...Greek Cultures Government Geographical Terrain Economics and Trade Practices Art and Architecture Philosophical and Religious Beliefs City-states • Largest: Athens (Sayre, 2013) • Ruled by Democracy (Sayre, 2013) Three Social Classes: • Upper class (Sayre, 2013) • Middle class (Sayre, 2013) • Lower class (Sayre, 2013) Greek Islands were in the Southeastern corner of Europe, and were divided into two peninsulas (Ancient Greece Geography, 2012). Mountainous terrain and rugged coastlines, which offered good protection, but made it difficult for communication and trading (Ancient Greece Geography, 2012). Greeks attempted sophisticated economic analysis. They made and traded in both local and long distances, and had money to do so (Sayre, 2013). Because of the mountainous terrain, city-states used trade by sea (Sayre, 2013). The economy was focused on importing goods due to poor soil quality (Sayre, 2013). In 6th Century B.C, commerce and craftsmanship were developed (Sayre, 2013). Because the lives of the Greeks were dominated by their religion, their temples were by far the largest and prettiest (Sayre, 2013). The Greeks made three individual architectural systems, which were called orders, and each one had its own unique size and detailing (Sayre, 2013). Three orders: • Doric • Ionic • Corinthian This Parthenon belongs to the Greek goddess of wisdom, Athena Parthenos, and belongs to the Doric order (Sayre, 2013). This...
Words: 1251 - Pages: 6
...Category | Greeks | Romans | Government | In ancient times, Greece was an independent, self governing city-state. Greece also invented democracy. The Greek government was divided into monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies and democracies and in the Mycenean period (between 2000 and 1200 BC) all Greek city-states were ruled by kings (Carr, 2011) | In the earlier days Rome was governed by kings, but ancient Rome was schooled to form their own government and rule themselves ((Hons), 2011) | Geography Terrain | The Greeks had a mountainous terrain and rugged coastline; offering great protection from foreign invasions but hindering them from communication and trade (Buzzle.com, 2000-2010, 2011). The geography of ancient Greece was divided into 3 regions; the coast, the lowlands, and the mountains allowing for less than 20 percent of the land to be farmed (Rymer, 2010) | Rome was inland and also had hills and mountains running through it but they were not nearly as rugged to navigate through as the hills and mountains of Greece. Also the rivers that ran through the peninsula were shallow and easy to cross (Ashe, unknown). | Economy | Because of the mountainous and hilly land Greece placed much emphasis on importing goods (Walter Scheidel, 2007). | Ancient Roman currency and economy was an agrarian and slave based economy. Agriculture and the barter system controlled Roman economies (United Nations of Roma Victrix, 2011) | Trade Practices | Surrounded by water the seas always...
Words: 839 - Pages: 4
...Anderson March 27, 2011 Abstract Many ancient cultures existed throughout time but none as popular as ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Although Rome eventually became powerful and ruled over Greece, much of Roman art, architecture, and religion were adopted from the cultures they conquered and were adapted to meet the needs of the Roman Empire. Much of the Roman society mocked that of ancient Greece. | ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE | ANCIENT ROMAN CULTURE | GEOGRAPHY AND GOVERNMENT | Athens was the center of the Greek world in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE. Athens was the capital of Greece and its name was taken from the Greek goddess Athena. Athens was symbolic of art, freedom, and democracy (the prevailing government of ancient Greece introduced around 500 BCE by an aristocrat). Athens was just one of over 800 city states that made up ancient Greece. Several city states (comparable to a modern county) were isolated from each other and the mainland as they were located on islands that made up the fractured geography of ancient Greece. These islands were located in the Aegean Sea and reached around the Mediterranean to peninsula of Italy and to the shores of Asia Minor. Each city state considered itself a cultural center. City states of ancient Greece were very independent however they remained loyal to Greece and considered themselves Greeks.***See Figure 1 | Rome was the result of a combination of two cultures, the Greeks (to the north) and the Etruscans (to the...
