Test Your Knowledge of Ancient Greece and Rome

Study of the Culture of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome: A Summary

• Classics is the study of classical antiquity, which traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin.
• Classics encompasses Greco-Roman philosophy, history, archaeology, anthropology, art, mythology, and society as secondary subjects.
• The word classics is derived from the Latin adjective classicus, meaning "belonging to the highest class of citizens" and was used to describe the members of the Patricians, the highest class in ancient Rome.
• In the Middle Ages, classics and education were tightly intertwined, and Latin continued to be the language of scholarship and culture.
• The Renaissance led to the increasing study of both ancient literature and ancient history, as well as a revival of classical styles of Latin.
• The 19th century saw the influence of the classical world and the value of a classical education decline, especially in the United States, where the subject was often criticized for its elitism.
• In the 20th century, the study of classics became less common in England, with Oxford and Cambridge universities stopping requiring students to have qualifications in Greek in 1920.
• Classical philology is concerned with understanding any texts from the classical period written in the classical languages of Latin and Greek.
• Classical archaeology is the oldest branch of archaeology, with its roots going back to J.J. Winckelmann's work on Herculaneum in the 1760s.
• Some art historians focus their study on the development of art in the classical world, including architecture and sculpture.
• Ancient history seeks understanding of the history and culture of a civilization, through critical study of the extant literary and physical artifacts.
• Reception studies is concerned with how students of classical texts have understood and interpreted them, taking place within a historical context.Classical Greek and Roman Civilization

Classical Greek Civilization:

• Classical Greek civilization lasted from the eighth century BC to the Roman conquest of Greece in 146 BC.
• The Classical period, during the fifth and fourth centuries BC, is considered the height of Greek civilization.
• The Classical period of Greek history began with the Greco-Persian wars and ended with the death of Alexander the Great.
• Greek culture had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire, which carried a version of it to many parts of the Mediterranean region and Europe.
• Ancient Greek was the language of Homer and of classical Athenian historians, playwrights, and philosophers.
• Surviving works of Greek literature are epic poetry, drama, and historical literature.
• Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices.
• Greek religion encompassed the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in ancient Greece in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices.
• The earliest surviving philosophy from ancient Greece dates back to the 6th century BC.

Classical Roman Civilization:

• The language of ancient Rome was Latin, a member of the Italic family of languages.
• Latin literature began in 240 BC when a Roman audience saw a play adapted from the Greek by Livius Andronicus.
• The city of Rome was founded in 753 BC, according to legend.
• Rome expanded its area of influence until by 269 the entirety of the Italian peninsula was under Roman rule.
• Latin had an impact far beyond the classical world and continued to be the pre-eminent language for serious writings in Europe long after the fall of the Roman empire.