Roman Divinities, The Myrmidons, Hebe and Ganymede

Civilizations rise and fall, and some remain more time than others. Some focused on trading, others on war, others on knowledge and arts. So much different types of societies, so difficult to realize that though interested in different areas, for it to rise in the first place, something had to be there, to provide the civilization existence. What are the causes of a civilization? What is needed to start one?

I could derive a couple of factors from the myths I read today that might affect the development and state of a civilization. From Roman Divinites, that talked about the different types of gods that existed, we could say that it were these gods that created everything; the world in which we live in, and ourselves. So, we need gods to provide us with the setting, with the beings that are going to create a civilization.

When they were able to establish something finally, these beings, they used to honour the gods, as to give thanks for creating them and providing the place for a construction. This thanks-giving was crucial for civilizations, because it was lucky for the gods to have created men with the ability to construct and think ahead; it had to be for something that the gods created us this way.

Why did the gods create men? Wouldn’t a civilization be capable of developing itself alone? Wouldn’t any other species or any other living-things be able to do it as well? Certainly not. Not any other being would be able to create society. So it was necessary after all, to create humans, if the gods wanted civilization to flourish. The myth The Myrmidons show how a civilization without men to run it would completely suck. The population of one city is destroyed with a disease, leaving only the king, who wouldn’t be able to survive by himself. Humans need each other, and civilization needs the humans to exist and remain.

How is it that humans must behave for their civilization to run properly? In the myth Hebe and Ganymede, it is Hebe who for a second forgets about her work linked to the Gods, as she falls in love with Ganymede, and was distracted. The gods shall punish us if we forget about our civilization and jobs quickly, just as Jupiter sent Ganymede to a far away mountain and pushed Hebe away from her job.

It matters, whether there are gods or not, because without gods, there wouldn’t be humans, therefore no civilization. If there are gods and humans, let there be development of society. Now, though hard, for a civilization to maintain and run efficiently, humans shall not forget their duties and will always be responsible.