Words: 1687 - Pages: 7
...Ancient Art History Essay Ancient Greece, Rome, Etruscan Art 8/30/2012 Art 101A, World Art Garrett Stokes Garrett Stokes Art 101A, World Art Abbas Daneshvari 8/30/12 Ancient Art History Art history has been a vital part of the modern human experience. For thousands of years, the first painters and sculptors have given us the first displays that allowed people to see and touch tangible artwork. The artwork has also captured the history and lifestyle of that time. Art History has also expressed its social and political events that happened during that time. This gives the present person a good understand on what events took place during that era. Some of the most prominent artwork of the western civilization is Greek, Etruscan and Roman art. That historical artwork has paved the way for modern art to have a place in art history world. I will compare and contrast the Greek, Etruscan and Roman characteristic and traits of its historical artwork. During the Geometric and Orientalizing art in the 900-600 BCE, the human shape returned to Greek art in the structure of bronze statuettes and simple silhouettes and other motifs on Geometric vases. One art example is the Dipylon krater, Athens, ca 740 BCE. During the Archaic Art, 600-480 BCE the earliest real-life stone statues appeared in Greece. The first Greek kouroi copied the frontal poses of early Egyptian statues, however designed the young men nude the same way that the men competed in the Ancient Olympics. In the...
Words: 1752 - Pages: 8
...Throughout the history of the world, art has its own history as well. The Ancient art period started before 500 B.C with its characteristics were about God, Goddess and Heroes. Women, in ancient Greek and Roman societies, did not have high status and they were considered as properties of men. During that time, woman was just being a wife and being a mother and stayed at home to take care of the house for her man. Women did not have any role in politics therefore they could not vote and they did not have any right for themselves. The roles of women could be learned by reviewing how female figures were created through the ancient Greek and Roman art works. Most of the female figures, in any art work during this period, were either goddess; such as statue of Athena goddess of wisdom,warfare and women's craft, or monsters; such as Sphixn in Greek mythology. Therefore, during the ancient...
Words: 839 - Pages: 4
...Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture The sculpture of the Greeks and Romans represents one of the major arts of antiquity. It is diverse in its function. Greek monumental sculptures were developed on the islands of the Aegean and Crete in the middle of seventh century B.C. The adaptation of figures and technologies are borrowed from the Near East and Egypt make a new artistic idiom suitable to the needs of the individual city-states and the Greek sanctuaries. In around a century and a half, the developments rapidly led to the birth of Classical art that show the distinctiveness of the human figure. Sculpture was the perfect means for the expression of the new Classical ideal. There are three major periods of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures which are differentiated by their style and their function. The earliest sculptures appear in the Archaic period around 8th - 7th century BC. The sculptures illustrate form of small figures of men, animals, and gods in bronze, clay, or stone the usually standing or seated. The form is called Daedalic with a form of big heads, frontal figures, and triangular faces. In the late of the 7th century the Greeks aware of the Egypt sculpture and they change to make larger figures in hard white marble from the Cyclades islands. There are two main types of the figure, “the kouroi” who are naked males standing with one foot forward, hands to sides, and the korai, who are dressed in women. They are used for decorating buildings or dedications for the...
Words: 839 - Pages: 4
...extent to which Roman ideas about their gods and the foundation of their city were influenced by Greek mythology. Ancient Rome is filled with history of great wars and heroes, the mighty and the fallen. They were renowned conquers becoming one of the largest empires of their time. The romans were skilled finding their strengths in the engineering industry as well as the law. Although this ancient civilisation existed millenniums ago, they still effect the times of today. A prime example of this is the language, English. Romans spoke Latin and as they conquered and settled through Europe, “Latin fused with the native languages,” creating the romance languages of today; “Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese… and Catalan.” The vocabulary of English has also largely derived from the Latin language. Although the current times of today have been influenced by the times of the ancients, the Romans however were influenced to an extent by the ancient Greek’s civilisation. By the 2nd century BC, Rome had a very evident impact from the culture of the Greeks. Greeks had begun to settle on the south then later migrating further north of Italy’s peninsula, and occupying the city of Sicily. There is neither exact date nor event that stipulates the cross of two nations however events such as the Macedonian and Carthage wars of Roman conquest would have aided in the direct contact to Greek colonization. The influence of Greece can be seen throughout every aspect of a Romans day-to-day life...
