Romans And Greeks Comparison Essay

Rome VS Athens: The Battle of the Better System. With a population of about 45,000,000, the Roman Republic is located near the Mediterranean Sea, along with Athens, which had a population of approximately 300,000. So, who had the better system: Athens or Rome? Rome had a better system because, they had a more organized government, they allowed more rights, and allowed more citizens.

Rome and Greece were two extremely important and iconic ancient civilizations. They had some things in common, but they differed in most areas. With Rome being located in Italy, and Greece being so close they are often compared. From politics down to the culture that existed in these places, they differed in many ways, Rome and Greece had distinctive personalities, which was what made them both so unique in their own ways.

When talking about the culture in ancient Greece and Rome we are talking about two cultures that have had a major impact on today’s society. We are also talking about two cultures that have highly similar ways of life and or beliefs. One thing that both cultures had in common was that they believed in all the same gods. Although they did have different names for some gods, they all believed in what each god stood for and the myths that they had. For example, the Greek’s called one god Zeus while the Romans called him Jupiter. Another similarity between Greece and Rome was that they both practiced agriculture. Not only did both nations both practice agriculture but they even grew some of the same crops. A few example of crops that both the Romans and Greeks grew are barley, grapes, olives, wheat and so much more. Agriculture in Rome and Greece was essential to anybody was able to grow them. For

It has been known that the Romans and the Greeks have had many interactions with each other, whether it would be due to trading or just plain traveling, the stories of their myths have crossed each other in one way or another. This is may be the reason why there are many similarities between Greek and Roman Mythology. Even though a Greek god or goddess may have a different name in Roman Mythology they still performed similar tasks and were worshiped for similar reasons. I will compare and contrast Greek gods with their Roman equivalences to see how similar they truly are to each other. Probably the most famous Greek god, Zeus, was the god of all gods. Born to Cronus and Rhea, he was the ruler of the sky, and had

The Romans borrowed almost all of its mythology from Greece. The only thing the Romans changed was the names of the Greek gods. And the Greek gods lasted much longer Greece. That is another reason Greece was better than Rome.

The Greek and Roman social structures highlight the differences in their development and transformation. This includes gender roles and relationships, family and kinship, social and economic classes and racial and moral construction.

     The ancient Greek and Roman civilizations of Europe began to progress toward a more civilized order of society. As there were no previous establishment to base their ideals on, it was understandable that there were some difficulties in their progression as a society. Although the ancient Greek and Roman governments fell, both had similar paths of creation, conquest, and destruction.

​There are two main periods in Greece history, Hellenic and Hellenistic period. They have some similarities but they are significantly different. Many people believe that the Classical era is the most impressive due to the success in literature, science, philosophy and architecture, which does not mean that the Ancient Greece is less significant. While in Hellenic era they saw rising and falling of the polis in Hellenistic era it was more about war and fighting for among the prevailing dynasties. The thing that they have in common is that they were consistent in discovering new philosophies and science also decreasing the role of gods.

The Greeks and the Romans were two empires with similar goals, but contrasting government control. Within Greece were the Spartans and Athenians, which had two diverse governmental bodies. The Spartans were ruthless and focused on military success, while the Athenians lived off of a democracy and let their people decide what was best for the state. Close by were the Romans, who cared for their people liked the Athenians, but made acquiring land a necessity as to the Spartans. Although the Spartans, Athenians, and Romans were made up of different laws and government, they still kept control over their people for centuries to come.

In Roman religion it was crucial “to serve the gods and ensure goodwill” (The Roman Republic). The English word “Religion” comes from the Latin word “Religio” (Overview of Religion). Latin was the ancient language of Rome, but for the Roman’s the translation meant something very different from what we understand it as today. To the Romans, “Religio” translated to “ the fear of gods” (Overview of Religion). Romans invested much of their time serving the gods, performing rituals and sacrifices in honor of them. On the contrary Greek religion did not prefer to execute rituals as much as the Romans. Greeks were more lenient when honoring the gods. They did not have a theological dogma: a part of theology dealing with truths of faith concerning God and God's work. Their many gods had different purposes and works they performed. The Greeks relied more on the verbal spread of the religion rather than having a written form. Although different, both religions had forms of praising and honoring their gods. Greek and Roman religion have many differences and similarities that impacted each group of people.

The second major similarity between ancient Greek and Roman civilizations was that their citizens voted on who to make their elected officials, however the difference was that each culture differed in their definition of a citizen. The Greeks only recognized native-born males having the right of citizenship, women and slaves could not be citizens and therefore could not vote. The Romans on the other hand, recognized foreigners residing within Italy as half-citizens giving them full legal rights but not the right to vote. Greece mostly voted into office people of middle- to upper-class citizens, whereas Rome only voted in the rich 10% of their population. Even though history seems to show that the Greeks were more fair by randomly selecting citizens to run for office, the Roman government specifically chose who would run for election similar to our political race today where the Republican and Democratic parties choose who will be there candidates.

Aside from these physical differences, there is a difference in the goals between the Greeks and the Romans. In the first case what concerns the Greek city-states is limited to self-preservation if not individual fame and success. The Romans, on the other hand, were concerned with the success of the country as a whole; they knew that if the whole was successful, then the individual parts would also benefit.

Their religions however, were quite similar, their gods were practically the same but different names (except Apollo), same powers and all. The Greeks were obsessed with their gods building precise statues, with romans utilizing the flaws of the people in their statues. Something that was important that the Greeks lacked was a natural fresh water source. This was important for growing olives, olives were a valuable crop that could be traded for grains, meat, and other essentials. I think that Greeks impacted europe the most.

Another major difference is that Ancient Rome was a city, not a country like Ancient Greece. Rome, a city in Italy, is now only about 580 square miles (www.city-data.com , Advmeg Inc.), and houses the Vatican City right in the center. Greece is a country and is roughly 50,942 square miles (www.nationencylopedia.com , Advmeg Inc.)in size. As for art, the Ancient Greek’s art is very perfect and without the flaws of humans, but the Ancient Roman’s art shows ordinary the flaws of human beings. The Ancient Greek Gods were the models for the Ancient Roman gods.

The stories of our Greek and Roman heroes all share similar traits. Heroes or heroines tend to be born in an extraordinary way, (think of the DC Comics Superman, the sole survivor from the planet Krypton who was saved by his father and sent in a rocket to planet Earth), are often brought up by those who are not their birth parents, and go on to face a series of challenges or quests before they can claim what is rightly theirs. During their heroic careers they are called up to intervene in all kinds of human endeavors; such as battles between peoples, or wars between nations. They are also often conscripted1 into worthy causes, such the creation of a new town; laying the metaphoric foundations for what was to prosper into our contemporary major