Saturday, September 28, 2013
The Lay of Your Land: Greek Civilization and Geography Compared and Contrasted
During the last few weeks, we've considered different civilizations each of which has arguably been influenced by geography and the lay of its land. The physical features of each area have offered benefits and, at the same time, have presented challenges. Choose one other region to compare and contrast with Greek civilization. With a special emphasis on the geographies of Greece and this other region above all, which place (again Greece or this other region)would you prefer to have lived in? In responding to this question, make sure that you look at the relationship between 1) the geography and 2) the politics and culture of a civilization in explaining your choice. The post should be AT LEAST 10 sentences with clear factual evidence and thoughtful reflection.
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I would rather live in Greece than China, first off because of the geographical fact that it doesn't flood like China does. The Huang He and the Yangtze would be too close for comfort for me, because the Huang He's floods can devour entire villages. In Greece, you still have water around from the Mediterranean Sea, but it won't flood and devour your home. Another thing is that the Greek alphabet is closer to ours, so it would be easier to learn than the Chinese alphabet. If I lived in Athens, I would be in a democracy, which I would prefer to the empire government of China. I wouldn't mind the inability to do mass agriculture in Greece, because I am not a big farmer kind of person anyway. There is entertainment in Greece, with the drama that was being developed. A second type of entertainment they had was storytelling, which would be good. I would also really prefer to live in Greece because of the Olympics, which is not only entertainment also, but something I would want to compete in. I love sports, so that would be perfect for me.
ReplyDelete- J��rdan Valdés #3
ReplyDeleteI would rather live in Greece than Assyria because Greece was a much less military culture. In Greece there is a democracy and even though women aren't allowed to vote I would be able to influence people who could vote and therefore have a little bit of a say. That said, even if I couldn't vote I would rather a democracy where I couldn't vote to an empire like the one in Assyria. Assyria always has to be on guard of rebellions and invasions whereas Greece made it so that everyone that was under their rule would have a say and not feel like their culture was being taken from them. Also even though Greece didnt have good land for farming they had lots of livestock and I have always loved animals. Also the Greeks treasured education and culture so I would be able to learn even though I'm a girl. I would be able to learn a lot more than I would be able to in Assyria.
ReplyDeleteI would rather live in Greece than Persia. One reason I would not like to live in Persia is because they are many risks of floods there. There is a gulf and two seas near Persia. While there is less of a chance of flood in Greece because there are less sources of water. Another reason is that Persia fought in many many wars. I could not fight in a war so I would not fit in well there. Meanwhile in Greece the people do not fight often. Also the Greeks were great story tellers, and I enjoy the Greek myths. The Greeks also had the Olympics which were pretty cool. I would love to compete in the Olympics.
ReplyDeleteI would rather live in Egypt than Greece. First of all Egypt has a controlled river which rarely floods more than a few feet off of its normal flood range. Since the Nile floodwaters are predictable (which is a problem in many other river-valley civilizations at this time), the Nile only brings good things to the Egyptian people. The Nile’s floods provide rich silt for farming, and during flood seasons farmers who are off work have can do other things instead of farming. Since the soil is so rich farmers collect plentiful food, so during drought and famine there are stores of reserve food so people will not starve. Also the Nile makes transport up and down Egypt easier and faster which allows for better trading and communication throughout the empire. Egypt as well didn’t have to really worry about invasions due to the desert that made reaching Egypt except from north and south nearly impossible. This provided a thriving culture for Egypt. The government and culture though, is no match to Greece’s. The 1 man theocracy that Egypt had was very hierarchical, but I believe that the benefits of the geography outweigh the inferior culture and government. Meanwhile, the Greeks didn’t have to worry about flooding either, because they didn’t have anything that could flood them. With the lack of rivers in Greece and the mountainous landscape it makes farming extremely difficult, which in turn makes it difficult to sustain a large group of people. After civilizations were established they had to rely on trading to obtain most of their resources. While that improved culture, it meant that the Greeks relied on other civilizations to produce their food. If a civilization was fed up with the items they were receiving they may just have stopped trading with the Greeks. Also if famine hit these places then yet again Greece would be hanging out on a limb. The Greeks did have to worry about many invasions (being next to the vast and very powerful Persian empire), but they lived in an easily protected area (lots of sea, mountainous). The culture and the politics of Greeks were desirable. A theocracy doesn’t give power to make decisions in anyone’s hands but the divine ruler, but in Greece an assembly of men had the power to make decisions. Also the arts and culture of Greece was much better than that of Egypt. Fine artists, sculptors, writers and most importantly, philosophers prospered in Greece. Those people brought happiness to the people, making it more desirable to live there. Although living in Greece may look appetizing, I wouldn’t want to live there because Egypt has more geographical security.
