Ancient Rome could be described as multicultural, largely due to the significant areas of land that the Roman Empire controlled at various points, often integrating the local populations and cultures into their own. A wide variety of cultures existed within the borders of the Roman civilization and the Roman population was found to have incredible genetic diversity, having more in common with the Mediterranean states rather than Western Europe (Thomsen, 2019). Some of the cultures that were present under Roman rule include the Gauls, Greeks, Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Persia, and many others. Scholars attribute the cultural and economic success of Rome partially to its ability to embrace a range of ethnic and national identities, often assimilating many elements of the foreign cultures into its own traditions, beliefs or practices.
The well-known Pax Romana, a period of prosperity and tranquility for approximately 200 years came at a point when Roman conquests came to a relative end, and a range of cultures were given the opportunity to live in harmony under one central government. While as all Empires, Rome did push some values and requirements upon the regions it conquered, for the most part, the people could live their lives, worship their respective religions, follow their respective traditions, and even maintain their own laws and taxation (Brooks, 2019). Rome by far was one of the most multicultural states in the ancient world that greatly respected the civilizations of others.
The primary culture that strongly influenced the Roman culture is likely Ancient Greece. The Hellenistic society led the basis to much what is Roman, ranging from architecture to art to philosophy and politics. The Romans greatly respected the Greeks for their progress and intelligence, and sought to build upon that foundation in the prosperity of their empire including in the aspects of science, literature, law, economics, and even military tactics. Furthermore, the Romans were influenced by the Etruscans, a neighboring tribe to the northwest of Rome, who were allied with and then conquering the newly formed city-state. Etruscans were heavy traders with the Greeks, and had a similarly loose empire of city states, sharing many of the cultural elements. Essentially, the Etruscans allowed for the Greek culture to transition into Rome (Brooks, 2019). However, Rome was influenced by the Etruscans in its early days by contributing to its military capabilities and war-oriented, expansionist society.
References
Brooks, C. (2019). Western civilization: A concise history (vol. 1). Portland Community College.
Thomsen, M. (2019). Study reveals huge genetic diversity among ancient Romans, who had more in common with people from Greece, Syria and Lebanon than western Europeans. The Daily Mail. Web.