Greek, Roman And American Civilizations

The epics written by Homer are the Iliad and Odyssey.

Homer was a blind poet. He lived in ancient Greece. He wrote two poems namely the Iliad and Odyssey.

The lifestyle of the Greeks during that period was vividly narrated in these poems. The victory of Greeks over the city of Troy is described in Iliad whereas Odyssey describes the adventures of Odysseus while returning from the battle of Troy.

The Greeks referred to dictators as Tyrants.

Tyrant was the title held by the dictators of ancient Greece. A dictator is a person who rules a state or a country. This form of government is referred to as a dictatorship. A dictator is vested with all the powers to lead the country.

The one who laid the foundation for the study of medicine is Hippocrates.

Hippocrates was an ancient physician. He found out the scientific methods of treating human diseases. Earlier the society believed in superstitions, magic, and other evil powers as the cause of diseases. Hippocrates freed the society from these beliefs. He made people understand that diseases are the result of some natural reactions in the body and must be treated. He is widely regarded as the father of medicine.

The first to have analyzed history was Herodotus.

Herodotus was called as ‘The Father of History’. He was a Greek writer. He made a systematic and thorough inquiry and study of the events happened and analyzed the cause and effect of those events. Thus, he laid the foundation of history.

‘Princep’ means first or foremost.

The word ‘Princep’ is a Latin word. It was used in the Roman empire to designate the leading member of the advisory council of the Senate. The Roman emperor Augustus used this term as an unofficial title.

The language of the Romans is Latin.

Latin and Greek were the official languages of the Roman empire. Besides these two languages, there were many other local and regional languages. The Roman Law was written in Latin. The other local languages were Syriac, Hebrew, Punic, Aramaic etc., Official language refers to the language which is followed by the Government of a country and is widely used in Government communication, courts of law etc., Local and regional languages are those that are spoken in a particular region or locality.

The Stone Sculptures of the Mayan Civilization are called Steles.

During the era of the Mayan civilization extremely large carved pillars of stone were found. These stone figures were called as Steles. Figures of Gods, prominent leaders, priests, and the hieroglyphic writing were carved on these pillars. The largest of these Steles measures about 35 feet in height and 65 tons in weight.

Texcoco is a lake in Mexico.

Texcoco lake is the birthplace of one of the ancient Columbian civilization, the Aztecs. These nomads built a city on the island and named it as Tenochtitlan. These people were called as Tenochca. This lake served as a means of transport and enabled the Aztecs to have trade relations with far-off places.

The leader of the Incas was Tupac.

The nomadic tribe of Incas came to the Peruvian Cuzco valley around the 11^th century and they gradually established their settlements. Tupac rose to power and fought against the other tribes like Chimus who were settled there and established his empire. He constructed a famous fort in Peru. The island palace in the lake of Titicaca and the Moon temple were some examples of architecture that flourished during the Inca empire. Tupac was known for his organizational ability and planning.

The ruling deity of the Incas was the Sun God.

The Incas were one of the civilizations of the ancient Columbia. The Incas mainly worshipped the Sun God. The Sun God acted as a link between them and God Veerakocha. God Veerakocha was believed to be the creator of this world. They worshipped nature such as the moon, stars, and lightning.

Homer was a blind Greek poet. His contributions to Greek literature were known from his two great epic poems, Iliad and Odyssey. These epics throw light on the then prevalent social and lifestyle of the Greeks. The victory of Greeks over the city of Troy was vividly described in the Iliad. It narrates the struggle of Greeks in saving Helen, their queen who was abducted by the Trojans. Odyssey describes the adventures of the Greek hero Odysseus in the battle of Troy. It describes the fall of the city of Troy after the war in a lucid style in Odyssey.

The settlements of the village tribes developed into small towns and later into cities as a result of improved living conditions. These states became the City States. Athens and Sparta were the two important city-states of Greece.

Athens:

Athens was a democratic city. The power of the city shifted by monarchical to oligarchical rule. Oligarchy refers to a small group of people who control and run a particular country whereas monarchy is a form of government where the country is ruled by an emperor, empress, king or queen. They are also called aristocrats. People belonging to the middle and lower classes played a pivotal role in bringing back democracy in the city. The city of Athens flourished in various fields such as art, literature, science, and philosophy during the period of Pericles. His period was called the Golden Age of Athens. Pericles proudly called his city The school of Hellas. World famous philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle hailed from Athens.

Sparta:

Sparta was the military state of Greece. Boys above the age of seven were trained for twelve years and recruited in the military.

Athens and Sparta were had cultural similarity and individual identity.

Roman Republic was established in the 6^th-century B.C.E after the abolishment of Monarchy. There were two political advisory institutions called the Assembly and the Senate. The members of the Senate predominantly led the armies and Civil Government. These members belonged to the upper class like the land owners. The members of the Assembly had the authority over elections and legislation.

There were two classes in the Roman society namely the Patricians and the Plebians. The Patricians had the upper hand in the society. They were very influential. They belonged to a higher class.

