“I came, I saw, I conquered.” - Julius Caeser
Rome is often hailed as the greatest empire to ever oversee the earth. Spanning from Spain, to Britain, to Turkey, to the bottom of Egypt, Rome expanded its territory through military might, and most importantly, order.
Rome's founding is traditionally dated to 753 BC by Romulus, who, along with his twin brother Remus, were raised by a she-wolf after being abandoned. The brothers decided to found a city but quarreled over its location and leadership. Romulus killed Remus in the dispute and named the city Rome after himself. Historically, Rome likely started as a collection of hilltop villages that eventually united. The area was inhabited long before 753 BC, but around this time, these settlements began to coalesce into what would become the city of Rome. Romulus is credited with establishing Rome's early political and social structures, including the Senate and the division of the populace into tribes. After Romulus, Rome was ruled by a series of kings until the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BC.
Rome had two major political systems: The Republic, and the Empire. The republic lasted from roughly 509 BC to 27 BC. The Roman Senate: not just a political body, but a crucible where the fate of the empire was debated, where every speech could be your last, and where politics was as much about the show as it was about the substance. Hail, Caesar! Or rather, "Hail, Senator!" for in the Senate, every man could dream of being king... for a day, or at least until the next Ides of March.
Rome has shaped our civilization in more ways than we have fingers. From the United States Senate and political body to the military and how our capitol buildings are shaped, Rome is the third pillar in our journey through Western Civilization. The ways Rome influenced us are: Architecture, Honor, and Order.
Architecture: Roman architecture's legacy is obvious in Western architecture through the Renaissance and Neoclassicism, with its principles of symmetry, order, and the use of the classical orders. Their engineering techniques, particularly the use of the arch, vault, and concrete, influenced construction methods for millennia, seen in everything from medieval cathedrals to modern stadiums. Romans were master engineers.
Their aqueducts brought water into cities from distant sources, demonstrating their skill with gravity-fed systems. Roads like the Appian Way were built for military and trade efficiency, layered with stones, gravel, and sand, and designed to last.
Roman architecture was not just about building: It was about creating spaces that reflected the power, culture, and social structure of one of history's greatest empires.
Honor: To be a Roman citizen meant putting the city’s/empire’s needs over your own. The lengths that Roman men and women went to protect the name of their great city is astonishing, and admirable, even if thought less intelligent by today’s standards. In battle, Rome had standards that carried an Aquilla - a Symbol with and Eagle that represented Rome. If the standard dropped the Aquilla in battle, then most of the army would have fled. If the standard was able to keep the Aquilla upright and in the air, the Romans would fight on, even unto death.
Rome spent decades searching for lost Aquilas after lost battles. Much like the respect the United States has for our nation’s flag Old Glory, it was a sign of deep disrespect to have their eagle touch the ground.
Roman citizens held a deep sense of honor and pride for their nation, which was linked to Roman citizenship. This status was not just a legal formality but a prestigious identity that conferred specific rights, protections, and a sense of belonging to what was considered the most powerful entity in the ancient world. The honor stemmed from Rome's accomplishments and the cultural notion of being part of a civilization that valued civic duty, the rule of law, and the idea of the 'Senatus Populusque Romanus' (the Senate and People of Rome). Citizenship was a coveted status, symbolizing participation in this grand political and social experiment, which even extended, over time, to those outside the traditional Roman ethnicity, showcasing Rome's adaptive and inclusive approach to empire-building. The Christian Apostle Paul was often saved from persecution by being a Roman Citizen, providing protections and advantages that he used to expand the Church and Gospel message.
Order: Roman society, along with being a place of great architecture, honor, is also a place of order. Religion and cultural practices, including public festivals and monumental architecture, reinforced social cohesion and Roman identity. Roman citizenship, eventually extended to all free men in the empire, was a powerful tool for loyalty and integration, ensuring that the diverse populations felt part of a greater Roman whole. This multifaceted order was dynamic, adapting over centuries to maintain the Pax Romana, a peace that was as much about Roman dominance as it was about stability.
We see how in the Bible and other writings, Rome would conquer a nation or a city, and let them keep their custom’s and traditions. Rome essentially just wanted the taxes to be paid, and the peace to be kept. Their society being focused on order above all else fits with the thought of ‘Nation above Me.’
There are over a thousand years worth of history that Rome commanded over. But I cannot cover every period and event in this article. Roman Architecture, Honor, and Order are what has most influenced the West even today. We see it everywhere in the way our roads are set up, how we have civil law and expectation of peace, our national and state buildings resemble the buildings of olde, and national pride and honor historically being the driving factor for bravery in wars, at sea for adventures, and in conquest for colonies.
Rome often rests in the minds of every man, along with the cowboys and knights. Perhaps Rome will one day be forgotten lost to time vanishing to legends and myth. But it will live on in the form of the West. The nations and cultures that hold the values close, from Jerusalem, to Athens, to Rome. God, Logic, and Order. We see these values and ideas the most in the two great nations we will cover in the next two articles: Great Britain, and the United States of America.
Thank you for reading! As always, Christ is Lord. God Bless,
-Cooper Clements
Can't wait for Parts 4 and 5. Very good reading!