When comparing Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, anyone can see that there are many differences including geography, art and architecture, and religion. There was also a big difference in the division of social classes of both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. In Greece, their society was divided into slaves, freedmen, citizens and women. On the other hand, Rome had slaves, freedmen, plebeians and patricians. While women were not considered to be citizens in ancient Greece, they were citizens in ancient Rome. All of these differences led to the many battles that were fought between the two countries, even though they also had many things in common.
Both Greece and Rome are Mediterranean countries, they are similar in that they both have the ability to grow wine and olives, but they have very different terrain. The ancient Greek cities/states were separated from each other by hilly countryside and all were near the water. Greece is a scattered archipelago and a rocky mainland where communications were hardly possible. Rome was inland, on one side of the Tiber River, but the other side did not have the natural hilly borders to keep intruders out of Rome. Though Roman history is not the history of Italy, the geographical setting was mainly set in Italy.
Greek artists of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. achieved a way of representing themselves so that everything they wished to convey to others would be a symbol of life as well as a sense of clarity, and harmony. Bronze was one of the easiest ways to convey their artistry, it was valued for its strength and beauty. It's strength made it easy for the artists to make statues that would be preserved for centuries. Not only were statues made quite often by artists, but also great pieces of architecture, such as the Parthenon. Not only are places such as the Parthenon remembered well, but also places such as the Colosseum, which was built by Romans. Both Romans and Greeks are very well known for their architectural achievements, although the styles are much different. The Romans preferred a larger, powerful pieces of work whereas the Greeks went for the more elegant, clear design work.
The mankind, present during the time period of ancient Greek and ancient Roman history, tried to explain amazing myths, such as the creation of our world. The yearning to discover how some of these things occurred led the ancient Greek people to create their own splendid, yet human like world of gods.
The Organization of Roman Religious Beliefs by Charles King, “The Romans and Greeks lacked similar patterns of development and did not define themselves with a similar type of orthodoxy”. With the Romans, their way of worshipping and beliefs was not systemized and one did not have to take a test to prove whether him or her should be morally accepted while in Greece, “the art of Archaic and Classical Greece illustrates many mythological episodes, including an established iconography of attributes that identify each god. There were twelve principal deities in the Greek pantheon. The Roman religion was not restricted to one god but the was much more convenient for everyone to have any beliefs and practices of their choice.
Both Sparta and Athens were Greek city-states. Sparta was a strict military ruled city-state where the people established themselves as a military power early. However Athens was more of a political city-state that was more involved with their economical stature than their military forces. Still changes from the Persian wars would change the powers of the city-state and somewhat unite them.
Ancient Greece and Rome were both very influential civilizations both of them were alike in many ways such as geography and art yet they were different in the role of women in families and forms of government. Ancient Greece was a civilization lasted from the Archaic period (The period just after the dark ages) to the end of the classical era. After this period was the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. In Ancient Greece, there was the period of Classical Greece, which was during the 5th-4th centuries BC. Classical Greece began with the invasion by Athenian leadership. Because of conquests by Alexander the Great of Macedonia, the Hellenistic period flourished from Central Asia to the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient Greece
The foundation of Greek culture was balance, reason, and harmony which can be unveiled in their art. As the civilization heavily revolved around religion, massive temples were built to serve the Gods. Greeks believed in many Gods, meaning they had polytheistic views . This notion of polytheism passed down to the Romans who adopted nearly the exact same deities and built similar architecture as well. One of the most famous buildings of worship was the Greek Parthenon built around 447-432 B.C.E, worshipping the goddess Athena . While building these brilliant pieces of art, concepts regarding laws and the natural world from philosophers were being incorporated in the structure. Pillars were often built in temples and various buildings in both Greek and Roman cultures. Doric, ionic, and Corinthian stand as the main three pillars built; each of them becomes increasingly more elaborate by order. For example, the Corinthian was the most intricate. Romans quickly developed a taste for this form of architecture and incorporated into theirs later on. The Romans however were very inventive, and began to develop the arch, vault and dome to add to what they emulated from the Greeks. Using these elements the Romans built what is known as the Coliseum, built over a 10 year span from around 70 AD to 80 AD. The Coliseum was said to hold 50,000 spectators and was used for entertainment
Both countries didn’t allow women and slaves to obtain citizenship, and members of the poorer class in both countries weren’t allowed to vote or hold office. Also in these times the two countries both had their problems in leadership and government. Rome during these times became the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion under the rule of Constantine. Also during these times two of the greatest conquers where from these two countries when you think of Alexander the Great in Greece and Julius Caesar in Rome. Although having historical military leaders like these two over time this would lead to both of their demises. The differences between the two early nations was that Greece was really a democracy and Rome was more of a republic. Also you can see the leaders filled more of a military role than leaders from Greece. When think of leaders from Rome such as Julius and Augustus Caesar who both were very familiar with the battlefield. There were some leaders in Greece who commanded armies but it wasn’t like they had to when you think of leaders such as Solon who was more of a speaker or poet than a
Through out human history, we look back to the peaks of our civilization, and learn and adapt from it to build our future, and the two greatest civilizations in our human history; which were the Greeks and the Romans civilizations, that brought upon the worlds greatest minds and iconic figures who impacted our history till this day. Different eras bringing us different things but all similar to their main sequence of their civilizations. As Archeologist look back to study those times, they look at the different things these civilizations held such as the arts and how art historians have used it to understand the history and values of these cultures that produced it, and how these two Great Civilizations were so similar but so different at
gods, each given a personality and purpose. And was the subject of many myths and legends that would be told for many generations to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called.
