One of the most important topics in the chapter is the origins of the Roman culture. The discussion of the Etruscan culture helped show its influence on the development of the Roman culture. An example given is through the architecture that the Etruscan culture used and the Roman developments from that culture. The Tuscan order pedestal displays the Roman culture using an early form of the Tuscan order pedastal used by the Etruscan people. This use can be demonstrated through the comparison of the Etruscan temple and the Temple of Portunus in Rome. Another origin of Roman culture lies in the Greeks. An example of this concept is through the display of concepts from the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer in the story Aeneid by Virgil. The origins
Herodotus’s The Histories uses the culture of different peoples as a category of historical explanation in order to explain the entire story behind the conflict between the Greeks and the Persians, though his conception and account of culture has been a topic of debate for many decades. Herodotus’ method when exploring the culture of other peoples is to compare them to the known culture, his own culture, of Greece. Through the comparison of ‘the other’ to Greece, Herodotus not only explains the culture and traditions of other countries or people, but he also affirms Greek identity by constantly comparing or relating to Greek customs in order to show the likeness or stark differences of cultures. Many scholars have, however, criticized Herodotus for doing this; naming him an ethnocentric for introducing all other peoples and cultures as inferior to his own. This essay will seek to expose whether Herodotus is an ethnocentric or a cultural relativist by exploring the ways in which Herodotus refers to ‘the other’ and the customs and culture of these people. Through the exploration of the Egyptians and the Scythians in Herodotus’s The Histories, this essay will determine that Herodotus’s conception of culture develops from a cultural relativist perspective rather than an ethnocentric point of view, where he uses his own well-known culture as a basis for explaining other cultures and customs, while respecting their difference as being of equal value in their own land, as Greek
For my final project, I will compare two pieces of art and show the comparisons and differences that they have in the Greek ancient period and the modern period of the same theme “the representation of the Trojan war”. The visual work art is a bilingual art because it was made with the participation of two artists, Andokides (Red figure) and the Lysippides (Black figure) and it is titled “Achilles and Ajax Playing a Dice a Game”. It was painted in 525–520 B.C in Greece and it represents the ancient Greece. The literary artwork I will consider is The Iliad, an epic poem by the ancient Greek poet Homer in 750 BCE. I will compare both artworks and connect them to the contemporary period debating the similarities and differences that the poem and the ceramic have and how they influenced our modern world, which help the creation of the film Troy led by Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom in 2004.
Both the Odyssey and the Aeneid describe the journeys of the two Greek heroes –Odysseus and Aeneas, as they struggle towards their goal through the crises and deadly situations caused by the wrath of the gods upon them. In the Odyssey, we see that Poseidon (god of the sea/earth shaker) has a grudge against Odysseus while Athena, god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved by Juno during his mission to find a new land- Rome, whereas Aeneas’ mother Venus aids him.
Homer’s epic poem, “The Odyssey” reveals many aspects of ancient Greek life and culture through character and plot. Through each of the tales circling the life of Odysseus and the Greek people, Homer depicts the history, legends, values, and merits of the ancient Greeks. Greek culture is known to be one of the most flavored and thorough in history, and each facet of it—from religion to ideology to mentalities and beliefs.
Thesis: The Greek influence of outstanding culture, gods, and their beautiful art to the Romans’ they took this inspiration on to their own creation. Both ancient build devotion to their gods they would bring the most precious things to them temples, however, they would focus on making large empire to rule and to take control of their city-states.
In Chapter 1, the author assesses the unique and eternal achievements of 5th century BCE Athenian culture. She introduces several basic dichotomies that define her understanding of the writers and events of the period in the later chapters.
The two stylistic periods represented in this study, are the Geometric period and archaic period leading into the early Classical period. The Geometric period was a time of renaissance that took place around 900-700 BC (after the fall of the Mycenaeans.) This was a time where the Greek Islands were experiencing growth, urbanization, and political division, as well as exploration of new lands, trade, and a stronger development of written and spoken language. Homer’s epic tale the Iliad was believed to be written around this time. The Geometric period gave rise to a greater amount of worship of multiple gods, creating the need for more temples to store votives (such as the Mantiklos Apollo) that were dedicated to these deities. The geometric period can be identified by their use of repeated registers of geometric shapes on pottery, and symmetrical and triangular shapes in sculpture. Most sculptures and pottery at this time were formulated using bronze or terracotta. The second style is from the late archaic/early
Regardless of the time frame, Virgil’s Aeneid and Homer’s epic the Iliad share both a copious amount of similarities and differences. For example, many common themes such as heroism, fate, and destiny are apparent in both works. Within the Aeneid and the Iliad, it is seen that the wars going on during that time were glorious that is why the role of gods were significant in leading both Aeneas and Achilles and influencing fate. In both texts, it is clear from the beginning that the role of the gods is to make Aeneas and Achilles fulfill their journey The Iliad focuses on the end of the Trojan War and the damaging power, while the Aeneid is focused during the aftermath of the war and underlies the foundation for the new civilization. This paper will address and argue the comparison of the role of gods and how each of the authors representation of the gods have influence on the lives of mortals.
