Roman Civilization and Contemporary America
The civilization of the Roman Republic and the Empire that followed it was the first of its kind. Earlier civilizations had been based on a more abstract worldview that led humans to be creative for the will of the gods or to preserve the institutions that fostered rational thought. Rome started as a simple, self-reliant nation made up of farmers who lived the best they could to support their families and community. With an intense drive to succeed and its advanced military, Rome became the greatest civilization of its time. The civilization of 21st century America can follow its roots two thousand years back to Rome.
Rome could not have succeeded without the personal freedom and individuality granted to its citizens. This nurtured a creative and inventive mind, which would not be hindered by the limitations of oppressive monarchies. People lived for their own greater good more than the government, as in America. America and Rome both produced technologies that made their economies dominate over their neighbors, appreciating the value of their currencies. A strong sense of peace and order helped each country thrive, as the fear of trading and making money dissipated. The Roman military was the most advanced of its day. Soldiers were more equipped and armed than any other army, and the best methods of siege craft were employed in battle. The American military shares the sam...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the roman republic and the empire that followed it was the first of its kind, based on an abstract worldview that led humans to be creative for the will of the gods.
- Compares the roman and american social welfare systems. both civilizations are known for allowing their conquered to enjoy a certain amount of liberty.
- Compares the technology available to the romans and americans, and explains that american citizens have a closer eye on society, especially its political institutions.
- Opines that american civilization is ultimately better than roman civilization because more freedom of the individual is guaranteed.
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- analytical
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- The Origin of Romeexplanatory essayThe people of Rome developed the last great civilization of the ancient world in the West. They based their culture in the land now known as Italy, but expanded to cover North Africa, much of Western Europe and much of Western Asia. They were to have a significant impact upon Palestine in the two testament eras (Old and New).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the people of rome developed the last great civilization of the ancient world in the west. they based their culture in italy, but expanded to cover north africa, western europe, and western asia.
- Explains that around 3000 b.c. tribes from different areas of europe and asia formed small towns and farming communities in mountain pockets of the italian peninsula.
- Explains that the etruscans were great builders and engineers, who cleared forests, drained marshes, and built fortified cities. they gained control of rome in the sixth century b.c.
- Explains that while etruscan culture was developing on the western side of the apennines, phoenicians had begun to move across the mediterranean sea. they built a great city-state at carthage, across from sicily.
- Explains that while the greeks and phoenicians tried to resist the persians, they lost their grip on the mediterranean lands. rome’s birth is clouded in legend.
- Explains that rome was like other tribal centers of its time, though it was older. according to tradition, etruscan kings ruled rome until unified latin tribes drove out tarquinius superbus around 510 b.c.
- Explains how rome absorbed small latin kingdoms, but continued fighting with etruscans in the north and greek cities. the romans learned how to read and write from the greeks.
- Explains that rome grew stronger in the absence of foreign power, basing its strength on the citizen-soldier. roman warfare required many dams, defense walls, and weapons.
- Explains how the romans engaged in constant warfare during the early period of rome's growing power. the gauls invaded italy and occupied rome for seven months.
- Describes the works of charles freeman, joseph l. gardner, and j.i. packer.
926 wordsRead More - Rome and the Roman Empireexplanatory essayRome and the Roman Empire As the story goes, Rome was founded by a pair of feuding brothers who were allegedly raised by wolves. Romulus and Remus. From that point on, the Roman Empire would play a pivotal role in the development of both Eastern and Western society alike. Its influence can still be noticed. The Empire bought us such inventions as aqueducts, elevators, and innovations like urban planning.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that rome was founded by two feuding brothers who were allegedly raised by wolves. the empire played a pivotal role in the development of eastern and western society.
- Explains that sulla was a staunch republican who returned from the social wars in 88 b.c and demanded land for his soldiers.
- Explains that cicero gained a high public position using nothing more than his powers of eloquence and his abilities as civil magistrate. he believed strongly in the republic and opposed those who would seek to disrupt it.
- Explains how the praetorian guard was created after the death of augustus, and the emperor's downfall began in 26 a.d.
- Explains that nero was a nice emperor, but his madness escalated as he neglected his duties and focused on personal pleasure.
2609 wordsRead More - Why Is Rome Important To Americaexplanatory essayWhen one thinks of great powerful empires and nations of any time, they would think of Ancient Rome. So how would future nations take what the almighty Roman empire had to build their own successful country? After all, the Romans did eventually fall. This means that nations would have to mimic but not copy their exact steps and acts. It is an ultimate mystery of picking and choosing. However, many of the things Rome did were very important. In the United States of America, we see some direct connections from Ancient Rome. These connections have to do with anything from politics, social living, geography, government, sport, and many more. All in all, America would not be the same if it were not for Roman connections.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that ancient rome's influence on the united states of america would not be as important if it were not for roman connections.
