Blog assignment

Exploration of Classical Greek-Roman Culture


The coast of Greece

At first the lessons were in reading about ancient Greece and Roman culture but it was not until I actually saw the area and walked the historical sites did my understanding begin to deepen. The adventure began in the land of Greece with mountainous regions surrounding towns and cities and the sea surrounding the land. The landscape of the country gave me some insight into the development of the ancient Greek culture. Greece is a country of small islands and about 75% of the land contains mountains. I saw that limited opportunity to farm the land mat have led people to the bountiful sea; the mysterious and unpredictable sea may have lead the ancient Greek to discover new lands and different cultures, whether they planned to or not. The mountainous region did not allow for significant temples to be placed in close proximity and a long bus ride (or few days walk in ancient times) was needed to convey important religious or cultural information. The long boat voyage or distance to travel on land would lead the mind to wonder, if for no reason to ward off boredom. It is a natural occurrence for the mind to wander to areas of particular interest and I could see how the ancient Greek were able to come up with the deep thoughts of philosophy, study of nature and the need to use plays in order to convey learned information to the larger community.

At the temple at Delphi

Next the travel was a short flight to Italy. A short flight is also a day or less ship voyage; if you know where you are going. The ancient Greeks learned to study the stars to guide their ships and traveled to southern Italy where they were later conquered by the ancient Romans. I saw in Italy that the Romans could used the geography of their environment to help develop their culture as well. I saw that Italy has fewer mountains and is connected to a larger land base so the need to travel the sea was not as necessary. Because of larger available land for building, the important religious and cultural centers could be build within close proximity of each other decreasing the need for deep thought to ward off boredom. I enjoyed the fact that the major historical sites were within walking distance or short ride and I was able to get back to take care of daily activities easily. I think that less need to travel contributed to the more practical thinking of the ancient Romans. As the Romans sought to expand their empire they built roads, the roads were later used by travelers and merchants to get to Rome. As the old saying goes, all roads lead to Rome.

A Roman traveler

As the people came to Rome I could see the need for managing a large population became a priority so the Romans focused on creating a large population environment that included aqueducts for water, a grid pattern for streets to allow easy travel and the Latin language in order pass information along in a vast empire. I was impressed by the creativity ability of the ancients Romans to create systems of government, roads and buildings that we use today. If necessity is the mother of invention then the ancient Romans must have had quite a need. Roman Aqueduct

The ancient Greek and Romans never let lack of technology stop them from finding a way to fulfill a need with their available resources and how to use use natural abilities to maximise outcomes. Western culture has benfited from the Greeks literature, advances in math, medicine, and science. The Romans proved the basis for democratic government, grid systems for roads, and the Latin language as well as food, wine and a woderful history to explore from both cultures.

I enjoyed learning about art and culture of the ancient Greek and Romans because it was a way for society at that time to convey important information and serves as both information and beauty. The ability to take a look around and feel the thoughts of how life may have been was an experience that can't be gotten from a book. I will use the information I learned to teach my children of our Italian heritage and to deepen my understanding of different cultures and traditions as my work as a psychiatric nurse. I believe that learning never ends and there is always more I can learn and this travel study has deepened that belief in a positive way. I enjoyed sharing information with my daughter on this trip and the experience has both increased our understanding of other cultures and given us a shared experience to cherish.

Izzy and I at the Trevi Fountain