by M. Rostovtzeff
this book is an account of Greek history, culture, philosophy, and politics from the time of the Minoans on Crete through the 1st century B.C. when the Latins or Romans became the dominant power in the Mediterannean. There is so much information in this book that i do not know where to go in starting a discussion.
In the Minoan civilization which surfaced on Crete around 3000 BC, it was a society based on egalitariansim. There is no evidence of slavery, women and men were granted similar if not equal political and property rights and ability to fight and participate in sports. There was no army, and the purpose of the navy was soley for trade (as Crete being an island had limited resources). Sanitation facilities were up to par with some in European palaces into the 1800's. There appears to be little differentiation in social class and the society was focussed on arts, rather than war. Since they had no military, the Minoans were easily conquered by the Achaeans and most of these egailarian and progressive aspects were suppressed. It is remarkable to think that a society such as this existed so long ago and has been unmatched for nearly 5000 years.
It is impossible to speculate how our world would have progressed if the values of the Minoans spread, rather than violent and military agendas of aristocrats throughout human history, but it is fun to attempt to do so. is it even possible to spread values to foreign cultures nonviolently? would christianity have been so successful if it had not been enforced by the Romans, or communism by the russian police, or Naziism by the SS? it seems we are a species that is dependent on violence, so i suppose it is more practical to be feared than loved.
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Grecian philosphy is key to how the following civilizations built their moral society. They were big on "humanism"...which reappears again in the Renaissance. It's directly reflected in art and architecture; nudes vs. clothed statues, ornate vs. simplistic lines in structure...blah blah blah. Can you tell I'm a Humanities major yet? ;]
ReplyDeleteWhat is interesting to notice is that had the Latins not taken over Greece and imposed strict Christianity in Europe, there might not have ever been a needs for the Renaissance. The renaissance is a continuation of the Greek tradition and in a way they just pick up where Greek society left off. The enlightenment and scientific revolution very well may have come at a much earlier date (perhaps directly after the Hellenistic Age) had the Christian church not suppressed controversial ideas. its amazing to think how different our world is because of the role of Christianity.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting to see how Rome was evolving before Christianity was deemed the national religion by Constantine. It was one of the richest, brightest and most producing in terms of invention, innovation and implementation of ideas. They saught to merely continue what the Greeks had begun, and expand themselves tenfold...all when it was still a pagan society.
ReplyDeleteShorter answer:
ReplyDeleteActually, Greek philosophy and tradition did not fall with Rome, it stayed prominent in the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the refugees brought Greek thought back to Western Europe during the Renaissance.
Longer Answer:
Rome was already in serious trouble in the generations before Constantine. Wave after wave of barbarian invaders from the north and east ate up the treasury as money was used both for soldiers and to buy off the Goths, Visigoths, Vandals, etc. Eventually, Diocletian divided the empire in two, to have two emperors (and an additional two junior emperors) on hand to deal with the barbarian invasions and what he saw as the growing problem of Christianity. Diocletian’s successor was Constantius, the father of Constantine.
By Constantine’s time, Rome was warring with itself in a way not seen since the fall of the republic. Constantine defeated his enemies in battle and reunified the empire, and thought he could make a fresh start with a new capitol and legalizing Christianity, but his successors went back to the two emperor idea, and the west continued its decline and fall in the next century while the empire of the east lasted another 1000 years.
Since the time of Julius Caesar, Egypt was known as the breadbasket of Rome. Because of the climate and the Nile River, Egypt always produced plenty of food for export. Once Rome fell and Egypt was no longer under Roman control, Europe suddenly had food shortages that farming techniques of the time could not handle. Byzantium was fine using the light plow used around the Mediterranean, but a light plow would not work for northern Europe, and it would take until the end of the Middle Ages before someone had the idea to hook animals up to heavier plows. This finally allowed more and more Europeans to devote their lives to something other than farming and instead turn to trades and education.
Also, religious leaders having any sort of political power did not begin until long after Rome fell in 476, and the Catholic Church stepped in to take civil power in Italy after various warlords controlled the city of Rome and were eventually pushed out. It was not until Charlemagne in 800 that a pope claimed spiritual authority over temporal authorities and any rulers actually listened.