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The European culture is built on two solid foundations: the Greco‑Roman Antiquity, and Christianity (itself rooted in Judaism).

When?

Antiquity is the period of culture’s history starting with the appearance of writing (ca. 3500 BC) and ending with the collapse of the Western Roman EmpireEmpireEmpire in 473 CE. It encompasses, among others, the achievements of: Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Egypt, Persia, Palestine, Greece and Rome.

Classical antiquity is the period in the culture of Greece and Rome from around the ninth century BC (the times of Homer) until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century CE; it comprises the achievements of Greece and Rome.

Historians do not provide a precise date of the beginning of Antiquity. Both Antiquity and classical Antiquity are acknowledged to have ended symbolically in 476, when Romulus Augustulus was deposed and the Roman Empire fell.

Another date researchers assume to be the end of classical Antiquity is 529 CE, when Plato’s Academy, one of the period’s most important institutions of its type existing from ca. 387 BC, was shut down. The school, founded by the great thinker himself, educated its students in philosophy, mathematics, rhetorics, etc.

Where?

Antiquity not only lasted longer than classical Antiquity, but was also present in a broader territory. It encompassed the areas of the Middle EastMiddle EastMiddle East, Northern Africa, and Southern Europe. Among the countries making up the culture of that era are Greece and Rome, but also: Mesopotamia, Phoenicia, Egypt, Syria and Palestine. The latter is the cradle of the Bible. The beginnings of Judaism and Christianity’s holy book are situated in Antiquity (and classical Antiquity).

Now we may complete the previously‑given definitions:

Where did the Greeks come from?

Where did the Romans come from?

According to the legend, a settlement called Rome was founded in 753 BC, supposedly by Romulus. It was inhabited by people hailing from the Latin tribe. Gradually, Rome’s position began to grow ever stronger among the Mediterranean states. A factor particularly important to gain dominion over those territories were the Punic Wars (216‑146 BC) against Carthage. In the first century BC, as a result of their conquests, the Romans ruled over the whole Apenine Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia, Spain, Gaul, Norther Africa, Greece, and other areas. The Empire and its colonies were inhabited by almost 50 million people!

Even though the Romans were proud of their military advantage, they acknowledged the greatness of the Greek culture. They borrowed many elements from it. In Western Europe, Latin reigned supreme, while Greek held strong in the East. One of Rome’s greatest poets – Horace – said that “Greece, conquered with armsarmsarms, defeated the victors and introduced art into the peasants’ Latium”. The Greek influences are evident in the mythology as well.

The development of the Empire (the first century BC until the first century CE) led, paradoxally, to its downfall. The extensive territory proved too difficult to defend. The barbarians from the North raided the Roman territories, and the ideas imported from Palestine in the form of Christianity changed the outlook on human relations. The great Empire split into two parts: Western (with its capital in Rome, inhabited by 1 million people!) and Eastern (ruled from Constantinople). The Eastern Empire survived until the fifteenth century, but its Western counterpart fell in the fifth.

Keywords

Antiquity, classical Antiquity, Rome, Greece, Empire, colonizationcolonizationcolonization

Glossary