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• slaves were completely powerless that were not considered as full-fledged
people.
The Romans rather accumulated, summarized and systematized the
knowledge created by their predecessors than gave a rise to the new one. As a

result, the ancient Roman civilization left us such outstanding scientific and
literary encyclopedic monuments as ‘Geography’ by Strabo (first century AD),
‘Natural History’ by Pliny the Elder, ‘History’ and ‘Annals’ of Tacitus (both I – II

century AD) and others. The Roman architects introduced a number of new
architectural shapes and types - majestic triumphal columns with rich narrative
reliefs, triumphal polilayered arches, numerous aqueducts, viaducts, bridges,

multistoreyed buildings – villas, giant basilicas, baths, temples, circuses, theaters,
tombs.
The philosophy in Ancient was developed mainly by the Greeks, but many

educated Romans admired the ideas of Stoicism and Epicureanism, thatis reflected
in the poem ‘On the Nature of Things’ by Lucretius Kara, numerous and speeches
of Cicero, ‘Alone with yourself’ by Marcus Aurelius. The Roman culture is known
as the ‘Silver’ and ‘Gold’ Ages of literature since it included prose of Julius

Caesar, lyrics of Catullus, lyrics and satires of Horace, Ovid's elegy, epic poem
‘Aeneid’ of Virgil, the famous ‘Satyricon’ by Petronius - the first novel and a

brilliant satire on the Roman society of the early Empire (I century AD) .
After the final division of the Empire into the western and eastern parts in 395
AD, the ‘eternal city’ witnessed several attacks including those of Westgoths in
410 AD and his infamous defeat by the Germanic tribe of the Vandals in 455 AD,

Rome got rid of all the remnants of the former power and glory. In 476 AD another
barbarian Gothic warlord Odoacer captured Rome, threw away emperor Romulus
Augustulus and sent the imperial regalia to Constantinople – capital of the Eastern

Roman Empire.
Questions

1. What are the main periods of antiquity?
2. What is the essence of the Greek mythology?
3. Highlight the characteristics of the Doric, Ionic, Corinthian Orders.
4. List the architectural monuments of the Acropolis in the Athens.

5. Name the greatest poets of ancient Greece and their works.
6. List the most famous sculptors of Ancient Greece.
7. What are the main achievements of the ancient Greek theater? What

playwrights was it glorified by?
8. What provided the rapid cultural growth of the Roman state?
9. How can confirm the originality of the Roman culture?

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