...Introduction In Ancient Greek, there was no center government nor empire to control the city-states. Instead, each city-state was self-governed resulting in many different format of governments. These different formats of governing developed independently in different city-states and was experimented by these entities for their success if not could be changed. This paper will compare and contrast, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy as forms of government in Ancient Greek city-states. Monarchy Monarchy which is a system of governing that power is sovereignty held by a single person was not very popular in Ancient Greek but was practice by some city-states. The most popular monarchies were those of Mecedonia and Epeiros and the...
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...Greek and Roman Civilization, Written Assignment 2 Compare & Contrast: Government Types in Ancient Greece The ancient Greeks were enthralled by many aspects of life, such as art, philosophy, and warfare, just to name a few. They differed on a great many subjects as well, but it could be argued that the one thing that was prevalently discussed among them was how should the people be ruled and by whom? Like all things in the history, the ancient Greek city-states did not settle on one conclusion to this question. Instead, they devised and implemented a wide array of forms for governments over many centuries. These conclusions ranged from absolute power in possession by one person to governing powers being split amongst the masses. There were five forms of governance that were notable during the era of ancient Greece. They were the monarchy, aristocracy, tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy. Some of these government types were quite akin to others, but ultimately, there was always something that each had that made them distinctive from the others....
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...Aristocracy (Greek ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, from ἄριστος aristos "excellent," and κράτος kratos "power") is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule.[1] The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best".[2] In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy. In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group (the aristocratic class), and contrasted withdemocracy.[1] ------------------------------------------------- Concept The concept evolved in Ancient Greece, whereby a council of famous citizens was commonly used and contrasted with direct democracy in which a council of male citizens was appointed as their "senate". The Greeks did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld.[1] In Rome, the Republic consisted of an aristocracy as well as consuls, a senate, and a tribal assembly. Later, aristocracies primarily consisted of an elitearistocratic class, privileged by birth and often by wealth. Since the French Revolution, aristocracy has generally been contrasted with democracy, in which all citizens hold some form of political power. However this distinction is often oversimplified. In Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes describes an aristocracy as a commonwealth in which the representative of the citizens is an assembly by part. Simply put, a government when only a certain part of the general public can represent the public. Modern depictions...
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...The Ancient Egyptian Government valued their gods and brought order to their civilization using their religion and the government itself. This system that the Ancient Egyptians used is what we now call a theocratic monarchy. Firstly, how does this policy work? A theocratic monarchy is a government system where the king rules by the command of the gods, in this case, the king being the Pharaoh. Religion and the government were woven tightly together for the Ancient Egyptians, and they believed that the Pharaoh was the representative of the gods, and at one point in time, was also believed as a god in human form. Since they believed that the Pharaoh had some kind of bond with the gods, they gave him, or even her, numerous responsibilities. Secondly, the social hierarchy of Ancient Egypt brought stability to their civilization because of how each level of the social hierarchy worked together. Starting at the very top of the social hierarchy, the different levels consisted of the Pharaoh, viziers and high priests, royal overseers, district governors, scribes, and finally, artisans, farmers, and labourers(See Fig....
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...Polybius: "Why Romans and Not Greeks Govern the World", c. 140 BCE ________________________________________ Polybius (c. 200 - 110s BCE) was born into a prominent family in Greece and served as a leader in the Third Macedonian War against Rome. After losing to Rome in the Battle of Pydna (168 BCE), he was deported, along with 1000 other Greeks, to and held captive in Italy. Despite his status as an enemy detainee, Polybius became a friend of the family of Scipio Aemilianus, one of Rome's most remarkable and well-connected politicians. In honor of his new home and new associates, Polybius composed a history of Rome's rise to world power in the course of his own lifetime. As an outsider, Polybius may have misinterpreted Rome's imperialistic moves in the Mediterranean, and he may have exaggerated the organizational genius of the Republic and its leaders. However, his famous analysis of Rome's "mixed constitution" has influenced political thinkers for centuries, and it was standard reading in the Age of Enlightenment, when the American Constitution was created. It is important to remember, however, that the Roman Republic, unlike that of the United States, did not have a standard document that could be used as a reference; the word "constitution" in Rome's case was meant in a general, non-textual sense, as the "make-up" or "organization" of Rome's public affairs. Source: Polybius, Historiarum reliquiae (Paris: Didot, 1839), VI, iii-xvii, 338-48, passim; trans. and condensed...
