Classical Rome as the Heir to Greek Civilization

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Classical Rome as the Heir to Greek Civilization
The question of the ways in which the classical Romans were the heirs to Greek and Hellenistic civilization is complex given that, while no one denies the degree of this influence, there is some disagreement over its interpretation or significance. In this regard, this essay will explore this question from two distinct perspectives, as represented by Matthews and Platt, in The Western Humanities, and Weber, in The Western Tradition. The thesis will be argued that, although both are highly informed perspectives, Weber’s is the more comprehensive and persuasive. As will be seen, while Matthews and Platt regard this inheritance as a totally positive one, Weber addresses both the positive and...

.....riat, unlike Weber they do not fully note the role of the conquest of Greece and the inheritance of Greek models of social order in this fundamental transformation of Roman society. For this reason, while Matthews and Platt clearly present an excellent overview of Rome’s inheritance from ancient Greek civilization, it may be argued that Weber’s perspective is the more balanced and comprehensive of the two approaches to this topic.
Bibliography
Matthews, Roy and Dewitt Platt. The Western Humanities Volume 1.
New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007.
Rostovtzeff, Mikhail. A History of the Ancient World Volume 2:
Rome. New York: Biblo & Tannen, 1927.
Weber, Eugen. The Western Tradition. Boston: WGBH, 1989.
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