Timeline - Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is the scholarly name for Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome; two cultures which, collectively, make up the birthplace of Western civilisation as we understand it. Though Ancient Greece was in part a continuation of the earlier Egyptian civilisation and was also heavily influenced by the Middle Eastern kingdoms, it is the Greco-Roman world which has had the greatest influence on European culture, philosophy and literature. This is because though the Classical period ended with the fall of the Roman Empire, the reach and influence of its culture continued to grow during the Renaissance. Many of the writers studied in school today themselves studied the work of Ancient Greeks and Romans and so the classical influence on English literature can be seen directly. Greek and Roman mythology and philosophy are still taught in schools today and a serious student of English literature can expect to discover the tragic plays and epic poems of Ancient Greece and Rome.
Contemporary literature of classical antiquity
Canonical literature set in classical antiquity
| Shakespearean plays set in classical antiquity |
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