Roman and Greek civilizations

Without discussing the Greek and Roman civilizations, there is no history. The past that laid the groundwork for the modern world as we know it today includes the earlier civilizations. Greek and Roman civilizations rose to prominence throughout the globe, and other later civilizations appropriated elements from them. Greeks are well known among western nations for being notable scholars and authors, in part because of their Hellenic culture. On the other hand, the Roman culture was established in Italy’s peninsular region around 800 BC. Roman culture started out as a dynasty before evolving into a republic, then an empire. The earlier Rome culture was motivated by the ancient Greece.

Greek civilization

The Greek civilization can be traced way back to the period of the foreign hegemony. The Greek civilization was based on the sound basis under the rule of effective leaders. The leaders were responsible for coming up with values and customs which are still being used by the modern societies. it is due to the good leadership which Greece had that made their civilization to flourish, and be remembered even today. Some of the leaders that had made some contributions to the Greece civilization include Alexander the Great. Alexander the great was the leader of the Greek kingdom of Macedonia. In the course of his reign, he built an empire that stretched from Greece to India. The construction of the empire changed the world. This is because, when the empire was under construction, the Greek ideas, as well as culture, were spread from the eastern Mediterranean to the Asian countries. This period is referred to as the period of Hellenistic. This word has its roots in the Greek word ‘hella zein,’ meaning ‘to speak Greek or to be identified with the Greeks.’ The Hellenistic period lasted from the death of Alexander till the Roman troops occupied the territory that had once been ruled by the Macedonian kings. With alexander’s death in 323 B.C, the lands he had conquered were divided among his generals.

The Greeks also practiced religion. To them, religion was important since it made their lives better. As a result, they believed in many Gods as well as goddesses (Scott 90). Most Greeks had a belief that God would take care of them both when they are still on earth and when they are dead. Similarly, they believed that the goddesses and gods they were worshipping had powers that could control everything on earth, starting from the winners of races and the waves and tides in the oceans. These gods had their respective functions .they also built temples which they used for prayers, offering sacrifices, and worshipping. They valued their goddesses and gods which were a reason as to why they organized festivals to honor their gods. In these kinds of festivals, animals could be sacrificed as gifts to their gods. Most of the festivals were large, in festivals of this nature, there were feasts with music, plays, and dances which were also accompanied with sacrifices. The temple in Greek was referred to as, Parthenon which had goddess stands. Their goddess had names like Athena, (who was the goddess of wisdom and war).

The Greeks had a belief that their goddesses and gods were dwelling in Mount Olympus .the gods that they worshiped included, Zeus, which was the ultimate leader of all the gods, Poseidon (the god of the sea) and Hermes the messenger. Religious activities played a significant role in bringing the Greeks together through religious rituals of animal sacrifices and festivities.

The Roman Republic

The Roman Republic was one of the three stages in the ancient Roman civilization. The government started with the overthrowing of the monarchy which had existed for quite sometimes. The Roman Republic was the largest civilization at that time. As the republic grew, its constitution started to weaken. With its size and population, corruption took center stage. Similarly, due to its decline in the economy, the Republic failed which led to the Octavian turnover. The Romans abandoned the monarchy and came up with the republican type of government. This took place in the 6th century. In this kind of government; the citizens were tasked with the responsibility of electing their representatives who ruled on their behalf. This enabled the city in its mission of conquering all of the Italian peninsula as well as some parts of the Mediterranean world. The early Roman Republic was under the rule of aristocracy. These aristocrats were referred to as the patricians. Similarly, the highest ranks in the Roman Republic were held by the two leaders who were known as consuls. On the other hand, a Senate comprised of patricians who were elected by the consuls. Individuals belonging to the lower class had no say in the government. Moreover, men and women in the Roman Republic were regarded as citizens. However, only men had the liberty of casting votes. The Roman Republic had various prominent leaders who were recognized for their distinct roles in the government and beyond. A good example is Marcus Porcius Cato. He was also known as Cato, the Censor. Cato was an orator and the first Latin prose writer of importance. He is well recognized for his traditional policies. He fiercely opposed the Hellenic policies.

The Roman Empire

Many would agree that the Roman Empire was in a real sense one of the most larger and complex civilizations to be witnessed in the western cultures. Empires that engaged in warfare with the Roman Empire suffered the ruthless as well as bloody consequences and were shown little to no mercy at all (Plutarch 78). From its initiation, the Roman Empire rose steadily and became one of the strongest empires in the western civilization. Its strength could be attributed to its sophisticated architecture, positive military, and the able leaders who had skills of leaderships. Being large, the Roman Empire was spread out all over much of the known land .in establishing the empire and enables it to grow; the leaders of the empire had to make use of some advanced and complex design. With the architecture utilized in the realm, it is, therefore, impossible to compare t with any other nations since the Romans applied design to various purposes.

The Roman Empire is a period immediately after the Roman Republic .the Roman Empire existed before the Byzantine Empire around 29 BC to AD 476.The Roman Empire marked the highest point of the Roman civilization. The Empire was superior to empires that had existed earlier. The Roman Republic acted as a foundation to the Roman Empire since it is what built it. This is because, in the course of the Roman Republic, a small group of individuals started from scratch and developed their systems which later grew into the Roman Empire (Suetonius 77). The Roman Empire was one of the widespread political and social structures in the course of the western civilizations. The empire later became too big, so it had to be split into two, the west and the eastern empire. Many leaders played significant roles in ensuring that the empire was a success. One of them is Augustus Caesar. Augustus was adopted by Caesar. Augustus Caesar fought for his throne. During his rule, he led the Rome’s transformation from Republic to Empire. During the festive years after the death of the adoptive father and Uncle Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar was very smart, and because of that, he combined his military valor, institution –building as well as law making and became Rome’s ruler becoming the founder of the Roman which meant Roman peace and an empire which lived for an extended period of almost 1,500 years. His long rule resulted in the massive expansion of the Roman Empire .it also played a significant role in the creation of a dynasty that over the next century was responsible for the transformation of Rome.

Conclusion

The Roman civilization was founded around 800 BC on an Italian peninsular. The Roman civilization began as a monarchy and later became a republic and then empire. The earlier Rome culture was motivated by the ancient Greece. The Greek civilization can be traced way back to the period of the foreign hegemony. The Greek civilization was based on the sound basis under the rule of effective leaders. The leaders were responsible for coming up with values and customs which are still being used by the modern societies.

Bibliography

Plutarch, The Fall of the Roman Republic: biographies of Marius, Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, and Cicero.

Scott-Kilvert, Ian. The rise and fall of Athens: nine Greek lives. Penguin UK, 2010.

Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars: biographies of Julius Caesar and the first eleven Roman emperors, Augustus through Domitian.