Grace Zolkowski and Halle Book

Mrs. Miller

Honors Geography 9

January 29th, 2018

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece was a very unique civilization. For example, the ancient Greeks were

engaged in some economic activity which included exchanges in local and long-distance trade.

Secondly, Ancient Greece’s political structure was made up of city-states, and each had their own

government. There were 3 main types that consisted of democracy, monarchy, and oligarchy. All

the citizens in the city-states could vote. There were also 3 bodies of government including the

assembly, the council, and the courts. Thirdly, there were 3 classes of people, which were the

Aristoi, the Periokoi, and the Nouveau riche. In this time, the women stayed at home and took

care of the children, and slaves were seen as normal, and a necessary part of life. Finally, the

Ancient Greeks had major contributions in democracy, the alphabet, libraries, the Olympics,

science, architecture, mythology, and lighthouses.

There are multiple similarities and differences between the two ancient civilizations. For

example, one of the major similarities for the two civilizations is that they are both Mediterranean

countries and can grow wine and olives. Socially, both the Greek and Roman societies believed

in a hierarchy. Furthermore, the social classes of Greece and Rome changed over time, but the

basic divisions of early Athens and Rome consisted of free and freedmen, slaves, foreigners, and
women. The social classes of both civilizations stayed nearly the same throughout the course of

history. In addition to being similar in their social classes, they also share similarities in their

architecture, which they both have a reputation for being the finest in. On the other hand, they

also have many differences. One of the main differences between the two, is their government.

While Greece has kings that were totalitarian, racist and supported warrior culture, the Romans

had kings that gave way to a representative elected republic, until displaced by power of the

emperors. Another difference between the two is their art. The Greeks made statues for their gods

which were very unrealistic, while the Romans made statues that looked like ordinary everyday

people and were realistic. Additionally, the role of women was different in the two civilizations.

For Greek women, women were valued for abstaining from gossip, for managing the household,

and, most of all, for producing legitimate children. She could own, but not sell her property. The

Athenian woman was not a citizen. On the other hand, The Roman women could own and dispose

of property and go about as she wished. The Roman woman was valued for her religiousness,

modesty, and maintenance of harmony. The Roman woman could be a Roman citizen.

Although the Romans were great people and a great nation, I think that the Greeks were a

better civilization. For instance, everyone mixes up the Greeks and the Romans. This is because

many things that the Romans had was all because of the Greeks. The Greeks originated everything

they made whereas the Romans just copied their ideas.