The Extent of Roman Influence on Western Culture: A Detailed Study

This essay provides a comparative analysis of the influences of Roman and Greek cultures on Western civilization. It argues that Roman culture has had a more significant and lasting impact compared to Greek culture, despite the Greeks preceding the Romans by a thousand years. The essay examines the Roman influence across various fields, including architecture, English literature, language, and law. It highlights how Roman innovations in architecture, such as the use of arches and curved roofs, significantly contributed to construction techniques. Furthermore, it discusses the Romans' impact on science, technology, literature, and language, particularly the spread of Latin. The essay acknowledges the Greek influence on Roman culture but emphasizes the Romans' role in enhancing and developing these systems. Works cited include scholarly articles and books which support the arguments presented in the essay.

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The western culture is largely influenced by the Romans compared to the Greeks.
Although the Greeks came a thousand years before the Romans, Roman culture is evident in
fields such as Architecture, English, Literature, Language and Law.
The extent of Roman influence on western culture is evident from works related to art
and architecture in the modern world (Madison, p 22). However, critics would argue that the
Romans culture was greatly influenced by the Greeks. This can be attested by various innovation
and techniques used in construction industry. For instance, the Romans borrowed the use of
columns in building but the Romans made them more decorative.
The Romans were accustomed to building curved roofs and arches that played a
significant role in supporting the weight of the column and beams in the construction. In essence,
the arches were important in building the foundation of enormous structures such as bridges.
Furthermore, the ancient Romans were involved in construction of large amphitheater for sports.
This can be attested by large sports stadiums that are used in hosting various events across the
western civilization (Hingley, p 82).
Not only did the ancient Romans influence arts and architecture but also influenced
science and technology. Many advancement in the field of science and technology began during
the reign of the Roman Empire. In this context, the Romans played a vital role in the

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development of tools and techniques that influence science and technology. (Harper, p 804). The
Roman engineering skills stemmed from their understanding of concepts such as laws of physics
which was crucial in assisting them to channel water for domestic use from rivers. The Roman
engineering was responsible in harnessing energy through mills and mines. Moreover, they were
also responsible in the construction of massive road networks that are common and widely used
today.
Literature and language as we know it is borrowed from the culture of the Romans.
Majority of literature material that is consumed today has its basis in the ancient Roman Empire.
Ancient poets such as Virgil, Horace and Ovid inspired modern poets such as Chaucer, Milton,
Dante and Shakespeare (Gatti, p 1). Besides, the ancient Romans spoke in Latin which spread
across the world as a result of the expansion of the Roman Empire. Latin at the time was
perceived as a romance language which comprises French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and
Romanian. These are languages that are used in Europe today.
Comparing the Romans to the Greeks, the Greeks made partial impact to the western
culture. This is because the Greeks came more than a thousand years before the Romans.
Essentially, the Greeks influenced some of the Roman culture by virtue of having developed
systems that the Romans relied upon such as the justice system (Glatzer, p 18). However, the
Romans played a critical part in making these systems and techniques better than those
developed by the Greeks. Among these innovation included decorative columns that are evident
in most buildings across the United States. Therefore, the Romans have had significant influence
on the western culture than the Greeks.

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Works Cited
Gatti, Hilary. Ideas of Liberty in Early Modern Europe: From Machiavelli to Milton. Princeton
University Press, 2017.
Glatzer, Wolfgang. "Heritage of Early European Peoples: Celts, Greeks, Romans, Germanics and
Slavs." History and Politics of Well-Being in Europe. Springer, Cham, 2019. 17-21.
Harper, Kyle. "People, plagues, and prices in the Roman world: the evidence from Egypt." The
Journal of Economic History 76.3 (2016): 803-839.
Hingley, Richard. "The Romans in Britain: colonization of an imperial frontier." University
Press of Florida, 2017. 89-109.
Madison, Peter. "A primer on Western civilisation [Book Review]." News Weekly 2971 (2016):
22.