Comparing the Three Ancient Civilizations

Feature Ancient Egypt Ancient Rome Ancient Greece
Political development Kingdoms unified under pharaohs Republic followed by empire Independent city-states and later kingdoms
Major period of prominence Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms Republic and imperial periods Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods
Famous leaders Hatshepsut, Ramses II, Cleopatra VII Julius Caesar, Augustus, Trajan Pericles, Leonidas, Alexander the Great
Famous monuments Pyramids of Giza, temples of Karnak and Abu Simbel Colosseum, Pantheon, aqueducts Parthenon, temples, theaters
Major contributions Monumental architecture, writing, religious traditions, administration Law, engineering, roads, urban infrastructure Philosophy, mathematics, drama, political thought
Religious traditions Many gods, funerary beliefs, royal religious traditions Traditional Roman gods; later Christianity Many gods, myths, civic festivals
Conventional turning point Roman annexation in 30 BCE Western empire’s fall in 476 CE Roman conquest of mainland Greece in 146 BCE