GREEKS AND ROMANS: Was it all about them or they had been influenced?

Journal, Art.2

Definitely, I believe that Greek and Roman Cultures are amazingly interesting, fascinating and attractive.

Maybe because I have studied ancient greek and latin, translated what they wrote, what they thought, tried to put myself in their context… Maybe because I believe they have marked with their present, our future, living an unforgettable footprint in Occidental life… such in values, in history, in thoughts, and probably in style. And they’ve been able to do this through literature, philosophy and an architecture that speaks for itself, but that at the same time, goes deeper than an esthetic , eye catching building, ‘cause behind it, it hides a deep meaning, or , in same cases more than one.

Is obvious that there are many differences between Greeks and Romans , and their way of reading architecture and many other things; that Greeks came before Romans is a fact. And that a big part of Greek culture was absorbed and remade, reinterpreted in a ‘Roman way’. And I could keep on going writing about this, but I don’t really want to focus on the differences between this two, similar and at the same time opposite cultures, so I will refer to them as Classical Culture.

Because what I would really like to focus on is : As Greek somehow influenced Romans, who influenced Greeks? Because I am sure they have. ( I do, however respect other opinions). Because even if they have been probably one of the greatest culture development centers, they where human beings, and they where perfectly conscious about this, as we may notice through their religious devotion and being ‘scared’ of the Gods, as these could interact with human life; as we may notice In them being the nest of proper philosophy, asking them selves who they where? Where did they come from? What was really death? Etc.

Even if they did think, mainly during the Golden Era of Athens, that they where amazingly powerful, fully self-confidents of their skills…but it was the power of belonging to the ‘polis’ (city) and being a politeia (citizen).

So, back to the point: who influenced them? Even if they thought they were terribly unique? And if they received influences, as they did, are they still as unique as they considered them selves and as most of people do?

Definitely I believe they received influences from many different cultures (from them considered ‘barbaroi’, meaning ‘non speakers of our language’ consequentially ‘barbarians’ ), from the contact with them through navigation, wars and military campaigns, expansion, commercial exchange…

I am not quite sure about from who they learned more or which cultures they mostly approached.

But definitely they had a lot of contact with Minor Asia so partly Asian Culture(Persian), the North Coast of Africa (Egyptians), the currently Eastern Europe ( Macedon) and many others.

But, who doesn’t as a society and as an individual? It doesn’t mean you are not yourself, I believe it means that you are open minded enough, to accept good things from others and personalize them, adding your characteristic that distinguishes you!