Words: 1929 - Pages: 8
...Compare Contrast Volcanic Eruption Roman- Vesuvius Volcano Buried Pompeii (Sonneborn) Archeological digs have been able to help us to know more about the people of Pompeii. The remains are virtually unchanged. Very detailed information has been gathered about Roman Life at that time. Greek- Island of Thera Buried Minoan settlement of Akrotiri (Thera Eruption ) Archeological digs have been able to help us to know more about the people of Akrotiri buildings. Roman The exact date of the eruption of Pompeii is widely known and accepted as fact. That is because the blast was so huge, that it caused tree rings to change showing that a significant event occurred. (Archaeology's Interactive Dig, 2001-2003) Greek We don’t have a clear picture of the date of the Eruption of Thera. There is a lot of controversy about the date. Because they are unable to link it to another event to establish the chronology with sufficient proof and the carbon dating has been inconsistent. However it is thought to be around 1630 to 1780’s . (The Eruption of Thera: Date and Implications, 2006) The eruption of Thera brought life to an end for the Cyclades culture. Although there are virtually no artifacts left there to help us understand the life there, we have uncovered buildings. Most of what we know of this region was found through the burial sites where we have found art and artifacts. (Sayre, 2010) Philosophy Greek: Homer- 800 BCE Socrates & Plato 469-347...
Words: 1000 - Pages: 4
...Ancient Greek architecture is featured by two main orders, namely the Doric and the Ionic. Greeks effectively applied these architectural styles in constructing buildings, theatres and temples. The Doric style was predominantly applied in mainland Greece with a further spread to the Greek settlements in Italy. The Ionic style was applied in Ionia and the Aegean islands. At that, the Doric style was more austere and formal, whereas the Ionic was more decorative and relaxed. The styles are mostly reflected in the three orders of column capitals, bearing different decoration and design features. The examples of the Doric order are the Temple of Hephaestus and Parthenon Athens. In turn, the Iconic masterpieces include the temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis and the Erechtheum. The Ionic order gained dominance during the Hellenistic period, however was prone to a great deal of resistance by many Greek States. Compared to Romans, in their architectural constructions and designs the ancient Greeks applied wood for roof beams, plaster for bathtubs, brick for walls, marble and limestone for walls, columns, and upper portions of public buildings and temples, terracotta for ornaments and roof tiles, and metals for decorative details to construct civic, religious, domestic, recreational, and funerary buildings. The commonest form of Greek public architecture was temple, with altar standing under the open sky in the sacred fane before the temple. Temples were closely associated with...
Words: 504 - Pages: 3
...The early Greek and Roman cultures fundamentals or descriptions were illustrated in the table beneath. Greek Culture Roman Culture Government Aristocrats once ruled the Greeks. After a number of years of war, the Democracy was presented and effective. Political, philosophical, and literary held great concerns. (Economic History, 2010) The Roman government is an uncompromising version of the Greeks. From the Monarchy there is a civilization change, holding the military and political control was the Aristocratic republic. “Executive, legislative and the judicial branch” were the branches that were presumed so that the political control would be composed. (2)(UN RV History, 2011) Geographical Greece is a peninsula. It has several smaller peninsulas attached. Peninsula meaning it is enclosed by water on three sides. Southwestern Europe is where it is positioned. It is “51,000 square miles” (Kidport, 2012) The “Seven Hills and The Tiber River” is what Rome’s geographical area consists of. (Maps of World, 2000) It forms the “backbone of the peninsular” and it is the western part of the Apennine Mountains. (Maps of World, 2000) Terrain Greece is roughly 20% made up of island and it has a small amount of plans, the rugged mountainous and the rocky terrain is what divided the cities and the states. (Kidport, 2012) As for the land, it was not capable of sustaining plant life and it was unnourished. On both sides there were small islands with swampy...
