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The Fall of Greece And Rome
Fall of Ancient Greece The downfall of Greece had a big thing to do with their geography. From the beginning of the Greek society, geography has been a drawback. Due to this, the city-states of Greece could never fully unite. These geographic boundaries would cause great social diversity, leading to different mindsets. The main rivalry of Greece was that of Athens, the Greek capital, and Sparta. Athens was all about culture and the aesthetic while Sparta was about military dominance. This finally caused the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. The war lasted 27 years and eventually resulted in a Spartan victory. They took control of Athens and gained power. From here,. Phillip III of Macedonia and Alexander the Great gained power of the empire. The empire was expanded to huge proportions by Alexander the Great until his army refused to advance any further. After his death, Greece began losing its territory at the borders. Through several wars, the Roman empire continuously took over control of Greece until roughly 31 B.C. when Octavian of Rome defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra, ending the period of Ancient Greece.
The Roman Collapse Unlike the Greeks, the Romans were very socially accepting. They accepted several different cultures and ways of life, even inheriting countless things from the Greeks, which they had conquered. However, this acceptance also lead to a mindset throughout all of Rome that the Roman Empire was the best thing there was. This was, almost similar to a cult, drilled into the minds of the Roman citizens. As to what caused the collapse of this mighty empire, there are several theories. There seemed to have been both internal and external forces that caused this world power to finally fall. Once the Roman Empire split in half to make governing easier, the Western half was immediately spotted as the weaker of the two. The borders were attacked from several spots and from there the land of Rome started to be chipped away at. This occurred until 476 A.D. when the entire western portion of Rome was ceased. This was when Rome first saw its rule coming to an end, which eventually came in 1453 A.D. As this was all going on however, Rome had several internal faults that did not help their cause. There were frequent assassinations, emperors who acted oblivious to Rome burning, paranoia of the people, and other political strangulations. The people had less importance for values or morals anymore. The public health was on a decline. The people also could not find any economic relief either. Both inflation and unemployment was very high. This made things very difficult too. It has been said that it is truly amazing that Rome had stayed around as long as it had, due to all of these faulty attributes of the empire.
Rome adopted many Greek things and ideas as their own.
After the prestigious and advanced civilizations of Rome and Greece, the Dark Ages were soon to follow. This was a time of social decline. Many things are noted with the Dark Ages. Such things include disease, lack of ethics, war, and torture. Most of these things in some way can be traced back to the falling of Greece and Rome. The Black Plague is what took over Europe. Said to have been started by an infected rat, it took out roughly one third of Europe's population in about three or four years. That is what set the tone for the rest of the Dark Ages. The Inquisition was also a negative thing of the Dark Ages. Morals and ethics were clearly gone, as the church would torture and kill people because 'they were withces'. This could have been seen from the falling of Rome, when the ethics of the empire went downhill. Also, the Dark Ages were full of barbaric invasions. This did not allow the civilizations to keep records anywhere close to Greece and Rome, due to constant fighting, as well as the burning of cities (which would burn written records as well). Also, art and literature almost dropped off of the map at this time. There was not enough free time and such to complete such tasks.
Stage Set For The Dark Ages
Ties To Today: Greece -Olympics: The Olympics, which were started in 776 B.C., are still held today every 4 years. They mark a time of peace and are a month of athletic events. The Olympic torch is still lit in Greece today. -Architecture: Greek architecture is still seen today. Their use of columns is still used. They are seen in use in many political buildings and monuments. Two examples are the White House and the Lincoln Memorial. -Literature: Greek literature is still used today. There are several stories, epics, and plays that have become well renowned. Greek mythology is still read today, along with several dramas. Homer is the most famous writer from Ancient Greece, writing the Iliad and the Odyssey
Impacts of Greece and Rome
Ties To Today: Rome -Roads: Roman roads were what held their empire together. The roads led to anywhere throughout the land and were very important. They are what 'paved' the way to today’s infrastructure. -Roman Numerals: Although they were a hindrance to the Romans advancing in mathematics, Roman numerals are still used today. They are seen on such things as clocks, outlines, and much more. -Rotunda: The Romans invented the architectural design of the rotunda. This is used in several things today, including Catasauqua and Parkland High School. -Democracy: The Romans also perfected the government of democracy. The people elect their officals. This is what the United States still uses today.
