Ancient Rome & Greece

Comparative Essay
Ancient Greece & Rome

        Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations have made lasting contributions to the western civilization. Although Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome were similar to the fact that they made significant contributions to today's society in the areas of government, architecture, and the arts; Ancient Greece focused more on depicting a perfect image and a structured lifestyle while Ancient Rome was a more war like society because of the spontaneous outside invasions which caused them to have no option but to strengthen their military power and expand their government. Also during the unification of Rome, some of Rome's culture was based off of Ancient Greece traditions.

        Women were still inferior to men but there was an extent to how their lifestyle was in Ancient Greece and Rome. Since education was really important to them, despite their difference, girls were still able to learn and participate but it was also very limited. The women received no formal education, in Greece, but were able to get tutored when they were young. They were taught how to do the work that was expected of them along with making clothes and blankets when they were young. Arranged marriages happens in Ancient Greek which implies that women were considered as property and inferior to men. Their only duties were to stay at home and manage the house, slaves, and children. However, women in Ancient Rome had responsibilities to manage the household, discussing family issues, and purchasing food. Although the father contained all the power, mothers were not pushed aside. Towards the end of the Roman republic, women were able to have political influence, could own property, and were able to accept inheritances. Both empires  had different aspects of how they treated women and their roles to society.

        Both empires were polytheistic therefore they worshipped the same gods and goddesses. The only difference is that the Greek gods and goddesses had a Roman name. For example, Athena, goddess of war, her Roman name is Minerva. This was because since they don't have one central language. Greek used Greek and the Romans used Latin. People would still hold temple ceremonies and processions to honor the gods, despite of the names. They would also hold rituals and sacrifices in their daily lives because they felt like they needed to praise and please the gods. Greeks felt as if religion was the only way to explain nature, emotions and how it gives them the benefits of life while the Romans be intent on achieving harmony with the gods. In the Greek life, there were oracles, which was a person or a thing to help them communicate with the divine, and told anyone who was walking about their prophecy. Religious was used for the Romans to help them unify their state while the Greeks used it to get a better understanding of why things are the way things are.