Tanya Kazaryan 904 Brighton

Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome

Compared to the United States today, ancient Rome and ancient Greece had very odd traditions. For example, if you killed your parents in ancient Rome, you would be sewn up in a sack with a dog, a rooster, a viper and a monkey and then thrown into the sea. The United States today though just puts you in jail from 5 years to lifetime. The ancient Greeks and Romans created many things that are a big part of our lives today. The Greeks developed the first democratic government, the first alphabet with vowels, and the first Olympic games. Ancient Greece and ancient Rome had many similarities and differences in terms of geography, religion and social life. Greeces total area is about 50,000 square kilometers. Most of Greece is full of hills and mountains. The tallest mountain in the country is Mount Olympus, which was the home of the twelve Olympus gods, including Zeus, in ancient Greek mythology. There are around 1400 different islands, 227 of which are inhabited. Unlike the geography of ancient Greece, the geography of the ancient Rome was constantly changing because the Roman Empire kept acquiring new territory. At its largest, the Roman Empire covered 6.5 million square kilometers and had a population of 50 to 90 million. Rome began as a small settlement along the Tiber River in Italy. At its height, it included the entire Mediterranean region. The Roman Empires success was rooted in its geography. The hills and mountains of Rome helped protect it from invaders; the sea

was an important source of food and way to travel; the mild Mediterranean climate was pleasant and allowed the Romans to have a longer growing season. The ancient Greeks were polytheists, which means that they believed in many different gods. Some of the major gods and goddesses were Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite, Ares, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Athena, Hermes, Demeter, Heracles, Hestia, Asclepius and Hera. In ancient Rome, politics and religion were very close, so many religious leaders were also political leaders. They were also polytheistic. A very important part of ancient Roman religion was praying and sacrificing. They often sacrificed animals and sometimes even sacrificed humans. Like the Greeks, the Romans believed that the gods controlled different parts of the world. Romes equivalent to Zeus was Jupiter. Even though the Romans had their own gods, such as Juno and Minerva, they began to admire the Greek gods and many Romans adopted those as well. Toward the fall of the Roman Empire most of the citizens were Christian. In modern-day Greece most people are Christian as well. The majority of people from ancient Greece made their living from farming. Women werent allowed to be a part of public life or politics, so they were stuck in the house doing domestic duties. Men often trained in the military, discussed politics, or went to the theater for entertainment. There was also a lot of inequality in ancient Rome. Women were treated as inferiors, and there were many slaves. Women couldnt vote, divorce, or possess their own things. Romans were very interested in theaters, circuses,

amphitheaters, and public baths. They constantly tried to entertain themselves. Many things that we use today come from ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The Greeks invented maps and even democracy, the current form of government of the United States. The Romans made other important advances - aqueducts (the first above-ground transportation system for water), concrete roads, socks, different shoes for left feet and right feet, and indoor plumbing. Thankfully, modern day people have much more equality than in these ancient nations, as well as more comfort, no more slavery or violent fights to the death in arenas, and a better quality of life.

References 1) http://library.thinkquest.org/26602/domum.htm 2)http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/greece.htm 3)http://www.buzzle.com/articles/interesting-facts-about-greece.html 4)http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/11/15/the-weird-roman-punishment-thatinvolved-a-sack-full-of-animals/ 5) http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Main_Page/