...The Ancient Greeks and Romans both began their histories as city-states. While the irregular coastline and the mountainous terrain of the Greek peninsula isolated the various Greek city-states from one another, the city of Rome was located in the geographical middle of a generally north-south plain bordered on the east with mountains and on the west by the sea. Therefore, Rome was exposed to the migrations and invasions of people from the Po River in the north and Sicily in the south. The two primary ethnic and cultural influences upon the Romans were determined to a degree by this geography. That is, the first influence was that of the Etruscans in the north, and the second major influence was that of the Greeks in the south. By the time the city-state of Rome had emerged as a distinct entity out of its Etruscan origins and was prepared to expand its own unique influence, Greek civilization had spread throughout the Mediterranean basin. However, the fierce exclusiveness of the Greek city-states from one another, stemming from their geographical isolation, had determined that Greek colonization of the Mediterranean would be an extension of isolated city-states. The Greek polis did not permit the building of a Greek empire, and the strict barriers to the extension of citizenship prevented any one city-state from becoming dominant. As we have seen from Greek history, the Athenians were on the way to creating an empire through their domination of the Delian League, but this trend...
Words: 694 - Pages: 3
...The ancient Egypt culture lasted for more than 3000 years. The government of Ancient Egypt had depended on two factors the pharaohs and agriculture. The Pharaoh was a crucial part of the Egyptian government and he named alternate authorities amid generally periods. The most elevated authorities took their requests specifically from the ruler. Farming was the establishment of Egypt's economy and government. Their culture and history date goes back thousands of years to the ancient Pharaohs. (Amelia Allonsy, 2014) Egypt's brilliant age corresponded with the eighteenth and nineteenth traditions, amid which the domain was set up. Persia vanquished Egypt in 525 B.C. , Alexander the Great repressed it in 332 B.C. , and afterward the line of the Ptolemies controlled the area until 30 B.C. , when Cleopatra, last of the line, conferred suicide and Egypt turned into a Roman, then Byzantine, territory. Middle Easterner caliphs ruled Egypt from 641 until 1517, when the Turks took it for their Ottoman Empire. (Egypt, 2010) The Egyptian nationalism...
Words: 439 - Pages: 2
...Which is the impact of ancient cultures in the current generation? 1. Economy through history According to Merriam Webster dictionary, economy is defined as the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought in a country or region. Humans have always been motivated by the idea that someone is satisfied when he has all he wants. So they have always worked on account of their needs. The economy has always existed on earth as the result of the needs of humans. This cannot be given without the help of others. Economy was the result of the idea of ancient civilizations, in which the best way to achieve the development of society was establishing a system. In this system each person does an economic...
Words: 4050 - Pages: 17
...American Intercontinental University Topics in Cultural Studies: 215-08 Introduction to Humanities- Unit 1 Individual Project Deanna K. Wadley April 28, 2012 ABSTRACT This paper will develop a table to compare and contract both the ancient Greeks and Romans. It will include their culture, the type of governments they had, the level of trade, and economic conditions as well as the geographical areas they both thrived in. In addition the table will compare and contrast both civilizations art, architectural styles and accomplishments and their philosophical and religious beliefs. The table will also include visual representation to give readers a clearer picture of the past. Features of Greek and Roman Cultures Features | Ancient Greece | Roman Republic/Empire | | Timeline | 800 BCE – 500 BCE | 509 BCE - 27 BCE | | Government | * Made up of independent states called Polis, or city states. * Used sanctuaries to gather to share important cultural elements. * Citizens were land-owning males who had the right to vote and speak out in court (Sayre, 2010). | * Class structure composed of three tribes and consisted of two ranks; Patricians, and plebeians. * First form of representative government made up of a legislative and judicial branch * Developed elaborate code of law. (Sayre, 2010). | | Agriculture | * Farming * Animal husbandry * Beekeeping * Greeks had poor soil as they were located in rocky hills and mountains. Greece, 2001). | ...
Words: 730 - Pages: 3
...Within Chapter 2 the ancient cultures in the near east were discussed. The most important ideas that were discussed were the cultures that developed in the near east, the religions and artwork that helped define the cultural beliefs, and the influence of the Hebrew and Persian cultures on western civilization. The development of Mesopotamia shows significance due to the spread of ideas and goods through trade after the development of a surplus due to the excess of crop yield. This spread of ideas helped lead the the development of metallurgy, a military, and in turn a government that is composed of priests and kings. Within the cultures discussed in the chapter the significance of the ruler is also a main concept in order to show how the hierarchy...
Words: 374 - Pages: 2
...In the course of history, beliefs and religion have played a major role in ancient civilizations. Beliefs and rituals have considerably influenced people in many ways and are also shown today with religion becoming a major factor in our daily lives especially in how we might act and think. Significantly, ceremonies and rituals were demonstrated mainly in ancient societies that it can be considered as extreme practices. These customs are all unique and different to each civilization that it depicts a large portion of how people lived, which were mainly based off of their beliefs. To emphasize, the ancient civilizations of the Egyptians, Greeks, and the Aztecs, all have notable rituals in their society that it has a significant portrayal of how we might recognize and resonate their culture with....
