Ancient Greece
Civilization began to develop again in
Greece
during the Archaic Period, between 750 BC and 500
BC. These years saw the reintroduction of writing,
the spread of culture and technology and the rise
of city states. The subsequent Classical Period, from
500 BC until 336 BC, saw
Athens
reach its cultural peak and become the 'Cradle of
European Civilization', laying the foundations for
the Western traditions in the arts, sciences, philosophy
and politics. The Parthenon was built, to celebrate
victory against the Persians, the plays of writers
such as Sophocles and Euripides were first performed
and the ideas of philosophers such as Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle were first discussed. The Hellenistic
Period followed, lasting from 336 BC until 146 BC,
during which Alexander the Great conquered the Persian
Empire and Greek culture spread across the Mediterranean
world.
Ancient Rome
Centuries of Greek dominance in the Mediterranean
were brought to an end by the growing power of the
Roman Empire, which had its origins in the founding
of the Italian city of
Rome
by Romulus in 753 BC. Greatly influenced by Etruscan
and Greek culture and peoples, the power of Rome grew
and by 450 BC the first Roman Republic was established.
The Romans often came into conflict with other peoples
such as the Etruscans, Greeks and Celts. However they
eventually defeated their rivals, conquering all of
Italy and by 133 BC they controlled the Mediterranean
Sea. As the centuries passed Roman military power
and engineering prowess spread the Empire across much
of Europe, north Africa and the near east. Until the
decline and fall of the Roman Empire, during the fifth
century AD, its millions of citizens were able to
exchange goods and ideas using a common currency and
language, Latin. The influence of the Roman Empire
is still visible today and can be seen in areas such
as architecture, the legal system and the layout of
many roads and cities.
