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Ancient Rome compared to the USA
Contemporary architecture influenced by ancient Greece
Contemporary architecture influenced by ancient Greece
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The Big Three
While all past cultures contributed to the forward march of progress, there are three highly developed historical cultures which did even more - they thrived. The three main civilizations each had phenomenally developed cultures which evolved through their system of writing, their architecture, their philosophy, their government, and their religion. These three cultures eventually set the standards for western civilizations. For example, Washington D.C. could be called a modern Athens, in which its architecture is nearly the same and the justification for its existence is the administration of the government. In Greece democracy began and architecture advanced, along with disciplines such as mathematics and medicine. Mainly though, style was everything; women would even wear (poisonous!) white lead makeup to impress the guys and, of course, their gods (Hull 2007, 34). Ancient Greece was a major culture from around 776 B.C. to 323 B.C. Egypt propelled the evolution of the written word through their use of hieroglyphics from 3100 B.C. to 2000 B.C. Finally, in Ancient India religion was everything, being the home of both Buddhism and Hinduism, and some people would even try meditating for forty-nine days like Siddhartha Gautama (Armento et al. 2003, 236 and 237). Ancient India flourished from around 1500 to 467 A.D. These cultural traits and many more are why these three civilizations were so highly developed for their time.
Ancient Greece was innovative in building and engineering. Their architecture was exemplified in the design of some of their structural columns, such as the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles. Some of the famous Greek buildings/designs include the Parthenon and the amphitheater on the Acropol...
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...thrived in rich culture and material riches for their leaders. From the Ancient Greeks’ architecture to Ancient Egyptians’ hieroglyphics to Ancient Indians’ religions these civilizations engineered, designed, and defined culture. Their willingness to provide for their people with wealth made them strong, but their willingness to enhance their people’s lives made them unstoppable. These cultures were highly developed.
Bibliography
Armento, Beverly, and Jacqueline Cordova. 2003. A Message of Ancient Days. Boston:
Houghton Mifflan.
Crisp, Peter. 2003. Revealed Ancient Greece. New York, New York: DK Publishing.
Hull, Robert. 2007. Everyday Life. North Mankota: Seaton Publications.
Sinker, Cath. 2001. Uncovering History: Everyday Life in Ancient Greece. Minnesota: Smart
Apple Media.
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations. One civilization the Egyptians developed was in the Nile River valley. Based off the "Mesopotamia and Egypt DBQ" packet, "Ancient Egypt was an advanced civilization in many areas including religion, architecture, transportation, and trade. Ancient Mesopotamia was one of the first civilizations that developed a form of government as well as organized people in political states." Based on the documents, Egypt and Mesopotamia developed into successful and advanced civilizations by effectively using the resources that surrounded them to solve problems and live happily.
When studying an ancient culture, it is important for one to comprehend the many unique elements that make up that culture. The study of architecture enables historians to deepen their understanding of a culture and identify the modern influences of that society. Architecture is an essential aspect of ancient Greek culture and its long lasting influence is evident in most cities today. The Greek Revival style dominated American architecture during the nineteenth century. Many prosperous citizens believed that the ancient Greece architecture embodied the spirit of democracy. When analyzing the architecture of New York City, one will find many examples of Greek Revival architecture, the most notable examples being the Old Custom House on 28 Wall Street, the first National City Bank building on 55 Wall Street, and Saint Peter’s Church at 22 Barclay Street.
The Parthenon in Athens, for example, is a dedication to Athena; the goddess of wisdom and the patron of Athens (OI). As depicted in The Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece (Doc6), this architectural piece is shown to have Doric columns that have a cylindrical shape seeming to be plain but sturdy. In comparison to the Doric style, the Ionic style was more elegant as it was taller and more decorative; engraved with vertical lines and topped with a curved rectangular shape. The Corinthian design is similar to the Ionic design because of the elaborate designs at the end of the pillars; it features more detailed designs that seem to be based around nature such as the inclusion of leaves and flowers. There are many buildings today that include these types of columns in their architectural design mainly in monuments and government buildings. According to the depiction of the White House in Greek Architecture (Doc8), the columns of the White House most closely resemble the Ionic style. Greek architecture are one of the many important legacies that Western civilization had inherited, influencing many architectural elements and building types used in art and architecture
Around 3500 B.C.E to 3000 B.C.E., civilizations emerged in many places. Egypt and Mesoamerica are distinctive two of them. Considering the different aspects of civilization, historians can find some same characteristics and differences which are valuable for historians to understand civilization in-depth.
