The Roman Empire in Relation to Culture (A)

(Originally Written July 15, 2006 in Book 4)

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell

Chapter 29: The Roman Empire in Relation to Culture

Rome Changed the world in many ways:
1) Its direct effect on Hellenistic thought (minimal)
2) The effect on Greece and the West, including Christianity (huge)
3) The peace and assimilation of cultures into one
4) The spread of Hellenism to the west

Rome's power, at its height, extended from the Rhine and Danube in Europe to the desert in Africa and the Euphrates in Asia.

Peace reigned from 30 BC until the third century AD disasters.

Augustus stabilized and organized the empire in 30 BC creating order and security. But, it was boring and uninspiring.

The Empire began to fall apart in the 3rd century.

Diocletian divided the Empire (286-305) and organized the territories well.

Constantine (312-337) installed Christianity as a legal religion.

Both of these acts stabilized the empire for a while.

The Church preserved much of the ancient culture and was subsequently adopted by the Germanic conquerors of Rome in the 5th century.

The East did not fare as well because the Arabs rejected Christianity and the culture it preserved. The Arabs did however save the Greek language, literature and culture prevalent in the east