Greek culture, Roman culture and the roots of Europe

Greek culture

Greek culture, Roman culture and the

roots of Europe

Wang Lei 201097087

Greek culture

As we all know, ―Europe‖ first was a Phoenician princess who was kidnapped by Zeus in the disguise of a bull. But ―Europe‖ for the ancient Greeks also became all countries to the West and to the North of Greece, just like all countries to the East were named ―Asia‖.

So, whatever geopolitical developments the continent has gone through in the last 2500 years, Europe owes its very name to the Greeks. That is already an important reason to celebrate our Greek legacy. But more important is that so much of what we would today call European Civilization, European Culture and European Heritage has its roots in ancient Greece.

The concept ―Europe‖ has been hijacked during many periods of history – for a very long time by the Catholic Church (―Europe‖ = Christianity with Rome at the centre), later even by persons like Napoleon and Hitler. But Europe as an Idea of Democracy and Human Rights was revived in the Enlightenment and now, after the terrors of World Wars and the fall of 20th Century dictatorships, represents the ideological basis for the European Union. To many citizens it may not be very attractive to have a bureaucracy in Brussels as the carrier of these strong and noble values but if we wish Democracy, we will have to accept a certain amount of bureaucratic structures implementing democratic decisions.

The tradition of philosophy in Ancient Greece accompanied its literary development. Greek learning had a profound influence on Western and Middle Eastern civilizations. The works of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers profoundly influenced Classical thought, the Islamic Golden Age, and the Renaissance.

Most western philosophical traditions began in ancient Greece in the 6th century BC.The first philosophers are called "Presocratics" which designates that they came before Socrates. The Presocratics were from the western or the eastern colonies of Greece and only fragments of the original writings of the presocratics survive, in some cases merely a single sentence.

A new period of philosophy started with Socrates. Like the Sophists, he rejected entirely the physical speculations in which his predecessors had indulged, and made the thoughts and opinions of people his starting-point. Aspects of Socrates were first united from Plato, who also combined with them many of the principles established by earlier philosophers, and developed the whole of this material into the unity of a comprehensive system.

Aristotle of Stagira, the most important disciple of Plato, shared with his teacher the title of the greatest philosopher of antiquity but while Plato had sought to elucidate and explain things from the supra-sensual standpoint of the forms, his pupil preferred to start from the facts given us by experience. Except from these three most significant Greek philosophers other known schools of Greek philosophy from other founders during ancient times were Stoicism, Epicureanism, Skepticism and

Greek culture

Neoplatonism.

Although ancient Greek Democracy 2500 years ago did not last long - only about one generation - and although women and slaves were not included in the democratic procedures, this experiment remains a strong and relevant model. The great philosophers had diverse opinions. For instance Aristoteles was an advocate of a Democracy as opposed to Monarchy, whereas Plato was more sceptical towards the experiment which had been tried in various cities just before his lifetime. But their comments on these events, on governance and on Society have guided us until today.

The Greek world is widely regarded as having given birth to scientific thought by means of observation, thought, and development of a theory without the intervention of a supernatural force. Thales, Anaximander and Democritus were amongst those contributing significantly to the establishment of this tradition. It is also, and perhaps more commonly in the western imagination, identified with the dawn of Western Philosophy, as well as a mapping out of the Natural Sciences. Greek developments of mathematics continued well up until the decline of the Byzantine Empire.

Remains of ancient Greek architecture exist in the form of documentations. The Greek architecture of today follows modern trends. Their work was appreciated for many years. Lacking proper preservation, the paintings vanished after 4th century A.D. Many of the ancient Greek buildings have been destroyed due to wars and earthquakes. Parthenon is an ancient temple built for the Greek Goddess Athena, who is believed to protect Greece. The Parthenon is a very important surviving temple of Greece. The Greeks used pottery in their daily lives. Metal vessels made by the Greeks laid the foundation of bronze working technique. The Greek coins of today derive their patterns from those of the ancient times. Panel and wall paintings were among the noted expressions of art by the Greeks. Greek sculptures often portrayed their Gods and Goddesses. Greek art has inspired artists of many countries around the world.

