6.5 Rome and the Roots of Western Civilization The Romans develop many ideas and institutions that become fundamental to Western Civilization.

The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization A New Culture Emerges o Romans adopt aspects of Greek and Hellenistic culture o Results in Greco-Roman culture, or classical civilization

The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization Roman Fine Arts o Romans develop bas- relief sculptures to tell stories [Visual 1] o Artists skilled in creating mosaics, painting frescoes o Pompeii—Roman town; ash from volcano eruption A.D. 79 preserves art [Visual 2]

The Legacy of Greco-Roman Civilization Learning and Literature o Romans borrow from Greek philosophy and literature o Poet Virgil writes epic Aeneid modeled after Homer’s Greek epics o Roman historian Tacitus excels in writing factually accurate history o Annals and Histories provide comprehensive look at Roman life

The Legacy of Rome The Latin Language o Latin was official language of Roman Catholic Church until 1900s o Develops into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian o More than half the words in English stem from Latin

The Legacy of Rome Master Builders [Visual] o Romans pioneer use of arch; also used domes and concrete o Create aqueducts—structures to bring water into cities, towns

The Legacy of Rome Roman System of Law o Principles of Roman law form basis of modern legal systems Rome’s Enduring Influence o By preserving and adding to Greek civilization, Rome strengthened the Western cultural tradition