Development of Western classical Civilizations

The civilizations of Classical Greece (Hellenic) and Roman Empire (Latin), as well as Ancient Israel (Hebraism) and early Christendom, are considered seminal periods in Western history;. From Ancient Greece sprang belief in democracy and the pursuit of intellectual inquiry into such subjects as truth and beauty; from Rome came lessons in government administration, martial organization, engineering, and law; and from Ancient Israel sprang Christianity with its ideals of the brotherhood of humanity. Strong cultural contributions also emerged from the pagan Germanic, Celtic, Wendic, Finnic, Baltic, and Nordic peoples of pre-Christian Europe. Following the 5th-century "Fall of Rome," Europe entered the Middle Ages, during which the Catholic Church filled the power vacuum left in the West by the fallen Roman Empire. At the same time, the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) endured for centuries.

Western civilization describes the development of human civilization beginning in Ancient Greece and generally spreading westwards. However, Western civilization in its more strictly defined sphere traces its roots back to Rome and the Western Mediterranean. It can be strongly associated with nations linked to the former Western Roman Empire and medieval Western Christendom.