Greek Empire And Its Influence On The Roman Empire

The Ancient Greeks have had a profound influence in the modern world, They are much described as the Mecca of Western civilisation. They have had many influential ideas that were braught forward and expanded by the Romans. The Ancient Greeks were surprisingly modern and much ahead of their time. They started to think, colonise, hypothesise and create when most of the world were still subsistent farmers and belonged to small villages. The Greeks formed some of the earliest cities in the world and most are still inhabited today. The Greeks were able to evolve such a complex way of life, because of their relative isolation, while still being able to be in direct connection between other great civilisations, such as that of Istanbul and the Egypt. This would have profoundly influenced the way that the Greeks thought. This new thought pattern lead to the "Greek Golden Age", where the Greeks were at peace and led to an unparalleled advance in art, architecture, democracy, colonisation and wealth. This would have greatly influenced the countries that Greece colonised or had contact with.

The Greeks and Romans had a long and complicated relationship with one another, as source A shows that the two cultures "intersected, coincided and often collided" They had an incredible relationship that is incomparable to that of other civilisations. This has led people to often group the two civilisations and call it the "Greco-Roman" sphere. This is a unique fusion of cultures from the both, that entailed borrowing of ideas from each other from multiple spheres of interests such as political, mythological, social, architectural and academic. Professor Garland said there was "an unbreakable tie" between the two. He poses the question of what Rome would have been like without the Greeks and what would we really know about the Greeks if it were not for the Romans? Source B shows that the "Greco-Roman" culture was not just the belonging of the one civilisation or the other, but shared amongst the two and enriched by the ones contribution to the other. The relationship between the Greeks and Romans was comparable to that of the British and Americans, as the British laid down the cultural and academic foundations, but the US has drastically improved on them as we would not nearly know as much about the world and Universe were it not for the Americans. Only once this essay unpacks the series of events that occurred in the "Greco-Roman" world, can we see the intense sharing of ideas.

The Greeks were only able to be so advanced because of their key position in the Mediterranean. Source D shows this as they were close enough to witness the other great civilisations of the Mediterranean and trade with them, but still far enough from them as to prevent wars and sieges. They were close to Persia (Iran), who were leaders in the academic fields of astronomy and mathematics, Egypt who were brilliant builders and planners. The Greeks could trade freely with the civilisations, such as cheese and wine for wheat. This location, trade and peace allowed the Greeks to flourish into the "Golden Age" where Greece was wealthy and prosperous. This allowed them to become an advanced civilisation that would ultimately influence the Romans and shape the modern Europe, Americas, Australia & New Zealand.

When the Romans were at their peak of conquering the Mediterranean Basin, the Near East and Europe they were not really that civilised as compared to their Greek counter-parts way of life. Source C indicates this, as the Romans saw something special in the way that the Greeks operated and wanted to use their findings in their own lives. The Romans were quick to accept and learn from the Greek culture, in an effort to improve their own civilisation. This created a sharing of almost every ideal, although the Romans had a tendency to mostly copy and contribute slowly and much later. There was sharing from all aspects of life, from Deities to politics.

The Greeks had a brilliant political system, as they were the first to adopt a democratic system of governing. This was a really modern feature as it was not until 2000 years later that the churches and absolute monarchies gave way from an autocratic system to a democratic one. Source D shows that the Greeks had a fair and justified political system. Where every person (free male) was able to cast a vote and have a say in the countries future. The public could set laws or punish people for crimes. This revolutionary new system was able to transform the way that the Romans looked at politics. Causing them to create a Republic, as they had previously a crude dictatorial and torturous political system. This was able to further inspire countries in the modern world to adopt the "Greco-Roman" political system. Source F shows that countries, such as the US were able to draw on the strengths and weaknesses of the systems, by making changes that suited the country's population and time. Many countries sought after this new political system and were prepared to wage a civil war to gain equal rights and equality. Most countries have based their political systems upon that of the US, who based it upon their adaption of "Greco-Roman" politics as they were taught the "classical education" system. This political system is the best one to have, as an individual could be elected to make difficult decisions that benefit everyone.

The Greeks began to establish a diverse economy, which was based on imports and exports. Source C shows us that trade was quickly established, as a cause of most of the population in Greece were farmers and fishermen. They had an ability to exploit natural resources, which allowed for trade to occur amongst other nations along the Mediterranean. The Greeks had an abundance of certain products and not enough of others, so they traded with their neighbours. They Greeks were quick to establish a monetary way of trading, where they would trade in coins that held a certain value to make trading more fair. This system was quickly established by the Romans thereafter, and has been used around the world ever since. Once connection was made, the Romans completely changed their ways of economics. Before, trade was very minimal and bartering was still used. The Romans saw great potential for wealth in trading with other nations. Subsequently, the farmers started to increase their productivity, craftsmen, potters and metal smiths made more quality and luxurious items in order to trade and export. This allowed for the Roman Empire to expand and allow Rome to become the administrative capital of the Roman Empire. The Romans were able to greatly build upon the introduced economic system, as their acquired wealth allowed them to conquer greater tracts of lands. This made the Romans adapt their more simple introduced