The Golden Ages : Greece, Rome, and China
The Golden Ages of Greece, Rome, and China were periods when certain cultures reached many achievements in certain fields. These fields could include drama, poetry, sculpture, philosophy, architecture, math or science. Their achievements in education, technology, and government have greatly influenced modern society. The artistic and literal legacies of these periods continue to instruct and inspire people today (Beck 120).
In Ancient Greece, the great heights that were reached in education, technology, and government led them to their Golden Age. Included in the vast education of Greece were philosophy and literature. Socrates was one of the most famous philosophers of that time. He was a very powerful thinker and developed a question and answer method of teaching known as the "Socratic Method" (Watson 63). Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and neglecting the city's gods. For this he was put on trial and the jury sentenced him to death. He chose to die slowly by drinking the poison hemlock. Another noted philosopher was Plato. He had studied with Socrates. Plato opened a school known as "The Academy", which lasted for about 900 years (Watson 63). One of Plato's students was the famous Aristotle, who followed in Plato's footsteps and opened a school of his own, called "The Lyceum" (Watson 63). In the field of literature, Homer was known for composing his epic adventures. These were the "Iliad" and the "Odyssey"(Clapham 53). His epics were narrative poems that celebrated heroic deeds (Clapham 53). Greece's technological advances consist of architecture and sculpture. One of the most important pieces of architecture was the Parthenon. The Parthenon was built to h...
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...d other systems used today. My essay helps us to recognize the great achievements of the Golden Ages of Greece, Rome, and China. I question wether or not we would have excelled as far in our fields of education today if many of the foundations had not been set for us in these Classical Periods.
Bibliography:
Bibliography
Capham, F. Ancient Civilizations New York: Warwick Press, 1978
Cotterell, A. and Yong Yap. The Early Civilizations of China
New York: Yong Yap and Cotterell, 1975
Falls, C.B. The First 3000 Years: Ancient Civilizations of the Tigris, Euphrates and Nile River Valleys and the Mediterranean Sea New York: The Viking Press, 1960
Watson, Jane Werner. Greece: Land of Gold Light Illinois: Garrard Publishing Company, 1967
Despite the social hierarchy and acceptance of position of the population in both societies, Han China and Classical Athens had disparities proportionate to their physical sizes. The geographical isolation from each other resulted in the differences in demographics, characteristics of government structures, individual duties and roles in government, and the general view of life.
During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent of its influence, this investigation will attempt to compare and contrast the role of geography in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, focusing on the civilizations’ various periods of development and settlement.
A ‘golden age’ can be interpreted in many ways; it can be a time of
As archaeological work on Predynastic Egypt continues, in future years we can expect considerable new evidence that will further reshape our understandings of the rise of Egyptian civilization. The field is increasingly benefiting from the use of modern techniques such as remote sensing, physical dating, and analytical techniques. As the amount of evidence builds, the rise of complex civilization in the Egyptian Nile Valley during the crucial two millennia from 5000–3000 b.c. will become ever clearer.
More than two thousand years ago, two great empires arose. The Chinese and the Roman Empires. Having different locations, there were obvious differences from the start, assembly and the collapse of the empires, but there were also astonishing similarities. Located in modern time Asia and Europe, the Chinese and Roman empires were revolutionary with their ideas and accomplishments in their time from the start to the end of their empires.
The Renaissance has not ceased to be an age of discussion and debate among historians throughout the recent centuries. The vibrant nature of the era marks it as a most fascinating period of history. The Renaissance can be described as an age carrying the essence of “self-discovery and fulfillment, of recognition of human worth, and a dynamic outpouring of artistic activity.” This new world flourishing with art and creative optimism was also steeped in a spirit of “revolt of the Medievalists.” In an effort of “rebirth,” the previous culture of the Middle Ages was rejected, and even scorned. Foundational principles in all fields were overstepped, and old cultural norms were practically obsolete. It was an era whose humanistic philosophy greatly impacted the lens through which man viewed himself and the world.
The Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty reached unprecedented levels of progress by controlling equally vast lands and territories, utilizing ecological, economic and human resources, and consolidating power by the unification of their regimes under a common legal and cultural framework. The Roman Empire stretched from the present day British Isles to the present day Iraq and lasted five hundred years from 27 BC to 467 AD. The Han Dynasty dominated Asia from the Korean Peninsula to present day Vietnam and endured for over four hundred years from 206 BC to 220 AD. The Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty were among the most advanced civilizations of the ancient world, prevailing over their respective areas, experiencing a higher standard of living, and leaving behind lasting influences. However, the Roman Empire surpassed the Han Dynasty for a multitude of reasons, including innovative leadership, military prowess and technological achievements.
The Italian Renaissance is appropriately known as a period of such dynamic change within cultural innovations amongst European civilization that it is seen as a major turning point in European history. This age of rebirth abnormally broke the bonds of earlier cultural restraint and unleashed an outbreak of innovations that would forever change the course of history. Despite the common misunderstanding of the Italian Renaissance being a period of originality or of a reawakening of older cultures, it generated fundamental modernizations that accelerated growth in a vast number of forever impacting ways. Lasting from about 1350-1550, this age of modernized technology conveyed a sense of distinctive themes in art, which globalized the unification of a diverse culture. Within the Italian Renaissance, artistic innovations accelerated a new and centralized life and culture in Western European history.
Gates, Charles. Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece, and Rome. London: Routledge, 2003. Print.
During the era known as the time of the classical civilizations, there were numerous noticeable changes occurring in many civilizations and city-states around the world. In India, China, and Persia in particular, one could see the influence of religion and philosophy on the political and social structure of the time.
A golden age is a time when a civilization reaches its highest period of advancement. The Greeks, more specifically the Athenians, reached their highest achievements starting in 477 B.C. This was the beginning of Athens' golden age. The Athenians used the money from the Delian league, a defensive alliance formed at the end of the Persian Wars, to rebuild their city-state. This is also a time when Athens created a direct democracy. In this golden age Athens also made significant advancements in science, math, and literature. Athens made many great contributions to many fields, but the two most significant advancements were in architecture and government, but the single handily the most important was government. These advancements continue to influence many societies today.
The Renaissance was a very vital time in our history without the Renaissance era we would not have many of the advancements that we have today. This era not only influenced art, literature, and music but also today’s politics, religion and society. During the Renaissance, there were many new inventions in technology the way of thinking also changed. This was key to the development of western civilization.
The study of the Greeks and Romans, was evident here when artist became more realistic because of Neo-Platonist. It was a school of thought that believed that reflection of nature can lead to the ascension of to God. Art evolved from being crude and obvious, to being beautiful and clear. Saints were no longer just bigger, but the art allows them to still be the center. Math was added to the process with people like Alberti and Da Vinci commented on how math gave value to their works of arts. The process to reach the end now mattered, just like how Francesco Guicciardini, paved way for context to matter when evaluating history. This was an exceedingly important change from the Middle Ages. This ultimately made understanding easier and less oppressive. To learn and to fulfilling one’s potential was one of the great humanistic ideal. Many scholars commented on how being learned and well-rounded in all aspects was the ultimate goal. Francios Rabelias believed in the being trained in all area matters from language to science of utmost importance. Pico della Mirandola, talks of the limitless human potential to create and ability to do anything. These humanist reject the folly of the Middle Ages, and through the infinite potential and knowledge, humans can do
Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato were two of the most influential and knowledgeable ancients in our history. Their contributions and dedication to science, language and politics are immensely valued centuries later. But while the two are highly praised for their works, they viewed several subjects entirely differently, particularly education practices, and human ethics and virtue.
The classical periods of many of the great world civilizations were the golden ages of those civilizations. However, just because a civilization’s classical age has passed does not mean that the ideas, institutions, and art have passed as well. On the contrary, the effect from the classical periods of many great civilizations is still with the present civilization. The ideas, institutions, and art that has endured from these civilizations is no accident; the ideas, institutions, and art have had an influence on civilizations up to and including the present day.