Antiquity (from Latin this word means "antiquity" - antiquus) is the era of two great civilizations - Ancient Greece and Rome.
Periodization of antiquity
Answering the question of what an ancient society is, you need to know in what era it existed and what periods this time was divided into.
The following periodization is generally accepted:
1. Early Antiquity - the time of the birth of the Greek states.
2. Classical antiquity is the period of unity of Roman and Greek civilization.
3. Late Antiquity - the time of the collapse of the Roman Empire.
Considering the ancient society, one must take into account the fact that it is impossible to establish the exact time frame here. Greek civilization predates Roman civilization, and the Eastern Roman Empire continued for some time after the fall of the Western. It is believed that the era of antiquity is the time from the VIII century. BC e. according to the VI century. n. e., before the beginning of the Middle Ages.
The emergence of the first states
On the Balkan Peninsula in ancient times there were several unsuccessful attempts to create states. It was a period of prehistoryancient world.
2700-1400 BC e. the time of the Minoan civilization. It existed in Crete and had a high level of development and culture. It was destroyed by a natural disaster (volcanic eruption that gave rise to a strong tsunami) and the Achaean Greeks who captured the island.
Around the 16th century B. C. Mycenaean civilization arose in Greece. She dies in 1200-1100 BC. e. after the Dorians invaded. This time is also called the "Greek Dark Ages".
After the disappearance of the remains of the Mycenaean culture, the first period of antiquity begins. In time, it coincides with the end of the Bronze Age and the formation of an early class society.
The ancient Greek state was the primary civilization. It originates in the primitive system, and before it there was no previous experience of statehood. Therefore, ancient society experienced a strong influence of primitiveness. This was manifested, first of all, in the religious worldview. Man in this period was considered as the center of the universe. From this follows the main feature of antiquity - an active position in relation to the world.
Life in ancient society: structure and classes
The first Greek states developed very actively. This was facilitated by the struggle between the peasants and the nobility, when the latter tried to convert the former into debt slavery. In many other ancient civilizations, this was done, but not in the Greek. Here, the demos not only managed to defend its freedom, but also achieved some political rights. Of course, this does not meanthat society in the ancient world did not know slavery. Both ancient Greece and later Rome were slave states.
What is an ancient society and what is its structure? The main state formation of the ancient world was the policy, or city-state. Therefore, a society has developed here that is completely different from other countries. The community was its core. Everyone occupied his position in it. It was determined by the presence of civil status. The entire population was divided into three categories: full-fledged citizens, incomplete and disenfranchised. Civil status is the main achievement of ancient society. If in other countries the population lived within the strict limits of estates, then in Greece and Rome it was more important to have the status of a citizen. He allowed the demos to take part in the management of the policy on an equal footing with the nobility.
Roman society was somewhat different from Greek and had the following structure:
1. Slaves.
2. Free farmers and artisans. The same category of the population included columns.
3. Merchants.
4. Military.
5. Slave owners. Here in the first place was the senatorial estate.
Science and culture of ancient society
The first scientific knowledge was obtained in ancient times, in the states of the East. This period is called pre-scientific. Later these teachings were developed in Ancient Greece.
The science of ancient society is the emergence of the first scientific theories, basic concepts, treatises and communities. At this time, the formation andthe birth of many modern sciences.
In its development, the science of antiquity has come a long way:
1. Early stage - VII-IV centuries. BC. This is the time of natural science and philosophy. The first scientists-philosophers were mainly interested in the problems of nature, as well as in the search for the fundamental principle of all living things.
2. Hellenic stage - it is characterized by the division of a single science into separate areas: logic, mathematics, physics, medicine. This time is considered the highest flowering of ancient science. Euclid, Aristotle, Archimedes, Democritus create their great works.
3. The Roman stage is the time of the decline of ancient science. Among the most important achievements of this period is the astronomy of Ptolemy.
The main success of ancient science lies in the formation of separate directions, the creation of the first terminology and methods of cognition.
Philosophy of ancient society and its famous representatives
It arose in the 7th-5th centuries. BC e. in Greece and is divided into the following stages:
1. Naturphilosophy, or early classics. Philosophers of this time were primarily interested in questions of cosmology. Outstanding representatives: Thales, Pythagoras, Democritus.
2. Classics is the heyday of ancient philosophy, the time in which its most prominent representatives lived: Socrates, Plato, Euclid, Aristotle. Here, for the first time, issues of natural philosophy were replaced by interest in the problem of good and evil, ethics.
3. Philosophy of Hellenism - at this time, the active development of philosophical thought begins under the influence of ancient Greek scientists. Mostfamous representatives: Seneca, Lucretius, Cicero, Plutarch. Many trends in philosophy are emerging: skepticism, epicureanism, neoplatonism and stoicism.
The influence of antiquity on modern culture
Ancient Greece and Rome are poetically called the cradle of modern civilization. Undoubtedly, ancient society had a tremendous impact on the development of other countries and peoples. Science, theater, sports competitions, comedy, drama, sculpture - not to list everything that the ancient world gave to modern man. This influence is still traced in the culture, life and language of many Romanesque peoples and inhabitants of the Mediterranean region.
