Western Roman Empire

Odyssey, and The Iliad, and the template of all Greek writings to come. The man said to write the epics stated above was ironically blind. Homer, the greatest epic poet, was also the first. He is arguably the most influential man in the history of western literature. Homer was born around 850 BC, and was the first to document the events of the war of Troy, which had occurred over 400 years before him. His account of the war was very important for both the people of his time, as well as modern…

The Hellenistic era was the time that the Greek civilization really reached its highest point. Alexandria, the capital of Egypt was the main area where the culture spread. Alexander the Great ruled over most of the land and he spread the Greek thought and culture just as his tutor, Aristotle, taught him. Many different people such as Egyptians, Greeks, Jews, and Indians occupied the area of Alexandria but that didn’t change the Greek civilization from spreading. “While the Hellenistic world…

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the late 5th century, the eastern Byzantine Empire flourished while the western regions disintegrated into fragmented kingdoms without any unifying authority. Europe was in the midst of its Dark Ages when Charlemagne was born in 742 AD. This time was marked by frequent warfare; therefore there were few cultural achievements during this time. Charlemagne became ruler of one kingdom in Germany in 768 AD, immediately setting out to expand his territory. Through…

The Last Legion is an intriguing fantasy film based on a novel, which holds the same name, by Valerio Massimo. The movie is based on events from the Fifth Century that tie the last Roman Emperor and the fall of Rome, into the legends of the Ninth Legion and King Arthur. The movie is somewhat based off of historical facts and makes a slightly plausible story line; however, the further someone would look into history, the more they would find the movie to be Hollywood fantasy. In the first…

The Middle Ages lasted from around the 5th century until the 15th century. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. After the fall of Rome, the government or or no single state tried to reunite the people who lived on the European continent. The Catholic Church soon tried to take over and help reunite the people. The Catholic Church was a big part of Europe. It was the only church in Europe during this time so it had a major…

was born 13th of November 354 and died on the 28th of August 430. His writings significantly influenced Western Christianity and Western Philosophy. He was born the municipium of Thagaste, today known as Algeria, and considered himself African. His mother was a devout Christian, and his father was a Pagan who converted to Christianity on his deathbed. From a legal standpoint, his family were Romans. His family were honestiores, an upper class of citizens known as honorable men. It is believed…

focus on the culture of France and its relations with the United States. The describing of common French culture starts with the characteristics of this specific region. The modern French are descendants of Romans and Greeks that later mixed with larger groups at the end of the Roman Empire. One of the greatest regarded symbols of the French culture is the national language. The people generally…

Jewish-Roman revolts occurred throughout the long period of Roman occupation across the Eastern Mediterranean, which included parts of modern Southeast Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. However, arguably the most contentious period between Romans and their Jewish subjects occurred during the first and second centuries CE and settled significantly shortly after the end of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE. Scholarly arguments of the causes of the Jewish-Roman revolts are as abundant as the many…

(xxiii). Suetonius conveys his opinion of each emperor indirectly through how he portrays their vices and virtues. According to Suetonius, a Roman leader’s good and bad qualities included their military successes, relations with the citizens of Rome, mental stability, and private relationships. The military campaigns of the Caesars made Rome one of the largest empires of the ancient world. Suetonius conveys through his writings that being a good military leader and a good Caesar…

offerings, markings for graves, as well as to represent ideals of beauty, honor, sacrifice and devotion. Statues were commonly made with bronze or marble and were commissioned either by noble or the state. Most Greek statues found are Roman copies due to the fact that once Roman conquered Greece they melted the bronze statues. Greek architecture is considered structural art; known for their columns and large temples recognized for the three architectural order styles: Doric, Ionic and…