Visiting Rome last year helped me understand why the Roman Empire still influences the modern world. Seeing the Pantheon, Colosseum, and other ancient remains made Roman engineering feel much more impressive than simply reading about it. The Romans built roads, aqueducts, arches, domes, sewers, and public buildings, which connected their enormous empire. Their 50,000-mile road system also helped move soldiers, trade, religions, and ideas across Roman territory (Ancient Rome 101, 2018).
One of Rome’s greatest strengths was its willingness to borrow from other cultures. As discussed in Chapters 5 and 6, the Romans adopted religious practices and customs from the Etruscans and modeled much of their art and architecture on Greek art and architecture (Cole and Symes, 2020, Chs. 5–6). Rome also created important civic spaces. The Forum served as a center for government, business, religious ceremonies, and public leisure. Augustus later used monuments, coins, and public building projects to present himself as Rome’s restorer while strengthening imperial authority.
Roman law was another major achievement. The Twelve Tables placed laws on public display, giving plebeians some protection from patrician control. However, like Hammurabi’s Code, the laws reflected inequality. They included harsh debt penalties, restrictions on marriage between social classes, and valuing injuries to enslaved people less than those to free citizens (The Laws of the Twelve Tables, c. 450 BCE).
Rome’s military expansion brought stability and cultural sharing, but also slavery, destruction, and exploitation. Even the Colosseum represents both engineering brilliance and violence as entertainment. Rome remains relevant because societies continue to struggle with law, political power, inequality, citizenship, and religious change.
#AncientRome #RomanLegacy #HistoryIsAwesome
Sources
National Geographic. 2018. Ancient Rome 101. YouTube. Link
Thatcher, Oliver J., ed. 1907. The Laws of the Twelve Tables (c. 450 BCE). In The Library of Original Sources, Volume III: The Roman World, 9–11.
Cole, Joshua, and Carol Symes. 2020. Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture, Sixth Brief Edition, Volume 1. W. W. Norton & Company.
World History Encyclopedia. 2020. What Is the Legacy of Ancient Rome? YouTube. Link