Ancient Greek and Ancient Chinese

The ancient Greek and Chinese civilizations were great periods of time in history, especially their golden ages. The two golden ages were very different, with some similarities, as seen in their foreign relations, governments, and cultural achievements. The even more influential golden age, in my opinion, was the ancient Chinese civilization. In foreign relations, golden age Greece and China traded in very different ways despite similar conflicts. Greece was successful with trade routes across the Mediterranean Sea, while China was successful in trade routes across distant lands, otherwise known as the Silk Road. The two civilizations’ foreign relations had common conflicts, which were the Trojans for Greece and the Mongols for China. The ancient Greek and Chinese governments themselves had dissimilar traits, but their creations were alike. In ancient Greece, the government was a direct democracy where every citizen voted in person. Ancient China’s bureaucracy included a leading class gentry, or most educated and classy people. Both governments, however, were unified after a period of unrest. The two governments were similar because they both were formed after a difficult time; Greece’s golden age democracy was created after the Persian Wars, and China’s bureaucracy came after the fall of the Tang Dynasty. Golden age Greece and China both had many cultural achievements, the difference being in categories. The similarity was the influence of each civilization’s innovation. Greece had many innovations in art and architecture in particular, whereas China invented several tools used until today, such as paper money and the mechanical compass; two very different fields of achievement. Also, their artworks were different from each other; Greek art was centered around human idealism, and Chinese art’s main subject was nature. The two civilizations however still influence the modern world similarly, and other civilizations such as the Romans copying Greek methods and achievements and Japan being heavily influenced by China.