Anthony DiPalma
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Anthony DiPalma Describe the cultural achievements of ONE of these civilizations (Israel, Islamic world, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, medieval Christian civilization). How did the one you chose contribute to the success of Western Civilization? Rome was one of the most important civilizations in ancient history. There are many reasons for this, such as its size and its power. More importantly, it achieved many things culturally. One of which is the Roman arch, a part of the Roman architecture that we still see today in many buildings. These arches are also part of another achievement, that being the development of aqueducts. Aqueducts were very primitive but useful and influential. They were early ways of moving large amounts of water. This will go on to be used for sewage systems, among other things. Another large development of the Romans was their road systems. As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. This saying was invented back in the Roman times, due to their complex road systems, that could get you virtually anywhere in the Roman empire. These massively influenced western civilization, as in most sophisticated civilizations of today, there are massive road systems to bring you anywhere. The Romans were the first to do this. 4. What are some reasons why Christianity succeeded in Europe rather than Islam? Would you say it was merely chance? Christianity succeeded in Europe over Islam for many reasons, it was not by chance. One of the many reasons being Roman Emperor Constantine. His mother was a devout Christian, and Constantine had similar views. Upon becoming emperor, he imposed these views onto the rest of the Roman empire. At the time, the roman empire controlled, or at least had influence, over much or Europe, this played a major part in Christianities success in Europe. Constantine played a major part in Catholicism in Europe, and his rule led to the rise of Catholicism we see after his passing in Europe, even after Rome falls! Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? What are the conditions that made it flourish there? The Renaissance began and thrived in Italy for a multitude of reasons. One of which being that Italy was once the heart of the Roman empire. This means, that all the brightest men and women who were a part of the Roman empire, typically flocked to Rome. Another reason is the fall of the Byzantine empire in the 1400s. The byzantine empire was the last piece of Rome to fall. Upon falling to the ottomans, many Byzantines were forced to flee to northern Italy, bringing with them plenty of knowledge and scholarly material. Finally, the Vatican at the time was very rich and powerful. It funded much of what we see as renaissance works today, and the Vatican is located in northern Italy. For all of these reasons, the renaissance not only began in Italy, but thrived there as well. What is meant by "Humanism." Why do historians say it embodies the value of the Renaissance? Humanism was the movement in the renaissance which decided to focus on what it means to be human, rather than religious. Many of the amazing things we see from the renaissance today were based on this thought process of humanism. This theory of Humanism, alongside the ideas of the renessance being influenced by Rome and Greece, both of which for the most part were not Christian, broke the power of the clergy over Europe, and allowed for more free expression during this time, which allowed the renaissance to thrive. Download 14.94 Kb. Share with your friends:
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