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Greeks and Romans

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Greeks and Romans
HUM 100
August 2nd, 2011

Greeks and Romans

Greeks and Romans The Greeks and Romans are two civilizations that are constantly compared thought out history. People tend to compare their beliefs, views on life, politics, religion just to name a few. The Greeks and Romans were two very powerful entities throughout history. Rich in history, science and the arts. One constant comparison between the Greeks and Romans are their gods. Although they each have different names for their gods, they are quite similar. Greeks views on the individual or the individual and society were that they understood themselves to belong to a common Greek genos their first and foremost loyalty was to their city and country and didn’t see anything wrong with fighting with other Greek city states. The most famous of these was the Peloponnesian war. Which was a civil war between Sparta and Athens. Many variations of this great civil war have been told. From history books to movies, cartoons and children’s storybooks. Through these movies, cartoons and children’s story books gods and heroes have been highlighted and praised. Same way the Greeks praised their gods and heroes. This was called the Heroic Age. Some scholars believe that certain Greek heroes and gods were based on a real men and women living in that time. One hero that stands out would be Hercules. Throughout his complicated mythology perhaps Hercules really existed as a chieftain of the kingdom of Argos. Traditionally Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene. He has been represented in several variations. But the most common variation would be Hercules being represented as an enormously strong individual of normal height. Sometimes he is portrayed with a bow or a club. The most popular image that was portrayed or highlighted in ancient Greek times would be him in a constant battle

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