When studying World History, there are three ancient societies that are necessary to analyze. They are the seat of development through ancient times, and have given long-standing principles such as political influence and rights of the individual. These principles still exist in society today. The three societies that will be examined in this paper are the ancient Greeks, the Roman Empire, and the Mesoamericans. Some of the principles that will be compared and contrasted are the rights of the citizens of each society as well as what the role of the state was for each group.
The first group that will be examined is the citizens of ancient Greece. According to Duiker and Spielvogel (2010), Greece at that time was comprised of city-states, known as polis. One of the richest and most powerful was Athens, which to this day is still a rich spot of the country. They were one of the first city-states to use a democratic system of government, diving people into various classes and giving rights accordingly. Olson (2008) writes that men in Athens had the right to vote, own property, and conduct business. They also could receive a top quality education. Omen, though, were educated to keep house and raise children. They could not vote or conduct business like their husbands.
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"Compare And Contrast Of Three Ancient Civilizations".
What is fascinating about Greece, namely Athens, is the way they set up their system of government. As previously stated, they had a democracy in place that closely resembles what Rome would later develop and even has some characteristics that can be found in today’s modern democracies (Olson, 2008). For example, a male who had completed military training could have the right to vote, yet others could not. This is reticent of the requirement in early America here only Caucasian men who owned property could vote. Additionally, this society also had three branches of government: the assembly, the courts and the council (Duiker and Spielvogel, 2010). This is also very similar to modern democratic bodies. They would pass laws which governed the behavior of all inhabitants and impose sanctions if these laws were broken. This was considered an active role the state took in the lives of the Greeks.
The next society that will be examined are the Romans. It is fairly common knowledge that Rome copied a lot of their customs and rules from the ancient Greeks, but some improvements were made (Duiker and Spielvogel, 2010). For example, while women still could not vote or run for public office, they could own property and conduct business with men (Olson, 2008). What is fascinating about the Roman State is they used citizenship as a way to make sure everyone was “Romanized”, or educated on what it takes to be a good citizen (Duiker and Spielvogel, 2010). This was a tool mainly used for the assimilation of those who were not born Roman, but wanted to become a citizen. Again, there is a direct parallel between the practices of Rome and current government; the United States has a similar process for those who wish to become naturalized citizens (Olson, 2008).
The last society that will be examined in this paper is called the Mesoamerican group. This group originated in Mexico and Central America. Some of the tribes in this group include the Olmec, Mayans, and the Aztec (Duiker and Spielvogel, 2010). The political structure of this society was unique in that religious and political offices were intertwined with one another. All males in this society were required to hold office during their lifetimes, but only those who were more successful achieved higher positions of power (Olson, 2008). With the requirement of all males serving public office, it works in their favor because everyone truly has a voice in what is and is not decided for the best interests of everyone in this society. Out of the three groups examined, this one has the purest form of democracy.
There are several similarities as well as differences between the three groups mentioned in this paper. For example, males were the ones that had the right to vote and run for public office (Olson, 2008). Women might not have been able to vote, but it does seem as tough Roman society allowed them to have more leeway when it came to property ownership.
Indirectly, Roman women could have influence in politics because they were allowed certain rights, specifically as widowed or divorced individuals. Another similarity between these groups is their attitude towards slaves. Unlike the other two, however, Rome did allow slaves to purchase their freedom and gain rights as a citizen (Duiker and Spielvogel, 2010). Another similarity between Rome and Greece is the division of governmental powers between legislative and judicial bodies of government, which helped to make and pass laws for its citizens. Mesoamericans, given the fact their government was directly tied with their religion, did not have this type of government (Olson, 2008).
In conclusion, there are countless similarities and differences between ancient Greece, Rome and Mesoamerica. All three groups had citizenship requirements and rules about who could run for public office. They also had virtually the same attitude toward women not having the right to vote, although Rome was more liberal in granting females certain rights such as property ownership. Many of the rights of the citizens as well as the involvement of the state in the lives of their citizens can be seen in modern day government. Many Western governmental bodies such as the United States have many of these characteristics from these three groups in their own system of government. It is a tribute to these great societies that their policies and procedures are still practiced in the 21st century. This proves that even ideas from these time periods can survive over the millennia.
- Duiker, W., & Spielvogel, J. (2010). World History, Volume II: Since 1500 (Vol. 2). Cengage Learning.
- Olson, M. (2008). The rise and decline of nations: Economic growth, stagflation, and social rigidities. Yale University Press.
