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

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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.

Good points.
Early Germans were much more democratic than the Celts. The Celts tended to go much more with Kings, although even these needed to cultivate support to ensure their position. Kingship with the Germans was not common early on. It was seen with large groups such as that of the Marcommani. Early Germans tended to elect Kings in times of war only.
The Vikings were probably the least inclined to Kingship early on and held on to their early parliaments in a number of cases such as in Iceland.
 
Well. The Roman Empire was a good example how to not do things like they did.

Fase 1. Romans conquered Italy.
Materials, food and other supplies were used to support Rome.

Fase 2. Conquering and wars with further away rivals.
Supplies came from North Africa and other regions. What makes transport a potential risk.

Fase 3. Continuing wars to keep the Empire. In the end the Empire collapses because supplies can't reach Rome anymore.

Fase 4. The Roman Empire gets overrun by barbarians, and many areas grew into new states.

So the expanding in the form of colonialism makes an empire vulnerable.

You can look at the British empire in the same way.
And also the way the USA is busy during the last 60 years.

Early Europeans like the Celts had tribes, with a small scale economy, that was less vulnerable. But their weak point was only their lack of military strength.

I think the Celtic Communalism would have been better for Europe than the Roman totalitarian system.
 
There are people out there that says that the Celts were the Apaches of Europe, a way to justify all the aberrations that the Romans did to us.
 
No, no, Apaches are the Celts of America...
hmmm :confused:
 
The Apaches are formidable Warriors. (Respect)

e06c9935ee3ed498db6a58daa9618b41.jpg


.....The Apache: group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Salinero, Plains and Western Apache. Distant cousins of the Apache are the Navajo, with which they share the Southern Athabaskan languages. There are Apache communities in Oklahoma, Texas, and reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Apache people have moved throughout the United States and elsewhere, including urban centers. The Apache Nations are politically autonomous, speak several different languages and have distinct cultures....
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache


Geronimo: (Mescalero-Chiricahua: Goyaałé [kòjàːɬɛ́] "the one who yawns"; was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Apache tribe.

220px-Goyathlay-x.jpeg



Cochise: ch'ish "oak" Principal chief (or nantan) of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache.
7373566_124448621846.jpg
 
The Apaches are formidable Warriors. (Respect)

e06c9935ee3ed498db6a58daa9618b41.jpg


.....The Apache: group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Salinero, Plains and Western Apache. Distant cousins of the Apache are the Navajo, with which they share the Southern Athabaskan languages. There are Apache communities in Oklahoma, Texas, and reservations in Arizona and New Mexico. Apache people have moved throughout the United States and elsewhere, including urban centers. The Apache Nations are politically autonomous, speak several different languages and have distinct cultures....
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache


Geronimo: (Mescalero-Chiricahua: Goyaałé [kòjàːɬɛ́] "the one who yawns"; was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Apache tribe.

220px-Goyathlay-x.jpeg



Cochise: ch'ish "oak" Principal chief (or nantan) of the Chokonen band of the Chiricahua Apache.
7373566_124448621846.jpg


Wolf of the Sacred Snow:
High Cheekbones Cherokee :)

CRAZY_POCHANTAS_WARREN.jpg


lol
 
My answer is: A little bit of affinity, non-European but of European descent.

Of course many of the Greek and Roman influences became pretty widespread, such as the alphabet, calendar, using a fork, etc. thus any westerner would probably take all of such things for granted and feel an affinity. But there are others, that maybe not are so entrenched.

I don't feel much of an affinity for eating meals in a succession of courses. My family and many of those I know eat with all of the food out on the table at once, including cakes. In my German extended family this has always been the way. Interestingly, my English in-laws stand on ceremony with courses for the most rudimentary of meal. It seems this Roman tradition influenced them more deeply. Scratching my head. I have been to only one Italian Wedding in my life and let me tell you, before it was close to halfway through the million courses meal, I was beyond done with it.

I don't feel an affinity for stadiums or amphitheatres. In fact, I dislike them and if going to see theatre or live music prefer only small venues.

I don't feel an affinity for public baths. I do however, feel a big affinity for private saunas.

I do feel an affinity for festival days, but this does and doesn't derive from Rome. It goes back to pre-Christian times and related to nature, but has had an obvious Catholic overlay that was put on it.
 
I have a lot of Southern European blood so I feel affinity bc of that
 
Pocahontas - Little Wanton
(playful one) ;)
in European attire - National Portrait Gallery

An error in transcription misidentifies her husband as Thomas, the name given to their son.


xO0CND2.jpg
 
Guys, the topic is not Elizabeth Warren or Pocahontas.

As to the "topic", I don't even know what feeling an affinity for a certain culture would mean, when their culture has been dead and gone for coming on 2000 years.

As for what they bequeathed the west, that's a different story.

The entire article is worth reading because I get the feeling most people either weren't taught or have forgotten these things.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_of_the_Roman_Empire

One extremely important legacy is law, without which no society can survive. Legal codes based on Roman law are in blue.
Map_of_the_Legal_systems_of_the_world_%28en%29.png


I don't get the thing about multi-courses. First of all, poorer people certainly didn't have multi-course meals anywhere, including Italy or ancient Rome.

