Three ancient civilizations contributed most to Western society. These ancient cultures were the Romans, Greeks, and Judeo-Christians. Although all three had a major impact on our life today in areas such Philosophy, Art, Architecture, Education, Military, Family Life, Government, and many more, it is evident that the Roman civilization has impacted Western Society beyond the other two. But to come to this conclusion you must first look at all aspects of life of all three cultures. The Judeo-Christians were highly religious people. In fact, almost all of their contributions to today are moral principals or religious. Although Jews lived in Judea, which was a Roman province since 6 AD, the Jews continued to be …show more content…
The Greeks gave unique art, literature, philosophy, schooling, and a passion for sports that are widely copied and still in use today. There were three very important Greek teachers whose ideas had a major impact on the West. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all have a legacy and taught new ideas that were a breakthrough for that time period. The ancient Greeks were the first people to believe in individual dignity and achievement. Citizens were free men, able to live their lives to the fullest. However, the Greeks denied rights to women. The Greeks were known as Athenians for the city of Athens. The Athenians based their morals on man. They loved the way the man’s mind could reason, beautify, and could take advantage of physical skill and grace. Their architecture, sculptures, paintings, and literature all were masterpieces of man. Greek religion explains the Athenian view of man. The Greeks worshiped gods, who resembled humans, the only difference was that they were more beautiful, skillful, and more intelligent. Some of these gods were Aphrodite, Hermes, and Athena. They only could hope to be as beautiful, intelligent, and skillful as their beloved gods were. All the gods had great powers over man and nature. The military history of Greece also explains its high regard for man. The Greeks fought with foot soldiers, not cavalry like earlier civilizations. Farmers
a lasting effect on the world. In one way or another Greek and Roman civilizations have
Growing up as a citizen of ancient Greek and Rome being raised to follow Greek and Roman mythology caused the ancient people to believe that they must act and behave like the gods. In creating this ideology, the people developed same personality and behavior habits as the gods in various myths. But even as the myths were written, the personalities of the gods and goddesses reflected the average human in that time period. The gods were so much like humans that it was normal to behave like them. Ancient Greek Philosophy stated “the gods depicted by Homer acted selfishly and were driven by emotions such as favoritism and jealousy. They behaved like ordinary people except they were immortal and had supernatural powers.” Unlike other religions were the gods have never sinned and are very different from humans, the gods in ancient Greek mythology make mistakes and commit horrific crimes that in today’s society would be highly unacceptable. For the people, it is a lot easier to be human and make mistakes rather than try to be perfect and sinless.
Historians have long considered Ancient Greece to be one of the most influential societies on modern day life. Ancient Greece has inspired the modern world in five main areas: theatre, government, philosophy, art, and architecture.
The Greek civilization contributed greatly to the development of modern Western culture. Three of the most important contribution that are the foundations of our society are Language, Philosophy, and Government.
Greece influenced roman societies and modern day societies politically as explained in documents 1, 2, 4, and 6. Greece was the first ancient civilization to have a democracy. The basic rule for roman society law system was displayed in the twelve tables. (Doc 2) Many western civilizations adapted this law system as well as other ideas from the roman 12 tables which influenced western societies immensely. The document explains a quote that we still use in modern society which is “every man is innocent until proven guilty.” Octavian Augustus states that after he dies “the foundations which I have laid for its future government will stand firm and stable” the Greeks invented an idea of a ruling senate which today is known as democracy. (Doc 4)
The ancient Greek have also contributed and influenced in the area of philosophy. Many famous philosophers have created the basis for what we use today. For example Pericles, a Greek philosopher, believed that citizens, freeborn men over eighteen, had an equal opportunity to serve their country.
The Western world was highly influenced by the ancient Greeks. The Greeks changed the way the world looks at art, math, architecture, philosophy, sports, and drama. Without the ancient Greeks, the modern world would not be the same. Men such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle changed the way we look at philosophy. The Athenians created the first known democracy, setting the stage for future governments. The Euclidian Theorem and the Pythagorean Theorem among others made mathematics easier and more developed. Even current architecture can be traced back to the Parthenon and other pieces of Greek architecture. The Olympics even started in ancient Greece, creating one of the finest traditions the world has ever known. Without the ancient
Ancient Greeks have had an significant influence on the western civilization. Greeks were the roots of many important contributions to modern culture. They were home to multiple beginnings in philosophy, architecture and medicine.
The Roman Empire was one of the most influential civilizations in history. They contributed in the rise of Christianity, the geography was a favorable factor in Rome and to their economy, however, their government is what ultimately lead to their decline of the empire.
Ancient Greece, specifically Athens, kept the same opinion of women and their mythology, but changed the way they governed the city-state. Athens had a generally low opinion of women; they were not given the basic rights that men were. Greek Mythology was constant through the empire, even through the Peloponnesian War and the wars with Persia. But, the government changed from one similar to a tyranny to a democracy.
“Greek civilization is alive; it moves in every breath of mind that we breathe; so much of it remains that none of us in one lifetime could absorb it all.” Ancient Greeks are known to be one of the greatest and most advanced people and have left behind a legacy that helped define the Western civilization. Cultural diffusion helped spread Greek culture all over the world, and its effects can still be felt today in almost every aspect. Greek culture has greatly affected different parts of my daily life including architecture, food, government, inventions, music, religion, and education.
Classical Greek culture had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of the Mediterranean region and Europe. Greek culture influenced the development of Roman civilization because at first Rome absorbed ideas from Greek colonists in southern Italy, and they continued to borrow from Greek culture after they conquered Greece. Ancient Greece has had an enormous amount of impact on culture in the western world. For this reason, Classical Greece is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of Western civilization. Rome conquered the Greek empire and its civilization, but Greek culture conquered imperial Rome. Furthermore, the Romans willingly
Greece has contributed to our history in battle and in mythology. They came up with all sorts of tactics and strategies to help them advance in warfare. They had iron weapons, a phalanx and so much more. People always hear stories about Sparta and Athens battling. There are tales of Persia and the Underdogs. We hear of invasions and wars. But most of all, we hear of victories, and celebration. We hear about economies being rebuilt and jobs being restored.
While both Roman and Greek cultures greatly influenced Western Civilization, Greeks contributed more to the western world than the Romans. The Greeks used their own ideas and thought of new ways to add to their culture, while the Romans mostly mixed and matched ideas from other civilizations and cultures to make their own. The Romans took up the inheritance of the Greeks adapted it to their own language and national traditions. (Grant 2)The Greeks introduced many new ideas and traditions, the most important being democracy - Athenian democracy in particular.
Ancient Greece society is very similar to the modern day society because it both did one common thing which is the essence of the culture remained same throughout the centuries even though technology, fashion and Western influence have brought some changes to it. Some things that made their culture and customs so rich were the art, architecture such as sculptures by famous artists, paintings and infrastructure. Greeks were very advanced in sports and art which made their daily life more interesting and meaningful. Greek enjoyed rich food and mixed music and dance as part of their meal. One of the most important things about Greek culture is their religion such as gods who they prayed to and temples where they prayed. Even though we don’t