Constructs of Western Civilization

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The importance of war and its values in Greece was demonstrated during the movie "300". The action took place in 480 BC. Leonidas, the first king of Sparta, with the help of his 300 men (the Spartans), will face the large army of Xerxes 1st, Emperor of the Persian Empire. There followed bloody battles, and Leonidas died with honors in combat. Leonidas becomes a symbol of the man who gives himself for his country and courage warrior.

Historians, poets, philosophers, painters and sculptors devoted a considerable part of their work to themes relating to war. The defensive/protective buildings still leave visible traces today, testifying to the resistance of the communities of citizens. War blended all aspects of human life, such as politics, economics, and religion. The people of Greece and those of the Hellenistic kingdoms devoted resources, energy and considerable attention to military activities. The oldest literary work of the West is the story of "The Iliad," which depicts the violent struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. This conflict involved the gods of Olympus themselves (Cartwright, 2013).

During this course, we saw the importance of literature and laws during this period. Examples are the stories of "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey." These are two epics written by Homer. "The Iliad" talks about the Trojan War. And about "The Odyssey," this name comes from Ulysses. It is the story of a Greek hero, Ulysses, who is going through severe trials to return home to the island of Ithaca of which he is the king and where power threatens to be taken from him. The moral of these two stories rests on values are the honor and the respect (Crotty, 1994).

Philosophers have played a unique role in Greek civilization. Through their knowledge, which they transmitted to schools of philosophy, a humanistic thought developed in the educated circles of Greece and spread, forming the premises of a European identity.

Greek civilization has influenced Western society through many political and cultural innovations. For example, the Olympic Games were invented by the Greeks long before they were renovated by the French Pierre de Coubertin.

Edith Hamilton, an American professor, specializing in Greek mythology and Greece, maintained that the art and thought of Greece's golden age were never surpassed, and were rarely equaled. The Greeks left their mark on all the art and thought of the West civilization. But she deplores the fact that poor things of what the Greeks realized have come down to us, and we have no way of knowing if we have the best parts of their efforts (Hamilton, 1993).

In Greek mythology, Zeus, master of the gods, after having changed into a bull, kidnapped a Phoenician princess from whom he had fallen in love. The young princess, who was the daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre, received the honors of the gods after her death and gave her name to the continent: Europe (Cartwright, 2013).

In Greece, religion did not involve constraints or obligations in matters of belief. There were no prayers or truths in which everybody had to believe. The Greeks naturally believed the gods. For the rituals, there were regulations and religious calendars elaborated and voted by the different cities of the Greek territory. The date of the holidays, the type of animal to be sacrificed and the gods concerned was enacted. Each city had its religious calendar, chose the gods whom it wished to honor the most and to whom it asked particularly protection. From birth to death, all the critical moments of life were marked by rituals. Religion was also part of the political life of the cities. There was no separation between the world of the gods and power on earth. The gods were consulted before the war was declared. Victories or defeats were considered a gift of the gods. Religion in Greece was therefore not experienced as a private belief, but it was present at all levels of life in the city (Cartwright, 2013).

In the film "Clash of the Titans," we found that the relationships between gods and warriors were often complex. It is the last battle for the power, which depicts men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves can destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus cannot save his family from Hades, the vengeful god of the world of hell. Perseus volunteered to lead a dangerous mission and deal a fatal blow to Hades before he took over the power of Zeus and made hell on earth. Perseus undertakes a dangerous trip and will only survive if he accepts his power as a god, defies his destiny and creates his destiny. Even today, many conflicts involving religion and God are led by peoples to commit heinous crimes. This discussion is therefore still current.

The Greco-Roman world has left significant traces today. From philosophy with Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, the invention of democracy, the legal system (based on Roman law), architecture and innovations that are the basis of Western architecture, science, arts, make us, Western peoples what we are today.

Journal Entry 3

The Romans followed the Greeks.

After visiting ancient Greece, we were immersed in ancient Rome. In the movie, Agora (philosophical peplum), we were able to understand the conflict between science and religion in Roman eras. But summarizing Roman history in a few lines is impossible. The Roman world is a long epic that stretches over more than 2000 years. An account of a small village group that dominated a large part of the Western civilization and marked its culture.

The foundation of Rome according to legend.

Legend has it that Aeneas, the son of a Trojan and the goddess of love, married the daughter of King Priam and became a prince. When the Greeks took the city of Troy, Aeneas managed to escape by boat with some warriors. He landed in Italy, on the coasts of Latium, and founded the town of Rome. The son of Aeneas, Ascagne, founded Alba Longa, one of the oldest cities in Italy from twenty kilometers from Rome. This legend will make it possible to give Julius Caesar and his son Augustus a divine origin since they present themselves as the descendant of Ascagne (Cavendish, 2003).

After Ascagne, twelve kings succeed each other. The last of the kings, Amulius, makes of his niece Rhea Silvia a Vestal (priestess of Vesta having an obligation to remain a virgin) to remove any future rival. But the god Mars fell in love with Rhea Silvia and their union will be born twins: Romulus and Remus. Their mother was immured alive for having committed this error and her sons