Early European Civilizations

start

Early European Civilizations

Overview

• The influence of the Greek and Roman empires raised the standard of living throughout Southern Europe.
• These civilizations brought literacy, science, and art to other cultures. Their concepts of law, government, and philosophy gave order to chaos.
• Their roadways and viaducts connected far-flung lands.
• The scattered native cultures in Northern Europe maintained Neolithic lifestyles.
• Yet these “uncivilized” peoples would be the ones who survived the fallen Roman Empire.

No other peoples had managed to assault and sack the mighty city of Rome. Roman pride was still stinging 300 years later when Julius Caesar led an offensive against the Celtics of Gaul (modern-day France and northern Italy) in 58 BCE. This was just before he went on to face the Celtic Britons in 55 BCE.

Before the first Mediterranean civilizations rose, migrations and settlement were taking place throughout the world. Despite this mix of different peoples, the Greeks and later the Romans regarded all the European tribes as one. The Greeks may have called them Keltoi, which became the word Celts. The Celts spoke an Indo-European language that was related to Greek and Latin. The Celts had arrived in Europe in the second millennium BCE, but little else is known about them. By 300 BCE, the Celts had crossed the channel to settle in Britain.The Romans and Greeks had a long and tension-filled history with the Celts. Tribes of Celts had invaded Rome in 390 BCE and Greece in 279 BCE. Centuries later, this was still a bitter memory, especially for the Romans.

Romans face a cultural challenge

As the Celts had no written history, what we know of them comes from Roman sources. Cicero, Caesar, and Tacitus wrote about the Celts. Their writings depict the Celts in a negative light. The Celts left no records describing how they felt toward the Romans. But despite the mutual antagonism of the two cultures, there is evidence of an extended period of cultural crossover in both directions.Metalworking and pottery traditions—and even some military tactics—crossed over from one culture to another, with modifications. For example, the Celts invented chain mail around 300 BCE.

Though the various cultures in Northern Europe were progressing toward civilization, on the surface their lifestyles created the opposite impression. The Romans called the Europeans barbarians and looked down on the traits of the European tribes. As far as the Romans could tell, these peoples had no intellectual traditions like mathematics, philosophy, or written language. Though Celtic settlements had communal wooden longhouses more than 50 feet long and well-populated and fortified cities, these structures were made of wood and mounds of earth. The Celts built no lasting stone architecture and seemed unsophisticated to Roman eyes.

Romans face a cultural challenge (continued)

Shared Cultural Characteristics

Britannia (CE 43–CE 410) Location: Island of Great Britain Population: around 3.5 million by end of Roman occupation Government: provincial democracy and laws based on Greco-Roman concepts Religion: polytheistic pantheon of gods and goddesses Agriculture: fertile land in the eastern lowlands; grew wheat, barley, celery, leeks, apples; livestock Highlights: Britain is still known for its unique agricultural products, such as indigenous breeds of cattle. Farming flourished during Roman times and became the mainstay of Britain’s exports during Roman occupation, along with metals and aquaculture products (like oysters and salt). Its location and geography make Britain fertile for a meat-and-potatoes diet.

Gaul (181 BCE–c. CE 200) Location: present-day France Population: around 5 million Government: Roman provincial governor who oversaw smaller local chiefs; laws based on Greco-Roman concepts Religion: polytheistic religion influenced by Roman pantheon, with inclusion of Celtic pagan deities; Christian by second century CE Agriculture: excellent land for farming; grew wheat, barley, grapes for wine; invented first grain reaping device Highlights: Gaul was the primary wine-producing region in the Roman Empire after Rome became too populated to support itself agriculturally. Today, France remains known throughout the world for its wines and viniculture.