The two ancient civilizations of Ancient Greece and Rome were the best of the best during their respective periods. Ancient Greece began around 2000 BC by the inhabitants known as the Mycenaeans, followed by the Minoans. The Minoans built the foundations of Greece. The Roman Empire was founded around 753 BC by the two twins, Romulus and Remus. Romulus eventually killed Remus and built the city of Rome on one of the seven hills. Architecture was very important to both civilizations and they always tried to differentiate themselves from each other. The architectural style of the ancient Greeks and Romans was overall built and used differently. The ancient Greeks developed a system of orders called columns. There were three different types of columns and each had its own special touch, both structurally and aesthetically. The three orders included the Doric order, the Ionic order and the Corinthian order. A shocking fact is that the Romans used Corinthian columns more than the Greeks and they were the ones who invented them. Each order could be found in many different regions of ancient Greece. Columns were used to create ancient temples. Since Greek life was primarily focused on religion, their temples were very large and beautiful (“Ancient Greece” 1). The Doric order was quite robust and the top of the column was very simple. The Doric order was mainly seen on the Greek mainland and in the southern colonies of Italy and Sicily. The ancient Greeks were not the only ones to use the Doric order. A very famous building, whose Doric order column was used to build the Parthenon. The Parthenon is actually a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena. The Parthenon was built around the 5th century BC....... middle of paper ......ity Press, 2008. Web. May 9, 2010. “Architecture in Ancient Greece.” Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003. Web. May 9, 2010. O'Sullivan, Patrick. “Architecture and the end of the Republic”. Global Eras, Vol. 3: Roman Republic and Empire, 264 BCE-476 BCE John T. Kirby, ed. Gale Group, 2001. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale. May 9, 2010. “Roman architecture exploits the arch, around 100 BC “Discovering the history of the world. Online edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in History Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale. May 9 2010.