Words: 805 - Pages: 4
...A Comparison of the Christian and Ancient Greek Cultures Most Christians believe in the stories told in the Bible. In fact, these stories are portrayed not only as stories, but also as an actual historical time filled with important people and events to the Christian faith. Although, stories of Greek and Roman myths are ussualy looked at as untrue, fantisized stories. The idea that the Greeks viewed their religion on these "myths" seems crazy to people who belive in god and christianity. This idea seems to set a curse of wrong doing upon the Ancient Greeks. But judging your views on a dead culture may seem unimportant to much of the world, but it's important because the culture suports the history of a large portion of the world. But the Ancient Greek empire was alot bigger than current day Greece. Just as many Americans would find it insulting to have their history seen as a joke, it seems reasonable that Greeks would too. So, it is alright to try and understand that both Ancient Greeks and Ancient Christians may have had similar beliefs about the world they lived in. But, Greek myths contain unrealistic and unbelievable characters, events, and other things. Comparing both of Greek stories with different Bible stories, it is obvious that some of the stuff between the two do exist, and that the Ancient Greeks view of the world were very similar to the views of ancient Christians. They do have things in common, but the similarities are very small. Such as they begin...
Words: 442 - Pages: 2
...Cultura Griega y Romana - Sexo Noemí HUM 100 11 de marzo de 2011 Cultura Griega y Romana – Sexo Grecia La sexualidad jugaba un papel importante dentro de la cultura griega. Educaban a sus hijos sobre una sexualidad plena y el erotismo. Dentro de la mitología griega existían muchos relatos sobre infidelidades entre dioses y mortales. La virginidad era celebrada con cultos y era representada por la diosa Altemisa, la cual era una diosa virgen. Los griegos veian la perdida de la virginidad como una especie de muerte. No obstante, la diosa que representaba la virginidad estaba casada con Endimion. Todas las jóvenes debían hacer voto de castidad y las que querían pertenecer a la orden de Altemisa debían ejercerlo o de lo contrario debían abandonar la Orden Sagrada. La homosexualidad era aceptada en Grecia tanto de hombres como de mujeres y esto no conflijia con su status social, económico o el prestigio del que gozaran. El cuerpo de los hombres era símbolo de perfeccion por eso era lógico admirarlo y que los mas viejos gozaran de disfrutar admirar su belleza física. El sexo entre hombres era para el disfrute y culto a la belleza, pero el sexo entre hombre y mujer era solamente para procrear. Esta cultura utilizo a los dioses para reflejar sus instintos y hacer del sexo una practica aceptada por la sociedad, ya que los dioses eran sus ejemplos a emular. Existian burdeles de hombres jóvenes que ofrecían favores sexuales. Los hombres adultos se podian prostituir...
Words: 587 - Pages: 3
...In the Ancient Greek world there were many traditions and ways of life that proved who they were and what they valued. Art and philosophy were the most common ways but a new way to show pride for your hometown was to compete in world wide sports held in Elis. Sports in Ancient Greek displayed individual as well as community virtues by showing how to honor and support your home through physical achievement as well as beating all obstacles in one's way. For one person the games were a way to show what they were made of and a way to prove they were worthy to be compared to the gods. Boys and men would train nearly a year just to qualify in the games, and by doing so this proved their dedication and commitment to their hometowns. The games were...
Words: 512 - Pages: 3
...Artistic Themes from Ancient Cultures: Greece and Rome A gender role is something that decides what role the man will play in society, and what role the woman will play in society. These roles can include the position, status, activities, and behavior that is appropriate for one’s sex. The roles of men and women have always been different, and they have generally been expected to have different attitudes and thoughts. Social aspects are reflected by behavior, and the idea that specific behavior is naturally tied to the biological sex of a person is challenged by these social aspects. The word “role” can be reducing because it indicates that something is strongly characterized, but gender roles are specific to culture and history, and the roles do change over time. Gender roles have stayed fairly regular over the course of time, such as women being the sole custodian of the children, many of the roles have changed. It is necessary to know that gender roles can be explained in different ways depending on the culture and background of a specific people. Some cultures feel as if the woman should stay home and take care of the children and the home, while other cultures may feel that the woman should be out making money to help support the family. Even today some cultures believe that women should not be independent or build a family for themselves. Some expectations of gender roles even still prohibit women the right to vote or try to be equal to men. The specifics of gender roles...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...From the ancient time, human have interact with animal and use them in their normal life. We use them as pet, use them as labor forces, and raise them for food and for other usages. The similarity for some of these major cultures is they really value the animal. As for the Egyptian, they use cat as pet and treat them nicely. Other animals like cheetah and monkey are also kept as pet as a symbol of status for pharaoh and royal family. Cat would be mummified for the thought that they would join their owner in the afterlife. For the Norse, they see the animal as part of the nature and human can’t be separate from it. Human life is connecting to the animal from when they are born until they are dead. Even the animal in their literature also connect...
