Ancient Rome and Greece

[sam230891]

I have an essay to write on the subject of how ancient Rome and Greece have influenced modern Europe. I have some rough ideas of different things that can be traced back to the ancient times but was wondering if anyone has any information they can give me? Doesn't even have to be very detailed just ideas, every little helps :) the exact essay question is...

"What features of modern Europe have been traced back to Ancient Greece and Rome and are such comparisons justified?"

Thank you.

[bimbo123456]

Roads, democracy, underfloor heating, the Olympics, is that any help?

[scotman]

judicial system, drains etc.

[boxtops]

You do have other answers, sam, on the two identical posts you've already made...

[jno]

what have the Romans ever done for us?

Xerxes:
The aqueduct.
Reg:
Oh yeah, yeah they gave us that. Yeah. That's true.
Masked Activist:
And the sanitation!
Stan:
Oh yes... sanitation, Reg, you remember what the city used to be like.
Reg:
All right, I'll grant you that the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the Romans have done...
Matthias:
And the roads...
Reg:
(sharply) Well yes obviously the roads... the roads go without saying. But apart from the aqueduct, the sanitation and the roads...
Another Masked Activist:
Irrigation...
Other Masked Voices:
Medicine... Education... Health...
Reg:
Yes... all right, fair enough...
Activist Near Front:
And the wine...
Omnes:
Oh yes! True!
Francis:
Yeah. That's something we'd really miss if the Romans left, Reg.
Masked Activist at Back:
Public baths!
Stan:
And it's safe to walk in the streets at night now.
Francis:
Yes, they certainly know how to keep order... (general nodding)... let's face it, they're the only ones who could in a place like this.

(more general murmurs of agreement)
Reg:
All right... all right... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the Romans done for us?
Xerxes:
Brought peace!
Reg:
(very angry, he's not having a good meeting at all) What!? Oh... (scornfully) Peace, yes... shut up!

[DaisyNonna]

concrete

[Mosaic]

Broadly speaking, for centuries - say from 300 BC to 500 AD - these mediterranean cultures dominated our part of the world. Everyone around the edges of them wanted in on the action, fashion, wealth - and so you get greek/roman artefacts occurring in the non-roman lands even before Rome began its rapid expansion. Even after the roman empire slowly faded away, subsequent leaders constantly aspied to be 'Roman', because the bulk of learning, writing, systems and architecture were still leftovers from way back then.
Add to this the poerful influence of Christianity, which was adoptyed by the roman empire and became a thread linking its values and influences into following societies.
So I suppose I'm saying that an entity as extensive as this, that lasted so long and reached so many geographical areas, is bound to have a lasting impact on societies that follow after, especially when (as in Europe's case) these sunsequent societies existed in a time o massive social upheaval and economic slump. Greek and Rome became kind of fantasised golden ages when everything was bigger, better, safer.

[jake-the-peg]

One of the simple answers above is Democracy

Now the question is that justified?

The democratic period is Athens, it does not last that long - question? - do early European democracies draw inspiration from Greece?

Certaily doubt the Icelandics did, they have the earliest European parliament - Magna Carta? Peasant's revolt? UK parliament? doubt it mostly from a struggle for power between King, Arisocracy and rising middle classes.

You'd have to look at some other European models too

The Olympics are an interesting point case - very little commonality between the ancient and modern Games. The latter is a kind of fantasy version. That would make an interesting essay all on its own though.

I think you want to draw out the point that there is a signifiant cultural break betweem these reinventions and discuss whether they are truely linked or coincidental reinventions

[sammmo]

I read somewher the other day that the distance between the railway lines in england ..4ft 8 1/2 inches are due to the width of the behinds of 2 horses that used to pull the roman chariots.. something to do with the distance between the wheels on the chariot being the same width and the tracks in the roads left by these chariots.. don't know if its true or not..

[sam230891]

Thank you everyone for your answers, you've given me lots to expand on in my essay. Special thanks to jake-the-peg for dealing with the second half of the question that I didn't have a clue how to answer.

[sam230891]

Oh just one more thing, can anyone think of any examples of buildings in Europe that are clearly influenced by Greek and Roman architecture? Not including actual Greek buildings like the Parthenon but preferably something more modern? All I have is Lord Hills Column in Shropshire

[Ankou]

http://en.wikipedia.o..._Revival_architecture

http://en.wikipedia.o...ture#Modern_influence

[jno]

lots of things since the classical revival during the renaissance. St Martin in the Fields church in London for instance has a classical portico on the front of a medieval-style church with spire; this became a standard format for churches in New England, for instance.

http://www.christs.ca...n_fields-07-27-04.jpg

Anything with columns - the British Museum, for instance.

http://www.richard-se...ritishMuseumFront.jpg

[sam230891]

thank you both very much!

[jno]

generally... almost nothing came directly down to us from the Romans and Greeks. The "dark ages" intervened and much knowledge was lost (Islamic scholars preserved much of it, but it didn't feed back into Europe in general for centuries). Roman law clung on on the continent (but not in Britain). Christianity continued - not a Roman invention, but the Romans did adopt it and the Pope is still based in Rome.

[jno]

incidentally, we may have been doing okay building roads before the Romans turned up

http://www.walesonlin...omans-91466-28342826/

[jake-the-peg]

//Christianity continued - not a Roman invention,//

Really?

[jno]

uh... yes, really? What bit do you object to?

[Mosaic]

good eg of a building could include the harris public Library in preston - based on Hadrian's tomb jusdo a google search and you'll find loads of images.

[Mosaic]

I'm with Jno re Christianity not being a roman invention. It was clearly one of the many eastern 'exotic' cults that became fashionable in the western empire, along with Isis worship etc etc. The romans themselves couldn't initially tell jews and christians apart - it was all mystic eastern stuff to them. It was only the happenchance adoption of Christianity by the emperor Constantine that gave it any permanent footing in Roman law.

[jno]

I think if you ask anyone who the chief Roman god was they'll say Jupiter, not Jehovah. It was 380 before Rome became Christian, well past its heyday (and 80 years after Armenia did).

Nonetheless, Christianity began in the Roman empire - even if it wasn't actually Roman for a long time - and is one of the few things that has come down to us in a more or less unbroken line from those days. So you could argue that it is, or isn't, a Roman legacy; up to sam230891 to decide on that one.