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...COMPARISION OF GREEK AND ROMAN CULTURES Element Greece Rome Art The Greeks developed 3 design elements. These elements were Corinthian, Ionic, and Doric. They also used pottery as an important form of expression and storytelling. This showed different aspects of their culture throughout the ages. The Romans were fond of using statues, paintings, and mosaics in their culture. The inspiration for these forms of expression came from the Greeks. The statues were purposely designed to tell stories of their history and culture. The Greeks used small figures as well as life size statues among other materials to tell of their culture, especially their heroes and gods, important event events, and culture. Roman statues were significant in telling of the history of the culture. Government The main forms of government in ancient Greece were Tyranny, Monarchy, Oligarchy, and Democracy. Kings were the first rulers of Greece leading way to Democracy. The first rulers of Rome were kings however the Romans developed a government which allowed citizens to elect their own consuls (officials). After years of this the power of the consuls gave way to an emperor. Philosophy There were three main contributors to Greek philosophy, Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. The basic philosophic thoughts were based on subjects including ethics, logics, and rhetoric. Romans were influenced by the philosophical writings of the Greeks. Lucretius, Cicero, and Seneca were some of the first Romans...
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...of small figurines and life-size statues. Showed the beauty of the human form in nudes and combined realism and idealism. | Had sculptures and statues. Mosaics were popular because they were created a desired look. | | Sculptures created told stories of heroes, Gods, mythical creatures, important events and the culture of Greece. | Sculptures designed for the purpose of telling the significant history of the culture. | | Pottery was another form of important art. Architecture typically more rectilinear and of post and lintel construction. | Created paintings. Buildings they mastered were ones that had arches and domes. Made concrete better. | GEOGRAPHY | Greece land is covered with many mountains. It is a peninsula composing of even smaller peninsulas on its land. | Rome was located near the Mediterranean Sea and the volcanic mountains. The land is composed of large hills made of tufa rocks. | RELIGION | Built temples. Temples were ornate on the outside and plain on the inside. Worshiped many Gods like Zeus, Hera, and Apollo. | Temples built were ornate inside and outside. Worshiped female deities’. Among those worshipped were Jupiter, Pluto and Venus. | GOVERNMENT | Three main governments: Monarchy, Oligarchy, Tyranny and Democracy. By having democracy as a form of government, power was in the hands of all the people. | Kings governed early Rome but later developed a government that allowed them to govern themselves. Citizens...
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...by force from the Romans. They were more sophisticated and more advanced then the Romans. | Both are Mediterranean countries that started out as city-states. Greek city-states were separated by hilly country sides and all near water.Rome was inland and there were no hill sides to separate and no boarders (Gills, 2011). The East is bordered by mountains and the West is bordered by the sea. | Romans had an Empire that was due to the response of threats against them. The army that was formed would be the cause of the uprising of the empire and in the end its downfall. | Government | Monarchies (Kings)Oligarchies (Aristocrats)Tyrannies (one Aristocrat with power over the other Aristocrats)Democracies (Gave power to the poor people) (Carr, 2011). | Originally both countries were ruled by kings (Monarchies). In Greek civilization their government evolved into what we know today as a democracy (Gills, 2011). | Monarchy (King) Consuls (2 Men rule) Senators (Advisors to the Consuls) Prefects (Run the city) Tribunes (Speak for the poor) Assembly (All men grown, free and of Roman citizenship who vote on issues and elect the Consuls, Prefects and Senators) (Carr, 2011). | Society(Social Class) | Slaves Servants and Laborers)Freedmen (Divided between Metics and Citizens)Metics (Born foreigners)Citizens (Athenian Parents)Women (Social class specified by husbands static) | Both societies had slaves and thought little of the Women in their society.Greeks separated classes by birth. Romans...
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...| 1. Like marble when dealing with sculptures. 2. Love the Doric and Ionic style of architecture. An example of the Doric and Ionic style architecture style or design is the famous temple of Parthenon. 3. Interested in perfection as it relates to art. 4. They were interested in mythology and focus on that when it comes to art. 5. Greek art were “good” | 1. Liked to use cement and concrete to make their sculptures. 2. They adored the Corinthian style or design for sculpture. 3. Interested in reality when it comes to art. 4. For art, they were interested in historical event and actual people when it comes to their art. 5. Roman art were “Mastery”. | | Government | 1. Various forms of governments due to city-states being geographically divided. 2. Forms of governments (Monarchies,...
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...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 of government that much. They pretty much stayed the same throughout the years. “From 500 BC to nearly 1500 AD for two thousand years, Roman government had more or less...
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...cultural elements of comparison and contrast: geography, government, economy, art, philosophy, religion. Furthermore, the graph below will go into more detail in all of the subjects discussed above. Greece Roman Geography Some of the Greek poleis or city states as they were called where naturally separated by the sea from the mainland. Now the mainland was very mountainous. Geographically, Rome was built on seven hills on the east bank of the Tiber River. The lower lying areas were prone to flooding. Government Greek governments were divided in groups by the great Aristotle, and are still used today by historians, into monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies, and democracies. Rome was ruled by kings at the beginning of their time. Then it became a republic with emperors of royal blood and a senate and an assembly. Economy The Greeks since their poleis where unreachable by land they were reached by sea. Thus in the early part of the history of Greece the main source of economy was through fishing and trading. Later led onto agriculture and the growing of wheat. Romans where known for their trading and were also known for taking slaves from all of the wars that they had from the expansion of their empire. Therefore, the people of Rome had grown a custom to slave labor. Art The Greeks where known for the art form of perfecting the human body. They were known for sculptures and other famous art works known as ideal artistic form of art. The Roman people were engineers. Concrete was...
