Early Western Civilization:

The Greeks;

Alexander the Great united Greece and made it a powerful empire.

Sadly, all good things have to come to an end and the same was true of Egypt.  After years of despots, drought, and war the Egyptian culture and technologies were lost and the great African empire fell.  New to the stage of power was a group of Islands and surrounding mainland in the Mediterranean Sea.  This area was controlled by city-states, each with their own unique customs and ideas, but together they formed the civilization of Greece.  Under powerful, democratic rule the people flourished and developed trade routes, skilled warriors, and profound knowledge.

The Romans;      

The ruins of the Colosseum of Rome.

At the end of the Greek Empire, a small town in the West of Italy known as Rome was built on Greek ideals, cultures, and architectures. The city became a great trading center and soon expanded its borders until it had become a great empire, stretching from Britannia in the North, to Mesopotamia in the West,as far as Spain in the East and Egypt in the South.  The Roman Empire was the most powerful Empire in the world for almost 1,000 years.  Ruled by dictators, its vast army and advanced technology left such a mark that today's Western Civilizations are based on it.