During The Iliad we see the warrior ethos as being the main ethos, but as we transfer to The Odyssey we see the transformation from warrior ethos to domestic ethos. Furthermore, the novel is based on domestic ethos and how home affects the warrior. Throughout The Odyssey we see Odysseus trying to make his way home after the Trojan War. On his adventure home he goes through trials and challenges before he actually makes it home. He has to outsmart people to be able to get where he wants to with out dying. This task is not easy but eventually he makes it. Moreover, we realize that warrior ethos is not the major ethos represented in the novel. It is domestic ethos. Odysseus learns how to use the domestic ethos to his
Romans’ plagiarizing Greek culture is considered by an increasing number of people, particularly Greeks since both of cultures are so similar to each other. Some people considered that Roman litterateur, especially Virgil, who is the writer of The Aeneid, absorbed Greek culture and diverged from precious compositions by specific way. As far as I am concerned, Virgil diverged from precious depiction of war and heroism by differing plot of his works from Greek writers’ and creating opposite characters’ personalities, such as arrogant and self-sacrificed, ambitious and courageous. To begin with, one way that Virgil used to diverge from previous work was that he created different plot. The plot of The Aeneid consisted of more elements than that of The Ilias, since The Aeneid contains not only description of The Trojan War but also relationship and love
De Fabianis, Valeria Manferto, ed. Ancient Rome: History of a Civilization that Ruled the World. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1996Grant, Michael. The Founders of the Western World: A History of Greece and Rome. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, Maxwell Macmillan Int., 1991Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven, Eng.: Yale University Press,
In the discourse of literature, every tale presents a story with a hero. When it comes to culture, the author displays a heroic character as someone who demonstrates ideal characteristics that are based on the story’s historical background. These ideal attributes can include heroism, honesty, selflessness, and confidence. From Virgil’s tale of The Aeneid, Aeneas is portrayed as the protagonist and hero of the tale. Within this story, Virgil shows how the Roman culture is valued through Aeneas’s actions of heroism. His example of presenting the value of Roman culture to the reader is by illustrating the concept of romanitas. In the Roman culture, romanitas can be expressed in Latin as “roman-ness.” Though it is known to be a combination of
The sport of gladiatorial combat and the practice of foretelling the future by studying the entrails of animals or the flight of birds went back to the beginnings of the Etruscans. Two of the most famous myths the Romans told about the founding of Rome itself has been drawn back from the Etruscans: that involving Aeneas of Troy and that involving the infant twins Romulus and Remus. Aeneas of Troy links Rome with the Homeric world and the world
Focusing on two of history’s most notorious mythologies, Greek and Roman, one may believe that they are exceedingly comparable; however, beyond a first glance, it is clear that each system is extremely distinguished. The Roman Empire, developed nearly a millennia following the great, Greek Trojan war, was highly influenced by the elaborate Greek myths of gods, goddesses, monsters, and mythical creatures. Their captivation of Greek culture bore a permanent effect on the Roman Empire, as Rome adopted much that defined Greece, including its art, philosophy, literature, drama, and most importantly, mythology. However, despite their indistinguishable origins, Roman and Greek mythologies prove to be very individualized.
Throughout history art has consistently reflected the cultural values and social structures of individual civilizations. Ancient art serves as a useful tool to help historians decipher some important aspects of ancient culture. From art we can determine the basic moral and philosophical beliefs of many ancient societies. The differences in arts purpose in Greece and Rome, for example, show us the fundamental differences in each culture's political and moral system. The primary objective of Greek art was to explore the order of nature and to convey philosophical thought, while Roman art was used primarily as a medium to project the authority and importance of the current ruler and the greatness of