Roman Culture

“Undoubtedly the one race of outstanding virtue in the whole world is the Roman. But what man has enjoyed the greatest happiness is not a question that can be decided by human judgement.”

— Pliny the Elder (a Roman), Natural History, Book VII, Man

Sometimes Roman culture is lumped together with Greek culture, as the Romans did indeed adopt many aspects of the Greek way of life; nonetheless, they were a distinct people. Their unique achievement was in creating an empire that laid the foundations for the globalized culture we have today, as well as transmitting both Greek knowledge and the Judeo-Christian religious vision. There is no way to get from the ancient world to the modern without shaking a few Roman hands.

PRIMARY SOURCES

  • —-, trans. Tacitus: The Annals of Imperial Rome. Revised Edition. London: Penguin Books, 1996.

  • Graves, Robert, trans. The Twelve Caesars. London: The Folio Society, 1964.

  • Healy, John F., trans. Pliny The Elder, Natural History: A Selection. London: Penguin Books, 2004.

  • Mandelbaum, Allen, trans. The Aeneid of Virgil. New York: Bantam Books, 2004.

  • Staniforth, Maxwell, trans. Marcus Aurelius: Meditations. London: Folio Society, 2002.

SECONDARY SOURCES

  • Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Abridged Edition. Edited by David Womersley. London: Penguin Books, 2005.

  • Goodman, Martin. Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations. New York: Vintage Books, 2008.

  • Grant, Michael. Gladiators: The Bloody Truth. Reprint. London: Penguin Books, 2000.

  • —-. Nero. London: The Folio Society, 1998.

AUDIO/VISUAL RECORDINGS

  • Great Ancient Civilizations of Asia Minor, DVD. Taught by Kenneth W. Harl. The Great Courses, 2001.

  • Great Battles of the Ancient World, DVD. Taught by Garrett G. Fagan. The Great Courses, 2005.

  • Pompeii: Daily Life in an Ancient Roman City, DVD. Taught by Steven L. Tuck, 2010.

  • Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World, DVD, 4 Parts. Taught by Glenn S. Holland. The Great Courses, 2005.

  • Rome and the Barbarians, DVD, 3 Parts. Taught by Kenneth W. Harl. The Great Courses, 2004.

  • The Aeneid of Virgil, CD. Taught by Elizabeth Vandiver. The Great Courses, 1999.

  • The History of Ancient Rome, DVD. Taught by Garrett G. Fagan. The Great Courses, 1999.

  • The Mysterious Etruscans, DVD. Taught by Steven L. Tuck. The Great Courses, 2016.

  • The Rise of Rome, DVD. Taught by Gregory S. Aldrete. The Great Courses, 2018.

  • The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome, DVD. Taught by Gregory S. Aldrete. The Great Courses, 2019.