Originally founded as a trading post for the Etruscans, Rome was located along the Tiber River. Much of the early civilization’s success can be credited to the agricultural resources of the Italian Peninsula. Wheat and barley were harvested not only for consumption, but also for barter and payment for governmental taxes. The precious metal mines of Sicily also provided resources for additional growth and development. Other resources of the area include olive trees and grapevines, which were introduced and cultivated by Greeks living within the empires boundaries (Acrobatiq, 2014, p. 46). In contrast, ancient Greece’s terrain proved to be difficult. The area was covered in rugged mountains and valleys filled with rocky soils. This was less-than desired for the production of prominent crops like wheat, but an ideal location for the growing of grapes and olives. The Greek civilizations instead focused on nautical trade, gaining authority of the most competitive waterway and natural resource of the time, the Mediterranean Sea (Acrobatiq, 2014, p. 40). Part B: Cultural Characteristics Grecian culture was greatly integrated into Roman life. Combined with ancient Italic religion and Etruscan ceremonies, as well as Greek and non-Greek gods and goddesses, the Roman cultural was largely polytheistic for many years (Acrobatiq, 2014, p. 51). Many deities existed, touching on virtually every aspect of daily Roman life. Some of these gods and goddesses included Vesta and Janus, who
Rome is located on the River Tiber, so from it has good trade access. It expanded to cover the Italian peninsular the Alps in the north formed a natural barrier against the French. It provided easy access to the southern part; it allowed trade to flourish with the Greek colonies already there. Rome had taken over the majority of the Mediterranean the natural geographical barriers formed borders. The mineral wealth of the Mediterranean basin also formed trade alliances.
The cultures of Rome and Greece celebrated philosophical and religious thinking in various forms. The Greek and Roman religions were polytheistic and included Gods that created natural phenomena. Both religions had a God of Gods who possessed ultimate power and ruled over various capricious Gods. They both included Gods of the hunt, metalworking, war, nature, the ocean and many other human activities and forces of nature. Many Greco-Roman aristocrats searched for meaning outside of religion with philosophy. Thinkers such as Aristotle and Cicero believed strongly in balance and modesty. The Stoics stressed discipline and bravery while Socrates encouraged thinking independently.
One example, of a positive of the geography of Ancient Greece was the hot, dry climate that as stated in Document 4 was perfect for growing olive trees. Olive trees were important because they were valuable, for from olive trees the Greeks could make olive oil which according to Document 4 could be used to trade for goods that were not available in Greece
The failure of Rome’s economy contributed majorly to the fall of Rome. The Roman Economy during the late Republic and Early Empire was based heavily on Agriculture and Commerce. Agriculture in ancient Rome was not only a necessity, but was idealized among the social elite as a way of life. Cicero had considered agriculture to be the best of all Roman Occupations (Sarudy). There had been a lot of trading between the provinces of the empire, and all regions of the empire were largely economically interdependent. Egypt was also important in providing wheat to Rome. Shipments of Egyptian wheat may have amounted to 20 million modii (an Ancient Roman measurement) or more annually. Twenty million modii of wheat was nearly enough for up to half
One way was the sea. Athens was located on the Attica peninsula so they were surrounded by water on three sides and Athens built its naval supremacy of Triremes. The Triremes gave Athens control of the Mediterranean Sea so they controlled trade and gained the name the “Big Olive.” A lot of the battles of the Persian war were fought with navies and the Trireme allowed for them to win the narrow straits of Salamis. The sea also greatly impacted economy. The Ionian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Aegean Sea connected all of the land and islands of Ancient Greece so they could trade with one another. The Sea also allowed for travel and they could trade with other countries like Egypt. They could make a profit for their natural resources and benefit from obtaining resources that were not natural to Greece at the time. The biggest impact geography had on Greece was the land. The land was dry with only 20% arable land and it was extremely mountainous. The mountains ran from the northwest part of Greece to the southeast part along the Balkan Peninsula. Due to the dryness, the Greek city states were constantly looking to expand their land and the mountains caused each city state to be spread apart. This made them have decentralized governments. Also due to the mountainous geography, there were over 1000 Greek city states including Athens and Sparta. Land also was on Sparta’s side during the Peloponnesian
Despite all their similarities, The Greeks and Romans engaged in substantive culture differences. Their religions derived from a complex set of gods and goddesses, called deities, who were seen as regulating human life. Since the Romans embraced culture from the Greeks, many traditions were the same. However, the Greek and Roman culture, although similar, are very different and appealing. For instance, the Greeks did not acknowledge an all-powerful god; they believe that deities controlled everything that transpired on earth. In other words, the Greeks sought religious cults to explain the forces that shape the world (Bentley et al, 2008 p.143).
