What Do You Think About the Greco-Roman People and Culture?

[SaxonCeorl]

I've always admired all fellow European cultures, but particularly the ancient Greeks and Romans. They discovered so much in the areas of science, math, architecture, philosophy, etc., and are the originators of much of pan-European culture today.

So, what do you think about our Mediterranean brothers and sisters?

[Ediruc]

There's an old idea that the original Greeks and Romans were of Nordic-Aryan descent. I don't know if I agree with this viewpoint, but, if that explains how the two civilizations rose up to be so great, I could believe it.

[Stimme]

I heard of that story, too (the Ancient Greeks being Germanic) but that's propaganda of the Nazis who tried to prove the Germanic's greatness with them being involved in the development of every high culture.

I also heard that the 'trend' of Ancient Greeks dying their hair blonde came from invasions of some Germanics. The Women were so impressed by their nordic beauty that they tried to look like them.

[Joe McCarthy]

I also heard that the 'trend' of Ancient Greeks dying their hair blonde came from invasions of some Germanics. The Women were so impressed by their nordic beauty that they tried to look like them.

There is of course a lot of debate on this point, but there is a good bit of evidence that many of the Dorians were blonde. Certainly blondism is not unknown in Greece even today.

[Rowanthorne]

Yeah blonde Greek people do happen so do blonde people from Italy. As far as culture themselves the romans did manage to get a good systems of roads going. For the time at the very least.

[Matamoros]

I respect them and their culture, but they are not my people or my culture.

"Nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there..."

[Sigurd]

What "Graeco-Roman" people? By linguistic analysis we would find that Italic and Hellenic inhabit different branches, with Hellenic being a unique branch. All similarities that are otherwise closer - by lexicon, culture, and genetically, are through later approximation, considering the admiration for Greek thought the Romans had). Another of these "arisen by approximation" constructs is likely the "Celto-Germanic" construct.

Secondly, I'm curious why people link blondism to Germanics again. A mutation that arose long before Germanic ethnogenesis is bound to be spread amongst several populations, to varying degrees, by design --- that blonde hair end up in the Balkans by Germanic migration is pseudo-scientific bollocks.

[Thusnelda]

I have some respect for the ancient Greco-Roman culture and their respective achievements, but I don´t share their self-centered view and their vilification of the "Barbarian and backward tribes" in Northern Europe of that time. Furthermore, I despise their imperialism, their morally questionable developments and their historical urge to conquer other tribes and territories. Fortunately we could give the Romans a kick in the butt in 9 A.D. when they tried to conquer Germanic lands like they did with Celtic land before. Where Vercingetorix failed Hermann the Cherusker and many more could hold the line, giving the clearest possible "NO!" to a German(ic) world under Roman control.

[Méldmir]

I don't know Greece, but I like Italy. Not necesseraliy just the Roman part of its history and culture, but overall. Although I don't think Mediterranians are our brothers and sisters, remember that that includes Egypt, Syria and alot of other countries. The Italians I could feel some sort of kinship with are those in the north that could fit in Germanic countries. But kinship or no kinship, both northern and southern Italy has nice places and climate to visit.

[huntsman]

Mediterranean occupied Greece and Italy before the "Greeks" and "Romans." Both Greeks and Romans represented a northern incursion, which was eventually absorbed back into the substrata.

Nothing could be less "Mediterranean" that the rigor, austerity, and discipline of the early classical world.