Greek and Roman civilizations Essay Example

Greek and Roman civilizations Essay Throughout history there have been many great empires. But none have made a greater impact than the Greek and Roman empires. These empires began as small city-states, and grew to become the powerful empires we know today. The Greek and Roman empires were not always enemies, considering the Romans were greatly Influenced by the Greek culture. The two collocations shared many similarities, but had different opinions on government operations. There are three different periods that span the history of the Greek and Roman empires; the Hellenic, Hellenic, and Roman civilization. I will thoroughly examine the differences in religion, philosophy, societal struggles, territory expansion, trade, commerce and the decline of each time period of these civilizations. Hellenic Period The Hellenic period is often referred to as the Age of Classic Greece. The Age of Classic Greece started in 507 B. C. E. And lasted until the death of Alexander the Great In 323 B. C. E. This was a time of war, conflict, and evolution. The conflict started when the Persians attempted to take Greece. The Persians Intended on expanding their empire and they turned their eyes onto Athens. After several battles the Athenians and the Spartan worked together to defeat the Persians, ending the war in 449 B. C. E. After the war the Athenians began to focus on their politics, economy, and culture. In 507 B. C. E an Athenian nobleman named Calisthenics created a new system of citizen self-governance called democratic. In this early democratic system, every male citizen that was older than 18 was able to join the alkies, or assembly. Alkies was the governing portions of Athens. Other legislators were chosen at random, not by election. We will write a custom essay sample on Greek and Roman civilizations specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Greek and Roman civilizations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Greek and Roman civilizations specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer During the Persian war. Athens was also able to protect their distant Greek territories from Persian influence by creating an alliance names the Delia League. After the war the Delia League helped push Athens into the great Imperial powerhouse they are known for. The Hellenic age also relied heavily upon Its dominating culture. During the Age of Classic Greece many Athenian artists and thinkers emerged. Artists and philosophers of this time have made many important contributions to the way western civilizations are ran to this day. The teachings of philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle have dominated thought for husbands of years and continue to remain relevant to this day. The artists of this time built many temples and sculptures to worship the gods. The polytheistic Greek religion played a major part in the Hellenic period. Anyone who so much as questioned or allegedly questioned the existence of the gods was subject to the death penalty. Even with all of these cultural advancements the Athenians were unable to keep political stability, bringing on the Peloponnesus war. The Spartan took up arms against the Athenians and they were no match. The defeat of the Athenians brought disorder to the former empire, allowing the Macedonian King Phillip II and Alexander the Great to conquer Greece. Hellenic Period The Hellenic period was essentially the expansion of the Hellenic period. The word Hellenic comes from the word Hellenize, which mean to speak or identify with the Greeks. Before Alexander the Great passed away, he built an empire that I OFF was created in the span of 13 years. Alexander the Greatest generals split his entire empire up after his death, creating three dynasties called the Eclectics of Syria and Persia, the Ptolemaists of Egypt, and the Antagonist of Greece and Macedonia. These three dynasties were not united, but they did have many things in common. All of the Hellenic states were ruled by Kings who only desired riches and popularity. The dynasties worked hard to create trade relationships that spread all throughout the empire formally known as Alexandria. They made sure to put their wealth out on display, building elaborate sculptures, making huge donations to museums and zoos, creating extravagant sculptures. The people flowed smoothly throughout the Hellenic kingdoms mainly because they spoke and read the same language. No matter where a person came from in the Hellenic regions, they were able to communicate with anyone. Even with everyone connected there was still social disorder due to the sudden change in government policy. People were actively involved the self-governed democratic government of the past. Now that citizens were once again living in impersonal empires ruled by bureaucrats, they started to feel alienated. The Hellenic art and literature expressed the feelings of the citizens. They began to sculpt and paint actual people as opposed to the gods their ultra was so centered around. The citizens also began to Join random religions that promised immortality and individual wealth. Even Hellenic philosophers focused their time on preaching about individual happiness and pleasure. The Hellenic period was an age ruled by commercialism and cosmopolitanism. The Hellenic age ended at the Romans feet when the Roman Octavia defeated marc Anthony in the battle at Actinium. Roman Empire The Roman history began with two deem gods known as Romulus and Reams. Romulus and Reams were the twin sons of Mars, the god of war. Roman history dates that Romulus eventually killed his brother Reams and was the first king of Rome, named after himself. As Rome continued to develop it lost its monarchy style government in 509 B. C. E and developed into a republic known as the Republic of Rome. Under the new republic government Rome continued to develop both culturally and technologically. Rome was even burned to the ground in 390 B. C. E and ended up rebounding and taking over the entire Italian peninsula. Rome was involved in a series of wars known as the Punic Wars with Cartage, which was another powerful city-state in northern Africa. They ended up defeating Cartage in all three wars and expanded their republic. This expansion lead to the Romans coming onto contact with more advanced cultures like the Greeks. Romans benefited greatly from their contact with the Greeks, adopting their art, philosophy, and religion. After contact with the Greeks, the Romans began to develop their culture exponentially, creating political issues. As the old ways of government began to fall to the waste side turmoil and violence began to brew within the Republic. Warlords began to dominate Rome and fight against each other for total domination. Rome changed forever when a man named Octavia rose to power by conquering all of Romeos provenances. Octavia was the first Roman emperor and assumed to role of Augustus. The Augustus restored Rome to its former glory and ended all of the corruption that had taken place before. He ushered in a new era for the Romans by However as developed as their culture had become the Romans could not escape themselves. After the first Augusts passed, Romans were plague by civil wars. These civil wars lead to inflation and the loss of providences one by one. Rome unfortunately collapsed under its own weight. Unable to properly defend itself Rome fell to a German prince named Advocacy, who won control over the Roman army in Italy. Conclusion Great civilizations have come and gone through Greece, leaving an impact throughout history that maintains relevant today. These cultures started out as small city-states, developing into great empires. The impact that these cultures have had on our western civilization is undeniable, from art, literature, to the development of our culture. These cultures paved the way for the many cultures that followed.