25 Jan 2014
School
Department
Course
Professor
Origins Of The European Peoples
Greek and Roman Heritage 1/14/2014 11:30 AM
Europe As Territorial Grounds Of Classical Civilizations
Western Civilization
• Medieval Europe is the first Christian civilization in Europe
• Before Medieval Europe, the Greeks and Romans were not Christian
• Big emphasis on enlightenment
Greek Civilization
• The Greeks built an amazing empire around the Mediterranean, plus
some fringe areas, like Britain
• Aristotle
• Archimedes
The Greeks
• Centered their social and political life on the polis
• Agora
• Encouraged the principles of democracy, freedom, rationality and
agency (legacy of Western civilization)
• Encouraged participation, intellectuals, art
• Greek geography: Minoans (Crete) and Mycenaeans (Hellenic
peninsula)
• Later also Macedonia ruled by Alexander the Great
• Venus of Milo
o Venus = Goddess of love
The Romans
• Great architects and engineers
• Development of urban areas
• Development of agricultural techniques
• Hygienic improvement of population
• Aqueducts
• Baths
• Roman law
• Realistic Art (painting and sculpture)