- 1). Choose your timeline. Comparing Greek and Roman civilizations across their entire history will be, to say the least, difficult; in fact, unless you're pursuing a work of several volumes, it will be downright unmanageable. Choosing a specific time period or series of time periods will make your research more manageable. While both Greek and Roman civilizations overlapped, they flourished at different times, with the Greeks reaching their cultural apex first. So you may want to compare different time periods for each civilization.
- 2). Pick your topics for comparison. Just as comparing the entire timeline of each civilization would be potentially unmanageable, comparing each and every aspect of both civilizations would be very difficult and probably frustrating. Choose several key aspects of each civilization that you want to learn about, and then compare how each behaved and/or measured up vis-a-vis each aspect. For instance, art, literature, language, military life and political systems varied among Greek and Roman civilizations, but they often shared some interesting connections and similarities.
- 3). Read -- a lot. To properly compare Greek and Roman civilizations it is important to do proper research. Consult appropriate sources such as history textbooks, primary sources from the time periods you're studying and secondary commentary. Your local public or university/college library should have ample material available for your use.
- 4). Compare the two civilizations. Once you've chosen your times and criteria for evaluation, and once you've done your research, compare how the Greeks and Romans differed and matched up on each. For instance, both the Greeks and Romans had city-state and, later, empire stages in their political development. Languages differed, of course. The Greeks spoke and wrote in, well, Greek, while the Romans used Latin. The Romans developed an extensive body of artworks and literature, but, in many ways, they drew from -- or outright copied -- their Greek predecessors.
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