Also, multi-course meals meals are by no means only a "Latin" thing. I've been in England quite a bit, and there's usually a starter or appetizer, and then the main course unless people are dieting. It's usually a function of class and money also, of casualness, as well as calories, not southern Europe versus northern Europe.

I've never seen a restaurant or been in a home where only soup is served, for example. You have your soup and then your meat dish, or in England you had a fish course and then the meat course etc.

Of course, Italians, being Italian, are manic about it as they are about all matters relating to food, although much less so now. Also, in the past, most peasants were lucky to get some pasta with garlic and oil.

Victorian England:
"The Dinner Menu

Victorian Dinners, in particular are quite well know for the endless procession of soups, meats, salads, pudding, ices, and meringues or pastries. It was not unusual for a Victorian Dinner menu to be nine courses, with plenty of time allowed between each course to permit each guest to fully enjoy the variety of courses. The following is a sample menu of a six course Victorian Dinner Party based on one designed in 1887 by Maria Parloa, founder of a cooking school. Miss Parola's original dinner recipes would have required a pound of butter, almost a dozen eggs and two quarts of cream.
menu.gif


Legacy_of_the_Roman_Empire
Legacy_of_the_Roman_Empire
 
imo I’m the end-product of Greco-Roman Culture.
In my family they still swear to the old Pagan Gods like “Porco Giove” (technically it’s not a Sin). :)
 
imo I’m the end-product of Greco-Roman Culture.
In my family they still swear to the old Pagan Gods like “Porco Giove” (technically it’s not a Sin). :)
There is also another version:

:grin:
 
imo I’m the end-product of Greco-Roman Culture.
In my family they still swear to the old Pagan Gods like “Porco Giove” (technically it’s not a Sin). :)

Never bothered my father and uncles that it was a sin, but then they were raised in Alta Toscana, and the Tuscans, as I'm sure you know, are notorious for their foul mouths.

It was one of his worst qualities. I absolutely hate Italian swearing; it's so much worse than Ango-Saxon swearing, imo, partly because it is so often a melding of the dirty with the sacred. Terrible.

I'd like to see them enforce in Italy that new World Court pronouncement that you can't say terrible things about Mohammed, when you routinely hear such filth about God, Jesus, the saints, even Mary.
 
The Greeks and Romans certainly laid a foundation, some of which was rediscovered after their downfall, but I consider myself a descendant of the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. It's unfortunate that Christianity still held such a strong sway on these opinions, as individuals were truly held back from what they could have potentially accomplished, had they not been living in fear of being hung as heretics.

For example, look at this great guy with some amazing vision. He even looks NW European (British or English) to me but is Portugese.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastião_José_de_Carvalho_e_Melo,_1st_Marquis_of_Pombal
 
Every time I think someone is maybe not as bad as I thought....
:)
 
Never bothered my father and uncles that it was a sin, but then they were raised in Alta Toscana, and the Tuscans, as I'm sure you know, are notorious for their foul mouths.

It was one of his worst qualities. I absolutely hate Italian swearing; it's so much worse than Ango-Saxon swearing, imo, partly because it is so often a melding of the dirty with the sacred. Terrible.

I'd like to see them enforce in Italy that new World Court pronouncement that you can't say terrible things about Mohammed, when you routinely hear such filth about God, Jesus, the saints, even Mary.
In my Town People still say:
è un Adone (handsome man)
è una Venere (a beautiful Woman)

è un Marc’Antonio (a strong and attractive man, “A Real Man”) Salento :cool-v:

è un Bruto (a Violent, unmannered, no to be trusted person)
è una Tr... (you know ... ), maybe associated with Helen of Troy betraying her Husband.
Abbracciato da Morfeo (deep sleep)
Felice come Bacco (Happy and slightly drunk)

è un Cicerone (Talking too much, posing as an expert on everything, force-enter into the merits of a topic even when clueless). :unsure:Salento :grin:

Tizio, Caio e Sempronio (Sarcastic way indicating inseparable friends always hangin' out together. Or hypothetical names, used to indicate any person taken for example)

There are more phrases like that.

Many hunters call their dogs Diana (Goddess of the hunt), the male dogs too, lol.
 
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Outside of Europe, imo the City with the strongest Greco-Roman affinity is Washington DC.
So many of the Buildings of Power, Monuments, and Memorials are a mix of Greco-Roman architecture, and some of these structures are massive.
On the big dome of the Capitol Building (home of the United States Congress), there is a huge fresco: The Apotheosis of Washington (by a Greek-Italian artist Constantino Brumidi) depicting George Washington among some of the Pagan Gods, Roman icons, and other Founding fathers.
One part of the message is striking clear to me: the Nation aspiration is to reach the greatness of classic Rome and Greece at their peak, and assuring liberty to the people.
And written in Latin: “E Pluribus Unum” (out of many, one) is the motto of the USA

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