The past is as crucial as the present and the future. For human beings, their past help to define who they are today and who they will become in the future. The same philosophy is true for civilizations because humans form these societies, which is why many traditions and customs of past cultures prevail in modern day societies. The cultures that mostly influence Western culture, in particular, are the Ancient Greeks and Romans through the remnants of their literature, system of government, and architecture.
While few Greek and Roman literature survived the passage of time, the ones that have endured are meticulously preserved. It continues not only in the corporeal sense, such as texts exhibited in a museum or kept in an archive, rather, they are
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The addition of magistrates who administered the law (praetors) and juriconsultants (experts with the law), made sure that the spirit of the law was above personal squabbles and the letter of the law; meaning, the law was ever evolving in nature, taking into consideration of the individual’s needs, instead of being taken at face value (Fiero 73). This concept is chiefly used in the American government since its formation in 1776. Many cases throughout American history have bore witness to the changes in regards to the nature of justice, such as the case of Plessy v. Fergusson and, later on, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka—which the latter overturned the former. This example shows the fluidity of the perception of justice. The overturn of Plessy v. Ferguson by Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, exhibits the shift in attitude by citizens and their perception of justice. The ambiguity of the system is the source of its continued use in present day judgments; as people change, the rules that regulate them must adapt as well or else there is a conflict of
There are really only two ways that history can withstand the test of time; that is for stories to be passed down to each generation by speech, or for those stories to be written so they can be cemented in history for eternity. Much to all of what is known about Rome and the ancient world has been traveled down by great works of art and literature. More importantly, the feelings towards each one of these cultures is essentially a direct product of what is read. This only stresses the importance of Livy and Aeneas’ literary works about the pre-history of Rome.
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.
Greece most definitely contributed to the influence on western civilization along with the other cultures at the time. Greece in itself is known as the father of many known and honored teachings and methodologies. Whether it was the architecture, math, science, or just Greece itself the classical Greek period, was home to many commonly used techniques in the modern world. Things like democracy, geometry, and even the Hippocratic oath used by doctors are all still relevant in western civilization, a grand total of 2300 years later. Greece is commonly known for the impressive architecture and buildings erected during the time of the Athenian ruler Pericles.
Even though there is the existence of many cultures in the ancient world, the Greeks and the Romans had the most importance on American and European civilization. Ancient Greek and Roman civilization have made many lasting benefactions to western civilization. Benefactions such as law, religion, sports, and trade are current in western civilization because of Greece and Rome. Their contrasting perspectives rest primarily upon political systems and engineering progress, but there are also several limited dissimilarities that individualize these two societies.
Every culture and society arises from some previous form. In this course we have analyzed how societies affect each other, and how civilizations adopt or adapt to differing environments and peoples that they are exposed to. The Roman Republic/Empire is a great example of this process.
The cultures and traditions of ancient Rome and Greece played a major role in influencing modern day western civilizations, particularly in the practices of art, literature, architecture, philosophy, and especially real-world politics. Today’s impressions on our government as a democratic republic were inspired heavily by both ancient yet fundamental governmental structures. Many of our values such as the inclusion of citizens in the electoral process, as well as a heavily monitored government, stem from both societies, including certain aspects of the judicial system. Our country’s founding fathers have all earned a traditional education. Following America’s independence, they began to formulate their own unique ideas about the new world, all the while learning, adopting, and implementing ancient Roman and Greek ideology. Upon the creation of the United States government, our forefathers included elements of Greek and Roman culture. The country of Greece was originally never a distinct nation, as local cities formed individual political consensuses referred to as city-states. Each one was separated by tumultuous terrains of land and developed their own individual government. Corinth, one of the most powerful cities in Greece, was an oligarchy – a major city-state ruled by powerful political leaders. Some took part in a hybrid form of a republican government, such as Sparta, who at times answered to up to two kings, numerous nobles, and a Spartan assembly consisting of
The cultures and traditions of ancient Rome and Greece played a major role in influencing modern day western civilizations, particularly in the practices of art, literature, architecture, philosophy, and especially real-world politics. Today’s impressions on our government as a democratic republic were inspired heavily by both of these ancient yet fundamental governmental structures. Many of our values such as the inclusion of citizens in the electoral process, as well as a heavily monitored government, stem from both societies, including certain aspects of the judicial system. Our country’s founding fathers have all earned a traditional education. Following America’s independence, they began to formulate their own unique ideas about the new world, all the while learning, adopting, and implementing ancient Roman and Greek ideology. Upon the creation of the United States government, our forefathers included elements of Greek and Roman culture. The country of Greece was originally never a distinct nation in itself, as local cities formed individual political consensuses referred to as city-states. Each one was separated by tumultuous terrains of land and developed their own individual government. Corinth, one of the most powerful cities in Greece, was an oligarchy – a major city-state ruled by powerful political leaders. Some took part in a hybrid form of a republican government, such as Sparta, who at
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.
The ways that Ancient Greece influenced our Western civilization were the most powerful in imprinting our society. These imprints range from very diverse areas such as philosophy, art, sports, politics, poetry, math, history, science, and architecture (Veldman). This influence was mainly because of the leadership and contributions of Athens. Over time these imprints have gone through various modifications and mixtures with non-classical and non-Greek traditions. The West was very lucky that Ancient Greek experimented with democracy and public forum.
Isaac Roufs History 9 Mr. Hazuka 10/11/16 Influence of Ancient Greece on Modern Society Did you know democracy came from ancient Greece? Ancient Greece influences our lives today in many ways. Many systems and technology they developed are still used today. The ancient Greeks continue to influence our lives today in at least three ways: democracy, architecture, and medicine.
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
Much can be said about the Greeks and their contribution to Western Civilization greatly and how they paved the way. The Greeks subsidized Western Civilization greatly, contributing areas of architecture, government, and many more. The Greeks built the Parthenon, a temple dedicated the infamous goddess Athena, who they viewed as there patron. The famous temple has columns and groundwork that characterizes Greek architecture. The architects were concerned with conducting a sense of perfect balance to reflect cooperation and order in the universe. They were the first to think of the idea of democracy, a system in which people govern themselves rather than being ruled by a king; they also valued beauty and imagination.
Religion was present, personal, and direct in all areas of life for the ancient Greeks. “They worshipped many gods whom they believed appeared in human form and yet were endowed with superhuman strength and ageless beauty” (“The Ancient Greek World”). The Greeks also believed that by pleasing their gods, they would take care of them after they died. Small things, like prayers, to big things, like animal sacrifices, are just some of the rituals ancient Greeks performed for their god. The poems by Homer and Hesiod were a major influence on religion back then (“The Importance of Homer”).
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece. Modern scholars refer to, and study, the myths, in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.
Ancient Greek made many advances during their time in many subjects still used today. The ancient Greeks advances in these subjects, influenced and contributed to the Western civilization. The Western civilization’s culture and outlook on life was shaped by ancient Greek. Many things the ancient Greeks created were the basis for what we use today, including, architecture, art, dramas, math, science, and philosophy.