Research Question: Greece and Rome

            Among the countries that you would know, there is not one that does not have a unique culture of their own. They have their traditions, basic etiquettes, old architects and many more. But where does this all come from? Did it all just appear out of nowhere and seep into people’s lives? No, because behind all of this lies that country’s history. Without its history, a country would not have been able to make their culture and find their characteristics. Also, the longer the history, the more that country’s culture is clear and distinct compared to the others. The research question I am to do is related with this, especially with the history part.

            What kind of cultures do you think are unique in their way? Or what culture can you think of at the moment? There could be the tea time people have in England, the festivals that happen in China or Spain, or even the fact that in Australia sheep is the main domestic animal. As I said before, it was the history which had led these countries to do those kind of cultures. A culture, or two, that I am currently interested about right now is about Greece and Rome. Yes, these cultures are considered to be from one of the oldest civilizations, the Mesopotamia or Sumer. As a student studying about its history, a thought occurred to me, if history and culture were related so deeply with each other I could be able to find examples about it from the Greece and Rome cultures. This would prove that learning about a country’s history could help people understand about their culture too. Another reason about doing this research question is if I get to know about their culture more through history, I might be able to use those facts when I travel or study there. One of the future goals (and wish) I’ve had in mind was to study abroad in Italy for a year. So by doing research about Greece and Rome’s history and their culture I would be able to adjust to the environment when I live there more easily than not knowing anything about it. In order to answer this question, I will look up the most well-known facts about their culture, and then look up the history behind it. These facts could vary from small ones such as how people greet each other, to enormous festivals that take place.

Poseidon

            Normally when we think about Greece and Rome, the famous myths come to our minds. The ones where Zeus and Hera, Aphrodite and Ares, and many more gods would appear, with also mythical creatures and mortal heroes. What I know right now is that myths had been a pretty big part of the history of Greece and Rome. It’s almost like without the myths, it would have been very difficult to explain about their culture and understand it. The Greeks and Romans, in the past, would have shrines built for the gods, had people who worked there or spoke to the gods, and even reveal prophecies they said they had received from the gods. Festivals that were held there were mostly for the honor of a particular god, or to please one for good weather to farm or the well-being of their family. The gods were a part of their daily lives. Also, not only the gods but even heroes, who were just the same human as they, had a big role in history. Some heroes had contributed in founding the country, or winning wars, communicating with different countries or even establishing the traditions that still exist today. Many famous architects, which also shows their culture, are also mostly related with the gods and heroes inside those myths and legends.

Drawing of Pegasus on pottery

            As I said in the first paragraph, by answering this research question I would like to know about the relation between the history of Greece and Rome and the culture, while also obtaining knowledge which would be helpful when either traveling or studying there. To achieve all of this, I would first have to learn about the history first. However, since it’s history is too long and contains too much information, I decided to narrow it down to the famous myths and legends they have. After choosing a few specific stories among them, I will do research about the background and also if there are any traditions or typical cultural actions people still do today. Or another way I could do would be to look up famous traditions or cultural info and then go deeper inside it by searching the related history. There could be famous festivals in certain areas that happen at a certain time of the year, a type of unique animal which are bred somewhere, and even the architects that are currently famous tourist attractions. Moreover, if I wanted to learn more about just the daily life of the people which I could use when traveling or studying there, I could search about it and the background and history behind it. By doing all of this, I would be able to understand more about this culture, how history and culture is inseparable, and also get some useful tips on how to adjust there.

            One thing that I would have also like to do some research about was about just the ancient Mesopotamia civilization. It is considered to be the basis of many cultures which exist right now, and so learning about it might let me understand more about the countries’ cultures. The languages of those countries was also what I was considering about looking up, because just the language itself can also show us the history and culture inside it. However, the information about the civilization is too much and with not much time, I decided to narrow it down to one which I was mostly interested about. I do wish that through this research process I would achieve the knowledge I had desired, and if lucky even more than that.