A series of early civilizations rose and fell in what would become the Mediterranean world. From the dust of past civilizations rose two great powers: Rome and Greece. Both of these prominent empires held considerable influence over the Mediterranean world due to the natural resources that were offered. The Romans were surrounded by the Alps and Apennines, making them hard to invade. The Greeks were located by the Aegean Sea, making them the center of trade. During the Classical Era, Rome and Greece experienced several continuities and changes. The social structures of Greece and Rome stayed consistent in the aspects of social classes, patriarchy, and slavery. Within Greece, Sparta and Athens showed different types of slavery. Despite the many continuities, changes also occurred during this period. Belief systems changed in the Mediterranean. For Rome, this change was necessitated by its imminent fall. Wanting to reunite the empire, Constantine helped stop religious persecution and spread Christianity. Greece showed a different change in beliefs, one shifting away from their mythology. The popularity of Democritus’ philosophy helped to incite this change.
Social structure experienced continuity during the Classical Era. The ideas of classes, patriarchy, and slavery remained relatively unchanged during this period. When thinking of ancient Greece and Rome, the likes of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar are often recognized as great leaders of their people. However, there were never any female rulers in these empires. A text from the Greek Menander provides insight into this issue. In 325 BCE, he wrote, “Marriage, if truth be told (of this be sure), An evil is—but one we must endure. A good woman is the rudder of her household. A sympathetic wife is man's chiefest treasure. How burdensome a wife extravagant; Not as he would may he who's ta'en her live” (Arkenberg, 1999, ¶ 27) As shown in the text, women were treated as homebodies whose sole purpose in life was to stay at
home, have children, be quiet, and obey their husbands’ commands. It was very rarely that a woman received any form of power, as they were seen as lower than and dependent on men. Men were the faces representing these empires, whereas women were left behind.
Social classes also did not witness a change during this period. In Rome, social stratification was evident. Among the classes there was little mobility. The wealthiest and highest-class Romans were the patricians, who owned large properties and had the most political power. Patrician families could be traced back to one of the early clans and believed that they had an inherent right to rule. The plebeians were lower-class commoners who lacked most of the rights the patricians received. Even in the reformed and seemingly representative Roman government, systematic oppression existed for the plebeians, but in a more subtle manner. For example, through the priesthood. Patricians stayed in control of the priesthood during this time, and plebeians did not gain the right to join it. As the “gatekeepers to the gods,” the patricians were able to reinforce their power through religious laws and punish those who opposed them (Wasson, 2014).
Beneath the plebeians on the social hierarchy were the slaves. Slavery existed in both Rome and Greece. In Ancient Rome, slaves served for many purposes: working in private households, estates, farms, and public projects, among others. Some slaves were owned privately, and others were owned by the state. In Greece, slavery existed in more specific forms. It varied greatly from Athens to Sparta. Privately owned Athenian slaves were very specialized in most cases and used as domestic servants and assistants. In some cases, they were used to tutor the children of the wealthy, or as nannies. Slaves were adopted into the family who owned them and received a burial with the family (Bay, 2012). Athenian slavery proved to be much less cruel than that of
Sparta. Spartan slaves were called helots and were thought to originate from a neighboring civilization. After their civilization was conquested, the inhabitants and their offspring were reduced to a life enslaved to the Spartan state (The Editors of Encyclop ædia Britannica, 2017). The helots worked long hours and were treated to a subhuman standard. There was no penalty for murdering a helot as it was not seen as immoral in the eyes of the law. The main cause of the helots’ treatment was that they greatly outnumbered the citizen population of Sparta. By utilizing the large number of helots, it provided the Spartans with bountiful food production. However, because of their large population, strict rules and punishments were also essential to make sure that the helots did not revolt (Bay, 2012).
Mediterranean belief systems underwent large changes during this era. In their earlier years, both Rome and Greece practiced polytheistic faiths. They consisted of many gods and goddesses, the majority of which took on a human form with divine power. They represented different aspects of human life, both abstract and physical. (Cartwright, 2013) However, over time these beliefs changed. In Rome, under Emperor Constantine, Christianity was finally recognized. Constantine wanted to reunite the falling empire that was Rome. So, in 313 CE the Edict of Milan was written. The Edict of Milan stated that there would be religious tolerance within the Roman Empire. This put an end to the persecution faced by Christians in Rome, which in turn helped it flourish. (Wasson, 2013) In Greece, a turn away from faith was shown during the Hellenistic Era. Democritus was one of the most influential philosophers for the movement of rationalism. He questioned the trustworthiness of the human senses and created the first theory of the atom’s existence. All of his discoveries made a large impact and are still relevant today. Eventually, Democritus’ ideas caught on and Greek rationalism became popular. Due to the
great popularity of Greek rationalism in this time, many Greeks decided to no longer believe in their mythology, as there was no way for them to prove it. (Boeree, 2000)
During the Classical Era, the Mediterranean showed continuities in patriarchy, social classes, and slavery. To complement the continuities, significant changes occurred to help adapt to a morphing environment. Some changes were willful, and others were necessitated, but all helped shape the Mediterranean and its way of life.