Roman Culture Change Over Time Essay

The world as we know it today would not be the same if it was not for the influential powers of an ancient civilization; the Romans. Many customary habits of society around us have come from this persuasive force; currency, trade, and tax just being a few examples. Without these advances, made by our predecessors, society could exponentially different. The processes of trade and taxation could be changed entirely as well as currency being essentially nonexistent. Currency had its beginnings around the end of the third century B.C., with the start of production of gold coins. Later silver and bronze joined the coin system, replacing the long standing barter system that was used before. This barter system had been used for centuries with cattle being the main means of trade. Pecunia, the Roman word for money being derived from the Roman word pecus meaning cattle. Later as more and more money was being made markings and engravings were added to the coins to raise and lower their value. Now, almost all means of currency can be traced back to these roots; paper money, copper, and other cheaper metals eventually replacing the traditional gold, silver, and bronze.
The more money that was distributed the more trade increased; sea routes were made, more roads were created as Rome traded within its own expanding empire and also with China and India.
As time went on farmers - who once just made whatever they needed when they needed it- began creating an abundance of food. This allowed other people the ability to work in other occupations such as a craftsman, metal-smith and potter. More people than ever were now able to buy and sell indulgent items for themselves and their families. This also allowed the new currency system to grow alongside it. Merchants began traveling from village to village, while shops opened in town squares, a distinction between classes also originating in the
process. As more and more people settled and climbed the social ladder; taxation of goods, military and imports became a way of life. Citizens were taxed on the value of their property, inherited wealth, and even a poll tax to pay for ordered government censuses. Merchants were required to pay taxes on imported goods as well as products made within the empire. Roman currency being used more than ever at this point near 100 B.C., although some taxes were still paid through goods. The people could even be given a refund if for some reason they were taxed too much before. Also as the price of government and military expenses continued to rise so did the price of goods and thus taxes, creating a need for a maximum cap number, instated by the Emperor Diocletion. These ideas of taxation, though not new to the times, was not largely used, especially on such a large scale, but has remained a regular custom since. Ancient Rome has influenced the world today in numerous ways, shaping political and economic systems, even the architecture of buildings, bridges, and roads as well as the languages spoken today. Arches, domes, the repetition of straight lines, and even the idea of a paved road itself were all brought to the modern world due to the Romans. While Latin though considered a dead language, is the origin of more than half the words in the English language, along with the other Romantic languages of the world including French, Spanish and Italian. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and that saying holds true to any civilization throughout history, but no other civilization can hold a candle to the influences brought on by the Romans and their inventions made in history. These advancements in one civilization created a domino effect, giving later societies the opportunity to keep moving forward and discovering more of the world around, creating the world today.