Geography 5.02 Where Is Western Europe?

Conclusion

The art and architecture of ancient Greece is well known.This tutorial offered you a small glimpse at a very tiny smattering of examples of buildings and sculptures from this ancient civilization.The art and architecture of ancient Greece continues to exert an enormous influence on the culture of many countries to this very day.

Halicarnassus

Halicarnassus was an ancient Greek city on the Southwest coast of Caria, Anatolia.In 377 B.C.E., the city of Halicarnassus was a capital city of a small kingdom on the Mediterranean coast.Although a modern town occupies the area around this ancient site, the ancient walls can still be traced round nearly all their circuit.And the position of several of the temples, the theatre, and other public buildings has been ascertained with certainty by archaeologists.

Parthenon

Greek architecture is well known as the beautiful temples raised to glorify the gods and goddesses.The Parthenon is the most important surviving building of classical Greece.The Parthenon, the temple of the Greek goddess Athena, began construction in 447 B.C.E., when the Athenian's empire was at the height of its power.The Parthenon differs in many ways from the classical Greek temple, and these differences made it one of the most admired works of architecture in the world.In the Middle Ages, that temple was converted to a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and then into a mosque, and remained in good preservation until 1687.

Island of Rhodes, Statue of Colossus

In ancient Greece, art forms consisted mostly of sculptures made from marble and limestone.Greek sculpture was valued very little during the Middle Ages, and a lot of it was destroyed because marble and limestone could be burnt into kilns to make cement. However, in spite of the destruction, many, many pieces of beautiful Greek sculpture remain.Rhodes, one of the Mediterranean's most beautiful islands, lies in the southernmost part of the Aegean Sea, very close to the shore of Asia Minor.At the entrance to this busy harbor, stood one of the most famous statues of ancient Greece, the Colossus.The Colossus of Rhodes was a huge statue of the God Helios, erected on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos in the third century B.C.E.Standing 100 feet high, it was built to guard the entrance to the harbor at Rhodes.The ancient Greeks and Romans considered it to be one of the 7 wonders of the world.The Statue of Liberty on Staten Island, off the coast of New York is often called the Modern Colossus.

Ancient Greece

In this tutorial, we will explore the art and architecture of this ancient civilization, how it impacted other ancient civilization, and how it continues to impact our modern world today.Greek life was dominated by religion, and so, it is not surprising that the temples of ancient Greece were the biggest and most beautiful.Much of the religious art and architecture also had a political purpose as they were often built to celebrate civic power and pride, or offer thanksgiving to the patron deity of a city for success in war.

Section Objectives After you have completed this section, you will be able to:

Locate (absolute and relative) the countries of Western Europe and major Western European cities, such as Paris, Rome, London, and Berlin. Describe the region in which Ancient Rome and Greece existed. Describe the division of regions such as the British Isles, Mediterranean Europe, and Western Europe. Analyze the settlement patterns that occurred from ancient times to the present. Describe different types of economic activity, such as agriculture, industry, and coastal sustenance, in various regions of Western Europe.

Distinguishing Countries

One of the integral members of the European Union is the United Kingdom, or UK. Many people are confused about to what area, exactly, the term United Kingdom refers. Although terms like Western Europe and Central America have some flexibility with their definitions, the UK is completely different. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Scotland, as it is officially known, is an independent state consisting of four nations—each with its own devolved parliamentary system. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are all governed by the British Parliament in London, but they also have their own administrations to handle local issues in their own capital cities—Belfast, Cardiff, and Edinburgh. Do you know the difference between state, nation, and country? It can be confusing to keep these terms straight! Although the terms country, state, and nation are often used interchangeably, there is a difference! A State (capital "S") is a self-governing political entity. This word can be used interchangeably with country. There are currently 195 independent countries in the world! Scotland is not a country, for example. A nation is a tight-knit group of people who share the same culture. This group is larger than a tribe or community and it may or may not have national borders. The Kurds are a nation, but they have no State. A nation-state is a nation that has the same borders as the state. France and the U.S. are excellent examples of nation-states.

Acropolis

The Acropolis of Athens is an archaeological site perched atop an impressive rock in the centre of ancient Athens, and it's the most visited destination in Greece today.The word "Acropolis" literally means "city on the edge."The Acropolis was always a sacred place for ancient Athenians.They worshipped their gods and temples there, conducted their festivals, and they fortified themselves on it, whenever the enemies managed to reach the city of Athens.

Section Warm-Up: Learn Some Italian

Today you will learn a new language—Italian! The World Wide Web makes it easy to learn a new language—or at least a few important phrases. Using the internet, do the following key word search: Learn Italian Podcasts Say Hello). How did you do? Are you ready to learn a little more? Try your hand at the following Italian numbers 1 through 10.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

uno due tre quattro cinque sei sette otto nove dieci

What Are Settlement Patterns?

