How does ancient Rome influence American culture?

Question

Please add links if possible!!

Answer 1

Well there are many and varied things. You see, Rome and America are very similar. Just look at what America looks like.
The very first thing you think of when you see America is the EAGLE. They got that from the Roman Aquilla or standard(the legionary standard-standard of Rome) The eagle is a bird of power and majesty. Both have adopted it. America from Rome.

If you look at America's military you will notice a striking similarity between the American NCO system and the Militae Ordines of the Roman Army. In Rome you had: MILITAE LEGIONIS(ordinary soldier) LIBERIUS(clerk) IMMUNES(tradesman or specialist) TESSARIUS(corporal) OPTIO RETINUS SPE, OPTIO RETINUS AD SPEM, OPTIO AD ORDINES, OPTIO SPEI, OPTIO AD SPEM ORDANES(sargaents) IMAGINAFIER, SIGNIFIER, AQUILIFIER(standar bearers and sargaent majors) and the CORNIFICALARIUS(the chief clerk or warrant officer) In the American Army you have PRIVATES E1 and E2(ordinary soldiers)PRIVATES I CLASS(clerks or the next rank up) SPECIALISTS GRADES I-IV(like the immunes) LANCE CORPORALS AND CORPORALS(NCOs like the Tessarius) SARGAENT, STAFF SARGEANT, SARGAENT FIRST CLASS, FIRST SARGEANT, MASTER SARGEANT(sargaents-equivilant to rear rankers or optios) SARGAENT MAJOR, COMMAND SARGAENT MAJOR and SARGAENT MAJOR OF THE ARMY(sargaent majors-standard bearers) and the FOUR GRADES OF WARRANT OFFICER(equivilant to the Cornificalarious) Guess where the Americans got that from.
Also the idea of companies(CENTURIES and MANTIPLES) both of 100 or 200. The battalions(COHORTS) of around 600-800. Brigades (DOUBLE COHORTS OR LEGIONS WITHOUT AUXILURIES AND CAVALRY) around 5,500. Divisions(LEGIONS WITH ALL) around 8,000> the whole legion plus about four auxilury cohorts. Each unit in both armies being commanded by an officer of equivilant or near equivilant rank. :
COMPANIES : CENTURIONS JN.or SN. / CAPTAINS
BATTALIONS: HASTATI PRIOR / LEUT. COLONELS
BRIGADES : TRIBUNES/ BRIGADIERS
DIVISIONS: LEGATUS LEGIONIS/ MAJOR GENERALS
ARMIES: PROCONSULS/ GENERALS

America has inherited much from the Roman military. Both have a very strong armed forces.

Look at the Superbowl, the NBA and the World Series. They are played in huge public stadiums with crowds around 50,000 - 100,000. The Americans got the idea and practice from the Romans. The Romans had the gladiatorial games in a place called the COLLESEUM. It was a large stadium which could accomidate over 50,000 spectators alone. And the violence reminds one of the entertainment of the WWE(The wrestling)
Also look at the INDIANAPOLIS 500. The idea came from the chariot races of the ancient Romans. They had a giangantic enclosed raceway known as the CIRCUS MAXIMUS- this could accomidate 250,000 people. And prizes were given to the winners.

In entertainment America has got the movies and the theatres. They got it from the Roman theatres and plays. Even sex movies, the idea comes from Rome. You see, some of the plays in ancient Rome involved stories of sex. Which were played out for REAL. Also one of reasons why Calighula was favoured so much by Tiberius was because he used to bring Tiberius pornography. This was passed down to America.

In politics America and Rome are very similar. America copied from Rome the idea of the lower house-the house of the people>
THE PLEBIAN ASSEMBLY and CURIAE CENTURAE equvilant of the CONGRESS and the upper house or house of review THE SENATE equivilant of the SENATE of the United States of America. Also the idea of all people being more or less equal. In the United States this is well known. It comes from ancient Rome whereby all were considered human, even slaves and the emperor had to appease the mob. When you were before the emperor and the case was going against you or decided against you it was tradtion to abuse the Caesar. This was excepted by all the emperors, even the bad ones like Commodus and Nero.

