Nancy Yousry 1/12/16

The rise and fall of Western European powers at separate periods of time, in referral to
Rome and Greece, led to the modification of cultural aspects originated from the Classical Era
(600 BCE-600 CE). The classical Greeks influenced and set the blueprint of later Roman
educational, philosophical, artistic and religious ideals. During 200 BCE-1450 CE in the Greco-
Roman world, literary genres continued to develop and flourish, while the ideas of art and
religion changed.
The Hellenistic Age marks the cultural diffusion of Greek culture to the entire
Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. Prior to the Hellenistic Age, in around 360 B.C.E,
Greek city states were weakened by internal and external conflicts. Internally, Greek city states
were constantly fighting out of rivalry. External wise, the outcome of the Peloponnesian War
made Athens reduced to near-complete subjection. As a result, poverty became widespread in the
Peloponnese. These external and internal factors made the Greek poli vulnerable to successful
invasion by the Macedonian ruler, King Philip II. King Philip IIs son, Alexander, continued his
fathers legacy and expanded his fathers empire by conquering Egypt, large areas of Western
Asia into the Indus valley. The large empire that Alexander the Great had formed, however, made
citizens feel alienated due to the new political environment. Back in the classical Greek Era,
citizens had been ruled by a direct democracy. During the Hellenistic Age, they were governed
by bureaucrats, whom were unelected representatives. This alienation was portrayed through
Hellenistic art and literature. Craftsmen shifted the focus from sculpting divine forces (gods in
the form of snakes and griffins) to sculpting individual mortals (actual people), conveying the
need to focus on themselves, as opposed to authoritive forces. As for literature, Homers
developed genres of tragedy and comedy portrayed in the Iliad and Odyssey during the classical
Greek age, continued in the Hellenistic Era as well. However, poets began to write works in the
honor of their kings, developing the genre called literary patronage. This would naturally occur
because rulers were influential on citizens lifestyles and livelihoods. In the religion aspect of
culture, Egyptian gods, Isis and Serapis, and Syrian deity Atargatis began to worshipped as a
result of Alexander the Greats wide acceptance to diverse cultures. Additionally, the adopted
idea of worshipping Hellenistic rulers, practiced by the successors of the Ptolemaic dynasty, was
influenced by ancient Egyptian pharaonic practices.
The unchallenged leadership of Roman bureaucracy allowed the
ancient Roman Empire, founded in around 753 BCE, to prosper for centuries. Ancient Roman art
was born from Greek art. However, Greek art was modified by the Romans. The Romans
advanced the Greek Corinthian column by adopting new construction techniques and using
authentic types of marble obtained through trade, to produce architectural structures such as the
basilica, triumphal arch and monumental aqueduct. The Romans modified their techniques in
response to their growing populations demands. Early ancient Romans adopted Greek gods, but
referred to them in different names. However, in 313 CE, the Emperor Constantine made
Christianity the state religion and banned Paganism, replacing temples with churches. One of the
possible reasons for the change in religion could be a political tactic that Constantine used. He
allegedly dreamt of signified victory with Jesus cross in the battle of Milvian. Due to its rise,
Christianity influenced Roman literature. While Latin translated Greek classics continued to be
written, the allegory was developed. Allegory is a literary genre that is in the form of a story and
uses symbolic figures as icons to represent truths, as in Christian truths in the case of Christian
allegory. Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy is an example of a Christian allegory. Important
figures of Christianity, such as the trio in the Holy Trinity began to be portrayed in paintings, in
contrast to the portrayal of pagan Gods a couple of centuries before. Shortly after the fall of the
Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, the early Middle Ages began. Ancient Greek and Roman
style was still intact during the early Middle Ages. Romanesque (Roman influenced) art was
common during 1066-1200 CE. However, later in the Middle Ages, during 1300 to 1400 CE, the
decorated style of Gothic Architecture featuring Gargoyles began to merge.
While the ideas of art and
religion were continually changing during 200 BCE-1450 CE in Western Europe, some aspects
of culture remained intact in other areas of the world. During the reign of the Western Roman
Empire, there was a huge shift from Paganism to Christianity. However, whilst this shift in
religion was occurring in Western Europe, the successors of the Han Dynasty were following
Confucianism. The successors reign were dependent on the Mandate of Heaven, which was
obtained through Gods consent, in order to rule China. These Confucianist beliefs, one of which
underlined the importance of individuals to be aware of their place in society, were one of the
factors that kept the Han Empire stable for a long period of time. Even though there was the
continuity of religion in Han China, methods of obtaining goods were modified(development of
pulleys) in order to accommodate societys demands. This is similar to modern day changes and
continuities. There is the continuity of desire to advance in first world countries, and in response,
technological objects are constantly changing.