Greek Influence On Roman Culture

When Rome subdued Grecian lands, and conquered herarmies, she also appropriated their foreign ideology, in the light of the fact that the captives and their country came with their culture and lifestyle, which the romans quickly embraced. According to Morey (1901), “while she was plundering foreign temples, she was obtaining new ideas of religion and art”. In addition to this inadvertent learning, there was also a deliberate effort to grasp Greek ways. Thus, “the educated and civilized people whom she captured in war and of whom she made slaves, often became the teachers of her children and the writers of her books”.
I could almost leave the story at this point because that would have been potent enough to speak on behalf of and imply the extent to which the Roman culture was changed. Iam taking this position because it is through integration and education that behavioural changes occur. Thus, when Romans use Greek captives as teachers of Roman children and writers of Roman books, they were slowly infiltrating Greek teachings, simultaneously suppressing Roman culture, and paving the path for a future in which their own culture would be over-written, overridden and obliterated by that of the Greeks. This is especially so in the light of the fact that they were allowing

They studied the nature of the gods and the moral duties of men”. The epicurean ideology which speaks to a life of pleasure and luxury, were being strongly embraced by these ‘students’ of this new Greek influence. Superstitious Greek rites found an inroad into Roman culture. They also adopted Roman literature, as the Greeks taught them how to write poetry, history and comedy, which was a better replacement for their crude verses and ballads. They were also had the benefit of learning the Greek language, as Fabius Pictor chronicled Roman history in