Thinking European History and Culture

The Ancient Period in Europe

The ancient world is the time of ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. We know a lot about these cultures because they left behind written evidence and buildings made of stone. During the early history epoch lived peoples such as the Celts who we know less about. However, we know that the Celts were experts at metalwork and that the Romans learnt a lot from them. The Romans also learnt a lot from the Greeks, for example they learnt from their building culture. The European ancient world was shaped by Imperial Rome and Roman culture. When the Empire collapsed this culture was lost. Circa 400 A.D., Christianity became predominant. Knowledge of pagan culture held little value to most people. The transition from the ancient world to the middle ages has no set point. Classical building culture survived relatively long.

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Ancient Greece

2000 to 200 B.C.

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The Roman Empire

500 B.C. to 500 A.D.

B.C. stands for "before Christ"
A.D. stands for "Anno Domini" (Medieval Latin for "in the year of the Lord", means after Christ was born

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Ancient Mythologies: Facts and Fiction of European culture and literature

The Illiad and Odyssey

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The myth of Europe

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