The Most Important Thing I Have Learned This Year

The most important thing I have learned this year is how the Romans influenced us through their forms of both architecture and religion. They played a major role in the devolvement of the different types of architecture we see even to this day as they introduced many new styles and approaches of classical art whose architectural difficulty still amazes us presently. They also helped Early Christianity it its beginning stages in order for it to flourish and continue is a testament to the great importance it held. The Roman people as a whole generally accepted it because it differed from their original foundation religion- the Roman Pantheon.

The many styles of Roman architecture that is still being imitated in today’s building techniques include domes, arches, vaulted ceilings, as well as columns, the three primary ones being Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. This is important because without these many influences, we would not have the many magnificent buildings in existence today. Some of these structures include the Pantheon, Colosseum, and several amphitheatres that display this marvel of engineering and these public buildings also connect to the importance of religion because many of them were used to hold religious events. The large open dome of the Pantheon was designed to fit the requirements for sacred services and they are among the most impressive remains of the Roman Empire, with many still being used to accommodate these purposes in modern times.

This then leads to the importance of the dome, public baths, and the arch. The dome was used in constructing vaulted ceilings, which provided large covered areas that were ideal for numerous people to gather. It was this key factor that made public baths popular and it was these two components that made the Baths of Dioclecian as well as the Baths of Caracalla significant. This then lead the Romans to take advantage of the sculpting of the arch. This was a symbol of power on earth, which transformed architecture and was first utilized with the Christian basilicas. This symbol of power on earth transformed the Roman Empire when it was in its worst times and on the verge of collapse. The arch was usually set before an altar, to represent the triumph Christ had over death through his resurrection.

This directly relates to the importance of religion, but specifically Christianity, and the profound influence it had on the Roman Empire. Although it took a while for the Roman people to fully accept the basic principles of this new religion, as portrayed through much persecution, they eventually put their trust in it, having it displayed throughout many aspects of everyday life. These areas include creating religious festivals and ceremonies, as well as putting leaders with Christian values in authority. The Roman's eventual adherence to Christianity displays that the people realized it had a political nature, seeing that it had inseparable ties to the state, having a tremendous opportunity to dramatically reform Rome for the better.

A great opportunity was greatly taken advantage of with the role of Christian emperors and many of them took it to the point were it became such a focal point that Christianity became the official religion of Rome. When looking back at this period in history, it is evident that some of the best leadership was experienced during this age, and under the Christian influence. Even back then they displayed today’s motto of “one nation under God" and when truly trusting in this statement, the God-ordained institutions within government work much more efficiently. This is due to the fact that they followed the original design God laid out for how a government was intended to function.

As you can see, these two areas of the Roman Empire were very crucial in both its development and legacy. It was of great importance to me to learn this because it has major implications even in the world today. When looking around at the prominent buildings, there are usually many references to architecture that originated in Ancient Rome and still enjoyed today throughout modern society. We are imitating a great achievement met in that time, and reproducing it bringing its life into our modern world. The second vital influence was that of Christianity. Without it overcoming a period of intense persecution, it would have never brought the guiding light that both the people of Rome, and Rome itself desperately needed. Christianity brought about much needed change and revival within the Roman Empire and was probably the most important factor of that time for that region.