Words: 921 - Pages: 4
...Greeks and Romans HUM 100 August 2nd, 2011 Greeks and Romans Greeks and Romans The Greeks and Romans are two civilizations that are constantly compared thought out history. People tend to compare their beliefs, views on life, politics, religion just to name a few. The Greeks and Romans were two very powerful entities throughout history. Rich in history, science and the arts. One constant comparison between the Greeks and Romans are their gods. Although they each have different names for their gods, they are quite similar. Greeks views on the individual or the individual and society were that they understood themselves to belong to a common Greek genos their first and foremost loyalty was to their city and country and didn’t see anything wrong with fighting with other Greek city states. The most famous of these was the Peloponnesian war. Which was a civil war between Sparta and Athens. Many variations of this great civil war have been told. From history books to movies, cartoons and children’s storybooks. Through these movies, cartoons and children’s story books gods and heroes have been highlighted and praised. Same way the Greeks praised their gods and heroes. This was called the Heroic Age. Some scholars believe that certain Greek heroes and gods were based on a real men and women living in that time. One hero that stands out would be Hercules. Throughout his complicated mythology perhaps Hercules really existed as a chieftain of the kingdom...
Words: 972 - Pages: 4
...Our modern world is influence by ancient time The world that we are living in today was influenced mainly through ancient cultures. First of by the Greeks culture second of by the Roman cultures. Without the legacy of the Greeks and the Romans our modern world would have been different. Who would have thought that those legacies would have a big effect on today's modern world. Ancient Greece is the birth place of Western civilization. There are many ways in which western civilization is like the ancient Greek civilization. According to Greco roman Legacy reading "Our democracies and our dictatorships alike go back to Greek exemplars" Greeks were the first to think of the idea of democracy. The way citizens could...
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...Outline of Ancient Greece Paper 1. Introduction to Ancient Greece * What is ancient Greece? * How long did Ancient Greece last? * How did Ancient Greece impact western civilization? 2. Archaic period * Duration of the Archaic period * Characteristics of the Archaic period * Impact of the Archaic period on Greece’s culture 3. Classical Greece * Duration of the Classical period * Characteristics of the Classical period * Impact of the Classical period on Greece’s culture 4. Hellenistic Greece * Duration of the Hellenistic period * Characteristics of the Hellenistic period * Impact of the Hellenistic period on Greece’s culture 5. Roman Greece * Transition to Roman Greece * Characteristics of the period under Roman rule * Impact of the Greek culture on Rome 6. Political structure of Ancient Greece 7. Social structure of Ancient Greece 8. War in Ancient Greece 9. Religion in Ancient Greece 10. Impact of Ancient Greece on today Introduction to Ancient Greece I chose to write about Ancient Greece because my heritage is from that area of the world and that makes it very interesting to me. The period of time that ancient Greece covers spans for about one thousand years and includes several stages of cultural, economic, and political development. This period was also very important because many consider it the time when western culture was born and developed. However, before ancient Greece...
Words: 1761 - Pages: 8
...elements or features of early Greek and Roman cultures. It includes a table that illustrates significant examples of the various features. It also includes the elements of culture such as government, geographical terrain, economics and trade practices, art, architecture, philosophical and religious beliefs. Elements | Greek | Roman | Government and geographical terrain | Is a Mediterranean country. But Greek city states were separated by hilly country sides and water. “Greece communities began to organize themselves and exercise authority over their own limited geographical regions, which were defined by natural boundaries- mountains, rivers, and plains (Henry Sayre, 2013, pg 49)”. Greeks had many different types of governments. They all changed over time due to new beliefs or ideas. “Greece began by having monarchies, then oligarchies, then tyrannies and then democracies, but at each period there were plenty of city stated using a different system, and there were many which never did become democracies or tyrannies at all ( History for kids, 2012)”. That could because of a lot of things, distance from the other Greek city’s, population, production, etc. | Is a Mediterranean country. Rome was an inland country on the side of the Tiber river. It did not have much of a hilly geographical terrain. In Italy, around Naples, mt. Vesuvius produced fertile land by blanketing the soil with tephra which aged into rich soil (N.S. Gill, 2012). The romans didn’t really change their type...
Words: 862 - Pages: 4
...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). | * Level plains for cultivation * Terraced farming on sloped * Built dams and...
Words: 730 - Pages: 3