Roman Influence On Western Civilization

The Roman Empire, at its peak was the most political and social object in “western civilization”. “The Roman Empire began when Augustus Caesar became the first emperor of Rome it then ended, in the west, when the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was destroyed by the Germanic King Odoacer.” (Grummond, 2015) “In the Roman east, it continued as the Byzantine Empire until the death of Constantine XI and the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks” (Grummond, 2015) The influence of the Roman Empire on western civilization was profound in its lasting contributions to virtually every aspect of western culture. From building to language to writing to even government; every aspect of the Roman Empire had thrived. However there are three main
aspects that are greatly responsible for the legacy that the Roman Empire left behind: political/legal, physical, and culture. However despite their many successes; it has been greatly debated that the Roman Empire is not the greatest and never left a true legacy. “The Roman Empire did not concentrate enough on smaller tasks and over expanded which is what ended their “great run”,” (Mark, 2011) The Roman Empire was small compared to other Empires, and The Roman Empire never came up with any of their own ideas; it was all copied from the Greeks. All three of these debates have caused great controversy over what was supposed to be the most successful Empire to ever come around. However, in the end, The Roman Empire has a Legacy that will live on forever. Despite criticism from many people; they have paved and perfected the road to success. Politics and a legal system is one of the most important aspects of any empire that is thriving.
Without a legal system there would be crime, and much disarray. There would be no system of money, trading, or taxes. Having a legal system covers the basis of starting a thriving empire. Rome's continuing influence on society today is apparent in the government structure and legal system in use in much of the western world. The Roman law is the basis for most European legal systems and laws today. In this system, all laws are listed by crimes in one or more books. However, with this being know, it was said that The Roman Empire did not concentrate enough on smaller tasks and over expanded which is what ended their “great run”. It is believed that The Roman Empire was more concentrated on expanding and creating a better and stricter form of government. Another important aspect of the Roman Empire legal system is Imperium. “Imperium is the supreme executive power in the Roman state, involving both military and judicial authority.” (Burbank, Cooper, 2011) It was exercised first by the kings of Rome; under the republic it was held by the chief magistrates (consuls, dictators, praetors, military tribunes with consular power, and masters of the cavalry) and private citizens entrusted with a special
command. The politics and legal system is said to be responsible for the fall of the great Roman Empire.
Historically “the Roman Empire has been the prime example from which many traditional understandings of a legal system come from” (From Imperium to Imperialism, 2012.) This can rule the debate not plausible; the large amount of material that has been discovered and determined to be “Roman law" forms an important part of the our world today. Even though the United States at this time had a law system based on British laws; the British laws originated from the Roman law system. Without the Romans there would be no form of established government system. Its success traveled far and wide. It formed nations and legal systems and allowed them to become aware of their own identity. “It provided the basis for the rational character of the systems and the legalism of the western nations.” (Wieacker, 1981) It even had the principle of settling social and economic conflicts not only by force, authority or compromise, but also by general rules. Overall this shows how important a legal system was for the Roman Empire. Without it, we may have been lost in today’s world of government and politics. However, this was not the only important aspect of the Roman Empire. Physical features of the Roman Empire played a large part as well; this went hand in hand with how the government and legal system was formed and where it was located and
centralized. Without proper location and various physical aspects of the land, the Roman Empire would not have been as successful as it was. The city of Rome is located in central Italy, but the empire it had become, covered the entire Mediterranean basin. At its peak extent, it stretched from present-day northern England to southern Egypt. Also from the Atlantic coast to the shores of the Persian Gulf. Rome’s location in central Italy placed it perfectly within the Mediterranean zone of civilizations. The most famous of these was that of the Ancient Greeks, but others “included those of the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians and the Etruscans, plus several lesser-known peoples such as the Lycians.” (Ancient Rome, 2015) Another great aspect of the Roman Empire was the Silk Road. “The greatest value of the Silk Road was the exchange of culture. Art, religion, philosophy, technology, language, science, architecture,” (Ancient Rome, 2015) and every other element of civilization was exchanged through the Silk Road along with the commercial goods the merchants carried from country to country. The closing of the Silk Road forced merchants to take to the sea to ply their trade, thus allowing the Roman Empire to grow even bigger. Rome was established along the Tiber River. “It is about 17 miles northeast of the river's mouth at the Tyrrhenian Sea” (Ancient Rome, 2015) By utilizing these waterways, Romans could participate in “maritime trade” (Ancient Rome, 2015) In addition, a major north-south