Because of the ravages of history, only a minor assortment of ancient Greek art has survived - most frequently in the form of sculpture and architecture and minor arts, including coin design, pottery and gem engraving. Greece also has a rich history of contemporary art from the revolution onwards.

The philosophers and mathematicians, the architects, the artists and sculptors, the authors and playwrights, the actors and singers are all immortal and have presented us with inexhaustible sources of wisdom and creativity. This enormous cultural heritage – material as well as non-material – is what ancient Greece gave Europe and the rest of the world. It is worth noting that, particularly through the long Byzantine period, Greek law, Greek music and arts and the Greek language survived millenniums of political turbulence and foreign rule and that Greek culture today is a continuation of classic Greece. In a historic perspective the values and the cultural heritage is what

Greek culture

remains, not the political intrigues and economic calculations. This is probably still true for Europe today.

And the presence of Rome is still felt daily in the languages, the institutions, and the thought of the Europe as well.

Latin, the language of the Romans, remained the language of learning in the West long after the fall of Rome. It was the official language of the Roman Catholic Church into the 20th century. Latin was adopted by different peoples and developed into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. These languages are called Romance languages because of their common Roman heritage. Latin also influenced other languages. For example, more than half the words in English have a basis in Latin.

Visitors from all over the empire marveled at the architecture of Rome. The arch, the dome, and concrete were combined to build spectacular structures, such as the Colosseum. Arches also supported bridges and aqueducts. Aqueducts were designed by Roman engineers to bring water into cities and towns. When the water channel spanned a river or ravine, the aqueduct was lifted high up on arches.

Because Roman architectural forms were so practical, they have remained popular. Thomas Jefferson began a Roman revival in the United States in the 18th century. Many large public buildings, such as the U.S. Capitol and numerous state capitols, include Roman features. Roman roads were also technological marvels. The army built a vast network of roads constructed of stone, concrete, and sand that connected Rome to all parts of the empire. Many lasted into the Middle Ages; some are still used.

Rome’s most lasting and widespread contribution was its law. Early Roman law dealt mostly with strengthening the rights of Roman citizens. As the empire grew, however, the Romans came to believe that laws should be fair and apply equally to all people, rich and poor. Slowly, judges began to recognize certain standards of justice. These standards were influenced largely by the teachings of Stoic philosophers and were based on common sense and practical ideas. Some of the most important principles of Roman law were:

All persons had the right to equal treatment under the law.

A person was considered innocent until proven guilty.

The burden of proof rested with the accuser rather than the accused.

A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts.

Any law that seemed unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside.

The principles of Roman law endured to form the basis of legal systems in many European countries and of places influenced by Europe, including the United States of America. Rome’s Enduring Influence By preserving and adding to Greek civilization, Rome strengthened the Western cultural tradition. The world would be a very different

Greek culture

place had Rome not existed. Historian R. H. Barrow has stated that Rome never fell because it turned into something even greater—an idea—and achieved immortality. As mighty as the Roman Empire had been, however, it was not the only great civilization of its time. Around the same period that Rome was developing its enduring culture, different but equally complex empires were emerging farther east. In India, the Mauryan and Gupta empires dominated the land, while the Han Empire ruled over China.

Western civilization is generally seen as the heritage of ideas that spread to Europe and America from ancient Greece and Rome. Some historians observe, however, that Western civilization does not belong to any particular place—that it is the result of cultures coming together, interacting, and changing. Still, the legacy of Greece and Rome can be seen today.

The diagram below shows how ancient Greek and Roman ideas of government, philosophy, and literature can be traced across time. As with many cultural interactions, the links between the examples are not necessarily direct. Instead, the chart traces the evolution of an idea or theme over time.

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