The Classical World comprises ancient Greece and Rome. The Classical Age refers to their inter-locking civilisation, known as the Graeco-Roman World. When the classical era was at its height, a chain of empires from Rome to Persia to Peshawar emerged, paving the way for inter-regional trade, cultural exchange and the spread of great religions – beginning with Buddhism and later Christianity and Islam. This chapter also covers classical China and Byzantium.
1. Greece: The Hellenic World
- Until the 8th century BCE Greece was not different from the rest of the world. Except for Sparta, agriculture was limited by the mountainous terrain; the Greeks founded colonies along the coast and earned revenue through trade.
- By the 6th century BCE Greece became a network of City-States, bound by trade, a common alphabet, similar religious practices and festivals – above all the Olympic festival.
- The Acropolis is a fortified city of the ancient Greeks on a hill in Athens.
- The ruling class controlled the land and slaves cultivated it. Aristotle compared the master–slave relationship to that of husband and wife, and father and children.