Comparison: Ancient Greeks and Romans  

The ancient Romans were very different
from the ancient Greeks. 

(1) The ancient Romans were down-to-earth realists, not idealists. You can see this in their statues. The Greeks made statues of perfect people. The Romans created real life statues. A statue of one of the Roman emperors is a good example. His nose is huge! The ancient Greeks would never have done that.

(2) The Romans built roads all over the empire, and all roads led to Rome. The ancient Greeks had roads, but they were not built nearly as well, and the Greek's roads did not connect in any particular order. Connect to what? Each Greek city-state was its own unit. In ancient Rome, Rome was the heart of the empire!

(3) In both Greek and Roman cultures, women were responsible for the family and the home. But their freedoms were very different. 

• Greek Women: In ancient Greece, except in Sparta, women had no rights. They were the property of their husband. They had to ask their husband's permission to leave the house or to talk to a neighbor who came visiting. As time went on, rights for women remained the same. 
  
  

• Roman Women: In the beginning, rights for women in ancient Rome were similar to rights for women in ancient Greece. Over time, things changed. 
  
  During the 500 years that Rome was a Republic, Roman women could go to the Forum to shop, chat with friends, and visit a temple, all without asking their husband for permission. 
  
  During the 500 years that Rome was an Empire, women gained even more freedom. Under the Empire, it was legal for women to own land, run businesses, free slaves, make wills, inherit wealth, and get a paid job. In ancient Rome, only free adult men were citizens. Although women were not citizens of ancient Rome, they enjoyed a great deal more freedom than did women in ancient Greece.

 

Differences Between Greek & Roman Architecture 

  Free Presentations in PowerPoint format about Ancient Rome

 

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