Question

What was the purpose of diplomacy in Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and Renaissance Italy?

Answer 1

Diplomacy is the basic means of communication between states or rulers for settling disputes. Unlike modern nations, ancient Greece and Rome did not have professional diplomats, nor were there permanent offices or institutions to deal with foreign powers until the later Roman Empire. Nevertheless, both the Greeks and the Romans carried out many formal diplomatic exchanges, creating almost all the elements of modern diplomacy.

* city-state independent state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory

* orator public speaker of great skill

Greek Diplomacy. At first, Greek diplomacy was concerned with relations among the city-states* and only later with relations between city-states and non-Greek powers such as Persia. Greek diplomacy grew out of ancient Greek customs. City-states shared a common language as well as common religious practices and beliefs, prompting them to cooperate with one another in caring for religious shrines and holding festivals or games. The Athenian orator* Isocrates related how such events forged links among city-states: