The Roman Legacy

Lector, si monumentum requiris circumspice.

In language, architecture, government, engineering, military tactics and organization, and religion, the Romans, more than any other peoples save the Jews, shaped Western Civilization into what it is today.  The prophesy of the Sibyl still holds for the people of blood and iron, that the Romans were made to rule, an unbroken Universal Empire.

The Romans demonstrated their engineering and architectural prowess over centuries from the far reaches of Scotland to the banks of the Euphrates River. The ruins left over two thousand years ago still function as buildings and roads.   The Etruscans and Greek influenced the Romans who used of the arch, the dome, and the vault from bricks, and ceramic.   The Romans invented concrete to build walls, aqueducts, temples, law courts, market places, and roads.   Roads and aqueducts projected the power of the Roman legions throughout the empire.  It also allowed for the relatively easy transmittal of goods, services, and ideas.  We have adopted and built on the Roman Way nearly everywhere. Rotunda at the University of Virginia, the United States Capitol, the Washington Square arch in New York City, and Five Star Highway Systems implemented by President Eisenhower in the 1950s.

The Catholic Church preserved much of the Roman cultural tradition.  Christianity co-opted Roman paganism: the Messianic belief in Caesar’s divinity, Mithraism’s belief in divine redemption of mankind, and the celebration of Christmas at the time of the Saturnalia - the winter solstice.

Roman political ideas influenced Christian religion.  The Roman Catholic Church took an Imperial view of the office where the Eastern Orthodox took a more Republican view.  Roman Catholics recognize the Pope as the infallible wielding supreme authority over all churches.  For example, the Pope can contradict or usurp the power of a lower ranking church leader. The Eastern Orthodox also have various bishops with one being the highest bishop called the first among equals, but the Eastern Orthodox do not believe the highest ranking bishop, or archbishop, to be infallible, nor do they grant him with supreme authority over all churches.

The Romans left behind their government.  The Germanic tribes that succeed them adopted the Imperial model.  The United States adopted republicanism.  Much of the military still finds its tactics and organization in Roman methods.  The church preserved Latin.  Until the mid 20th century was that Roman Catholic services were conducted in Latin.  The Roman language contributed to languages of Spanish, French, Italian,  Portuguese, Romanian and English.

Roman morality leaves us a legacy of what a man and a society could be.   The ideal state, where every citizen works with a purpose subordinated to a larger good, not because they have to, but because they wish to, is what it is all about.   Cincinnatus' legendary sacrifice and valor are just one of the examples of this.  It was not remarkable that the Roman empire fell, but it was remarkable that it stood for so long. Livy, Tacitus, Sallust, Plutarch and Polybius left behind the aspirations to such ideals and the disappointment that comes with their loss.  Historian Ammianus Marcellinus provides an account of how chaotic Roman rule was during the Fourth Century. Rulers applied more and more pressure on the people in response to their failure to effectively manage the bloated bureaucracy that Rome had become.   Of specific importance is his detailed telling of the cruel practices of those who had absolute power, mainly Constantius. His oppression of the poor and the effects of their suffering are used as a vivid counter balance to the aristocrats who flourished because of their wealth.

In conclusion, language, architecture, government, engineering, military tactics and organization, and religion, we have adopted the Roman Way.