Comparing Classical Athens With The Roman Empire Essay Examples

Though in history, Rome conquered Athens when the Athenians were never capable of conquering Rome; still Athens conquered Rome culturally and said to have a greater cultural and philosophical legacy than Rome. In fact, much of its religion and philosophy is influenced by the Greek culture; it is only after the arrival of the foundational philosophical works of Greeks such as Socrates and Plato has Rome had his own philosophers. To simplify, Rome was a society of power and was superior in most aspects of society, while Athens was the center of philosophy and was ahead of everybody in learning and knowledge.
Each civilization had its own strength and weaknesses, having distinct societal preferences and a way of looking at life. It is therefore difficult to compare generally which civilization would have been better to live in if given the opportunity.
If I then would really weigh in which civilization I would wish to be in, I would refresh my preconception of what an ideal society looks like- for a millennia had already gone by and the conception of ideals then and now are far from reconciliation. To make it clear, Athens has just begun to establish the roots of democracy and though democratic, was far from the now commonly understood concept of democracy which is freedom – more as to elected-aristocracy. Even though Rome was home to the ideal society in terms of order and justice, by which individuals could enjoy the wide range of privileges given as a citizen, the Roman Empire was still unstable in most ways. Because Rome was still a major power even up to the middle age, the wide span of time gave way also to much change in the history of Roman society.
The concept of individual rights had only shoot out and became accepted in modernity, where there is now recognition of fundamental personal rights which were not allowed before to people based on their gender, race or disability. In fact, in both these cultures, a strong hierarchy based on wealth is the basis for social stratification, where the slaves are always on the bottom. Women were also not considered as citizen in Athens as opposed to Rome which at least does. So to be in the lowest social class in Athens would not be so different in Rome, which unlike today though at the bottom of the society still possesses individual rights.
Though a continual comparison of each culture would result in a realization of the great distinction between the two, I am more inclined to favor Ancient Athens than Rome. Ancient Rome was a very rigid society; though the benefits of being a citizen were greater in Rome than in Athens, being a citizen was only the privilege of the elite, and the elite control much of the political scene. Rome being a very formal and hierarchical society practically did not see the justice in equality and democracy.
In terms of government, Athens established and developed the system of democracy, though still not very individual in its distribution of rights, saw to it that the people control the elected political power, created conditions for the greater number of people to enter for electability, and included debates in their assembly meetings. As opposed to Athens which was democratic where people control the elite, Rome was more on the competitive oligarchy which favors the rich and the elite controlling the people.
Because Rome had a wider history than Athens, and its golden age lasting longer, the social conditions in Rome experienced much noted differences than in ancient Athens, At one time in Rome, when the church was continually taking hold of the later part of the empire, much control of the inner workings of the empire rested also on the church. Because of this, membership in a universal church would then replace the citizenship in the universal empire.
For the ordinary citizen, life would then be harder if one was not connected with the church directly or indirectly. Much more for the rest of the social class which was estimated to be a fourth as slave characterized by intense labor and harsh conditions. Rome, though the home of the ideal society in terms of order and justice, also experienced great instability and social inequality. Both these cultures in fact were characterized by some form and degree of social inequality, and though democracy was the conviction of Athens, equality purely remained political and did not cover social and economic spheres.
In terms of Art and Architecture, Greek art is considered to be superior to the imitative Roman art. Where Greeks strove for purity in form, Romans focused on achieving decorative art. Greeks highly influenced Roman art, In fact much of the Roman structures that flourished at the time of the empire were just copies from the Greeks. Having believed that the Greeks perfected the human form in art, the Romans simply copied from them and even replicated some of the Greek statues and sculptures.
In relation to architecture, Greeks strived to create an art that has an ideal artistic form- with the guiding principle of combining change and permanence in its structures. While in Rome, it is faith and reason that is the guiding philosophy. The difference in their guiding philosophies is much understood when we see the structures they have erected. The Romans favor faith and has a great focus on high ceiling churches that are monumental in scale. In Athens however, religious structures though still massive tend to be more close to the human scale and evokes the feeling of their Gods being closer and more intimate. If one compares the Parthenon which is Greek and the Saint Peter’s square which is Roman, the Parthenon feels more likely to be a dwelling place of their God than St. Peter’s which creates the perception of a holy place but still feels as if God does not dwell their and lives in another dimension. If we then talk of gap between heaven and earth, the gap is greater in the Roman architecture than what is in Athens.
With all these in mind, Ancient Athens would have been a personal preference than Rome. The stark lifestyle of the Romans would not outweigh the Athenian focus on thinking and learning. Although women’s rights in Athens were less than in Rome and was actually not given the title of citizen, for the ordinary men, the Athenian lifestyle was a creative wonderland where they can pursue different fields in art and philosophy. In terms of society standards, Athens strove for the ideal society through the minds of its philosophers, Rome on the other hand, through discipline, power and force. Rome, the eternal city had a greater legacy in terms of law, justice, and military power, Athens however had a greater cultural and philosophical legacy.