Greece and Rome

Early man's life was based on survival; he spent much of his time in search of food, water, and safety for his family. In the early times of Greece, and Rome however, food and water were both readily available. There was permanent shelter, and little threat from animals or other people. Because man's basic needs were now met the arts, music, sports, agriculture, architecture, literature and structured government developed.

The developmental period of Greece was between the fourth and eighth century B.C. it was then that they built structures such as the Parthenon, and the Acropolis. Huge structures made entirely of stone, raised into the sky without the use of cranes or machinery. It is amazing to think of the manpower used to lift the structures and the time it took to carve each piece out of solid stone. The government was much like the one today; there was a system of money, taxes, and laws. Ancient Greece is remembered for it's Olympic Games. The games were held in modern day Olympia and held every four years. These games brought out the best warriors. The games were simple made from simple events such as running, throwing, and jumping. The Greeks had many great gods that were used to explain the many natural phenomenons of every day life such as lightning and rain.

Rome, much like Greece, developed in the same time period and was located close by. The two early civilizations were much alike with similar government and art. The architecture however was much more advanced; the Romans buildings contained huge vaulted arches and the cities were networked with aqueducts and bridges. The Romans introduced the first public hospitals and transportation. Influenced by the Greeks, the Romans adopted the idea of using gods to explain the unexplained. Like Greece the Roman people also took part in the Olympic games and eventually they were held in Rome.

The sister civilizations of early Greece and Rome contributed many things to our world today. It would have been very interesting to live in their worlds and see the many achievements we see in ruin form today. The great architecture still inspires generations of architects today and the adoption of the Olympic games has still a large impact on the world today.