Reply To: Romans Among Us

[Allie Eby]

To me, the most prevalent examples of Roman influence on modern culture are the structures and architecture of many modern governments, and the prestige of Latin as a language in the fields of both science and religion. Many students have touched on the influences of Roman art on modern architecture of government buildings, but I think the extent of the spread and influence of Latin has been understated. Worldwide, despite no longer being spoken, Latin is used as the primary language for defining scientific terminology, as well as serving as many word roots in the English (and other) language(s). Even the country’s motto, “E pluribus unum”, is a Latin phrase. As such, Latin has been put in a position of prestige, and is even described as “a language of scholarship and administration”. This ties the idea of Roman culture inherently to the ideas of academia and governmental leadership, demonstrating how much our modern society has used Roman society as a role model and basis for these ideas.