How Did Greek Mythology Influence Roman Culture

The ancient Roman Empire is regarded as one of the most powerful, influential civilizations of all time. Although flourishing in ancient history, people still view Rome as one of the greatest empires in the world. Religion was an important part of Roman culture, but they formed their ideas of religion and mythology based on Greek religious practices which preceded the Roman Era. Much like the Greeks, Romans worshipped in many different ways and celebrated their gods and goddesses with elaborate festivals. The Roman Empire spread throughout Europe and had many forms of religious practices. Overall, Romans adopted many Greek ideas, and their belief in mythology played a huge role in their everyday lives as well as influencing their culture.
The Roman Empire existed from 753 B.C. to 476 A.D. and was centered around the Tiber River, in the heart of Italy. The …show more content…
The word mythology means “an account of tales,” and it comes from the Greek words mythos and logos. The Etruscans, who were the earliest Romans, coexisted with the Greeks, and were inspired by Greek mythology. Although they lived in different locations, the Etruscans were heavily influenced by Greek gods and goddesses, and their similar beliefs impacted the latter Roman culture. Initially, both civilizations shared a common religion and belief in mythology. Later, although they worshipped the same gods and goddesses, both Romans and Greeks began to believe in different aspects of mythology. For example, Greek civilization was distributed among many tribes and colonies due to their harsh, mountainous terrain. Thus, they believed in a diverse range of deities. Whereas the early Romans lived a simple, pastoral life. They had a united civilization and did not desire many deities to worship. Although they lived separate from the Greeks, Romans were inspired by aspects of Greek