The ancient Romans also believed in polytheism and this derived from myths that had developed to explain the reasons for why things happened the way they did. They believed that several Gods were the cause for things that they could not understand and they went to these Gods for answers. Figures of the Gods were placed on everything, on buildings and altars for example the Ara Pacis. The Gods were in Roman paintings and sculptures. Vergil, a famous poet, wrote the "Aeneid" which incorporated the Gods into this poem. Polytheism was a main factor in ancient Rome and this is seen by their architecture, paintings, and literature.
Imperialism derived from Caesars such as Julius Caesar, which conquered many cities. It was Rome's view to rule the world by conquering many city-states and furthering the glory of Rome. Rome grew to be very large with all its architecture and people. Some of this architecture includes the Roman forum and the Arch of Titus. By expanding Rome, this made Rome more powerful and closer to become a world dominator. The Ius Civile was the creation of a single unified code of Roman law the was written by Julius Caesar. The science of law is one of the few original creations of Roman literature. The earliest legal code of the Republic was the Law of the Twelve Tables and its general aim was to equate human law with that of nature by developing an objective system of natural justice. Even after the assassination of Julius Caesar Imperial Rome kept marching on. .
Romans did not produce many original philosophical writings. Two schools affected Rome, Epicureanism, and Stoicism, which were both from Greece. Epicureanism could not gain many followers with its belief that the correct goal and principle of human actions is pleasure. Epicureanism stresses the moderation of the pursuit of pleasure, the Romans thought of this philosophy as a typically Greek enthusiasm for self-indulgence and debauchery.