The vast industrial, commercial and technical complexes of the United States can be seen mirrored from The Roman Empire.
Rome had vast trading fleets that trading with pretty much the rest of the world. Every year a huge fleet would sail from the Egyptian port of Berenice to India. There they would trade with a fleet from eastern Asia. They had a huge industrial complex, manufacturing all the things needed to carry on a sophisticated society. Operated by slave labour rather than machines. Howeve they had machines-one such was a seige tower sent up the mountain at Massada in the Jewish War. The thing raised the back by gears to make it level and went to the top. Borh powers also have the most advanced technology of their time and an increadable amount of it.

In todays world the Americans are noted for their organisational genuius. This they get from the Romans. The Collesium had an underground complex(with lifts and machinery), shops, an organised seating system and 82 entrances. Each section of seats were marked to a particular entrance. How long do you think that it would take to evacuate the most advanced stadium in the world in an emegency? Half an hour? A bit less? Do you know how long it took to evacuate the Collesium in normal time.
You'd better sit down for this. Literally 200- SECONDS.

But I suppose the most telling thing America inherited from Rome was THE BELIEF IN ITSELF AND THE SENSE DESTINY-THE IDEA OF POWER AND GRANDEOUR. For America inherited Romes complete and utter faith in itself and the grandeour. Both belief extremely in the their own greatness and power. Both belief that their's is the right and ultimat society and both believe in their manifest destiny. Americans believe that anything is possible-especially when attempted by them. The Romans believed likewise. The Americans came back from Pearl Harbour to win World War II. The Romans came back from Cannae(the loss of their largest army to date at the hands of Hannible) and won the Second Punic War. America inherited Rome's attitudes and beliefs that anything is possible. Both have become great because of this. It seemed to the Romans that when they had their empire that it was destiny that chose them to rule the known world. They same attitude is prevelent in America today. Both are of the same ilk.

What America is, is the natural progression and evolution of the Roman Empire. Both were by far the most powerful nations in their time. Although there are some differences they are of the same kind. If you study history you will notice an almost uncanny similarity. Both are great powers, both have huge militaries, both mighty recourses, both have people power, both believe all things are possible, both have extensive foriegn policies, both have the belief in destiny, both have life on a grand scale and both shine under the awesome, great and powerful standard of the all conquering EAGLE.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Oh gosh, the question sometimes seems to be is how it has not.

The English language is roughly 40% Latin influenced, the other 60% is Germanic and smidgeons of just about everything else. Latin was probably the first universal language (like English is today and French was 100 years ago). The Catholic Church used Latin well afer the fall of the Empire in 476, and science still classifies all organisms by genus and species with Latin terms.

The style of government -- the Republic -- was one of Rome's phases, ironically they went from democracy to impirical government, the inverse of the Hellenic Greeks, to manage their empire.

Architecture is a huge one despite the efforts of Frank Lloyd Wright, Mies van der Rohe, Louis Sullivan, and many other modernists to try and develop a uniquely American or International architectural style. Many court houses and state capital buildings have adopted classical architecture (both Greek and Roman Revivals) because of the romantic association with democracy. And the architecture of Washington, DC -- need I say more?

Not only styles but technology -- arches, vaults, concrete (which became a lost art in the middle ages to only be rediscovered in the past 200 years), the amazing systems of handling water with the aqueducts hundreds of miles -- some even still function today! Even ways of manage waste water, many cities had toilet facilities in the bath houses. That's another one -- the bath houses with varying degrees (no pun intended) of tempered rooms. You can't tell that I'm an architect, can you? :)

Business -- the forum (continuation of the Greek agora) for trade.

I'm sure others will come up with additional ideas, these are probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Answer 4

Republicanism. Popular culture, through Europe. Legalism. Expansionism.

Answer 5

I easily have the perfect e book that you ought to study in case you may want to opt to draw close more desirable about this: "Love, sex, and Tragedy" by technique of Simon Goldhill. It in actuality talks about how Greek and Roman subculture has impacted fashionable society. The Greeks actually invented theater, democracy, and performance set the classic for sculpture. in the arts, the Romans are a lot less fantastic. once you've an pastime in the e book, it even talks about Christianity evolving in the Classical global and how they impacted one yet another. historic Greece and Rome have impacted our society in innumerable ideas, a lot so as that i do not imagine we may be able to even degree it. very sturdy question, and that e book will easily answer it satisfactorily :)

Answer 6

Lets see:

Gladiators = WWE
Chariot Races = NASCAR
Romans had Senate = We Have Senate
Romans Belived in the rule of law = as do we
Republican Form of Gov't = Republican form of US Gov't

I really think the question is :

Is America 21st century Rome?