The Classical World was the world and civilizations of the Greeks and Romans. It was the inspiration for the Renaissance artists, writers and scientists, as they strove to recapture the Classical Antiquity. But the world they sought had fallen hundreds of years ago, due to a lack of national unity and control, and corruption of moral and religious beliefs.
The Romans took inspiration from the Greeks whom they conquered, and so the civilizations of the Greeks and Romans were fundamentally the same. They both shared practically the same culture, religious beliefs, and learning. In government, Greece consisted of many separate city-states, each with it's own government, laws, and customs, while the Romans ruled from a strong central government. For the Greeks, the people's lives revolved around their own city-states; to give the city-state allegiance was to do everything for the good of that city-state. Though ruled by separate cities, Greece was bound together by a common language and common customs. The Romans on the other hand ruled their land from a central government, first as a republic, then as an empire. All languages and then religions were shared throughout the empire. Both the Greeks and Romans worshipped a pantheon of pagan gods, but as a more humanistic philosophy became accepted, religion became merely a ritual, though it was still important in keeping the civilizations united in tradition. With their somewhat established empires and economies, the Greek and Roman upper class could have the time and money to pursue learning and the arts. After a time, both civilizations began moving away from the religious aspects of art and learning, and began to focus on the common man, his troubles, strengths, and weaknesses. After the years of rituals and ceremony, the peoples were experimenting with democracy and freedom of thought. Out of this came the classical arts and literature that have inspired the world for years.