The civilians of Ancient Greece had to be resourceful. Most civilizations had rivers to channel, irrigate, and predict. Ancient Greece is a series of islands. This means that the people of Ancient Greece had to learn to live on the ocean. They had to deal with being more vulnerable to land attacks as they were used to battling with ships. And they also had to deal with huge ocean storms. These storms could destroy a new society with no notice. (Acrobatic, 2014)
Roman Empire was a very successful empire that expanded all around the Mediterranean Sea. Romans are very popular because of their rebellious attitude and bravery to get what they desired. Before expanding, the original city of Rome was located along the Tiber river. The Tiber river was a very important river during this time and still is respectable. The Tiber river provided transportation. The Tiber river was used as a passageway for resources
Greece’s economy was primarily based on the trade of grapes, cereals, and olive oil. However, because of natural constraints, production soon proved insufficient to satisfy demand. The olive tree and grapevine were the main sources for economic growth, as well as the cultivation of herbs and vegetables. Sheep and goats were the most common types of livestock. Woods were heavily exploited, first for domestic use and eventually to build triremes. Bees were kept to produce honey, the only source of sugar known to the ancient Greeks. Since it was so labor intensive, agriculture employed up to 80% of the Greek population.[5] Ancient Rome was a slave-based economy whose main concern was feeding the vast number of citizens and legionaries who populated the Mediterranean region. Agriculture and trade dominated the Roman economy, only supplemented by small scale industrial production.5 This was a similarity between Greece and Rome because Greece had to adapt to the demands of their own economy, and trade, while Rome had to do the same, but to a greater extent because their main concern was to feed the people of their empire.
Rome had many rivers, which made it possible for lots of trade to keep their economy working. Unlike in Greece , the soil of Italy was fertile and provided much land for crops to grow. Trade was very necessary in Rome, so they used slaves to gather and work on their crop farms.
Shortly, economic, political, and social cooperation between the Greeks and those around them became compulsory and similar. As shown in the Greek Colonization Map (chapter3) the procedure of Greek settlement became stronger on the coasts of Anatolia lastingly changing the cultural geography of the Mediterranean world and the swap of cultures from the Greek to others and vice versa, as a fast result of trade. The western shores of Anatolia held the Greek culture strongly for the following thousands of years. A large amount of Greeks settled in southern parts of Italy which the Romans called Magna Graecia “Greater Greece.” The hunt for bazaars, possessions, and trade paths indorsed more understanding between cultures. Trade involving long distance was significant for a new arising economy but also the pipeline for concepts, and technical growth. Egyptians admired Greek’s pottery and wool while, the Greek’s revered the Egyptians Canaanite glass, and amulets. As seen in Egypt And Its Neighbors Map (Chapter 2) this led to a greater mutual
In both Greek and Roman civilizations, mythology played an important part in their empire’s success. Both of these civilizations were polytheistic religions. Likewise, they had major and minor gods and goddesses as part of their religion as well. However, since the Roman Empire conquered many cultures including the Greeks, their gods blended with many similarities with the gods that the Ancient Greeks worshipped.
The Romans were polytheistic. The Roman religion believed in many gods. They had similar beliefs to the Greek gods, but also big differences. The Roman mythology was to consist of twelve to thirteen main gods. Each of the gods has a function in the life of an everyday Roman that would require some sort of worshipping. The
The Greek Civilization began in a coastal, mountainous region. The regions soil is stony, so much of the land was only good for the pasturing of livestock; however, there were places that were suitable for planting crops, such as olives. The mountains and the sea were a great form of natural protection, creating a barrier between them and potential invaders. The sea gave the Greeks a fast