery)."

In ancient Greece, "notables such as Pericles and war heroes were buried in mass graves called 'polyandria', meaning 'many men' (unknown, Cemetery)." These gravesites contain ceramic artifacts which are illustrated with various battle scenes.

Prior to the fifth century B.C., Greek art was considered "purely two dimensional, with no attempt to show depth other than via corporeal perspective. Greek artists then proved they were capable of designing in three-dimensional terms as indicated by vase paintings (Neil)." Ancient sculptures were symbols of the democracy in Athens. "In its own right, the epigram on the Athenian statue's base was just as celebrated as the sculptures (McHam)." The frieze on the Parthenon was constructed between 447 and 432 B.C and some historians argue "the gods are arranged according to their significance for Persian war battles, with land deities on the south and sea deities on the north (Neil)."

The architecture was distinctive in ancient Greece. "In Athens, the practice of dining in a round building was institutionalized by the Athenian democracy; the round building in the Agora known as the Tholos functioned as a dining room for fifty prytaneis (tribal representatives) and six to ten officials (Neil)."

Ancient Rome

During the 8th century B.C., the Etruscans created a city-state from the small villages in the hills of Rome. "Tradition tells of the founding of Rome by Romulus in 753 B.C., and the of the Tarquin family, the Etruscan royal house. It was Etruscan rule that civilized Rome and gave it the hegemony of Latium (unknown, Rome)."

In 500 B.C. "the Romans overthrew their foreign rules and established the Roman republic, which last four centuries (unknown, Rome)." The government was controlled by the patricians, but "the plebs (who comprised by far the major portion of the populations) were allowed to elect the two patrician consuls, who held joint power. The vitality of the patricians was notable, and long after political power had been granted to the plebs, experienced patricians continued to govern Rome (unknown, Rome)."

As majority power grew and aristocratic rule continued, more privileges were asked for and granted by the citizens (unknown, Rome)." The ancient senate, theoretically the supreme power of the state, became more and more powerful until in the 3rd century B.C. It controlled the consuls completely (unknown, Rome)."

Rome conquered central and southern Italy, and its continued lust for power eventually led to the Punic Wars against Carthage. These wars started as Rome sought conquests in the Western Mediterranean, and while "Carthage had the great general Hannibal, Rome fought with the resources of Italy behind it and had such leaders as Scipio Africanus Major. Rome gained from the Punic Wars dominion over Spain, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and the northern shores of Africa, indisputable hegemony in the Mediterranean, and an insatiable desire for conquest (unknown, Rome)."