The History And Legacy Of Ancient Rome: Conquest Of Greece And Assimilation Of

When we think of ancient civilizations and their conquests, one of the most prominent names that come to mind is Ancient Rome. Known for its military prowess and relentless expansion, Rome was a force to be reckoned with. One of its most significant conquests was the assimilation of Greece.

Conquest of Greece - The Beginning

The conquest of Greece by Rome can be traced back to the 2nd century BCE. At that time, Greece was a collection of independent city-states, each with its own government and military. Rome, on the other hand, had already established itself as a dominant power in the Mediterranean region.

Rome's initial interaction with Greece was not marked with hostility. In fact, they admired Greek culture, art, and philosophy. However, as Rome expanded its territories, clashes with Greek city-states became inevitable. The conflicts intensified when Rome and Greece found themselves on opposing sides in various wars.

Roman Greece: The History and Legacy of Ancient Rome’s Conquest of Greece and Assimilation of Greek Culture

by Alan Farmer(Kindle Edition)

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1378 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	44 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

Rome's Military Superiority

One of the main reasons Rome was able to conquer Greece was its military superiority. The Roman armies were well-organized, disciplined, and possessed advanced tactical knowledge. They employed innovative strategies that overwhelmed their opponents, including the Greeks.

Rome's use of legions, a formation of heavily armed infantry units, proved to be highly effective against the Greek phalanx formations. The legions offered better maneuverability and flexibility on the battlefield, allowing the Roman soldiers to outmaneuver and defeat the Greek forces.

Assimilation Process

Despite their conquest of Greece, the Romans recognized the immense cultural and intellectual contributions of the Greeks. Instead of eradicating Greek culture, they chose to assimilate it into their own society. This assimilation process had a significant impact on Rome's art, architecture, literature, and even governance.

The Romans adopted Greek architectural styles and incorporated them into their own buildings, creating a unique blend of Roman and Greek influences known as "Greco-Roman." The most famous example of this fusion is the Pantheon in Rome, which combines elements of Greek and Roman architecture.

Greek literature and philosophy were also highly regarded by the Romans. They translated Greek texts into Latin, ensuring their preservation and widespread dissemination. Roman writers, such as Virgil and Ovid, drew inspiration from Greek myths and epic poetry, further enriching the Roman literary tradition.

The Legacy of Ancient Rome

The conquest of Greece and subsequent assimilation had a profound impact on Rome's legacy. The Romans not only incorporated Greek culture into their own but also left an enduring mark on Western civilization.

Roman law and governance systems, influenced by Greek ideas, formed the basis for modern legal systems and democratic principles. Concepts such as the separation of powers, rule of law, and individual rights find their roots in Ancient Rome.

The Romans' engineering prowess led to the construction of magnificent structures, such as aqueducts, roads, and bridges, that still stand today. Their innovations in infrastructure laid the foundations for modern engineering and urban development.

Furthermore, the spread of Christianity, which originated in the Roman Empire, shaped the course of Western religion and culture. The Roman Catholic Church emerged as one of the most influential institutions in medieval Europe, leaving an indelible mark on art, architecture, and religious practices.

The conquest of Greece and the assimilation of its culture by Ancient Rome were pivotal moments in history. It showcased Rome's military might and its ability to recognize and appreciate the achievements of another civilization. The legacy of this conquest reverberates to this day and continues to shape the world we live in.

Roman Greece: The History and Legacy of Ancient Rome’s Conquest of Greece and Assimilation of Greek Culture

by Alan Farmer(Kindle Edition)

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	1378 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	44 pages
Lending	:	Enabled

FREE

*Includes pictures
*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents

“Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit” (“Conquered Greece captured her uncouth conqueror and brought her arts to Latium”) - Horace

Graeco-Roman relations in the ancient world are normally assumed to date, essentially, from 146 B.C., when Rome organized its supervision of Greece through its Governors in Macedonia. In fact, the first direct interactions of any note between the two come about during the first Illyrian War in 229 B.C, although, of course there had been contacts of numerous kinds even prior to this date. Phillip V of Macedon had allied himself with Hannibal and that, in itself, guaranteed, at some point, that the Romans would turn their full attention to the eastern Mediterranean area, if for no other reason than to settle that outstanding score once and for all. Phillip was defeated in 197 B.C. at the Battle of Cynoscephalae and his son Perseus, at Pydna in 168 B.C. Following these defeats, Macedonia was divided into four republics under Roman governorship, but the rest of Greece was left relatively free from direct Roman rule. In due course, opposition to Rome’s increasing domination of the region led to the establishment of the Achaean League, comprising a number of city states, headed by Corinth, to oppose the Romans.

As this suggests, in the early years of the Principate despite growing Philhellenism in the Empire, the vast majority of Greeks, with the notable exception of Sparta, were very unwilling subjects of Rome. There was unrest in the Augustan period (27 B.C. - AD 14),particularly in Athens, and the imperial cult made little or no headway until the time of Nero (AD54 - 68),who, along with Hadrian much later (AD117 - 138),took a special interest in Greece and all things Greek. Nero, for example began the work on the Corinth canal, using slave labour, of course, and Hadrian completed a number of projects that are dealt with later in some detail. The antagonism that the majority of Greeks felt towards Rome was not helped by Caesar’s foundation of a Roman colony at Corinth in 44 B.C. and another by Augustus at Nicopolis in 31 B.C. In both cases the establishment of the colonies had led to the forcible removal of the indigenous populations to make room for the colonists.

What was, however, even more resented was what the Greeks considered to be the pillage of their culture and heritage. Various emperors systematically looted Greek temples and public buildings of their sculptures and other priceless works of art, taking them back to adorn the homes of the rich or public buildings in Rome. The pillage of Greek heritage extended to attempts to absorb Greek cults and Suetonius records the ultimately failed attempt to transfer the whole Eleusinian mystery cult to Rome. However, despite the ravages wrought on the Greek cities and their populations by Roman rule, in the end the Hellenism that came to be such a feature of the Roman Empire actually did more to secure the continuation of Greek culture and heritage than anything the Greeks themselves could have done.

It can be argued that Roman culture was, indeed, Graeco-Roman rather than Roman. It was the Greek language that served as the lingua franca in the Eastern Empire and much of the west including Italy. Many Greek intellectuals, including Galen, were based in Rome and the Roman aristocracy more and more came to embrace Greek literature and philosophy. Homer’s epics inspired Virgil’s Aeneid and Seneca wrote in Greek. Earlier, Scipio Africanus (236 – 183 B.C.),the epitome of the Roman martial hero, studied Greek philosophy and regarded Greek culture as the benchmark against which all others had to be judged. The Roman poet and philosopher Horace studied in Athens during the Principate and, in common with many of his class, saw that city as the intellectual centre of the world.