- Explains the connection between the united states of america and ancient rome. the veto is a direct connection from rome, and the senate is an idea taken from the romans.
- Explains how the romans influenced america by building simple amphitheaters and pricing concepts, and how caesar in ancient rome was a culprit of this.
- Explains that roman law practices have a monumental impact on how law works in america today.
630 wordsRead More - The Fall Of The Roman Empire Essayexplanatory essayRome was known to be a very progressive era with advancements in science, technology, and education. For example, Roman concrete helped them with their buildings and bridges, and some of the things made with Roman concrete still stand today. Romans also created calendars, and figured out how to make arches for buildings to keep them from falling from their own weight. However, even with prosperous times like this, eventually, there came economic, political, military, and societal factors that led to the fall of Rome.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the fall of the roman empire was a progressive era with advancements in science, technology, and education.
- Explains that romans owned the most slaves and depended on them most. slaves made buildings, worked on farms, dug up gold from the underground, and left many people jobless.
- Explains that the wealthy started freeing their slaves because they had to pay high taxes on them and were also supposed to help the lower class.
- Explains that due to the government's spending on the lower class, there wasn't enough money for the military or they used all the money up.
- Explains that romans let visigoth tribe members cross south in danube, a roman territory, which gave goths safety, but they were treated with such cruelty by them.
- Analyzes how the romans overspent with gladiators. emperors like caligula and nero were famous for wasting money on parties because it was an amusement to them.
- Explains that many people blamed christianity for the fall of rome as it was said to give hope and courage to those who needed it. leaders like constantine converted to christianity which made it spread even more.
- Explains that the romans, unlike the greeks never devised an effective system to verify how the emperors would be selected, which created problems with future governors.
- Explains that the decline in the roman empire was due to the fewer inventions. they relied on human and animal labor and failed to make new machines and technology.
794 wordsRead More - Rise of the Roman Empireexplanatory essayThroughout its early history Rome constantly came up new innovative ideas have the upper hand over its enemies. The Romans were a determined people that believed that ruling the world was their destiny and after the defeat of its’ greatest rival Carthage, they were now masters of the Mediterranean. Rome would never again be threatened until the empire’s fall hundreds of years later. The Romans would now begin to expand their empire past Italy, and with great success, come to rule the Western world.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that rome's society was divided into two groups: the plebeians and the patricians.
- Explains how hannibal became commander of the carthaginian army in 221. he promised to hate all romans and captured saguntum, an ally of rome.
- Explains that rome constantly came up with new innovative ideas to have the upper hand over its enemies. after the defeat of carthage, they were now masters of the mediterranean.
- Explains that the romans were tribal people who lived in central italy and like other latins. they learned many crafts from the etruscans, such as the use of bronze.
- Describes how the romans defeated rome and rebuilt the city and its walls. they adopted new and more effective military weaponry and defended themselves against attacks by etruscans and volscians.
1210 wordsRead More - The Legacy Of Ancient Romeargumentative essayWhen one thinks of Ancient Rome, many images may come to mind. Perhaps gladiators fighting for the glory of their emperor, or the impressive Colosseum. For many others it is simply an image of a great and powerful city. Throughout the centuries it has maintained this legacy, still thought of as one of the greatest empires to ever rule. Rome was able to go from the small Italian city to the conquering empire that it is known for today through strong leadership and consistent warfare.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ancient rome has maintained its legacy, still thought of as one of the greatest empires to ever rule, through strong leadership and consistent warfare.
- Explains how rome began to expand once they challenged the nearby etruscans, who educated rome on architecture. rome's first two major wars against organized states were fought with fidenae and veii.
- Explains that augustus was the first roman emperor, born on 23 september 63 bce. he paved the way for a superior roman empire.
- Explains that trajan, a benevolent ruler, helped to improve the life of the roman populace by building edifices that improved the quality of life in rome.
- Explains that trajan led three major wars, which helped grow the domain and the roman population.
- Concludes that rome was able to go from the small italian city to the conquering empire that it is known for today through strong leadership and consistent warfare.
719 wordsRead More - The Roman Empireanalytical essayAncient Rome, the period between the 8th and 1st centuries B.C. in which Rome grew from a little colony to an emerging empire. "Roman imperialism introduced extremes of wealth and poverty that honed social and economic conflict within the Roman state ." The enormous army and their countless loots, as well as their captured slaves, produced many changes along the countryside such as small farms becoming large plantations, and peasants left without lands decided to journey to Rome and other cities. "Immense wealth inflamed the ambitions of Roman nobles who struggled for personal domination rather than collective rule ." This dominant emergence of power and rule thus led to the conquering and control of other societies. The following paragraphs will be divided in order to partition the overall structure of the Roman Empire and the ethics and justifications of their colonial methods.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that rome was an extremely hierarchical society organized in different classes which had well-defined roles.