Athens and Sparta were both city-states in Classical Greece. While Athens embraced democracy, Sparta was a dictatorial fierce warrior state. Sparta was a militaristic community, Athens was a freethinking, and commerce minded city-state. Modern societies have modeled their government organizational structure and military discipline practices from lessons learned of these ancient city-states. There is much is to be praised regarding Classical Greece for their courage, their progressive thinking and the birth of democracy. However, I think it is important to remember that in both cases, Athens and Sparta were able to sustain their lifestyle on the backs of countless slaves, non-citizens and women and that there is a darker and less romantic side to the past.
All three societies had some form of belief in higher powers such as gods and other polytheistic beliefs. Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt had more duties involving their beliefs compared to Greece because both of those societies had ways of taking care of their religious sites such as feeding the gods daily or cleaning the temple area daily whereas there was not a huge emphasis on daily chores for Greece. Each society had originated around an ecologically useful area. Greece had a better advantage when compared to Egypt and Mesopotamia because both were prone to flooding. The Nile in Egypt constantly overflowed or ran dry causing harm to those who lived off of the river. The laws of each society were very male centered. Men were dominant over women in each society, but women in Egypt and Greece had more rights than those of Mesopotamia. Egyptian women could sue and file for divorce while Greek women could get jobs and retain property. The men gained more repercussions in Greece seeing as how rape and adultery would initiate a fine in Athens and not joining the army in Sparta would make you lose citizenship and the right to marry. Each society was also governed in some way making them similar, but the way they were governed makes them different. Mesopotamia was ruled by whoever conquered them, Egypt was ruled by a king, and Greece also had a king or an elected official. Each society did have slaves in some way, along with lower class. Egypt and Greece gave the middle lower class the option to become somewhat of a higher class through education and money. Power was determined mainly by wealth, birth, and income in the societies in some shape or form. Military was more of an important focus in Egypt and Greece than in Mesopotamia. The family structure of each civilization is still male centered and the male typically controls the family. Marriage and divorce is common in all
The ancient Greek and Roman civilizations of Europe began to progress toward a more civilized order of society. As there were no previous establishment to base their ideals on, it was understandable that there were some difficulties in their progression as a society. Although the ancient Greek and Roman governments fell, both had similar paths of creation, conquest, and destruction.
Another difference in warfare was the way that the different regions treated their opponents after a victory. The Greeks would enslave and control a defeated people while the Romans would not treat a defeated nation as slaves, but would “invite” them to ally and basically become part of Rome. This was the case of the Sicilians after they were defeated during the first Punic War.
Another difference in these civilizations is in the architecture of each region. The architecture of the Romans was also more advanced than that of the Greeks; they used concrete and placed emphasis on arches, vaulted ceilings, and domes while Greece emphasized balance and symmetry. Greek temples aimed at impressing by designing intricate, aesthetically pleasing outer views, while Roman architecture's goal was to impress by enclose a vast amount of space.
Greece is a country united by its name, but divided by its ways. Although Sparta and Athens were both Greek cities, their societies were different. Sparta was focused on having a perfect military, whereas Athenian daily life revolved learning and knowledge. When Spartan boys were being trained for an army, Athenian boys were being trained for life. Both of these societies revolved around different government, education from when kids to teenagers, the responsibilities each individual had to keep their spot, and how women played a role throughout each city state.
The Romans also excelled in the highly practical art, architecture. The Romans were the first people in antiquity to use concrete on a massive scale. By using concrete in their new architectural designs, the Romans were able to construct huge buildings, bigger than the Greeks ever could have dreamed of.
The two ancient civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome were the best of the best during their time periods. Ancient Greece began around 2000 B.C. by the inhabitants known as the Mycenaean’s, followed by the Minoans. The Minoans built the foundation of Greece. The Roman Empire was founded around 753 B.C. by the two twins, Romulus and Remus. Romulus ended up killing Remus and built the city of Rome on one of seven rolling hills. Architecture was very important to both civilizations and they were always trying to out due the other. The architectural style of the Ancient Greeks and Romans was overall constructed and used differently.