Greece and Rome: The Adoption of Culture

The Roman World is intertwined with the culture from the Greeks, from their ancient narratives to the gods they worshipped, historians can find the transformation of Greek culture to Roman culture.

Gods were the celestial beings that the Romans saw as the creators and providers of their worlds. These gods were originally ‘created’ by the Greeks, who believed that each God had power over one aspect of life. For example, Aphrodite was the goddess of Love. The Roman decided to use this idea, but to make it theirs, transformed them, just by changing the name. For the Romans, Venus was the goddess of Love. The Romans admired the Greeks so much that they adopted many of the characteristics belonging to Ancient Greek deities and gods.

Looking deeper into ancient narratives, it is evident that Roman accounts have had the major influence of Greek culture in them. For example, the Aeneid, written by Virgil, has the same structure as the Iliad, and similar content to the Odyssey. However, Virgil creates this epic poem to display the power of Augustus and create a sense of pride for the Romans. Here, it is evident that although the Greek literature had a huge effect on Virgil’s writing, he managed to transform it so that it had a different outcome – an increase in patriarchy for the Roman Empire.

Lastly, an important transformation is the changing of architecture. The Ancient Greeks built hundreds of temples across the country in order to worship all the gods. These structures would be simple and precise columns and pillars, as the Greeks aimed for precision and excellence. However, the Romans, while also building temples, used varied materials, such as concrete, not stone, and like to include arches and curves into their buildings. The Romans also used domes and the ‘Corinthian’ style to create ornate and beautiful buildings. The transformation of architecture is noticeably clear, with buildings such as the colosseum telling us that although the Greek culture is what inspired the Romans, they created their own.

                                                                                                                        ~ Dharshini