The annals of Western Civilization are filled with instances of the progression and integration of ideas derived from a variety of societies. The development of writing allowed history, laws, and works of influential literature to be recorded. The spread of culture became linked to the idea of conquest. The roots of the modern view of history can be identified in the Hebrew retrospective idea. Even the contemporary scientific mindset shares some similarities with Greek rationalism. Civilization is connected from the Mesopotamians to the powerful Roman Empire. Though these societies collapsed their contributions continue to influence the flow of history.
Early civilization remains permits us to observe how life was lived in earlier times. Until the Neolithic Era humans were fairly nomadic. When they became knowledgeable of farming they began to realize that they would not have to be nomadic anymore thus forming civilizations. These early civilizations were typically polytheistic, which means that they believed in many gods. During these civilizations they also learned to tame animals and their technologies grew more and more advanced. Almost all early civilizations have failed but they all left a lasting mark that will continue forever. The Nile River Valley Civilization and the Mesopotamia Civilization are both amazing but they both have their differences in their political and social aspects.
Grecian architecture formed its own conventions in the ancient world, buildings in Greece were built with meticulous mathematic design. Great buildings were believed to be symmetrical, and perfectly proportioned [Document 7]. Another prominent aspect of ancient Greek architecture is the extensive use of columns. There were three basic types used, Doric which were plain capitals, ionic in which the capitals were fashioned after ram’s horns, and Corinthian which were made to mirror acanthus leaves.
Although, archaeologists have heavily debated the definition of civilization, there are still some key elements that are general agreed upon. I will define civilizations, and reflect and compare on two such Old World civilizations.
Hemingway, Colette. "Architecture in Ancient Greece." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
The ancient Greeks developed a system of orders which were known as columns. There were three different types of columns and each had they own special twist, both structurally and appearance wise. The three orders consisted of the Doric order, Ionic order and the Corinthian order. One shocking fact was that the Romans used the Corinthian columns more than the Greeks did and they were the one that came up with them. Each order could be found in many different parts of ancient Greece. The columns were put into use by creating ancient temples. Since Greek life was mainly focused around religion, their temples were very big and beautiful (“Ancient Greece” 1).
River valley civilizations have inspired modern society even though they existed during ancient times. China, India, Mesopotamia, and Egypt have all created many inventions and new ideas that have sparked evolution through modern technology. Gunpowder is a great example of something that was widely popular and valued in ancient times and is something that we still use today. These civilizations have their similarities and differences but also have their own innovations that have shaped the entire human history and will continue to do so for years to come..
There are many different ways that modern cultures in the west have been impacted and built upon, but there are two ancient cultures that were the most influential. The Greek and Roman cultures helped shape Western Civilization in many ways. Both were very important factors in the development of Western culture. The Greeks contributed through art, architecture, government, philosophy, education, and science. The Romans contributed through language, engineering, law, and government.
There have been many prosperous civilizations throughout the history of the world. Many of them became very large, and lasted for a countless number of years. The most successful and large scale civilization, however, was that of Ancient Egypt. Although it lies in the middle of the largest desert in the world, egyptians were able to use their intelligence to utilize the Nile River and cultivate the surrounding land for farming. They came up with very unique conceptual ideas that benefitted them greatly, and discovered many new things that would impact society around the world to this day. For all of these reasons and many more, Ancient Egypt was the most advanced civilization of its time.
The contributions of the civilizations of Mesopotamia in the Fertile Crescent, classical China, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire laid the foundations for living in the modern world. Breakthroughs in a multitude of fields, including art, architecture, math, science, philosophy, law, government and others are crucial to the way people live all over the world. Although these ancient civilizations may seem primitive today, they shaped the progress of the world for many centuries.
The classical periods of many of the great world civilizations were the golden ages of those civilizations. However, just because a civilization’s classical age has passed does not mean that the ideas, institutions, and art have passed as well. On the contrary, the effect from the classical periods of many great civilizations is still with the present civilization. The ideas, institutions, and art that has endured from these civilizations is no accident; the ideas, institutions, and art have had an influence on civilizations up to and including the present day.