Essay: How Ancient Rome Substantially Influenced Western Society Today

Language and Literature
The influence of ancient Rome can be noticeably seen in Shakespeare’s literary works.
He was known to be fascinated by the ancient Romans, who served as an inspiration for his
plays like Julius Caesar, and Antony and Cleopatra6 (Honan, 1999).
Poetry played an important role in life and it was even seen as a suitable occupation in the
second and first centuries BC. Quintillian, a Roman educator, ordered secondary schools to
focus more on poetry rather than prose7 (Grant, 1954). The literature of the world has been
6 Park Honan, Shakespeare: A Life, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999, p. 342
7 Grant, Michael (1954). Roman Literature. Cambridge England: University Press. p. 134
greatly influenced by the literature of ancient Rome, especially the works produced by Ovid
that has had an everlasting impact in the literary world. One such work of Ovid’s that has
inspired several authors such as Dante, Milton, Chaucer, and Shakespeare, is Metamorphoses.
Metamorphoses was a mythological narrative stretching from the creation of the world until
his time, 43 BC – 17 AD8 (Fergus 1993).
It was not just Roman literature that had an impact in the world. It is important to note
that the language of ancient Rome also had a deep impact on the Western World. The
language spoken in ancient Rome was Latin, which spread throughout the world due to
Rome’s increasing political power and territorial conquests. Latin became the ancestor for a
group of languages referred to as the “Romance Languages”9 (Curchin, (1995). These
languages include Spanish, Italian, Romanian, French, Portuguese, and Catalan. The Latin
influence in English is also significant as the English alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet.
Many English words also have Latin roots10 (Blench, et al., 1999). Latin words are still used
today in the justice system. During the Modern English period, the renaissance led many
authors to adapt words from Classical Latin into English.
Architecture
Traces of Roman influence can be found in systems and structures throughout the
development of the Western culture and society in the form of neoclassical architecture. Much
of this influence is inspired from that of ancient Greece. The Romans modified and made
necessary improvements to certain elements borrowed from the ancient Greek designs and
inventions. For example, Romans adopted the columns from the Greeks and continued to use
it, but the form was modified to be more decorative rather than structural in Roman buildings.
8 Fergus Millar, “Ovid and the Domus Augusta: Rome Seen from Tomoi,” Journal of Roman
Studies 83 (1993), p. 6.
9 Curchin, Leonard A. (1995). “Literacy in the Roman Provinces: Qualitative and Quantitative
Data from Central Spain”. The American Journal of Philology. 461–476.
10 Blench, R.; Spriggs, Matthew (1999). Archaeology and Language: Correlating
Archaeological and Linguistic Hypotheses. Routledge. pp. 285–286.
Curved roofs and large-scale arches were created by the Romans in order to support more
weight whereas, the Greeks used a post-and-beam construction method. These curved roofs
and arches served as the foundation for the massive bridges and aqueducts that the Romans
later constructed. The Romans also built large amphitheaters for games, including the
Colosseum, which still stands gloriously after more than two thousand years. The cement
used to build the Colosseum was made out of volcanic ash and rock which is the main reason
for the remarkably strong building. Scientists today, are studying the Roman concrete in order
to recreate it11 (Moore, 1995).
Thomas Jefferson initiated a revival of ancient Roman architecture in the United
States in the 18th century which influenced the modern legal structures in the United States to
have Roman features. Interestingly, this is only prevalent in state capitols12 (Bernstein,
Richard B, 2003).
Legal System
The usage of Latin words is not the only way the ancient Romans have influenced the
Western justice system. The earliest version of the Roman justice system mostly dealt with
the rights of the Roman citizens. Even though the Roman justice system was extremely harsh
in terms of its punishments and not used today, it served as an outline of present day court
proceedings and in many jurisdictions modern law is based on the principles of law used
during the Roman Empire. For example, the roman justice system also had the concept of a
preliminary hearing where the judge decides whether or not there was an actual case. In case
there were grounds for a case, a prominent Roman citizen would try the case in the presence
of witnesses and evidence. The United States justice system, and much of Europe’s justice
11 The Riddle of Ancient Roman Concrete, By David Moore, P.E., 1995, Retired Professional
Engineer, Bureau of Reclamation
12 Bernstein, Richard B. (2003). Thomas Jefferson. Oxford University Press
system is based on the foundation of Roman laws and their court system13 (Garnsey, et al.,
1987).
Government
The Roman Republic, a form of government established by the ancient Romans in 509
BC which lasted until 27 BC, was recreated by other countries for centuries. In this form of
government, citizen could elect representatives to rule on their behalf14 (Cornell). This
Roman Republic survived in many of the Italian cities during the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance.
The highest positions in the government were held by two consuls who ruled ancient
Rome. A senate comprised of aristocrats elected the consuls. People who did not belong to the
aristocracy, did not have a say in the government15 (Byrd, 1995). The United States Congress
is inspired by the Roman senate in which the president and consul hold the same authority and
responsibility with legislative assemblies.
Much like today, the Roman had difficulty differentiating between public and private
responsibility and resources. This resulted in the decline of public services and the aristocrats
benefitted economically at the expense of the common citizens. Additionally, the middle class
was destroyed due to the rising inequality in income.
Conclusion
The ancient Romans laid the foundation for many aspects of the modern world and has
also left a lasting impact. It reflects the modern society in many ways mainly because it was
remarkably ahead of its time. This includes many concepts such as the systems of laws and
government, architecture, literature, and language. Needless to say, Rome was the greatest
13 Garnsey, Peter and Saller, Richard (1987) The Roman Empire: Economy, Society and
Culture. University of California Press. pp. 107–111
14 Cornell, Beginnings of Rome, pp. 215–218, 377–378
15 Byrd, Robert (1995). The Senate of the Roman Republic. U.S. Government Printing Office
Senate Document, pp.96
republic in history and its institutions have proved to be resilient through invasions and
disasters for over a century when it eventually started to weaken by 27 BC. The legacy left
behind by the Romans have infiltrated people’s lives and perspectives. The Roman
government, especially, is eerily similar to that of the United States’. There are important
lessons that can be taken away from the fall of the Roman Empire in particular in order
resolve present-day challenges.