"Time the devourer of everything." ~Ovid (Williams, 2007, para. 8)
The impact on my life
Countries where Latin script is part of its language
Rome was such a great empire that it still impacts ME!
The most important way is in their government system. Yes, Rome was influenced by the Greeks in many aspects including government, but think about it. If the empire had not used a senate, assembly, or created a Republic at one point, would we use that basic system of government? I believe if Rome were a complete monarchy, much of civilization would have forgotten about the Greek’s government. Sure, we would have discovered it again as we gained insights about the Greeks, but I think we would be used to a different form of government. I guess I could be totally wrong, but it seems to me that we knew more about civilizations that were a) closer in time to us and b) recorded information. Rome was more recent than the Greeks!!! I believe Rome greatly influenced the American republic.
Secondly, the civilization of Rome created a GREAT law system, and it was all their own. These principles include:
v “All persons had to right to equal treatment under law”
v “A person was considered innocent until proven guilty”
v “The burden of proof rested with the accuser rather than the accused”
v “A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts”
v “Any law that seemed unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside”
All of these influenced everybody’s right to a lawyer, fair treatment, freedom of speech, and the right for the Supreme Court to rule laws unconstitutional. Doesn’t you are innocent until proven guilty sound very familiar?!!! I’m positive that our founding fathers thought about Rome when making our constitution. If Rome hadn’t have thought of the fairness of the law system, would our life be the same???
The Roman achievements in literature and language greatly influence me! I love reading and language, and much of what I know I can credit to the Romans. For example, Ovid, a Roman poet, popularized poetry for enjoyment and funny, witty poetry. I just recited a poem for English class that I enjoyed, and I’m sure the poet enjoyed writing. Ovid made poetry fun, so it didn’t always have to be serious and sad! The Roman Livy wrote in prose…great prose! I read prose all the time. Prose is anything in paragraph form. Yes, Shakespeare is usually credited for popularizing prose, but someone had to write in prose for Shakespeare to see, so on and so forth. Eventually the line gets back to Livy. We should all thank Livy; we don’t have to read epic poems and rhyming sentences all the time! Additionally, Livy and Tacitus recorded history. I’m sure people continually followed their examples. My favorite genre is historical-fiction. Many authors get their information thanks to recorded history!
Romans’ use of the language Latin influences many people. Latin is the root of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, and English. Say Romans all spoke Greek or some other barbaric language. We would all be speaking something different!
Romans also invented the arch, dome, and concrete.
The most important way is in their government system. Yes, Rome was influenced by the Greeks in many aspects including government, but think about it. If the empire had not used a senate, assembly, or created a Republic at one point, would we use that basic system of government? I believe if Rome were a complete monarchy, much of civilization would have forgotten about the Greek’s government. Sure, we would have discovered it again as we gained insights about the Greeks, but I think we would be used to a different form of government. I guess I could be totally wrong, but it seems to me that we knew more about civilizations that were a) closer in time to us and b) recorded information. Rome was more recent than the Greeks!!! I believe Rome greatly influenced the American republic.
Secondly, the civilization of Rome created a GREAT law system, and it was all their own. These principles include:
v “All persons had to right to equal treatment under law”
v “A person was considered innocent until proven guilty”
v “The burden of proof rested with the accuser rather than the accused”
v “A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts”
v “Any law that seemed unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside”
All of these influenced everybody’s right to a lawyer, fair treatment, freedom of speech, and the right for the Supreme Court to rule laws unconstitutional. Doesn’t you are innocent until proven guilty sound very familiar?!!! I’m positive that our founding fathers thought about Rome when making our constitution. If Rome hadn’t have thought of the fairness of the law system, would our life be the same???
The Roman achievements in literature and language greatly influence me! I love reading and language, and much of what I know I can credit to the Romans. For example, Ovid, a Roman poet, popularized poetry for enjoyment and funny, witty poetry. I just recited a poem for English class that I enjoyed, and I’m sure the poet enjoyed writing. Ovid made poetry fun, so it didn’t always have to be serious and sad! The Roman Livy wrote in prose…great prose! I read prose all the time. Prose is anything in paragraph form. Yes, Shakespeare is usually credited for popularizing prose, but someone had to write in prose for Shakespeare to see, so on and so forth. Eventually the line gets back to Livy. We should all thank Livy; we don’t have to read epic poems and rhyming sentences all the time! Additionally, Livy and Tacitus recorded history. I’m sure people continually followed their examples. My favorite genre is historical-fiction. Many authors get their information thanks to recorded history!
Romans’ use of the language Latin influences many people. Latin is the root of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, and English. Say Romans all spoke Greek or some other barbaric language. We would all be speaking something different!
Romans also invented the arch, dome, and concrete.
Arches! Mosque of Uqba
Review
How did the Roman Empire impact you???
