Hellinistic vs Roamn

 

 

Cicero, On Government and Law

            This particular text was written by Marcus Tullius Cicero. During the last destructive years of the Roman Republic, Cicero was the leader philosopher, statesman, and public speaker. His main message for this text was to fight tyranny and political corruption. He also explains

Patriotism and civic duty.…..“So great is the necessity of patriotism which nature has implemented in man, so great is the ambition to defend the safety of our country…”

Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Democracy “When the direction depends on one monarch, we call this individual a king…in a power of privileged delegates, it’s to be ruled as an aristocracy; and when the people are all in all, they call it democracy.

Philosophers and Politicians. This section he explains the difference between the two which is the “development of the principles of nature is the subject of their study and eloquence”.

Natural Law and Civil Law explains how natural law is pure and genuine and civil law is mostly corrupt and evil.

 

 Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

            This text was written by Marcus Aurelius who was a Roman emperor and a philosopher. His audience is Roman and his message is based on Stoicism. He believed that negative emotions were the results of bad judgment and wisdom made one immune to pain and misfortune. For example in the beginning paragraph he says someone who wakes up and feels unhappy and arrogant and envious, all bad things will happen because of the mind-set he is in.

 

Fayum Portraits

            These portraits are mostly of women inhabited in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt. The meaning behind the paintings is that Greek women born during the Hellenistic period where more assertive and also had unusual freedom to own property and were well educated and had careers.

My favorite source is the Fayum portraits because it showed that women where more than just housewives and objects. They had careers and property and could do more in life and had way more freedom.  These sources depict that Roman living was based more on peace and equality and positivity rather than corruption and arrogance. As for Hellenistic I feel it was on equality as well but where more concerned with appearance and objectivity.