ReplyDeleteI would rather live in Greece than Sumer. One of the reasons I would choose Greece because of the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates. While these rivers provided an amazing place for agriculture to flourish, the flooding would destroy homes and kill many people every time it happened. Even though Greece was not able to produce most of its own food because there were not many rivers and it was extremely hilly, they got their food from trade. This completely got rid of the problem of flooding. Also, the Sumerians had no natural defenses, while Greece had the water to defend them, as well as a hilly area that would make it harder for an army to get through. Secondly, the Greeks’ form of politics, more specifically in Athens was a democracy, giving a lot of power to the people. Instead of being ruled over by one person or king, culture was allowed to flourish because the people made the main decisions. As I said before, culture was allowed to flourish, which is another reason. Although the Sumerians had Gilgamesh the Greeks were far ahead of the Sumerians in Drama and writing, with Homer and their drama. Along with that, they also had very well developed philosophers and mathematicians, while the Sumerians had only scribes.
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DeleteGreece would be a better place to live than China. The two civilizations had some similarities, such as the importance of trade in their society. China used a system of roads and a unified currency to trade, and Greece was a center of trade because of its position in the middle of the Mediterranean and the amount ocean around it. However, China contained the Yangtze and Yellow River, which meant that they could have agriculture. Greece didn't have many rivers and was hilly and mountainous, so their society had to focus on domesticating animals and trading rather than agriculture. Their societies were very different as well; China was an autocracy, and Greece was a democracy. Under the rule of Shi Huangdi, freedom of speech and ideas was lost in China. People who disagreed with his rule were killed, and books of philosophy and poetry were burned. Greece's democracy allowed more freedoms than in China, and instead of being governed by one person, many Greek citizens shaped the laws and government of their civilization.
ReplyDeleteI do not know whether I would rather live in Greece or during the time of the Harappan Civilization. Both civilizations have their pros and cons (as all civilizations do). As for geography, the Harappan Civilization was naturally protected: it was surrounded by several mountain ranges and the Thar Desert. Agriculture for the Harappans was influenced by the monsoons that swept through the area and caused the rivers to flood and crops to flourish. The rivers served as helpful transportation to the sea, promoting trade. The sea was also a very important factor in trade for the Greek civilization, which also had a very hilly terrain. If I were only to base my answer on geography for which civilization I would prefer to live in, I would most likely choose the Harappan Civilization. In addition to the sea for trade, which may have enriched the culture, the land was also incredibly fertile due to the annual floods, though the rivers – and sometimes the monsoons – were often unpredictable. I also believe that the geographical convenience of the Harappan Civilization contributed to its leisure – the civilization could afford to have “nonessentials” like toys in their society, which may relate to the fact that they were not prone to many invasions. Lack of weapons in the society also supports this.
ReplyDeleteWhile the Harappan Culture most likely was a theocracy and religion played a big role in society, several of Greece’s city-states were democracies. I like the idea of the citizens playing a role in running the society.
I think it is really interesting that Greece had such a developed idea of the arts: architecture, drama, etc. I think that art is an incredibly important aspect of all cultures and that it richens society. I believe that I would have liked to live in a society that emphasized education, even though in some city-states, like Athens, it was only open to boys. However, I do not think that I would have liked to live in Sparta because they emphasized military training and service to Sparta.
the politics and culture of a civilization
ReplyDeleteGreece is popularly structured around its beautiful culture of performing arts, religion, and architecture. But, Egypt also has a very interesting culture too: mummies, pyramids, pharaohs, gods. I would rather live in Egypt rather than Greece because-- firstly-- the geography is much more bearable. In Egypt, the Nile provided silt which attributed to the fertile soil and nutrients of the crops. The Nile waters were also consistent and predictable, provided transportation between Upper and Lower Egypt, and reduced interaction with invaders. Greece, on the other hand, was also surrounded by water: the Aegean, Ionian, and Black Sea (which served as transportation routes). The Greeks lacked natural resources,which led to trading. The land could only support a small population because there was little farmland and fresh water.
In Egyptian religion, the women's rights were synonymous to men's. Whereas in Greece, women did not have the same education or rights. They were treated, voting-wise, like peasants.
In conclusion, I would rather live in Egypt than Greece because of the benefits of the land and their equal culture.
I would rather live in Greece than in China. I would rather live in Greece than because I love that they are more peaceful and not as focused on war I loved that they are focused on culture. They are also the center of trade in the ancient world, trade helps enrich culture and helps form new ideas. I love the idea that Greece is not just controlled by one leader who has all of the power, and authority, the power is more in the people. Also women had allot more power than in china and did not have to totally submit to the men. The ancient Greeks were very interested in architecture, sculptures, and art. Greece was a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea. The sea shaped Greek cultures just like the rivers did for other civilizations. They became skilled sailors and traders because of their lack of natural resources. There were small steams but they were not big enough to support irrigation systems. Though the lack of fertile farmland, they were never able to support a large population. The climate was also very important the moderate temperature allowed the Greeks to be outside allot. china was faced with deadly floods and was isolated, and because of this early settlers had to supply their own goods rather than through trade. And chinas natural barriers did not completely protect them from outsiders and they were invaded allot.
