Robin Smith
04/09/2014
Global Civilizations
Martha Kirchmer
Greek and Roman Paper
There were two periods of Greek culture. The Hellenic and the Hellenistic. The Hellenic arrived in 200 B.C.E. the Hellenistic period begin in the years of Alexander the Great in 336-323 B.C.E. the Hellenistic ended with the Roman conquest. In the early years of these periods Greeks begin to develop and spread the Greek culture and it people beyond Greece to North Africa, West Asia, Europe, and Southern Europe. During the Hellenistic period these civilizations spread across the world. All aspects of the Greek culture spread into Western Europe, western, and Central Asia. The Greeks introduced there heritage to Asia’s cultures and Europe’s societies. “The Hellenistic period spans the years from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 to 30 B.C.E., when Rome annexed the last independent Hellenistic kingdom, Egypt, which was ruled by a royal dynasty that was descended from one of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy” (The Hellenistic Period, 2014).
There are many differences and similarities between the Roman and the Greek cultures. Rome inherited some of Greeks culture traditions. When the Romans conquered the Hellenistic cities they enjoyed the Greeks lifestyle. The Rome incorporated Greeks lifestyle into their society. “In the beginning, Rome was ruled by kings” (Church, 2009).
The Roman Religion was more applied than the Greek Religion. The Gods of both these religions had similar duties and roles. But, the names of their gods were different. The Roman Religion was different from the Greeks religion in many ways. The Roman Religion was a state religion. The religion was more of a ceremony and ritual. The roman religion had many of the deities of Greek’s Pantheon. They were a little more comprehensive. They accepted gods of all nations that made up the empire. The Romans put them into the Pantheon. The Greek religion was more poetical and less practical then the Roman religion. The Roman gods all had roles to play. The gods were worshiped accordingly with the benefits that it possessed. Roman gods and goddesses were divinity presided over every household transaction. A college of Religions and leaders were established by the Romans. They performed higher ceremonies that were made up of minutes. The pontiffs were performed by the Pontifex Maximus. This was a power that Julius Caesar used to gain control over worship. Romans practiced more rites than the Greeks. Like the entrails of birds and beast for bad or good omens. Based on the flights and entrails of birds gods will was determined. The Romans believed the Auguries were very important. Dreams and rites of deviation was very important. Romans put great importance on the Household gods. They were more defined and general worship of the Roman ancestors. The Penates were the guardians of the Roman home. All meals were considered a sacrifice. The most sacred places were guarded by the Vestal virgins.
The Romans held more festivals than the Greeks. They were important to the Romans than the Greeks. They was one to four days set aside for worshiping there gods. The festivals held celebrations for the feasts, sacrifices, and games. Janus was honored on principal feast days. On January 1st the Sabine’s the great gods of the beginning were celebrated. The Romans held feast to honor the Penates. Thanksgiving was honored on Dec, 19 in honor of Saturn. This feast lasted 7 days. The slaves had their liberty when the rich keep the house open. The Minerva feast lasted for 5 days. This was when offerings were made by the artist, scholars, and mechanics. The Ceres feast of the Greeks was similar to the Feast of Cybele of the Romans. This feast lasted for 6 days. The Roman people thought of the feast to be great contributions on their people. Both the Romans and the Greeks were willing to listen to other nations about their gods. They also incorporated their gods with their
