Welcome to History: The Ancient Greek and Roman Legacy!
Have you ever walked past a grand British building with giant stone pillars and a triangular roof? Or used words like telescope, aquarium, or talked about the month of July? If so, you have bumped into the legacy of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome!
A legacy is something special that is passed down from the past and continues to shape the way we live today. Even though the ancient civilisations of Greece and Rome existed thousands of years ago, their ideas returned to Britain in a huge way long after the year 1066—during the Renaissance, the Georgian period (1700s), and the Victorian period (1800s). We can still see and feel their influence all around us right now!
Don't worry if this seems like a lot to take in at first. We are going to explore this legacy step-by-step through architecture (buildings), language and stories, and government.
Key Takeaway: A legacy is an idea, style, or invention from the past that still shapes our lives today.
---1. Architecture: Building Like the Ancients
The most visible legacy in Britain is the Classical style (and later the Neoclassical or Greek Revival style). British architects in the 1700s and 1800s were inspired by the magnificent buildings of ancient Greece and Rome and began copying their designs.
The Three Orders of Columns
Columns are large stone pillars used to hold up roofs. The Greeks and Romans had three main styles, known as the Three Orders. You can easily tell them apart by looking at their tops (called the capital):
• Doric: Simple, plain, and flat at the top. This was seen as the most solid and "masculine" style.
• Ionic: Decorated with round scrolls that curl over, called volutes. (Memory Trick: The scrolls look like little ram horns or the letter 'I' curled up!).
• Corinthian: The most decorative and fancy style. It is covered in detailed carvings of acanthus leaves.
Key Architectural Features to Spot
When you look at Classical-style British buildings, look for these three clues:
• Pediment: A triangular roof section resting on top of a row of columns.
• Portico: A grand, sheltered porch leading to the main entrance of a building, supported by columns.
• Symmetry: Perfect balance! If you drew a line straight down the middle of the building, both sides would look exactly the same, like a mirror image.
Famous British Examples (Built Long After 1066!)
• The British Museum in London (1823–1852): Designed by Robert Smirke in the Greek Revival style. The grand entrance features a huge pediment and 44 Ionic columns!
• The Royal Crescent in Bath (1767–1774): A sweeping, curved row of 30 grand Georgian houses decorated with Ionic columns, inspired by Roman town planning.
• St Paul’s Cathedral in London (1675–1710): Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, combining a massive Roman-style dome with Classical columns.
• St George’s Hall in Liverpool (1841–1854): A magnificent building inspired by a Roman basilica (a giant public hall) used for law courts and celebrations.
Did You Know? (Spotting Pitfalls)
• Legacy vs. Remains: Be careful not to confuse Roman remains with Roman legacy. Hadrian's Wall is a remain (built by Romans while they were in Britain). The British Museum is a legacy (built by British people hundreds of years later because they loved ancient styles).
• The White Marble Myth: We often think Greek and Roman buildings and statues were plain, shiny white marble. In fact, they were originally painted in bright, vibrant colours that wore away over thousands of years!
• Greek vs. Roman Building Secrets: Greeks built using post-and-lintel structures (straight upright columns holding up horizontal beams). The Romans invented stronger concrete and mastered the curved arch and dome.
Key Takeaway: British architects borrowed Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns, pediments, and symmetry to create grand, powerful-looking buildings.
---2. Language and Literature: Words and Timeless Stories
You speak ancient words every single day without even realising it!
The English Alphabet and Word Roots
The letters you are reading right now come directly from the Latin (Roman) alphabet. Furthermore, over 60% of English words have Greek or Latin roots!
• Latin Roots:
- Aqua means water (gives us aquarium and aquatic).
- Dict means to speak (gives us dictionary and dictate).
- Spect means to look (gives us spectacles, spectator, and inspect).
• Greek Prefixes and Suffixes:
- Tele- means far away (gives us telephone and telescope).
- Graph- means to write or draw (gives us autograph and photograph).
- Bio- means life (gives us biology and biography).
- -ology means the study of something (gives us archaeology and zoology).
Timeless Stories and Myths
Greek and Roman stories have been taught in British schools and retold in books for centuries:
• Aesop’s Fables: Short Greek stories featuring animals that teach important moral lessons, such as The Tortoise and the Hare ("slow and steady wins the race").
• The Iliad and The Odyssey: Epic adventure poems written by the Greek poet Homer, filled with heroes, monsters, and mythical journeys.
• Romulus and Remus: The famous Roman myth of twin brothers raised by a wolf, which became a lasting symbol for founding a great city.
The Roman Calendar
Look at a British wall calendar and you are looking at Roman history!
• January is named after Janus, the Roman two-faced god of beginnings and doorways.
• July is named in honour of the Roman leader Julius Caesar.
• August is named in honour of Rome's first emperor, Augustus.
Key Takeaway: Our modern alphabet, calendar months, storytelling traditions, and thousands of English words come directly from Latin and Greek.
---3. Government and Democracy: How We Make Decisions
The way Britain is run today has deep roots in ancient political ideas.
Democracy: Power to the People
The word democracy comes from two Greek words: demos (people) and kratos (power or rule) – meaning "rule by the people". Around 500 BC, the city of Athens in Greece introduced a system where citizens gathered together to vote on laws.
• Common Mistake to Avoid: Athenian democracy was not exactly like modern British democracy! In ancient Athens, only free adult male citizens were allowed to vote. Women, enslaved people, and foreigners were completely excluded. Today in Britain, all adult citizens have the right to vote.
The Roman Republic and the Senate
The Romans created a system called a Republic, where citizens elected leaders to make decisions for them. They had a council of decision-makers called the Senate, which inspired parts of our British Parliament, such as the House of Lords.
Key Takeaway: The ancient Greek idea of voting (democracy) and the Roman idea of a law-making assembly (the Senate) laid the foundations for modern British government.
---Quick Summary & Review Checklist
Can you remember the main points? Test yourself with this quick review:
• Columns: Doric is simple and flat; Ionic has curled scrolls; Corinthian is covered in leafy carvings.
• Key Features: Look for triangular pediments, grand porticos, and balanced symmetry on buildings like the British Museum.
• Words: Over 60% of English words have Latin or Greek roots (like aqua, spect, and tele-).
• Stories & Time: We still read Aesop's Fables, and our calendar months (like January, July, and August) are named after Roman figures.
• Democracy: Ancient Athens gave us the idea of citizens voting to make laws.