Rome And Athens: Strong Cities In The Ancient World

Both Rome and Athens were strong cities in the ancient world. While Rome expanded into a vast empire, forcing those it conquered under their laws and religion, Athens spread its own culture among the numerous city-states that colonized the Mediterranean. Rome’s image as a strong military force and powerful political figure only served to further the spread of empire, instilling not only pride in the Roman people, but a desire to control those they considered ‘barbaric’ (“Comparisons…”). Athens, meanwhile, continued to see growth until the Peloponnesian War. Despite the losses it suffered in the war and after that, the city itself remained standing. Given the choice, I would prefer to go back in time to Athens over Rome.
Although seeing Rome

itself and how it represents its own power would be interesting, I would be more interesting in studying the culture and growth of Athens. The legends of the Greek gods alone would have anyone interested. Another thing to see would be the Acropolis, which was built to honor Athena, the goddess of wisdom for whom the city is named (Mark, “Athens”). While Rome has amazing architecture and similar legends, much of the Roman culture is based off of the Greek. Besides the structure of the city itself being similar to Athens and other Greek cities, Rome also gained much of its culture from Greece (Mark, “Ancient Rome”).
Despite Athens being a beautiful city with plenty to learn about, it did not fare well in battle. The city was not entirely destroyed during the Peloponnesian War due to its reputation for culture and education, but the downfall of the empire itself and its walls only made things worse for the citizens of Athens (Mark, “Athens”). Rome, meanwhile, is known for its military prowess. The wars involving Rome made the city richer and more powerful. Beginning as a trading town, Rome quickly grew to be one of the biggest empires in the ancient world.
However, it is this growth that would bring another problem to Rome. The power of the empire corrupted many of the people responsible for expanding Rome. Politics in Rome were dangerous and cutthroat, and law reform was hard to pass. Things were similar in Athens at first—laws and penalties were extreme, and poor people were in debt to rich nobles—but in 507 BCE, Cleisthenes instituted a new form of government that we all know today as democracy. This new government “gave Athenians the energy to develop their city both internally and in relation to their neighbors” (qtd. in “Athens”).
Even though Rome’s strong military and political system would make it a fascinating place to visit, it pales in comparison to Athens, the birthplace of democracy. Rome may have stood longer, but nothing would beat a visit to Athens during its golden age of literature and art.