DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5625#0427
39° Survey of the Ancient World
787. Sur-
viving in-
fluences of
Rome in
later Europe
of the great oriental empire of the caliphs of Bagdad. Looking
at Europe without the East, we discover that there was at its
western end a Moslem oriental kingdom (the Moors), while at its
eastern end there was a Christian oriental state (Constantinople)'
Between these lay chiefly the German Empire of Charlemagne,
with vast masses of Slavs on the east of it, and detached
German peoples in the outlying island of Britain. Out of
these fragments of the Roman Empire and the newly formed
nations of the North, the nations of modern Europe came forth-
In France, and the two southern peninsulas of Spain and Italy,
Latin speech survived among the people, to become French,
Spanish, and Italian. While in the island of Britain the German
language spoken by the invading Angles and Saxons (§ 759)'
mingled with much Latin and French to form our own English
speech, written with Roman letters inherited from Greece,
Phoenicia, and Egypt (§§ 33, 228).
Thus Rome left her. stamp on the peoples of Europe, still
evident, not only in the languages they use, but also in many
other important matters of life, and especially in law and
government. In Roman law, still a power in modern govern-
ment, we have the great creation of Roman genius, which has
more profoundly affected the later world than any other Roman
institution. Another great achievement of Rome was the uni-
versal spread of that international civilization brought forth by
Greece under contact with the Orient. Rome gave to that civ-
ilization the far-reaching organization which under the Greeks it
had lacked. That organization, though completely transformed
into oriental despotism, endured for five centuries and long
withstood the barbarian invasions from the North, which would
otherwise have overwhelmed the disorganized Greek world
long before. The Roman State was the last bulwark of civiliza-
tion intrenched on the Mediterranean against the Indo-European
barbarians. But the bulwark, though shaken,'did not fall be-
cause of hostile assaults from without. It fell because of
decay within. , • -
787. Sur-
viving in-
fluences of
Rome in
later Europe
of the great oriental empire of the caliphs of Bagdad. Looking
at Europe without the East, we discover that there was at its
western end a Moslem oriental kingdom (the Moors), while at its
eastern end there was a Christian oriental state (Constantinople)'
Between these lay chiefly the German Empire of Charlemagne,
with vast masses of Slavs on the east of it, and detached
German peoples in the outlying island of Britain. Out of
these fragments of the Roman Empire and the newly formed
nations of the North, the nations of modern Europe came forth-
In France, and the two southern peninsulas of Spain and Italy,
Latin speech survived among the people, to become French,
Spanish, and Italian. While in the island of Britain the German
language spoken by the invading Angles and Saxons (§ 759)'
mingled with much Latin and French to form our own English
speech, written with Roman letters inherited from Greece,
Phoenicia, and Egypt (§§ 33, 228).
Thus Rome left her. stamp on the peoples of Europe, still
evident, not only in the languages they use, but also in many
other important matters of life, and especially in law and
government. In Roman law, still a power in modern govern-
ment, we have the great creation of Roman genius, which has
more profoundly affected the later world than any other Roman
institution. Another great achievement of Rome was the uni-
versal spread of that international civilization brought forth by
Greece under contact with the Orient. Rome gave to that civ-
ilization the far-reaching organization which under the Greeks it
had lacked. That organization, though completely transformed
into oriental despotism, endured for five centuries and long
withstood the barbarian invasions from the North, which would
otherwise have overwhelmed the disorganized Greek world
long before. The Roman State was the last bulwark of civiliza-
tion intrenched on the Mediterranean against the Indo-European
barbarians. But the bulwark, though shaken,'did not fall be-
cause of hostile assaults from without. It fell because of
decay within. , • -