How Did Greek Culture Influence The Roman Society

The Roman society was one of the greatest societies in the history of the world. They left their mark on the world through their architecture, philosophy, literature, and system of government. They conquered most of Europe and a good portion of North Africa into the Middle East. They lasted as a society for hundreds of years, surviving political strife, civil war, and the threat of outside invasion. This was done without Rome being a Christian nation in their early history. They actually persecuted Christians, often murdering them for their beliefs. In spite of their greatness, the Romans were hardly a good nation. Rome started as a small but influential kingdom in Italy. They were supposedly founded by Romulus and Remus, two brothers who were descendants of the Trojan prince Aeneas who fled from Troy when it was taken by the Greeks. The Romans quickly became one of the most powerful city states in the region, which resulted in them spearheading the Latin League which was a group of city states that surrounded

The Greeks were considered some of the greatest thinkers and philosophers of the ancient world. The Romans loved Greek culture, often copying their architecture and religion. But they were cautious of Greek philosophy due to the Romans’ religious beliefs and moral values which were better defined than the Greeks’ so the Romans challenged most of the Greeks ideas. The Romans even challenged the Athenians’ democracy, considering it a weak form of government compared to the Roman’s republic which included checks and balances. They did like stoicism which encouraged duty and self-discipline, and they expanded on that concept and made it their leading philosophy. They also loved the Greek’s public forums where ideas were formulated and discussed. They would use this same idea in their Republic (HIST 101 Western Civilization