Greek and Roman Contributions
By Jackson F.
Roman Contributions
Development of Aqueducts: Toilet
The development of aqueducts is one of the many Roman contributions to modern society. Aqueducts were concrete structures that brought water from wells and lakes to homes of the rich people that could afford the luxury. This very similar to the modern plumbing systems today. Are plumbing is just a bunch of systems of pipes that bring water to where it is needed in houses such as sinks, toilets, baths, and showers.
Development of Concrete Roads: Driveway
Another great Roman contribution to modern society is the development of concrete roads. The Romans built 250,000 miles of road consisting of concrete blocks and crushed stones and pebbles. Today our roads consist of practically the same things. Our roads and driveways consist of asphalt over a concrete base course.
Latin Language: English
English, the language most Americans speak today consist of a lot of Latin roots. Latin influenced the vocabulary of many languages. The Romans would write poetry, dramas, and histories in Latin. Today over 60 percent of the English language comes from Latin roots.
Great Freedom of Women: mom
In Rome, women were given more rights than almost anywhere else. They had rights rights to own property and buisness, inherit property, have a will, and file a divorce.
They were not allowed to vote, hold office, or have their own name. Today women have all those rights and many more such as the right to vote and have jobs. Most moms in Rome must stay home and take care of the kids. Today mothers are allowed to have a wide variety of jobs.
Greek Contributions
Art: Pottery
Pottery in Greece was black and red with etchings in them. These pots were used to contain water, wine, and olive oil. Today pots are often used to hold flowers and for decoration.
Sports and Entertainment: Frisbee
The Greeks were the first to come up with the olympics. The first Olympic took place 776BC and was dedicated to the god Zues. These olympics had four sports that were foot race, wrestling, long jumping, javelin or discus throwing. This is very similar to our modern olympics and sports. Now we have invented more sports but we still play these original sports such as discus throwing, almost everyone has thrown a frisbee.
Architecture: Wooden Support Beams
A important part of Greek architecture is columns. There are three types of columns Doric, Ionic, and Carinthian. Doric columns had no base and got slimmer towards the top. Ionic columns sat on a base, were thinner, and had spirals carved into the top. Carinthian columns had carvings that looked like leaves at the top. The Greeks would use these columns to support structures and show off their superior architecture. We still use these techniques to this day. We often use wooden or medal beams to support structures and buildings.
Theatre and Drama: Movies
In Greece only men were allowed to act in theater. They preformed plays that were tragedys, comedy, and drama in amphitheaters, large arenas big enough to hold 10,000 to 20,000 people. This is very similar to the the plays and movies produced today except now women are allowed act and are some of the biggest actors out there. We have also expanded the types of movies we make to genres such as action and horror.