Did you ever wonder how or why a city came to be a city? The study of settlement patterns are often referred to as non-site archaeology because of the fact that settlement pattern studies involve investigations which examine regions or areas, rather than focusing on individual sites. Studying settlement patterns generally involves looking at natural resources, location of a region, climate, and a multitude of other factors, to determine how and why people chose to stay or move from place to place. The three main patterns of settlement are linear, scattered, and clustered. A linear settlement pattern initially develops along a main road, and can often maintain this pattern even as the settlement grows due to geographical boundaries, such as rivers and mountains. A scattered settlement pattern typically occurs in rural areas where agriculture is the primary focus. A clustered settlement generally grows around a common community area that the settlement expands around over time. There are also settlement patterns that analyze how settlements grow over time. A settlement may start off as an isolated farmhouse, and eventually grow into a linear hamlet with a number of buildings popping up along the main road. Then, as the settlement grows, another road may intersect that first road with structures growing up around it as well, forming a settlement pattern known as a T-shaped village. Some well-situated villages become very popular, expanding around the center of the early settlement, and growing into a nucleated town. All settlements constantly change their shape, and often their function, over time. This animation shows the transformation from an isolated hamlet, to a village, to a town, and potentially a city.

Mausoleum

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, circa 353 B.C.E., was a monumental marble tomb, decorated by the leading sculptor of the age, for King Mausolos of Caria in Asia Minor.After his death in the middle of the fourth century B.C.E., the queen of Mausolos, Artemisia, employed Greek architects to construct a large monument over his remains.This structure was so famous that the word "Mausoleum" came to be applied to any monumental tomb.Some relics of the original Mausoleum are preserved in the British museum.Although only fragments of the original Mausoleum remain, it is considered to be one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.

Art and Architecture of Ancient Greece

The area which was once the home to ancient Greece is now inhabited by millions of European citizens. The art and architecture of Ancient Greece influenced the ancient Roman civilization as well as generations that followed. Explore the rich history of the art and architecture of Greece.

Western Europe: Agriculture and Industry

The countries of Western Europe are the "hub" of European economics. These countries' economies are primarily based on industry, although agriculture will always be an important part. Each country of Western Europe has its own unique mix of industry and agriculture. The activities of Mediterranean Europe, for example, are limited to agricultural products such as wine because the region has been deforested and there are very few mineral resources. The following list highlights some of the unique aspects of different Western European countries. Italy is often described as two countries; a progressive north dominated by a post-industrial economy and a stagnant, economically depressed South. While the North prospers, the South of Italy suffers from economic disarray, corruption, and state-run activities. Portugal has small and inefficient farms and must import most of its food. Greece is an agrarian country—it is completely self-sufficient in staple foods, and imports only livestock products. Spain has many diverse regions within its borders. Catalonia, for example, is incredibly important to Spain because the region produces 25 percent of Spanish exports and nearly 40 percent of its industrial exports.

Settlement Patterns

The first main pattern of settlement is a linear hamlet, in which the area of settlement is represented by a narrow oval crossed by a road that runs diagonally. In a linear hamlet, settlement occurs directly alongside the road. The next main pattern of settlement is a T-shaped village, in which the area of settlement is represented by two narrow ovals, each one straddling a different road. One road runs from left to right and the other road runs from the top to the bottom of the image. The two roads cross, creating a T-shaped area of settlement. In a T-shaped village, settlement occurs directly alongside two roads that cross in the middle of the settled area. The third main pattern of settlement is the nucleated town, in which the area of settlement is represented by a large circle that encompasses the crossroads, as well as a third road that branches off from the road running from the top to the bottom of the image. In a nucleated town, settlement has spread out in a wide area crossed by the three roads.

Divisions of Western Europe

The nations of Western Europe can be divided in multiple ways. Historically, Hadrian's Wall, found in what is now northern England and Scotland, marked the northern defensive boundary of Roman Britain. Today, most of this 2000-year-old wall still stands, but many would argue that the boundaries of Western Europe are actually fewer, not more, than ever before in history, mainly due to the establishment of the European Union, or EU. The EU is an economic and political union established in 1993 by members of the European community. In recent years, it has been expanded to include not only members of Western Europe, but also Central and Eastern Europe, as well. The designation of a division between Eastern and Western Europe only came to pass in recent times—it was a term used to group all the countries under Communist rule under one term—Eastern Europe. It was also a way to group together the countries that were not progressing as well as the rest of Europe. Today, that division is not supported by many people in Europe overall. Another distinguishable region of Western Europe is the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Europe generally consists of Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal. France is generally not considered part of Mediterranean Europe although the south of France shares many similar characteristics with these other countries. Although Greece is considered part of Mediterranean Europe, if you look on a map, you will notice that Greece seems to fall more on the eastern side of the continent. So, what is correct? Is Greece Eastern Europe or Western Europe? The truth is that it really doesn't matter with what region you group any country. Most of the divisional terminology is purely a matter of perception and there is no right or wrong way to divide the continent. This map shows one way that the continent of Europe can be divided.