You are a Roman citizen visting the Greek territories of the Roman Empire for the 1st time. You are surprised to see how much of the Greek culture you recognize from your own Roman culture. Write a diary entry abot your experiences. Analyze at least 1

68 days ago I said goodbye to my friends , my wife Laeticia Sidonia and Caius Brutus , my mentor . I remember him advising me regarding the perils of such a journey , but also repeating Veni Vidi Vici ' which means that a common Roman citizen can conquer the cultural treasures of the places he visits , with his eyes and spirit , as Julius Caesar did before in full glory with his army

Under Cesar 's protection , in year 128 AD , I started my journey to yet another corner of the Roman oyster , the legendary land of

the Helens . I have been amazed to see that Greece is a melting pot of Barbars and noblemen , that the Latin spoken here can vary from the most pitiful Latina Vulgaris ever heard to the flawless type spoken by the eldest in our Senate . As the Roman elite , the Greek intellectuals are very cultured and rest dignified in any discussion and they are updates with everything that is happening in the Roman Empire In contrast to the Roman spirit of Law and realism , the Greeks tend to wander in mythologies and superstition quite a lot , and mixing affairs of state with omens from oracles is quite to their taste . I am beautifully amazed by the richness of their imagination and culture , though I prefer the pragmatism of my own roots

I came to understand why Greece is culturally , the root of the great Roman civilization . The spiritual and artistic life of the Helens is in big lines similar to ours , lacking of course the faultless glory of our Empire and the sharp spirit of affairs that led the Romans to be the conquerors of the world . But when I see the Greek Corinth ornaments statues , their temples , the spotless beauty of the Pantheon and of the Acropolis , the godly and distant perfection of their arts and verses , I think Greece is our artistic sister and we should learn from its beauty as we have been for many centuries

I am now in Athens , visiting the exceptional educational cradle founded by two great forefathers of Roman philosophy : Aristotle 's Lyceum and Plato 's Academy . I have met many Roman disciples there , pursuing their courses in rhetoric , politics , logics and the great art of reaching the truth by debating . All of our politicians , senators and Law experts back in Rome use the Socrates ' lines of dialectics , to convey their message logically through an argument or exposition that systematically weighs contradictory facts or ideas with a view to the resolution of their real or apparent contradictions ' and thus to convince the audience of their point

I have seen the Colossus of Rhodes , the Ruins of Troy , the Oracle of Delphi and this made me think of the greatest Greek bard , Homer - compared to our most cherished author , Virgil . Beautiful epic poems Homer 's Iliad finds a grand counterpart in Virgil 's Aeneid . The heroes lead by wit , humors and conflicting gods participate to the making and unmaking of great civilizations...