Greece and Rome
Roman mythology was heavily influenced by Greek mythology. However, there are noticeable differences between the culture and beliefs of both the Romans and Greeks. If compared to the Triforce, the three bases being wisdom, courage and power, the Romans would be holders of power. The Greeks on the other hand were less power hungry and violent than the Ancient Romans, later falling into the hands of the Roman empire, succumbing to their power.
The Aeneid is a book of Roman poetry written by Virgil about the origins of Ancient Rome. This whole work of literature is based on incidents and characters from Homer’s works, one of them being the Iliad. Though Virgil’s Aeneid is not entirely reliable, it is still a peek into the Ancient Roman history and culture. Aeneas, a main character in Virgil’s Aeneid, would be a warrior on the Trojan side in Homers Iliad, being linked to the well known story of the Trojan Horse. Aeneas is the son of the love Goddess, Venus. She is known in Greek mythology as Aphrodite. Aeneas would insist on sacrificing humans to the Gods. Pius is the adjective that Virgil uses to describe Aeneas, which means having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence to the Gods. In the Iliad, Poseidon saved Aeneas from Achilles, while in the Aeneid, Aeneas is always praying to the divine Gods.
The Iliad takes place nine years into the Trojan war, towards the end of the fight between the Greeks and Trojans. Homer made the war sound more like it was a myth rather than a reality, claiming that Zeus made the war so the population of humanity would be decreased. The Trojan war lasted around 10 years during the Bronze Age, after Helen, the wife of Menelaos was abducted by the Trojan prince. Amongst the Greek warriors were thousands of armed men, including more important warriors such as Achilles and Odysseus. According to Homer, some of the Gods assisted the Greeks during the war. Poseidon, Athena, and Hera assisted the Greeks to turn it over to their favor. However, the Trojan Army had assistance from many of their allies. They also had help from Greek Gods, Ares and Apollo. The Iliad states that Poseidon and Apollo built magnificent walls to protect Troy from invaders. The Trojan Horse, one of the famous incidents of the Trojan War, turned the tides to the Greeks favor. The Greek Army made a “victory” gift for the Trojans, claiming they have given up. The Trojans let the wooden horse inside their walls, not knowing on the inside there were Greek warriors waiting for their chance to strike. As the Trojans were celebrating their victory, the Greeks leapt out of the horse and ransacked the whole city of Troy. Though, their victory was met by misfortunes from the Gods, sending storms to wreck their ships. After the Trojan War has long ended, Rome was soon discovered.
The main focus of Greek art was the bare male body, best seen in works of sculpture. Rather than ancient Greek art, the earliest Greek art is known as Aegean art. There were four main periods of Greek art, them being the Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. Little is known about the Geometric period of Greek art, considering it was during the time period of the Greek Dark Ages. However, Archaic art is classified by vase painting with dark figures. There was no sharp end or beginning to any of the periods, each coming around in different parts of Greece at different times. Most of the art still alive today from Ancient Greece are coins, pottery, and stone sculptures, excluding the Roman copies. Most of Roman art consists of architecture, paintings, and sculptures. Sculpture was the highest form of art in Ancient Rome, though the art time periods were not existent as much in Rome rather than it was in Greece. However, most of the art forms or methods used by the Romans originated from the Greeks.
Lots of Greek history was adopted by the Romans, especially their religion. Many of the Greek Gods have a Roman counterpart, one example being Hades or Pluto. Both are the Gods of the underworld, however, Pluto was also the God of wealth. Unlike Hades, Pluto was said to be much kinder, a more loving husband to his wife Prosperina, which is the Roman counterpart of Persephone. Despite the differences between names and personalities, the myths between the two were overall the same, along with the kidnapping of their wives and how they came to be the Gods of the Underworld. In Roman religious practices, their beliefs were more practical. They depended on knowledge rather than faith, and each home had a shrines where religious items were offered. Some of the public rituals were only allowed to be conducted by women. Many temples were built to guarantee Rome’s military success. The Romans pressed their religion onto other groups of people as they were dominating the Mediterranean world. Unlike Roman religion, Greeks are about belief and rituals. Both Greek and Roman religions relied on the belief that there are many Gods and Goddesses. Fate was an important role in Greek mythology, such as Odysseus’ fate to return home after the Trojan War. The only thing the Gods could do was make his journey longer and more difficult, but because of fate, they were powerless to stop him completely. Many of the Greek myths were about heroes and their journeys, and there were many different species in Greek mythology, such as the Cyclops. In both religions, the Gods often interacted with the humans of the world, often causing war or impregnating them. As the years went by, Greek mythology adopted many concepts, later forming Roman mythology.
Around 146 BC, at the Battle of Corinth, Greece was dominated by the Roman Republic. Even though the Romans took over, Greek life was more or less the same. Roman culture was heavily inspired by Greece, Homers Iliad being the main inspiration for Virgil’s Aeneid. Some Roman nobles said the Greeks were petty, many of the Romans admired the Greek way of life. Later on, Greece was divided into provinces that included Macedonia, Achaea, Epirus, and Thrace. Greece faced invasions under the rule of Romulus Augustulus. Both Greece and Rome’s economy was based on agriculture. Greeks typically lived on small personal farms, though their bad agricultural practices made it difficult to feed themselves. The Romans, however, indulged themselves in trade which the Greeks thought was degrading. Both Greece and Rome worked mines, Rome’s economy heavily dependent on slave labor. Though Greece also had slaves, the Romans relied on them more. In Greece, there were more social classes, those being women, slaves, freedmen, Metics, and citizens. In Rome, there were freedmen, plebians, slaves, and patricians. In Athens, women were not considered citizens. They were in charge of taking care of the household and producing children. In Rome, a woman could be a citizen, valued more than just for their ability to cook, clean, and produce children. Originally, kings governed both Athens and Rome. Later on, Rome eliminated them and established a mixed form of government, combining different elements of oligarchy, democracy, and monarchy. Greece later changed their system to democracy, city-states joining together that came into conflict, weakening the Greek empire.
The Romans dominated the Greeks, yet they still admired Greek art and religious practices. Many of their art forms and Gods came from the Greeks, the names of the Gods and some personalities changing, though the stories remained the same. Both empires had slaves, the Romans relying on theirs much more than the ancient Greeks. Both Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid told the same story, the Trojan war and the origins of Rome, though from different perspectives.