Romans are often thought of as abject imitators of the Greeks, copying their art, their architecture, their literature, and even their gods. But the truth is more interesting.
Ancient Rome was one of the great civilizations of antiquity. Honoring the contributions of their cultural forebearers—who included Etruscans, Asians, and Egyptians as well as Greeks—Roman artists, writers, and thinkers freely borrowed where tradition dictated and innovated where personal talent and imagination directed, forging a unique creative experience that formed the basis of Western European artistic, literary, and philosophical production for 2,000 years.
This reference is a guide to the material culture and social institutions of Ancient Rome. While other reference works typically examine battles and politicians, this book focuses on Roman social history and daily life. A timeline highlights key events, while an overview essay surveys the achievements of the Romans. Some 160 alphabetically arranged reference entries provide objective information about art, architecture, literature, commerce, transportation, government, religion, and other topics related to Roman life. Each entry provides cross-references and suggestions for further reading, and some provide sidebars of interesting facts along with excerpts from primary source documents. The book closes with a selected, general bibliography of resources suitable for student research.
