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Ancient Greece's Influence On The Roman Empire

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Despite being fierce rivals on the battlefield, Greece had a great impact on many of the aspects that made Rome such a strong and beautiful empire. “Conflict between the two powers [Greece and Rome] arose in the 3rd century as Roman expansion in South Italy and Sicily encroached on Greek colonies located there” (“Greece and Rome”). “Agelaos of Naupaktos… spoke of the urgent need for peace, stating that ‘for if the cloud rising in the west should reach Greece, we shall be praying heaven to give us back the chance to call our very quarrels our own”’ (“Greece, History of” 2: 111-128). Peace was never reached; Greece and Rome continued to fight over territory until the official end of Greek civilization in 146 B.C. with their defeat at Corinth (“Greece, History of” 2: 111-128). Despite this defeat, their constant contact with Roman civilization over hundreds of years ensured their civilization would never truly die. As the Greeks and Romans exchanged land, goods, and ideas with each other, many of the most important parts of Greek civilization become a part of Rome’s identity as well. The aesthetics of Greece, specifically the art, architecture, and literature, may have had the most significant influence of all on Roman culture. Ancient Greece greatly impacted the aesthetics of the Roman Empire.
Roman sculptors and artists, borrowing upon the techniques of the Greeks, became masters of their craft. The Romans captured prized items while fighting against the Greeks. Much of the

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