Roman Culture

The Romans admired and copied the Greeks in many ways but they always adapted what they borrowed to better

suit their own needs.

Art

Greek Statues• Idealized (made to

look perfect – young, healthy, and beautiful.)

Roman Statues• Realistic (made to

look real – wrinkles, warts, and all.)

Architecture

Greek Structures• Used porches and

colonnades (rows of columns)

Roman Structures• Also used arches,

domes, and vaults (a curved arch ceiling)

Architecture

Roman Concrete• Romans invent

concrete, a mixture of volcanic ash, lime and water.

• It was long lasting, light weight in comparison to stone, and could be formed into what ever shape was needed.

Literature

Greek Writing• Epic poems – such as

Homer’s Odyssey• Satires – works poking

fun at human weaknesses.

• Myths – tales of Gods and Goddesses

• Histories – recorded events of their civilization

• Plays – tragedies and comedies

Roman Writing• Epic poems –such as

Virgil’s Aeneid• Satires – the poet Horace

followed the Greek style• Myths – the writer Ovid

based some of his works on Greek myths.

• Histories – the writers Livy and Tacitus recorded events of Roman history

• Plays – the writers Seneca, Plautus, and Terence based their works on Greek plays

Language

Greece• Greek was the language

of the Greek city-states

Rome• Latin was the language of

the Roman Empire (although educated people also learned Greek.)

• Latin became Europe’s language for government, trade, and learning up to 1500.

• Latin is the basis for many modern languages such as Italian, French, and Spanish.

Science

Greek Science• Questioned how the

world worked.• Galen, a Greek doctor,

brought many medical ideas to Rome. In particular anatomy (the study of the body structure.)

Roman Science• Questioned how the

world worked.• Galen’s anatomy• Ptolemy – mapped over

1,000 different stars and created rules to explain the motion of the planets and stars. He also created detailed maps of the known world.

Engineering

Roman Engineering• Buildings• A large network of

roads• Bridges• Aqueducts• Sewers

ReligionGreek gods and goddesses were popular in the Roman Empire, although they were given Roman names.

ReligionThe Roman Empire eventually adopted the religion of Christianity; making it the official religion of the entire empire. This spread the religion to hundreds of thousands of people all around the Mediterranean Sea area.

Philosophy

Greek Philosophy• Greek Stoicism –

focused on finding happiness through reason

Roman Philosophy• Roman Stoicism –

focused on living in a practical way (accepting and dealing with life’s problems), doing your civic duty by participating in public affairs, and keeping your emotions under control. Writers Epictetus and Seneca were two famous Roman Stoics.

Law

• The Romans followed a code of law which made popular the idea of all people being considered innocent until proven guilty. It also made popular that citizens had both a right and a responsibility to help run the country.