- Explains that the emperor occupied the most important seat in governmental system through the ongoing growth of the empire.
- Explains that the emperor was in charge of coinage, taxation, and his great estates, but allowed the economy to flow without restraint.
- Analyzes how the romans created a religion of their own, from disjointed rituals, taboos and superstitions, which they picked up from numerous sources.
- Explains that roman imperialism introduced extremes of wealth and poverty that honed social and economic conflict within the roman state.
- Explains that auxiliary troops provided the skills that the romans lacked. the colonial soldiers learned latin and received roman citizenship when they retired.
- Explains how the romans built bridges across the tiber, aqueducts, and sewers to supply rome with fresh water, as well as more than 200 million gallons per day.
- Explains how the romans decided to conquer and colonize as much ground as possible in order to get peace of mind.
- Explains that the roman empire was made up of many racial groups, who spoke dozens of languages. the assimilation of various ethnic groups enabled rome to broaden its citizenship to conquered peoples.
- Analyzes how the roman empire became multi-cultural by over-conquering and colonizing neighboring territories, which led to weaker frontiers.
1945 wordsRead More - Ancient Roman Society Vs. Americaanalytical essayA Comparison: America vs. Rome America has grown since its humble beginnings in such a way that it is now overwhelmed by its own greatness. Actually though, the original quote was by Titus Livius, a Roman historian who died around 15 A.D, and he said “Rome has grown since its humble beginnings in such a way that it is now overwhelmed by its own greatness.” Like Rome, America has become overwhelmed by its own greatness. We Americans now shake our heads in disgust at the antics of Miley Cyrus… we question the works of Tarantino and we criticize the values of our country’s leaders, but we do not seem to fully understand the gravity of the state of our society and government. On the other hand, many have reached a state of cynicism, also forgetting on what America was founded, and as George Santayana once said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
In this essay, the author
- Explains that america has grown since its humble beginnings in such a way that it is now overwhelmed by its own greatness. they will juxtapose three vital components of rome and america, first comparing our societies, then our governments.
- Analyzes how art became a travesty of its brilliant past. romans enjoyed entertainment like theater, pottery-making, poetry, and gruesome, destructive entertainment.
- Analyzes how corruption, apathy, and violence accompanied the decline of roman democracy. rome spread itself thin, constantly invading foreign countries.
- Analyzes the differences between ancient rome and the united states of america.
- Analyzes how america and ancient rome are similar in society, corruption, and government corruption. the great difference lies in america's foundation in god.
- Explains schaeffer, francis a. how should we then live?: the rise and decline of western thought and culture.
1277 wordsRead More - America as the New Romecomparative essayAmerica as the New Rome In World Cultures my freshman year, we learned about the zeitgeist theory. This theory says that as a culture passes from the dominant world culture to a subsidiary culture, they pass on their knowledge and glory to their successor. Zeitgeist is actually a German term, meaning “time ghost,” signifying that the ghost, or soul, of a culture is passed through time. Currently, America is the dominant culture in the world, and more and more we are noticing the soul of Rome popping up in our day to day lives. To get to the root of this phenomenon, we should look at our roots; the way in which this country was founded.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that america is the dominant culture in the world, and we are noticing the soul of rome popping up in our day to day lives.
- Compares how the colonies of england broke free of the rule of kings, setting up a democracy, and conquering the western three-quarters of rome.
- Explains that the romans had to prove themselves worthy of the supreme nation on earth by defeating carthage in the punic wars.
- Compares the lifestyles of romans and americans, stating the similarities between the two cultures. rome had theaters, while america had hollywood and broadway.
- Explains that both societies have a constant presence of sex around them. both societies accepted homosexuality, though america still shuns it.
- Explains that rome has lent its cityscapes to america, and that america has taken these ideas and perfected them.
- Opines that america will slowly dissipate like rome, as opposed to going out with a bang like the french.
1014 wordsRead More - Characteristics Of Civilization By Cynthia Stokes Brownexplanatory essayHistorian, Cynthia Stokes Brown has created a list of descriptions of what constitutes most actual civilizations. From the list, two characteristics which show Rome was a civilization was its religion and it's stratified social ranks, or social classes topped by small elites. Rome once had a republic in 509 B.C.E. The republic allowed patricians which are one of the two classes in Roman society to hold all the power. So, the plebeians, which is the other class, had no power in the decision making of the patricians meaning their social status was much lower than the patricians. This allowed small group of families to have a much higher rank than others, holding more power. Soon, because of plebeians' population, they were able to have a similar
In this essay, the author
- Explains that rome was a civilization because of its religion and its stratified social ranks, or social classes topped by small elites.
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