How Roman culture assimilated and transformed Greek mythology

Greek and Roman mythology is often seen as a single area of study today, the fact is that the two cultures never existed side by side. The Greek culture preceded Rome, and was then also the basis for many of the Roman myths that followed. On the other hand, it must also be recognized that Rome had unique myths of its own. Furthermore, Roman mythology was not only influenced by Greece, but also by several other philosophies that existed at the time, including Egyptian religions and Christianity.

The Rise of Rome

In order to describe the history of Roman and Greek mythology, it is important to consider the origins and growth of the cultures involved in its development. The early imperial beginnings of Rome were for example heavily influenced by Western Greek colonization and the Etruscans (N.K. -- Associated Content). In addition, Rome's own myths, related orally from generation to generation, combined with tales from other cultures to form a single mythical body. The most well-known popular Roman myth was that of Romulus and Remus, existing among others such as the fall of Tarquinius Superbus.

In order to reconcile Greece and Rome into a single Roman imperial structure, historians began an attempt to consolidate the histories of the two nations. According to N.K. (Associated Content), this was most successfully done by Polybius, with his "Histories," depicting the rise of Rome. The work describes how Rome was gradually able to build its empire by means of control over its subjects, which contrasted with Greek democracy. According to Polybius, the longevity and stability of the Roman empire was a direct result of its empirical rather than democratic nature. Interestingly, although the Roman empire succeeded the Greek, its success was in fact in large part due to its assimilation of Greek ideas, education, and philosophies. In other words, Rome did not discard all things Greek, but rather accepted them into its culture in order to make it stronger. The same is true of Greek myths.

Greek Myth

According to Patrick Mullen, the Greek culture, having been established for centuries when the Roman empire was only at its beginning, featured a strong basis of mythology. The most significant of these was the Iliad. This was one of the earliest written Greek work. The Roman counterpart, the Aeneid, appeared only about 700 years later (Mullen).

Greece also featured a rich religious life, with myths relating the adventures of their gods, goddesses and heroes. An interesting point here is that, although the Greeks did believe in an afterlife, this was hardly seen as a reward for a life well lived. Instead, the human spirit was reduced to an eternity of degraded suffering. Hence the importance the mythical heroes attached to being remembered for their great deeds (Mullen). This belief also inspired the Greeks to live life as well as they could, and do as well as they could in whatever area they chose. Both warriors and intellectuals were highly regarded.

The Greek democracy was based upon a strong sense of individualism, with great importance attached to differences in personality and character. In addition to being highly cultured, educated and intellectual, the Greeks were also subtle thinkers, and recognized that a person's very virtues could lead to his or her downfall.

This is a theme often considered in myth and religion. Their religious figures included both the mortal and the immortal. Immortal figures were gods, while the mortal ones were known as "heroes." Both gods and heroes were not only flawed, but also capable of development, improvement, and wise action. Heroes were often called upon to win battles for the gods. Given the nature of the afterlife, the goal of the heroes in myth was often to retrieve a soul from the underworld. This strongly contrasts with may later religions, including those promoted by Rome, whose purpose was to arrive at a favorable afterlife.

Comparing Rome and Greece

Compared to the Greek community, the Romans considered more disciplined arts such as engineering as more valuable than poetry and other feats of the imagination. Whereas the Greek had a balanced view of the values inherent in both the physical and the intellectual, the Romans were more practical, and valued war above intellectual abilities. As mentioned, Rome freely adopted parts of other cultures and religions, including Greece. The Romans hoped for a better afterlife than the Greeks did, which explains the appeal of Christianity to the nation.

While a good afterlife was a prospect for the common people, those in power had the option of becoming gods themselves, like the Egyptian pharaohs. The emperors were then worshiped as gods. As such, Rome had three types of religions that existed side by side: the state religion, with the emperor as god; the mystery religions with their promises of life after death, and many foreign religions, including those of the Greeks (Mullen). It was therefore by no means a simple system.

Roman and Greek Myth Today

According to Kuchinsky, many Roman myths, such as those depicted by the Iliad and the Aeneid, became generally accepted as history without necessarily being anything more than mythical. The Trojan War is such an example, with historians in some dispute regarding its reality: some are attempting to prove its nature as entirely mythical, while others point to proof that it is a fact of history (Kuchinsky). Although historical scientists are increasingly improving their research methods, it is difficult to say whether this dispute will ever be resolved.

What remains true, however, is the lasting influence of both Greek and Roman mythology in the world today. One common example is the planets Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and so on, named after Roman gods. The name of the mythical figure Atlas is also commonly used in language today to denote for example a book of maps. The city Athens takes its name from the Greek Athena. These examples prove the lasting fascination of the Western world with its origin in the form of Greek and Roman culture and mythology.