希腊罗马文化对西方文化的影响-英语论文

希腊罗马文化对西方文化的影响2011英师2班LYH[Abstract]TheancientcultureofRomeandGreeceregardedasoneofthesourceofAmerican--Europeanliteratureart,andithasplayedanimportantroleintheirdevelopmentforalongtime.ThisthesiswillstateabouthowtheancientRomeandGreececultureinfluencetheWesternculture.[Keywords]Rome,Greece,Western,Culture,InfluenceIntroduction：ThecultureofGreecehasevolvedoverthousandsofyears,beginninginMycenaeanGreece,continuingmostnotablyintoClassicalGreece,throughtheinfluenceoftheRomanEmpireanditssuccessortheByzantineEmpire.AncientGreeceislocatedinthenorth-eastoftheMediterranean,inadditiontotheexistingGreekpeninsula,butalsoincludingtheAegean,Macedonia,Thrace,ItalyandtheAsiaMinorPeninsulaandotherplaces.ThetwistsandturnsfortheGreekcoastlineoffersexcellentnaturalharbor,anopenterraintomakeiteasiertocontacttheEastandEgypt'sancientcivilization.AncientGreecewasthecradleofWesterncivilization,theearliestinhabitantscamefromtheWestPilasiji,fromthebeginningof2000BC,theIndo-EuropeanpeopleArcayainbatchesintotheGreekpeninsula,tothetwelfthcenturyBC,residentsAeolianinto,IoniaDoriansandthethreemajorgroups,theoriginalinhabitantsgraduallyassimilatethem.Inthetwenty-firstcenturyBC,thelandofthebirthofEuropeasearlyastheMinoancivilizationandtheMycenaeancivilization.BCfiveorsixcenturies,formedabrilliantcivilizationofGreece.Greekslavesocietyintothepeninsula,theestablishmentofslaverymorethan200city-stateofpantheism,whichisthemostpowerfulAthensandSparta.SlaveryandthemythsandlegendsofdemocraticpoliticsintoanartandprosperitytotheemotionalresourcestoenabletheartofancientGreecehasshownacertaindegreeofhumanismcolor.Culturalexchangessothatithasdevelopedthephilosophy,aestheticsandrigorousscience,itistheartofancientRomeasthelawofthearts,andevenbeyondEuropeasawholelaidthefoundationforthearts.[bodyofthetext]Chapter1GreekcultureGreekculturereachedahighpointofdevelopmentinthe5thcenturyB.C.ThiswasmarkedbythesuccessfulrepulseofthePersianinvasionearlyinthecentury,theestablishmentofdemocracyandtheflourishingofscience,philosophy,literature,artandhistoricalwritinginAthens.InGreeksociety,women,children,foreignersandslaveshadnorights,onlyadultmalecitizenshadrealpowerandcitizenshipwasasetofrightswhichamaninheritedfromhisfather.TheeconomyofAthensrestedonanimmenseamountofslavelabor.③Slavesworkedonfarmsandinworkshopsandminesownedbytheirmasters.④TherewasharshexploitationinGreeksociety.⑤TheGreekslovedsports.Onceeveryfouryears,theyhadabigfestivalonOlympusMountwhichincludedcontestofsports.AlongwiththeformationofGreekcivilization,Greeksculpture,potteryandarchitecturegotmanygreatachievements.Greeksputintoworksofartthethingstheyadmiredandworshiped,thescientificrulestheydiscovered.Greekartevolvedfromthearchaicperiodtotheclassicalperiodwhichmarkeditsmaturity.(2)themostfamoustemplewastheAcropolisatAthens.(3)Yes,itisstillthere.GreekcultureexertedtheenormousinfluenceonEnglishliterature,forexample:①Pindarhadimitators,suchasthe17thcenturyEnglishpoetJohnDryden.②TheAustrianpsychiatristSigmundFreud’sterm“theOedipuscomplex”wasderivedfromSophocles’splay.③Inthe19thcentury,theEnglishpoetessElizabethBrowningcalledEuripides“Euripideshuman”.④Intheearlypartofthe19thcentury,inEnglandalone,threeyoungRomanticpoetsexpressedtheiradmirationofGreekcultureinworkswhichhavethemselvesbecomeclassics:Byron’sIslesofGreece,Shelley’sHellasandPrometheusUnboundandKeats’sOdeOnaGrecianUrn.⑤Inthe20thcentury,threeareHomericparallelsintheIrishmanJamesJoyce’smodernistmasterpieceUlysses.Chapter2RomancultureTheburningofCorinthin146B.C.markedRomanconquestofGreece,whichwasthenreducedtoaprovinceoftheRomanEmpire.Fromthistimeon,LatinwasthelanguageofthewesternhalfoftheRomanEmpire,Greekthatoftheeasternhalf.TheRomanshadalotincommonwiththeGreeks.Bothpeopleshadtraditionsrootedintheideaofthecitizen-assembly,hostiletomonarchyandtoservility.Theirreligionswerealikeenoughformostoftheirdeitiestobereadilyidentified—GreekZeuswithRomanJupiter,GreekAphroditewithRomanVenus,andsoon-andtheirmythstobefused.Theirlanguagesworkedinsimilarways,andwereultimatelyrelated,bothbeingmembersoftheIndo-EuropeanlanguagefamilywhichstretchesfromBangladeshtoIceland.②Therewasonebigdifference.TheRomansbuiltupavastempire:theGreeksdidn’t,exceptforthebriefmomentofAlexander’sconquests,whichsoondisintegrated.InRome’searlieststage,onlyanumberofpatriciansknewthecustomarylegalprocedure.WhentheruleswereputintowritinginthemiddleofthethirdcenturyB.C.itmarkedavictoryfortheplebeians.Therewasfurtherdevelopmentoflawundertheemperorsuntilitwascodified,eventuallytobecomethecoreofmoderncivilandcommerciallawinmanyWesterncountries.TheRomansweregreatengineers.Theycoveredtheirworldfromoneendtotheotherwithroads,bridges,aqueducts,theatresandarenas.(2)Someexamples:A.ThePantheon:thegreatestthebestpreservedRomantemplebuiltin27B.C.B.PontduGard:itisanexceptionallywell-preservedaqueductthatspansawidevalleyinsouthernFrance.RomanpaintingwasstronglyinfluencedbytheartofGreece.Anditalsohadpecularitiesofitsown.Unfortunatelymuchofthepaintingnolongerexists.Thereare,however,somewall-paintingsfromPompeiian