Genetic Evidence In Roman History Essay

It is difficult to say anything with much certainty about the early days of Roman religion, in part because later Romans viewed the recording of history itself to be closely related to religious practice and mythology. Furthermore, according to Rüpke, part of the reason why the Romans lacked the variety of colorful myths possessed by the Greeks is that a significant amount of their understanding of how the world came to be and their place in it comes from their telling of the history of their city (222). For example, the story of Romulus and Remus reads like one of the Greek myths about the gods more that it does history,

The Roman Empire is Europe’s great creation myth. The great Mediterranean empire has left a great legacy of culture, language, conquest, art, and science in Europe and beyond. But everything decays with time, especially memory. Our archeological and historical understanding of the Roman Empire is limited. These gaps in knowledge, combined with popular misconceptions relating to culture, politics, race, technology, politics, and religion from the period, mean that any “period” piece is bound to be historically inaccurate.

People from all around with different ethnicity live next to each other in the City of Rome. Rome is one of Europe's oldest cities, people from all around the world have during decades moved back and forth from Rome. The ethnic composition of the city is in constant change, new ethnic groups settles everyday. What is the ethnic composition of the city, and is Rome determined by the history of the city?

Another sizeable contributing factor to the expansion of the Roman Empire was the sacking of Rome by the Gauls in 390 B.C.. “The Romans were completely dumbfounded by the wild and undisciplined charge of the howling Gauls. The Roman’s tightly packed phalanx, a military formation they had adopted from the Greeks of

The United States has adopted parts of Ancient Roman culture into modern day life. Over time Rome became the superpower of the Mediterranean controlling a vast amount of city-states. Power from trade, innovative minds, a powerful military, and influence from other cultures combined to make Rome one of the most powerful regions of the time period. The United States has taken some aspects of Rome’s culture and has incorporated it into society making both regions similar. Roman culture was like our own culture in the United States today because of the system of government, the use of sporting events to escape the affairs of daily life and the funeral inscriptions on grave markers.

The map in Document C states that invaders such as the Vandals, Huns, and Goths all attacked Rome at different times, and from different places. Each barbarian wanted different belongings and had different reasons for migrating to or invading Rome. The barbarians ravaged entire countrysides and looted anything they could from cities and provinces. This issue explains why Rome fell because the invaders looted everything from cities, and left absolutely nothing for the Roman citizens to use, leading to massive food shortages, crippling the entire empire’s

Greece influenced roman societies and modern day societies politically as explained in documents 1, 2, 4, and 6. Greece was the first ancient civilization to have a democracy. The basic rule for roman society law system was displayed in the twelve tables. (Doc 2) Many western civilizations adapted this law system as well as other ideas from the roman 12 tables which influenced western societies immensely. The document explains a quote that we still use in modern society which is “every man is innocent until proven guilty.” Octavian Augustus states that after he dies “the foundations which I have laid for its future government will stand firm and stable” the Greeks invented an idea of a ruling senate which today is known as democracy. (Doc 4)

To begin with, the fall of the Roman empire began in approximately 476 A.D. but it had

"The dominant early settlers on the Italian peninsula were a non-Indo-European-speaking people known as the Etruscans" (Coffin & Stacey 168). The Etruscans were among three groups of people from the East that entered Italy as colonists and later as rulers of various segments of the peninsula. The Etruscans came into Italy about 800 B.C.E. following the Adriatic Sea. Although our knowledge of the Etruscans is severely limited by the fact that their language, although written in a Greek alphabet, has not been fully deciphered, traces remain that they left significant evidence of their effect and influence on Rome. The Etruscans left evidence throughout nearly every aspect of Rome including their

Rome is a large city that developed in many ways but its legacy would have been much weaker if it weren't for two civilizations the Etruscans and the Greeks. Both civilizations the Etruscans and the Greeks had major impacts on Rome in multiple ways. The Etruscans were a civilization that had tooken over the area Rome was in then when Rome took control they took ideas from the Etruscans. The Greeks on the other hand had been conquered by Rome and Rome took some of thier ideas too. This is how the romans got influenced by the Etruscans.

the inventor of the bridle, the trumpet, the flute, the pot, the rake, the plow,

No matter the period, being a Roman was not simply a matter of whether or not someone lived within the empire. In his work, Heather touches on the idea that identifying as Roman involved specific actions that all imperial citizens practiced (Heather, 38). Indeed, Roman identity was determined by religion, government, and the practices that made up a citizen’s everyday life. These factors merge into what can be considered a Roman identity: the actions and beliefs of a typical citizen. Of course, as the surrounding world changed, the core concepts of what it meant to be a Roman citizen shifted to accommodate the demands of the period.

"The dominant early settlers on the Italian peninsula were a non-Indo-European-speaking people known as the Etruscans" (Coffin & Stacey 168). The Etruscans were among three groups of people from the East that entered Italy as colonists and later as rulers of various segments of the peninsula. The Etruscans came into Italy about 800 B.C.E. following the Adriatic Sea. Although our knowledge of the Etruscans is severely limited by the fact that their language, although written in a Greek alphabet, has not been fully deciphered, traces remain that they left significant evidence of their effect and influence on Rome. The Etruscans left evidence throughout nearly every aspect of Rome including their

The Roman nuclear family, composed of parents and children, shared lives intimately and influenced each other in ways outsiders did not. Livy, in a quote debating the legal status of children between patricians and plebeians, stated “Of course, the children follow the father.” In Roman society, fathers were considered the most powerful. Romans believed in a theoretical concept of a father’s absolute control, but in reality, all family had power and fathers could be challenged.

I believe countries tell stories of origin to keep their history alive. If stories were not told and passed down from generation to generation no would ever know the history much less the origin of their own people. This is how “history” is made, thus, we are able to not only learn about our origin, but, the origin of other countries as well. I feel that we share many commonalities as well as many differences with the Roman’s story of origin as well as their reasoning. In comparison both were told to keep their history alive. To ensure that for generations to come all would know where they came from and how it originated. I also feel that both story plots are similar as they are both about being self-made, creating something out of nothing