Roman culture

罗马文化相关整理，资料来源《欧洲文化入门》王佐良，介绍了 History、Latin literature、Architecture、Painting、Sculpture。

Roman culture

• 和Greek
  • Similarities
    • Citizen-assembly, hostile to monarchy and servility
    • Religion/myth: ex. G:zeus-R:Jupiter
    • Language:Indo-European language
  • Difference
    • Language
      • Latin :western half
      • Greek :eastern half
    • Romans built up a vast empire,Greeks didn’t , Except the brief moment of Alexander’s conquests
• History
  • 27B.C
    • Before: republic
    • Then: Octavius —August
    • 200y later:greatest extent
      • Pax Rmana: a long period of peace lasting 200y
        • Roman legion; efficient bureaucracy to exert their rule
  • 3rd century: decline(northern tribes)
  • 4th: Constantine moved the capital from Rome to Byzantine, renamed it Constantipole(Istanbul)
  • 子主题
  • Roman Law:
    • in its earliest stage, only a number of patricians knew the customary legal procedure
    • in the middle of the third century B.C: further development of law under the emperors until it was codified
      • the core of modern civil and commercial law in many western countries
• Latin literature
  • Prose
    • Marcus Tullius Cicero: oratory and writing style; legal and political speeches are models of Latin diction.(Ciceronian)
    • Julius Caesar: Commentaries(models of succinct Latin)
  • Poetry
    • Lucretius : On the Nature of Things
    • Virgil :Aeneid
      • Aeneas(a prince of Troy),tragic hero. He borrowed phrases, similes, sentiments, whole incidents from Homer.
      • to fulfil his historic mission he had to betray the great passion of his life, his love for Dido,queen of Carthage. while he gained and empire, he lost sth no empire could compensate, happiness in life.
• Architecture
  • The Pantheon
  • Pont du Gard (aqueduct)
  • The Colosseum
• Painting
  • Lady Musician
  • Young Girl
  • The Maiden Gathering Flowers
  • the Landscape
• Sculpture
  • Constantine the Great
  • Spoil from the Temple in Jerusalem
  • She- wolf: Romulus and Remus