Romans were fascinated by how the Greek culture was advanced. Romans used the Greek philosophies and concepts to their advantage and developed one of the most powerful empires in the world. Politically, the ancient Greeks had a system of government that had a group of citizens vote on whether to keep the current government or have a new one. After a few years, they would vote again on the same question. If they chose the same government, then the system was perpetuated. If not, then a new one was chosen. Romans adopted these ideologies, merged them with their, and developed a solid political front. The Roman Empire seen today was highly influenced by ancient Greeks civilization.
The Roman Empire implemented most of Greek literature, architecture, and art. Rome admired the education and literature concept of the Greeks and would use the Greek slaves as teachers and artists. The Romans were mystified by the Greek’s knowledge of the world around them and the tools they developed to understand it better, like Pythagoras’ theorem, which sought to explain the universe mathematically (Vella 2-115). Their pursuit of the knowledge of the universe created the understanding of the metaphysical forms of Socrates and Plato. Also, the theories of matter and void by Epicurus and Democritus.
The Greeks culture also influenced Roman’s construction of buildings and houses. The rectangular architectural design was a borrowed concept from the Greek design. An example is the Maison Carree, an ancient Roman temple in the South of France that adopted the Greek design’s large Corinthian order of pillars. Greek art also influenced Roman artists in different forms of artwork and designs. The Romans observed the Greek statues in public places and noticed the value that these artistic refinements held. Not long before, they began emulating the strategies like the Marble herm, which was a copy of the Greek word. They also incorporated concrete in their construction of buildings initially in Greek culture.
The structure of the Roman Empire was wide, with diverse people from various cultures. The Romans used the ancient Greek philosophy to experiment with their varied cultures. The different ideologies, religions, and cultures exposed the Greek philosophies, which contributed to the current governmental and educational systems. Although the Roman Empire was vast, their communities had unity, which made them more substantial, and with the use of the Greek’s advanced knowledge, they used it to create a legacy for themselves. The Phonecian-inspired by Homer and the poems of the tales of the Trojan War explain are examples of texts that describe the influence of Greek culture in the modern day.
As an extension of Greek culture, Rome created a cultural legacy that has impacted the philosophies used today. For instance, the Twelve Tables was a crucial Roman law that they copied from the laws of Solon of Athens. The characteristics of these laws impacted modern laws in several ways. They were specific and public, meaning the magistrates could not randomly alter them once enforced to ensure equal access to the law for all citizens. These characteristics include critical concepts used in the American legal system, such as fairness, equality, and punishment. The ideas of written laws and vetoes were ways the United States government incorporated the practices used in ancient Rome. The modern designs, art, and literature used today were developed by Romans who incorporated the advanced knowledge of Greek culture.
Work Cited
Vella, Christian J. “What Rome Really Adopted from Ancient Greece.” The Graduate Center, City University of New York, City University of New York Works, 2021, pp. 2–115.