Greco-Roman Civilization

Research papers on Greco-Roman Civilizations examine ancient history and illustrate how the world was influenced by these societies. The history writers that research ancient civilizations for projects can help you with your topic on Greco-Roman Civilization.

When considering Greco-Roman civilization, the focus is on the various regions, and now countries, that have been impacted in some way by the societies of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. This impact needs to be significant, however; the legacy of Greco-Roman civilizations should be substantial and should exist for an extended period of time. The influence of these civilizations is most readily seen in the use of the Greek language in the east and Latin in the west; despite the fact that the average citizen never used these languages and instead used a regional vernacular, these languages were the hallmark of the urban and educated classes.

The vast majority of Greco-Roman civilizations are found around the Mediterranean Sea. These would include the following:

• Greece
• Cyprus
• Italy
• Syria
• Egypt
• Gau
• The Iberian Peninsula

The written word is the most prominent cultural remnant of Greco-Roman civilization, showing the sense of unity between the various societies that fell under this mantle. Many of the ruling classes were able to speak and read both Latin and Greek, a testimony to the value each placed on one another over time. Indeed, many of the existing Roman architectural, literary, and artistic elements show a clear relationship with their Greek counterparts of the past, demonstrating the widespread and lasting impact that both would leave on modern society.

At the beginning of the fourth century, the failure of old political and ideological structures was evident to anyone who concerned themselves with such things. This realization sparked movements to restore the peace and unity of the good old days. Among them was the effort of various men, most notably Diocletian and Constantine, to rebuild the Roman Empire on a sturdier, more centralized plan, and thus renew the ancient glory of the Roman name.

The concept of justice was of utmost importance to the developing western world. Roman law emerged through the form of the Justinian Code and still today, we take from this code in our society. The notion that "justice holds the scales to weigh truth and falsehood and she is blindfolded" is derived from the Roman concept of impartiality in justice, hence the blindfold. In our society today, the image of lady Justice holding the balanced scales reiterates this concept.

Today, the world is very much the same as it was then, divided by value systems. Legal systems have been able to agree on many points such as the abolition of slavery, equal justice for all men and women, and freedom from government oppression. However, conflicts still arise in the division between ideologies typical of Greco-Roman society and those of Judeo-Christian society. Abortion and rights for homosexuals are two of the most hotly debated topics of our time. The law of Greco-Roman society raises human life to a higher plane gives the man the freedom to chose what he does with his body. Judeo-Christian tradition is still rooted firmly in the belief that God has a plan for the humanity and man must first obey his laws recorded in the bible, which explicitly contradict the notion of homosexuality and abortion. Thus our society is still influenced by the division in legal culture that began to transform 1600 years ago.