[Rumil]

I'd compare the Elves with the Greeks, and the Numenoreans with the Romans. The Greeks seem to have invented all sorts of artistic and practical endeavours, democracy, lots of mathematics, science (pretty much) and had great impact upon architecture, philosophy, literature and drama etc. The Romans tended to adopt these notions and adapt them for practical use in Empire-building.

The Gondorians can then be equated with the Byzantines, sharing the situation of being the remaining half of a once great empire, still powerful but looking increasingly vulnerable to their enemies and needing to find foreign troops to fight for them (ie Franks and Varangians / Rohirrim). I've often thought that the troops of Gondor may have resembled Byzantine infantry in that they mixed spearmen and bowmen in the same units.