But the Plebian society comprised of common people like artisans, small land owners etc., who had only limited rights. Plebians finally revolted to get the right to choose the members of Tribune. Roman law was established to provide knowledge on their rights and to oppose the violation of rights.

The ancient civilizations of Columbia were very distinct and special. Maya, Aztec, and Inca were the civilizations of ancient Columbia. The settlements of the nomadic people in this area started around 1500 B.C.E. Crops like maize, cotton, cereals, fruits, and pepper was grown. Weaving, pot making were the occupations of these people. They had a centralized society with a hierarchical system. They constructed many stone idols and pyramids which were called as Olmec. These idols resembled the kings and leaders. Olmec style of art first originated in Central Mexico between the period 1200 B.C.E and 900 B.C.E. Slowly many villages, kingdoms and cities around this area practiced this form of an Olmec style of art. The Olmec style led to different native and regional style such as Maya, Aztec and Inca civilizations which were a part of the Columbian civilization.

The Mayas:

The Mayas were short, brown complexioned and round-headed people who were the American-Indian aborigines. They were from the Yucatan area of Mexico and spoke Yucatec. The settlements of the Mayas were ceremonial centers called cities, but the people lived around villages and cultivated maize, yam etc.,

The Aztecs:

The Aztecs were nomadic people who came to Mexico around the 13^th century. The Aztecs built their city on an island in the Lake Texcoco in Mexico. Their city was called Tenochtitlan and they were called Tenochca. They spoke Nahua. There was a mix of the culture of the other tribes such as Mayas, Toltecs and the Zapotecs whom they fought with. They gradually built their empire and improved their standard of living. They established trade connections with many far-off places. They cultivated pulses, grains, and pepper, tomato, tobacco, and cotton. The agricultural land was called Chinampas. They worshipped nature.

The Incas:

The Incas settled in Peruvian Cuzco valley around the 11^th century. Tupac was their famous leader. The kingdom was divided into four provinces. Chiefs were appointed to look after the provinces. The king was the head. Officials and priests held the upper hand in the society. The land was divided into three parts, one for the family, one for the king and the other for the Sun God. They had good communication skills. They also constructed huge stone buildings. They worshipped nature like the moon, stars, and lighting. Pottery and making cloth with innovative designs were their occupation.

The Mayas are the American-Indian aborigines of the Yucatan area of Mexico. These people were generally round-headed, long-haired, brown complexioned and short. They spoke Yucatec. These people were the most civilized and advanced among all the American Indians. The settlements of these people were ceremonial centers, but they did not live there. The centers were used as markets, courts, city administration centers and for performing religious ceremonies. The Mayas actually lived around the villages. The ordinary Mayas lived in the outskirts of the ceremonial centers. Maize was the mainly cultivated crop. Yam was also cultivated. Metals were not used by Mayas. They used weapons made of stone, wood, and bones. They worshipped Rain, Wind, Soil, Sun, Moon and the cultivated Maize as Gods.

The Aztecs were the worshippers of Nature. They were very stubborn to honour their god that human beings were sacrificed. The captured prisoners were sacrificed to please their god. Sources say that around 20000 human beings were sacrifice when the temple pyramid of Tenochtitlan was dedicated to God.

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were some of the important Greek philosophers.

Socrates:

Socrates was a famous Greek philosopher. He taught logical thinking. Even though his life was a struggle, suffering, and adventure, he believed in justice, morality, democracy, humanity, and ethics. He was an intellect. Knowledge is a virtue: Virtue is knowledge was the basis of his thoughts. He raised questions and answers with common people in busy areas. Some of the people even hated him. They accused him and wanted him to be punished. He was given a death sentence. He was not afraid of death. He drank poison on the day of execution and died.

Plato:

Plato was the founder of the idea of ‘Ideal Republic. He was a student of Socrates and he was one of the famous Greek philosophers. He started a school ‘The Academy’ in Athens. He wanted to spread education. He was an expert in Mathematics, political science and Jurisprudence. He traveled to many countries such as Egypt and Italy. ‘The Republic’, ‘The Text and History’ are some of his famous works.

Aristotle:

Aristotle was the disciple of Plato. His thoughts were influenced by Plato and Socrates, the other philosophers of Greece. He was also the teacher of Alexander the Great. He discussed many things such as the status of women, citizenship, education, revolution, socialism, and democracy. He studied medicine and Botany. He also had knowledge of Ethics and Aesthetics. He founded a center of learning called Lyceum. He consumed poison and ended his life.

Julius Caesar is one of the famous plays written by William Shakespeare. The play describes the story of a man’s personal dilemma over moral action against a staged political plot. Julius Caesar fought against and killed his arch-rival, Pompey. Brutus was a noble Roman who thought about the good of Rome. He was trusted and respected by the Romans. Julius Caesar fell in love with the beautiful Egyptian queen Cleopatra. He fell to a conspiracy instigated by Cassius. Cassius, due to his jealousy turns Brutus to be involved in the conspiracy and poisons him against Caesar. Brutus thinking that what he is doing is good for Rome joins hands with Cassius. Finally, Caesar is murdered at the foot of Pompey’s statue whom he had defeated.