Many features of Ancient Rome can still be seen in today's modern civilizations:
Federal system of government – Ancient Rome was made up of many self-governing units, cities, and states, similar to what is in the US currently.
Citizenship – All Romans legally belonged to their home city or state even if they were not living there at the moment. Partial citizenship was also available for foreigners.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Senate/ ruling council – comprised of unelected officials who helped in forging the political and legal matters of the empire much like a cabinet would in present times.
The Roman army had an infantry which served as its main fighting force and it was quite specialized for combat with soldiers being well paid similar to specialized combat units in present-day armies.
Religious tolerance was seen in Ancient Rome with many religions existing together
Society was highly patriarchal with the women in the household being under the control of the family patriarch as seen in many Islamic countries presently.
Housing in the main Roman cities consisted of multi-storeyed buildings, similar to apartments, that housed the multitudes of working-class citizens.
Leisure and entertainment were varied with massage parlors and drinking and gambling dens littering the cities much like the nightlife seen in many cities today.
The legal system was quite established in Ancient Rome with laws published governing the empire and a justice system with magistrates for different cases available all over the country in a tier system similar to present-day Judiciaries.
Latin was the main language for literature in Ancient Rome with those seeking higher education taught how to read and write in Latin.
Ancient Roman civilizations continue to influence the world in a major way despite the globalization that has taken place since the collapse of the Roman empire. Nearly every aspect of daily life in most countries has an aspect that can be related to Ancient Rome and in various sectors of the countries economic and social life. These features of Ancient Roman civilizations have however been assimilated so much into modern life that people forget that it as roots in Roman civilizations. The biggest impact of ancient Roman civilization must be in literature where Latin, the dominant language in Ancient Rome, has impacted the fields of science, theology, law, and medicine. For instance, up to today, the scientific names of most plants and animals are either in Latin or are a derivative of the Latin language. Many states, schools, and even military units in the US have their mottos in Latin e.g. the motto for the state of West Virginia is Montani Semper Liberi meaning "Mountaineers are always free" 1 . The English language which is widely spoken in the world today is also heavily derived from the Latin language depicting how strong the influence of Ancient Rome was on later civilizations.
The architecture of Ancient Rome is also still quite evident in today's societies, particularly European, American, and related cultures. Multi storeyed apartments made of concrete are spread across most cities in the world occupied by the working class with the rich having mansions in the posh areas of the cities. Many official government buildings in the US have Roman architecture on them with the doric columns used for buildings such as the White House, the Federal Hall in New York, many judicial buildings, and state capitals among others 2 . Ancient Romans invented concrete and popularized its use and even though concrete has since then undergone many modifications, its use almost everywhere across the world shows how big an impact the Roman invention has today.
The impact of Latin language in the modern world and the borrowing of Ancient Roman architecture in many of today’s official buildings attest to the huge influence of Ancient Rome on modern life. There are many other ways in which modern life is impacted by ancient Roman attributes but these two examples stand out due to the widely universal effects evidenced.
Bibliography
Arnason, Johann. (2011). The Roman Phenomenon: State, Empire, and Civilization. 10.1002/9781444390186.ch15.
1 Arnason, Johann. (2011). The Roman Phenomenon: State, Empire, and Civilization
2 Arnason, J. (2011).
