How Did Greek Culture Influence Roman Culture

Throughout time there is evidence of Greek culture in almost all works of art spanning from philosophy, architecture, and even sculptures. From bronze sculptures to the Trojan War one can see the influence Greece had on the Romans. The Greek art focused more on mythological events whereas Roman artists depicted current events. Rome also perfected the form used in sculptures when they invented concrete. Greece has an influence on medieval literature and philosophy since wealthier Romans hired Greek philosophers to teach their children. It is important to keep in mind that Greek culture was at the roots of Roman and early Medieval culture. “The Romans adopted Hellenistic sculpture to their own political ends: depicting not mythological figures but generals and emperors, in a celebration of their political dominance. The Romans and early Christians adopted features of Greek architecture such as the classical orders, and expanded on them with the use of the arch and the invention of concrete. Greece also exerts an influence on Medieval literature and philosophy with the influence of the Greek and
Roman philosophical traditions such as Stoicism and Epicureanism” (Wright p.105). To begin, in many Roman households one can see the influence that Greece has on the Romans. As seen in the textbook The Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change, “Rome admired Greece for its cultural achievements, from its philosophy to its sculpture, and, as we have seen, its own art developed from Greek-Hellenic models” (Sayre p.176). Greek art focused more on mythological events and heroes were Roman art focused on current events. As seen by the author, “Instead of depicting mythological events and heroes, Roman artists depicted current events and real people, from generals and their military exploits to portraits of their leaders and recently deceased citizens” (Sayre p.176). One of the first examples would be the first-century bronze sculpture Thorn-Puller, which shows a boy pulling a thorn from his foot. As stated in the book, “The boy is probably a slave-masters rarely provided shoes for their slaves- or, given the rock he is sitting on, he might be a boy from the countryside. The realistic portrayal of his self-absorbed and intense concentration combined with the beauty of his physique both suggest the Roman attraction to Hellenistic precedents” (Sayre p.180). Rome also used their love of Greek philosophy and art to gain political dominance. “By the second and first centuries BCE, Rome had achieved political control of the entire Mediterranean” (Sayre p.180). Though one can see the similarities between the Roman and Greek art one can also learn to appreciate the differences. Equally important is the effect that Greek architecture has on the Romans and early Christians.
“While the arch was known to cultures such as Mesopotamians, the Egyptians, and the Greeks, it was the Romans who perfected it, evidently learning its principles from the Etruscans but developing those principles further” (Sayre p.198). Later it is seen where the Romans invented concrete thus setting their art apart from Greek art. “They also invented Concrete, the in turn made possible the soaring and expansive interior spaces for which Roman architecture is known” (Sayre p.176). Greek architecture is also seen in many of today’s Christian church houses. “The basilica plan, with the apse as its focal point, would exert considerable influence on later Christian Churches” (Sayre p.211). From this once can see the Greek Cultures that were adopted by both early Christians and
Romans. Finally, there is the Greek influence on medieval literature and philosophy. Greek philosophers often taught wealthier Roman children in their own homes resulting in most of Roman philosophy being borrowed directly from Greek. “Two of the most attractive philosophical systems to the Romans were Epicureanism and Stoicism” (Sayre p.188). Epicureanism is based on a theory by Epicurus who was a Greek philosopher that taught in Athens. “Epicureanism is based on the theory of Epicurus, who believed that fear, particularly fear of death, was responsible for all human misery, and that the gods played no part in human affairs” (Sayre p.188). Epicurus argued that there are no first causes or final explanations, that all things are driven by the random movement of atoms swirling through space. “His ideas were promoted in Rome, Particularly by the poet Lucretius in his treatise On the Nature of Things” (Sayre p.188). The difference in the two is that Lucretius’ philosophy is often interpreted as love being a mental delusion and where Epicurus stresses clarity and simplicity of thought. Many Romans thought of Epicureanism as self-indulged and a debauchery, thus the start of Stoicism. Stoicism is a practical philosophy which was developed in the Athenian stoa. Epicureanism focuses on sober reasoning where Stoicism was more popular because of the rational detachment and practical commonsense. “By submitting one’s emotions to the practice of reason, one could achieve what the playwright and essayist Lucius Annaeus Seneca called “tranquility of mind” (Sayre p.189). Seneca’s message in his essay “tranquility of mind” was appealing to the Romans who were struggling for survival since in it he argues the way to achieve peace of mind is avoid responsibilities. “If we are all slaves to our situation, he seemed to argue, then like slaves, we must make of life the best we can” (Sayre p.189). The prominent difference between the two are reason and chance, Epicureanism focusing on reason where Stoicism focuses on chance. This shows how Greek philosophy is the main inspiration to Roman philosophy. In conclusion, throughout what is written above one can see the important influence that the Greek culture had to the Romans. Greek culture was the root of all Roman and medieval culture especially the Greek language itself. One can see the Greek influence in many works of art ranging in pieces such as: Thorn-Puller, A Roman Man, Augustus of Primaporta, the Colosseum, and Arch of Titus, that either show similarities with the Greek-Hellenic or in the use of the arch. These works of art are very few in which one can assume is thousands of sculptures, paintings, and even buildings which the Greek majorly influenced the Romans and medieval times. There are differences in all things the Romans did that were persuaded in some ways by the Greek but the differences paved a way for many of the building and art we see today. The most evident would be the invention on concrete which is so widely used in everything these days. The different philosophies are another thing that the Romans improved on that were later recreated to fit with the current times. All of this illustrates the Greek heritage on the Roman and medieval culture.