Words: 356 - Pages: 2
...Artistic Themes from Ancient Cultures: Greece and Rome HUM/100 03/13/2012 Janet Schriver Artistic Themes from Ancient Cultures: Greece and Rome In this paper Christian suffering through religious expression is discussed as it pertains to ancient cultures through early Greek and Roman times. Culture differences between Romans and Greeks are very different in many ways, but can be very similar as well. Romans held their practical and traditional morality in high esteem, and appeared over confident in their military, ability to organize. Looking at “culture” Romans usually seem obsessed with humanities in the form of music, dance, theater, art, literature and philosophy. In several areas, including religion looks as if it could be a part of the Greeks mythology, whereas Greeks were masters of philosophy. The main focus was on the gods they chose to worship. Philosophers in the Greek culture went on a quest to find answers to questions derived from deep contemplating whether or not there were gods. They begin to look at the universe and ask themselves whether or not gods lived there. Where did humans come from? Who made the sun or the moon? How do the stars hang in the sky? Why was humans made, what is our destiny, and is there life after death? According to http://www.serfes.org/orthodox/memoryof.htm “the Armenian Genocide began on 24 April 1915 with the mass arrest, and ultimate murder, of religious, political and intellectual leaders in Constantinople...
Words: 1324 - Pages: 6
...textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words. Culturally important story forming always involved some sort of myth as a primary foundational account of a culture and the individual's role within that culture. Ancient cultures have mythic literature their ancient relatives have passed down. The best known are supernatural beings and ancient tales of gods and other. A myth commonly explains origins of unexplained accuracies that justifies and validates the practices or beliefs of a culture. It also reveals the political, moral, or religious values of a culture. In my opinion a myth is something made up, as in the folktale. For examples, the woman is from Venus and men from Mars (etiological myth, the origin of life and of all things). The figure of an elf, angels or demons (example of moral myth, when good and evil appear). If the full moon you cut your hair, it will grow faster. There is a big difference between folk tales and myths and how they came around. Folk tales are stories told for entertainment and myths express beliefs held by a culture to be truth. “It’s a myth” is when someone pertains to telling a story or symbolizing to relate to the truth of the unknown of the existence of the world or a higher power. • Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal ? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of...
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...Topics in Cultural Studies Brenda Johnson Unit 1 Discussion Board AIU Culture Makeup Ancient civilizations are the foundation of the world as we know it today, was built on ruins of 10,000 years of advanced cultures such as the Greek, Roman, Mesopotamia, Mayan, Indus, Egyptian. Ancient history began with the invention/communication of art and then writing in about 3100 BC and lasted for centuries. Natural environment was an influence that help with the makeup of early civilization; changes in the weather such as seasonal changes, changes in the weather was an influence on when they would go out to do there hunting and planting. Science and development of their knowledge in how to use new tools and how that knowledge helped with simplifying how they hunted, build, and planted. Trading brought about interaction between many different cultures. Agriculture made it possible to settle down in a permanent community and not to have to always be on the move hunting for food; once farming was developed mankind did not have to be on the move continuously; learning to control the production of food and to keep a good supply of food and cattle on hand then their lives started to changed dramatically and completely. Because of the cultural makeup social issues did come up; such as conflicts between groups of people who believed differently. Pros and Cons of Revisionist History Revisionist history is a reinterpretation of what we call facts or truth surrounding...
Words: 322 - Pages: 2
...appearance of the huge creatures, the dinosaurs, of different variety. The object of appreciation was, of course, the computer generated graphics and animation. But more than that, I was really amazed by the knowledge the people had about these wild monsters, who are the species extinct for almost 65 million years. How do these people come to know how did these creatures look like, what were their food habits, how did they live and how did they evolve? A question came to my mind, ‘CAN PAST TALK TO US?’ . 2. A few years later another movie was released, ‘The Mummy’. This time it was the Egyptian culture that was depicted. Incidentally this culture has also been extinct for thousands of years. It is believed that this culture was in existence some 4500 years ago. Where did the knowledge of the life style of the ancient Egyptians, their religious practices, their culture, their language and their houses, clothes and weapons come from? Could the past possibly have talked to the producers? 3. I am sure these questions must have surfaced in your minds also. If I was to answer these questions, I would say, yes, the past can talk to us. But only through an interpreter. This interpreter is called an ‘ARCHAEOLOGIST’. 4. Good morning lady and gentlemen, today I shall talk briefly on the subject ‘Archaeology’. Although the subject of digging into the past of the planet earth has extremely wide scope, I shall restrict myself to the history of man, only. ...
Words: 2656 - Pages: 11