DeleteThe geography of Greece is probably one of the least appealing of all of the ancient civilizations. All of the other civilizations either had good land for farming, natural protection from invasion, or good land for infrastructure. Many ancient civilizations had more than one of these things. Greece has none of these things. The only thing that Greece’s geography has going for it is its close proximity to the ocean. This allowed the Greeks easy access to trade and an easy way to move from place to place. In all other areas Greek geography is inferior. The mountainous terrain makes it difficult to farm and impossible to build good road systems. If I had to choose which of the other civilizations I would have liked to live in (based on geography), I would choose Egypt. Egypt may have been located primarily in a desert, but it had a large amount of useful farmland and the Nile provided transport from place to place. Also, for much of Egypt’s history, the surrounding deserts provided protection from enemy invasion. I would also choose Egypt if I was basing my decision on government. Egypt may have had a government that was odd and primitive in relation to that of some parts of Greece, but I think that it would be nice to live in theocracy. A theocracy would have been nice to live in because you would not have had to worry about rulers making mistakes. You would have seen your rulers as gods, so you would never have seen any reason to dispute what thy said. This may have been a rather oppressive form of government, but it still created less controversy than democracy did/does. My opinion that theocracy is a nice form of government is based on the phrase “Ignorance is Bliss”. If you are ignorant of the fact that your rulers are not perfect and all knowing (and can therefore make mistakes), then you are happy.
ReplyDeleteI would rather live in Egypt than Greece. The geographical layout of Greece is without doubt the most unusual landscape in terms of the ancient world. There was much contrast between Egypt and Greece (I refer to Egypt only because that is the other region I am comparing Greece's geographical properties to.) Egypt had a luscious river that basically provided with the essentials of life. Greece, on the other hand, was covered in hilly terrains and was surrounded by sea, which when I last checked was not at all a big factor in successful farming. However, they both had similar ways of trading (sort of) and having defenses (sort of). Greece and Egypt both used bodies of water to trade, with Greece navigating through the seas and Egypt going up and down the Nile. In addition, they both had natural landforms to hide them from potential invading forces and enemies, with Greece having their hills and mountains and Egypt having their vast desert. Though Greece dominated in terms of trade, (in my viewpoint.) that was the only thing that they really had to measure up against the Egyptians. Egypt excelled in more things than Greece did (this is where I delve into the political aspects of the two.). Their form of government was far greater than that of the Greeks. In Sam's comment, he talked about how theocracy was sort of a good thing. I agree with that. In a theocratic form of government, the ruler's subjects view him/her as God, so it therefore insinuates that the said monarch is perfect, virtuous, and does everything in the best interest of the kingdom and its subjects. Your perspective of that ruler is good, and since you don't realize that the person is not perfect, you are happy, and dont necessarily care about the decisions that he makes since they are supposedly, "in the best interests of the kingdom and its subjects.". Greece, on the other hand, was very democratic. While in this day and age it is a good thing(im not saying its not- I am just stating a fact.), it didnt really work out for the best. Democracy, or giving people a choice in general, leads to rebellion and corruption. So what I am basically trying to say is that a theocracy keeps people in check rather than democracy. Also(I forgot to mention this earlier.), Greece had a limited area for farming and not a good piece of land at that, whereas Egypt was a mecca of agriculture ( at the time, I'm guessing.) So, in summation, I think that I would rather live in Egypt than Greece.
ReplyDeleteComparing Egypt to Greece I would rather live in Greece. Since Egypt is surrounded by deserts and Greece is surrounded by water both empires had few invaders. With few invaders these empires had time to focus on and well develop their culture. I personally prefer the development of Greece more than Egypt’s. I enjoy the dark ages of Greece most when the epics of homer emerged. I’m in love with all the stories that began especially the Trojan War. However compared to Egypt’s farm land and natural resources Greece definitely lacks in the competition. Greece had very hilly landscapes which lead to bad farming but I could stand the farmland if I’m able to experience their culture and rituals they developed. I would enjoy more than anything to hear the epics of homer and the Greek myths first hand. I also like Greece different government tragedies more than Egypt’s theocracy. Power should be spread out I believe. Overall I would pick to live in Greece instead of Egypt because of the culture differences and Greece is more interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteI would rather live in Greece then in Persia. Greece was much less militarized and woman were much more equal within the Greek society. Also, Greece had exceptional natural barriers. Greece is surrounded by sea, and the mountainous valleys of the land give them some advantage over their enemy invaders because they know the mountains and valleys better than anyone else. Though farming was not a very big factor in Greece because of how mountainous it was, the Greeks still made a very nice way of life, they got water from rainfall, and little streams stationed throughout the land. Although Persia had a great ruler in Cyrus, he was a bit too military based for my likings. I think culture is what makes your civilization thrive, and Greece had that type of culture based civilization. I would much rather live in a nice, mountainous, surrounded by water, Greece, than a Persian military based, Cyrus-ruled civilization.
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