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...Greek and Roman Cultures Greek Culture Greek and Roman Culture Roman Culture Art Greek Temple Architecture was an important form of art in Early Greece. The Greeks developed three architectural systems/orders known as the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Each one was distinctive in its style and design. Greek Pottery was another important form of art in Early Greece. The paintings on the pottery found from early Greece has survived for centuries and these pieces give a glimpse into the culture and lives of Early Greece. Sculpture consisted of small figurines and life-size statutes (such as the Statue of Kouros). Sculptures were created using marble, limestone, stone, and other materials. The sculptures created told stories of Heroes, Gods, Mythical Creatures, Important Events, and the culture of Greece. Greek Art and Sculpture derived from Romans. Roman Statues were developed from copying the art from the Greeks. Statues were made of gods and important leaders. Their statues showed a great sense of skill and originality. Roman sculptures were designed for the purpose of telling the significant history of the culture. Besides the sculptures, statues, and paintings in Rome, Mosaics were also popular. Mosaics were made with geometric shapes of stone and placed in different shapes to create the desired look. Geography Greece is a peninsula that is composed of even smaller peninsulas on its land. The land also is covered with mountains. This landform made it difficult...
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...Hellenic world. While Alexander the Great was learning from his Athenian tutor, Rome was putting down Latin rebellions. Even under Roman rule, Athens was favored for its ancient accomplishments. Rome may be the Eternal City, but it is simply a backwater pretender to Athens. Democracy is probably Athens most well known characteristic, but it was not always that way. Like every other Greek city during the Mycenaean period (1500-1200 B.C.E.), Athens was once ruled by a king. Little is known of Athens during this period, though the archeological record combined with popular myth from later periods may give us an insight. The names of several legendary kings of Athens have come down to us: in particular Erectheus, the first king, who was believed to have established the worship of the goddess Athena on the Acropolis, and Theseus, killer of the Minotaur, who (according to the Greek historian Plutarch) unified Attica (Connolly 10). Legend tells of many kings in Athens during the Mycenaean period, but no evidence has been found to validate any of these mythical, heroic monarchs. Evidence of a wall around the Acropolis and traces of a Mycenaean palace do confirm the notion of a Bronze Age monarchy, however. Mycenaean Athens, like every other Greek city, vanished not long after 1200 B.C.E. The disappearance of Mycenaean civilization is...
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...The definition of a revolution is an “overthrow of government” or the “overthrow of a ruler or political system”. This term is generally used to describe an uprising by a disenchanted mass to overthrow existing ideology and practice and bring about major political, economic, social or cultural change in a society. Revolutions are mainly caused because of social and economic inequalities between classes causing the oppressed masses to become disillusioned with extreme excesses of the ruling classes. They then come together and revolt against the existing ruler or regime, often in a bloody movement. This is certainly true when describing the French Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution, which not only brought about regime change through violent mass mobilization, but also overhauled the social, economic institutions of the time. So a revolution is essentially a struggle in which the holder of a power loses that power against their will. Aristotle’s view on revolutions was rather confined than its modern day interpretation. He suggested the doctrine of ‘stasis’ as a reason for revolution and decline of institutions, ‘stasis’ being an arrest of the political processes of a healthy polis leading to its political system breaking own and degenerating into violence and internal warfare. For him, the condition that led to all revolutions was the desire of the many for equality versus the desire of the minority for effective superiority. In an overview of Book V of ‘Politics’, it can...
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...Unit 1 IP Introduction to Humanities By Amber Brooker Abstract In this essay, I created a chart to compare and contrast elements of early Greek and Roman cultures. Greek/Roman Comparing Chart Category | Greek | Roman | Art | Greek Temple Architecture was an important form of art in Early Greece. The Greeks developed three architectural systems called Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Each one was distinctive in its style and design. Greek Pottery was another important form of art in Early Greece. The paintings on the pottery found from early Greece has survived for centuries and these pieces give a glimpse into the culture and lives of Early Greece. Sculptures were important too, they consisted of small figurines and life-size statutes. Sculptures were created using marble, limestone, stone, and other materials. The sculptures created told stories of Heroes, Gods, Mythical Creatures, Important Events, and the culture of Greece | Roman Statues were developed from copying the art from the Greeks. Statues were made of gods and important leaders. Their statues showed a great sense of skill and originality. Roman sculptures were designed for the purpose of telling the significant history of the culture. Besides the sculptures, statues, and paintings in Rome, Mosaics were also popular. Mosaics were made with geometric shapes of stone and placed in different shapes to create the desired look. | Geography | Greece is a peninsula that is composed of even smaller peninsulas...
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