Roman Empire vs. Athenian Empire: Culture, Military, and Myth

Introduction: Two Empires, Common Strategies

The Roman Empire and the Athenian Empire were alike in many ways. Both developed a culture based on the same mythology in order to unite their people in belief — the Romans Latinized the Greek gods and goddesses, but the narratives remained largely the same. Individuals like Socrates in Athens or the early Christians in Rome were persecuted for teaching a faith that opposed the native mythology (Haaren, 2010). Both empires expanded their influence through war: the Romans conquered lands as far away as England, while the Athenians kept mainly to Greece but did repel invaders like the Persians, and warred against other city-states — as in the Peloponnesian Wars — in order to secure their own routes, borders, and dominance in the region. Rome similarly destroyed Carthage multiple times so as to maintain its dominance. Both Rome and Athens were culturally and militarily suited to dominate, and this paper describes how both used the arts, their militaries, their mythology, and their philosophy to maintain their empires.

The Origins and Rise of Rome

Rome was founded in 753 BC by brothers Romulus and Remus. Their strategy for building their community was based on accepting the outcasts of other societies. This strategy worked well, as the Romans were hardened by fighting and united by their shared experiences. Their society was based on fairness because they knew that if they did not look after and respect one another, they would have nothing. Gradually the kingdom grew, with Romulus as their leader — Rome was named for him.

Over the centuries, Rome had many kings, but these kings grew very corrupt, and eventually Roman citizens revolted against them and vowed never to have another king. This arrangement lasted for some time, with Roman leaders being selected by vote (Racine, 2013). Eventually, this too changed. When the Roman soldier Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon and marched his troops into the city of Rome, a new day dawned. The Romans wanted to crown Caesar king. In truth, Rome was no longer a republic but an empire. Julius Caesar was assassinated shortly thereafter by a group of conspirators. Caesar's nephew took control of the empire, however, and became the first Roman Emperor.

The Athenian Empire and the Age of Pericles

The Athenian Empire began similarly, with the Greek people forming out of obscurity but being brought together by war. The Persian invasion of Greece brought out the best in the Athenians: they led the Delian League, which was founded in 478 BC in order to oppose the Persians. This League was similar in spirit to the collective Greek warriors who fought together against Troy, as described by Homer in The Iliad. Homer's epic poem depicts a group of Greeks of different origins, united by the gods to battle the Trojans. Mythology is dominant throughout the poem, and this mythology would play an integral role in the Athenian Empire — Pericles would oversee the construction of many marvelous temples and statues to the gods and goddesses their culture worshipped (Racine, 2013).

Indeed, as Homer points out, from the earliest days of their history the Greeks had a special sense of their relationship to the spiritual and the divine. Their relationships with one another could be complicated or worsened by neglect or disrespect of the gods — a common theme explored by the great Athenian playwrights, from Aeschylus to Sophocles to Euripides. As Homer writes in the opening lines of The Iliad: "And which of the gods was it that sent them to quarrel? It was the son of Jove and Leto; for he was angry with the king and sent a pestilence upon the host to plague the people, because the son of Atreus had dishonored Chryses his priest" (Homer, 2004, p. 2).

During the Persian invasions, the Greek city-state leaders met in Delos, but the Athenian leader Pericles took command, as Athens was the central hub of Greece — it led the way in culture, arts, philosophy, learning, and politics. The League did not last many years because of infighting among the city-states, namely between Athens and Sparta, but the Athenian Empire was effectively at its height during this time. It acted as the leader in Greece and operated at the forefront of the repeated repulsion of the Persian invasion. Pericles oversaw the establishment of democracy in Athens, the expansion of theater, the rise of artisans and craftsmen, and the building of the Parthenon and the temple of Athena.

Pericles helped impress upon Athenians the importance of honoring the gods and goddesses, which was a vital aspect of maintaining Athens's culture and integrity as an empire during the so-called Age of Pericles. Thus, when Socrates began to teach that the myths of gods and goddesses fighting were more likely a projection of human qualities onto God than a realistic representation of the divine, the philosopher was condemned to death for corrupting the youth of Athens. Such was the intensity with which the Athenian rulers viewed the importance of upholding mythology. Ironically, their killing of Socrates only made him all the more famous and significant, as it inspired Plato to write his works and caused the Athenian school of philosophy to lay the foundations for Western thought for the coming millennium.

Conclusion

The empires of Rome and Athens were similar in the sense that they both used culture and the arts, military strength, and the strategy of combating and warring with other city-states who posed economic or military threats to their empires. The rulers of both empires celebrated the mythology of their realms and condemned those who taught an opposing religious culture or viewpoint: Socrates was condemned in Athens, and Christians were condemned by a succession of Roman emperors until the time of Constantine, who ended Christian persecution.