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Impact of Greek Culture on the Romans

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The civilization of Rome is one that is remembered today as “the most powerful world state in ancient history” (Fiero 139). From their superior culture to an army of 300,000 men who behaved as if “they had been born with weapons in their hands”, the Roman culture was unparalleled (Fiero 139). The location of Rome on the Italian peninsula put them in a prime location to encounter rich cultures such as the Greeks. Roman culture would not have been the same if it had not been for the Greeks, because they incorporated multiple aspects of the culture into their everyday life. The Romans were heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, theology, literature, art, and architecture. Greek philosophy was renowned. So much so that the Romans modeled their philosophic beliefs around great Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and “absorbed the works of the Epicureans and the Stoics” (Fiero 143). Philosophy seeped through into other disciplines such as poetry, when Lucretius “popularized the materialist theories of Democritus and Leucippus” (Fiero 143). Stoicism was used not only to enforce Roman ideals, but also influenced the minds of people such as Marcus Aurelius. The Romans produced Stoic philosophers such as Epictetus, and Seneca. Greek philosophers provided the foundation, and the Romans adapted it to fit the needs of their culture, such as to “encourage the Roman sense of duty” (Fiero 143). Romans and the Greeks share many of the same Gods and Goddesses, or similar ones with

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