Social Structures Of Ancient Greece

The biggest similarity between the social structures of the ancient civilizations of India, China and the Mediterranean region would be the contempt of women, who were usually seen as a source of entertainment for men. As a result, women all around the world had near to zero influence in the society in old times. Another important social similarity of these four (if you separate the Romans and the Greeks) civilizations was the presence of a hierarchical social ladder, mainly based on occupation. In Ancient India, one’s social class was hereditary and unchangeable. In other civilizations, however, social mobility was generally possible, as one’s level of education was among the main determiners of their class. Slavery was common in the Indian
and the Mediterranean Civilizations, but it was not very widespread in China.
In terms of religion, these civilizations all had polytheistic religions.
The most widespread religions in India; Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism were based on dharma. And the most popular religions in China were Taoism, Confucianism – which was more of a philosophical system and Buddhism. Religion also had an important impact on the artworks of these civilizations. The Indians were famous for their statuettes and wall paintings, the Chinese for their pottery and sculptures, and the Mediterraneans for their sculptures as well. The Greeks produced a handful of important works of literature, and the Romans were renowned for their mural paintings and their portrait sculptures.. The gods, goddesses or any other important religious figures of the respective religions of these civilizations were commonly the subjects of these artworks, along with rich people from higher classes and rulers.
Both internal and trading through trading routes had a crucial importance in the economies of these civilizations. The main commodities of the Indians were agricultural products such as cotton, rice and wheat, while the Chinese usually traded salt, cattle and fish. The Greeks and the Romans used to work mines just like the Chinese, who also used to trade iron. As a result, the main exports of the Romans were silver, gold, and also, high-quality glass. The Greeks used to trade wine and olive oil, two things which they are still known for in our
day.
These civilizations were also advanced in terms of technology and military. The Indians, for example, made a lot of progress in medicine and especially mathematics. They were the founders of the decimal system and the concept of zero. The Greeks not only came a long way in mathematics just like the Indians, but also were those who defined “geometry”. Meanwhile, the Romans and the Chinese had a wide knowledge of architecture and engineering (e.g. the Great Wall of China, numerous Roman aqueducts and bridges). The Chinese were also known for their advanced military tactics and large armies, just like their neighbors the Indians, which were among the very first nations to use military tactics as well. The Greeks were well known for their extremely strong warriors, and the Romans for their unrivaled military structure.
Lastly, in terms of governmental structure, there were both major differences and resemblances between these civilizations. Ancient Greece was divided in numerous competing city-states. The Chinese had a similar structure. Even though the government was united sometimes; most of the time, there were several states ruled by rival dynasties. Ancient India was an empire, ruled by a king, which was divided in smaller provinces, administrated by governors appointed by the king. Ancient Romans had an interestingly democratic structure. The people were able to elect two rulers, called consuls through elections. These consuls were helped by a Senate, which consisted of people from higher social classes, in order to ease the administration of the country.