Many factorsinfluenced development and change in Roman culture. A big part ofit was down to the passage of time. Roman history lasted for 1,200years and during that span of time there was a lot of social andpolitical change. Like other ancient societies, Rome developed froman archaic society to a more complex one and this involved culturalchanges. Another factor was imperial expansion. As the Roman Empiregradually grew, Rome interacted with more and more foreign peoplesand was influenced by their cultures. Rome was very keen toestablish good relations with the foreign peoples who came undertheir influence and open to foreign cultural and, especially,religious influence. This played a part in roman cultural change.Rome also changed from being a city-state of only regionalsignificance to having a vast empire. Roman culture became lessabout the city of Rome and more about the Roman world the Romanscreated in their empire, through Rome’s influence on its conqueredpeoples and by thousands of Romans migrating to new Romansettlements around the empire. .Roman culture also changed with thechange of its political system. It changed from a republicanculture during the period of the Roman Republic to a culture inwhich the propaganda of the emperors for their own rule andimperial cults become important during the period of rule byemperors.
The Greeksplayed an important part in Roman cultural change. The Greek werevery influential in the eastern and central Mediterranean. TheRomans adopted some Greek divinities (Castor and Pollux, Apollo,Asclepius and Cybele) in their early days. The Romans also absorbedGreek mythology and later they linked their divinities to those ofthe Greeks. After the capture of the Geek city of Tarentum insouthern Italy, Greek educators moved to Rome. They reshaped Romaneducation. The education of the elites followed Greek models andpupils studied in both Latin and Greek. There was also thedevelopment of Latin literature. It started with a Greek writertranslating Greek plays into Latin and the early Latin poets wroteplays modelled on those of the Greeks. Over time, Roman elite menbecame interested in Greek rhetoric and the two main schools ofGreek philosophy (stoicism and Epicureanism). The advent of rule byemperors also was the adoption of sculpture in the Hellenisticstyle of the Greeks.
In the period of theLater Roman Empire the spread of Christianity brought about radicalcultural changes.
The Greeksplayed an important part in Roman cultural change. The Greek werevery influential in the eastern and central Mediterranean. TheRomans adopted some Greek divinities (Castor and Pollux, Apollo,Asclepius and Cybele) in their early days. The Romans also absorbedGreek mythology and later they linked their divinities to those ofthe Greeks. After the capture of the Geek city of Tarentum insouthern Italy, Greek educators moved to Rome. They reshaped Romaneducation. The education of the elites followed Greek models andpupils studied in both Latin and Greek. There was also thedevelopment of Latin literature. It started with a Greek writertranslating Greek plays into Latin and the early Latin poets wroteplays modelled on those of the Greeks. Over time, Roman elite menbecame interested in Greek rhetoric and the two main schools ofGreek philosophy (stoicism and Epicureanism). The advent of rule byemperors also was the adoption of sculpture in the Hellenisticstyle of the Greeks.
In the period of theLater Roman Empire the spread of Christianity brought about radicalcultural changes.
