Do you feel some affinity for the Greco-Roman culture ?

Do you feel affinity with your Greco-Roman cultural heritage as a Westerner ?

  • Not at all => I am European, from a former part of the Roman Empire

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    55

Maciamo

Veteran member
Admin
Messages
9,951
Reaction score
3,232
Points
113
Location
Lothier
Ethnic group
Italo-celto-germanic
Pipokun asked this question on the Japan Forum : How many Europeans still feel affinity with the Greco-Roman cultural heritage ? Let's see.

Some of the Greco-Roman heritage includes :

- the Roman alphabet
- the language (half of the vocabulary in English, and over 90% of that of French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese).
- Western philosophy, sciences, mathematics, logics and rhetoric
- (neo)classical architecture and sculpture
- democracy and the republican system
- the current names of the months in European languages
- the Roman legal system (e.g. still used in Italy)
- highways, viaducts, stadiums, sewer system, etc.
- eating with a fork, 3-course meal, wine, olive oil...

Here is a more extensive list of Roman contributions to modern Western society.

If you aren't sure whether the place where you live was part of the Roman Empire (I guess most people know that though), here is a map :

LocationRomanEmpire.png
 
Last edited:
Which choice fits an American of European and Japanese blood living in the US, a country that owes a bit of it's laws and government to the Greco-Roman tradition? I could not decide how to vote based on your choices.
 
Why would you feel any heritage from the Greeks and Romans if you are from Japanese descent ?
 
My dad is Caucasian from European descent. And heritage doesn't have much to do with bloodlines- it is more about the culture and traditions you practice. The American heritage owes significantly more to the Greeks and Romans in terms of language, laws, government, tradition and culture than it does to the Japanese.

So how should I answer?
 
Then choose "I am non European but from European descent"
 
In Spain it was the Phoenicians by the 1050 BC which brought the first olive trees and bushes of art, if it is true that those who got Spain's olive trees are the Romans.

"Affinity for the Greco-Roman? is difficult to answer that question, we know his legacy and the time it has evolved and transformed in each place with its own characteristics, no doubt has merit what they did, but at other times must be hard and cruel times despite the progress offered by the Romans.
 
Eating with a fork!

What were the "barbarians" using, did they just stab at things, savages?

Thanks to the Romans for that one:giggle:.
 
greco-roman heritage through and through, though because of my exposure to many european cultures, i describe myself as european first, greek after, and if i want to be more precise, thessalonian and macedonian and recently a dubliner or leinster man...haha...
 
Eating with a fork!

What were the "barbarians" using, did they just stab at things, savages?

Thanks to the Romans for that one:giggle:.


Although the Romans and Greeks had forks, but nobody knows for sure that they were used as "tableware." It wasn't until the middle ages that forks were actually used by Europeans for eating utensils.
 
Interesting. Maybe they used them as combs. What else....
 
I do not know, I think the Romans and their culture was very cruel, had it not been for Christianity today would be equally horrible were the Romans. The ancient Greeks think they were more cowardly or sedentary all day contemplating the beauty and asking questions without answers, I do not identify with them.
 
I really like all which is associated with roman and greek civilization. I was fond of greek mythology at one time (and I still am, in a more moderate way). I even had to go to Greece to feel more peaceful about this passion ! Just to see what is left of it !
 
I really like all which is associated with roman and greek civilization. I was fond of greek mythology at one time (and I still am, in a more moderate way). I even had to go to Greece to feel more peaceful about this passion ! Just to see what is left of it !

Much is left of it! You will be surprised.

Just don't go to the Center of Athens (go there only if you want to visit the Acropolis and the new Museum). You will think you accidentally flew to a Non-European country. It is flooded by immigrants so most Greeks have moved to the suburbs because crime rates have skyrocketed.
 
I am central Italian living at less than 2 hours from Rome, so judge you. We eat Roman pork, roman maize meal, the soup pf gladiator, we drive on ancient Roman streets and we speak the closest language to Latin.
 
Slight affinity only.
 
I chose Not at all.

I am European. From Celtic origin.
Probably from North Spain and France.

The Greek and especially Roman civilization was a disaster for the Celtic culture.
Many Celts left the continent of Western Europe, and went to Ireland and Scotland.
My ancestors stayed, but adapted themselves to the Roman, and later to the Frankish Empire.

The Roman Empire was brutal, inhumane. I have little sympathy for them.
The same goes for the Greek Spartans. In fact a class society.
Most of the people were born as slaves. And remained that all their life.

There was only Greek democracy for the rich and who had power and influence.

But in history it happens time and time again, that friendly people get overrun by more aggressive looters and murderers.
 
I chose Not at all.

I am European. From Celtic origin.
Probably from North Spain and France.

The Greek and especially Roman civilization was a disaster for the Celtic culture.
Many Celts left the continent of Western Europe, and went to Ireland and Scotland.
My ancestors stayed, but adapted themselves to the Roman, and later to the Frankish Empire.

The Roman Empire was brutal, inhumane. I have little sympathy for them.
The same goes for the Greek Spartans. In fact a class society.
Most of the people were born as slaves. And remained that all their life.

There was only Greek democracy for the rich and who had power and influence.

But in history it happens time and time again, that friendly people get overrun by more aggressive looters and murderers.

Of course democracy of Ancient Greece didn't contain our modern view consiting of legislative, executive and jurisdiction. It had no human rights agenda, no labor unions, no complex party programs with liberal, green or socialist parties. But after all it was a democracy, which developed and progressed over the millenia (after it was gone for some while and then discovered again to start the Renaissance).
Our 'fully developed' democracy of today is based on it and had to be started at some point!

I guess only a very small percentage of my ancestors lived within the Roman Empire during it's existence, most of my ancestors were probably living somewhere on 'barbarian' Germanic and Slavic grounds. And yet I think my life got affected somewhere by Greco-Roman culture, which together with Christianity and Germanic mentality lead to today's North European culture.

Oh and by the way, Germanic tribes too had some kind of democracy. It was called 'Thing' in which all FREE MEN could participate. Free men! Not slaves! Who were also part of Germanic culture! I don't know if Celts had slaves. Probably Celts had their own form of democracy, too. But I don't think that today's democracy and human rights are based on it.
 
I remember there was the Celtic Beturia, whence my mitochondrial DNA, please Celts were not only in northern Spain. I do not know much I liked the TV series I Claudius, I even read the book, but still did not know that I really was an enemy of Rome on all sides, that is why I am now dump in learning more about Celtic culture and Phoenician because Rome was great, but it was a machine, assimilated as a machine and spread like a machine and get it done horrible things to us, but maybe things had to be that way or not, it happened this way and that's it.
 

This thread has been viewed 43002 times.

Back
Top