Geography and economics in Classical Europe

History Geography

During the beginning of ancient times, Classical civilization still lived as hunters and gatherers. They used the resources available to them and learned to gather grains, berries, and other plant foods and store them for the winter. This required them to live where the geography and climate could support them, and where supplies of water were easily available. Early settlements clustered around rivers and streams for this reason. By the end of the Classical Era, The Roman Empire had fallen. European cultures had been influenced by Rome's accomplishments, however, and Europeans knew how to build aquifers to bring the water to them. They had learned to build both roads and bridges. They had tamed livestock and used them for transportation. By the Classical Era, many of geography's limitations had solutions. Thus people could live in villages, towns and cities, farm the surrounding countryside and transport it to where it was needed.

A population

England and Wales only had about 4,000 people living in it. Up to two thirds of all children born died during infancy, and one third of those who survived died before they could bear children themselves. Nearly all humans died before the age of fifty. This made their life cycle much like that of wild animals (p. 51). The combination of very high childhood mortality and short adult life kept populations from growing and expanding. By the Classical Era, agricultural methods had traveled to Europe, and populations now lived in larger clusters. They still tended to be concentrated along natural resources. Europe along the Rhine and the edge of the English Channel as well as the area now in Northern Italy and adjacent areas were most heavily populated. Populations had also grown in England, but life spans were still short, and people had little protection from illness, often in epidemic form. Population still grew slowly compared to day.

A society

Ancient European society was organized around small bands of people who lived as hunters and gatherers. They did not need a larger, more complex society and in fact that could not develop until they developed agricultural skills and could use their natural resources efficiently enough to group together in villages and small towns. As they organized, leadership of the community was often headed by landowners or the clergy. Gradually people organized into small fiefdoms for defensive purposes. By the Classical Era, Rome had first conquered most of Europe and then collapsed, leaving people to form their own governments. Groups of people formed into small kingdoms with a government, bureaucracies, and armies to protect their borders. The people began organizing into various classes, often according to their trades. The use of money was more widespread, allowing more people to amass wealth. However, it was still difficult for those of the lowest classes to move up.

A politics

Earliest Ancient Europe had no government. As people gradually moved into villages, the concept of land ownership developed. The majority of people were serfs, not quite slaves but bound to the land on which they lived and tied to the landowner. Early Western government evolved from landowners, and as communities grew, the landowners banded together to form small local governments that did not represent democracy in any way. By the Classical Era, the rule of landowners, and the ruler of the country of kingdom was absolute. While there was no pretense of any kind of democracy, people did live under rule of law. They were often heavily taxed in the form of a percentage of whatever goods they produced, but having formal rule offered organized protection from invaders, a serious problem during the Classical Era.

A warfare

Warfare occurred only when people organized together in bands, or later in informal city-states. To conduct war required a group of people living together large enough to mount an army. As towns gradually grew and began to experience warfare, they began to fortify their town, containing the bulk of the town within walls to protect themselves from marauding bands. Certain technological developments, such as the ability to make armor, improved people's ability both to make weapons and to make armor for protection. The Classical Era was marked by wars both within and without. Small civil wars were common as small fiefdoms fought each other. Very significantly, The Roman Empire conquered most of Europe. Their dominance held off raids from societies outside that Empire, such as the Vandals, but when the Roman Empire fell, Europeans experienced waves of attacks, encouraging them to develop into city-states and then countries so they could mount more effective protections.

A foreign relations

Foreign relations as an issue didn't exist in Ancient Europe because the people had not organized themselves into identifiable countries. However, groups of people in Europe did establish some trade with other more organized cultures. This trade was organized as business, however, and not as contact between formally organized countries with governments. However, during the Classical Era, foreign relations became very important as the Roman Empire methodically conquered Europe and brought it under its mantle of government. When the Roman Empire fell, the local populations began to organize themselves more formally, resulting in local governments, city-states and eventually, identifiable countries. Foreign relations became important as these smaller groups would band together to defend themselves against invaders.

A culture

The culture of ancient Europe varied greatly at first, because people lived in small bands, using large areas of land for hunting and gathering. The items they made were often utilitarian in nature. As groups formed villages and towns, they formed cultural similarities that included such things as mode of dress and language. Religious beliefs developed but varied from area to area, with many cultures developing religions influenced by contacts with other cultures and including multiple gods.

During the Classical Era, the Roman Empire brought both the ideas of Roman Gods and, eventually, Christianity, to Europe. Culture was affected strongly by the technological changes that had occurred, including improved methods of farming and the development of a trade class that produced objects of value or beauty for the relatively new classes of people who could afford to buy more than necessities. Simple ways to write music down were devised, and both art and architecture began to develop basic principles that would lead to tremendous developments in times to follow.