trade route ran through Rome, allowing Romans to carry out trade in the city or transport Roman goods to different parts of Europe. Rome's central location in the Italian peninsula made conquest of the peninsula easier. Once Rome controlled the Italian peninsula, the central Mediterranean location of the peninsula also facilitated the expansion of the Roman Empire. Without its prime location The Roman Empire would have been unable to succeed in becoming a “thriving empire”. The largest aspect that was a large help in becoming successful was the Roman road system. The Roman roads were notable for their straightness, solid foundations, cambered surfaces facilitating drainage, and use of “concrete made from volcanic ash and lime.” (Ancient Rome, 2015) Though adapting their technique to materials locally available, the Roman engineers followed basically the same principles in building abroad as they had in Italy. The Romans began the Via Egnatia, an extension of the Via Appia beyond the Adriatic into Greece and Asia Minor, where it joined the ancient Persian Royal Road. However, a large debate has broken out over the location. Even though it was a prime spot, “it was smaller in scale compared to other Empires such as the British Empire.” (Lee, 2015) Even though the roads had created much expansion. It was only a road system, it was not conquered territory. This has caused much debate because historians strongly feel that you need a large area to conquer and become successful. This in turn gives a “greater mass area to spread culture.” (Lee, 2015) Culture was another important factor to Rome becoming a great success. The early Romans adopted culture from their neighbors, the Greeks and Etruscans, in particular, but used their unique stamp on their “borrowings”. The Roman Empire then spread their culture far and wide, affecting diverse areas of the modern world. For instance, we still have colosseums and satire, for entertainment, aqueducts to supply water, and sewers to drain it. Romans built bridges to span rivers, while distant cities are located along remnants of actual Roman roads. “The names of Roman gods pepper our constellations.” (Wallace-Hadrill, 2011) Some parts of Roman culture are gone, but remain remembered. One of the most astonishing features of the Roman Empire is the sheer diversity of the geographical and cultural landscapes it controlled. It was a European empire in the sense that it controlled most of the territory in that region. The planting of cities... was a sign and instrument of the advance to 'first-world' status. But it was above all a Mediterranean empire, and “pulled together diverse cultures, in Asia, Egypt and North Africa that have not been reunited since the spread of Islam” (Wallace-Hadrill, 2011) This represented a vast diversity, including language. The planting of cities, with their familiar apparatus of public services and entertainment, was a sign and instrument of the advance to 'first-world' status. We can still admire the effectiveness of this city-based “civilization” in “producing unity and common cultural values in diverse societies, what we might look for from a perspective, and look for in vain, is some conscious encouragement of the 'biodiversity' of the different societies that composed the empire.” (Gill, n.d.) There were many vast regional changes that separated The Roman Empire from everyone else. However, for historians this was not enough and had erupted a large debate. The Romans had taken many different diverse cultures and adopted them under one area. Therefore, stemming the idea that The Romans were “known for” copying other cultures. This had largely focused on many of their Greek influences. “The upper class Romans had been schooled in Greek letters. They were often tutored by educated Greek slaves, and finished their schooling in Greek cities like Athens and Rhodes.” (Gill, n.d. “Upper class Roman culture from the late Republic through the Empire does bear an influence of Hellenistic culture. A prime example is Virgil, who’s Aeneid was a conscious imitation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.” (Gill, n.d.) With that being said, Roman culture is not synonymous with Greek. Roman literature and philosophy may be influenced by the Greek, but it has its own tone that is less abstract, more practical. Roman architecture may be based on Greek, but it has its own stories to tell. Even some of the religious cults that were imported from the Hellenistic east were to some degree “Romanized”. “Then the majority of Romans, the Plebeians, who were not educated in Greek ways, held to their native culture” (Gill, n.d. Gladiator games and such would be their cultural experiences. Needless to say, The Romans never directly copied any cultural aspects from the Greeks. They had taken many ideas and perfected them and made them into their own. The "legacy of the Roman Empire" refers to the set of cultural values, political beliefs, as well as physical achievements of Ancient Rome. These were passed on after the demise of the empire itself and continued to shape other civilizations, a process which continues to this day. However despite their many successes; it has been greatly debated that the Roman Empire is not the greatest and never left a true legacy. “The Roman Empire did not concentrate enough on smaller tasks and over expanded which is what ended their “great run”,” (Mark, 2011) The Roman Empire was small compared to other Empires, and The Roman Empire never came up with any of their own ideas; it was all copied from the Greeks. All three of these debates have caused great controversy over what was supposed to be the most successful Empire to ever come around. However, in the end, through much research and determination it will be proven that The Roman Empire has a Legacy that will live on forever; despite criticism from the Greeks; they have paved and perfected the road to success.