753 - 509 B.C. > Monarchical Period

        509 - 31 B.C. > Republican Period

        31 B.C. - 284 A.D. > Imperial Period

284 - 476 A.D. > The Late Roman Empire

Phoenician, Etruscan, and Greek civilizations had the most influence in the early period of Roman development. The Romans were masters of adaptation and transmission of other civilizations' cultural accomplishments. Roman religion was syncretistic. The Romans developed original ideas in law. Latin became the established language of the empire, and literature was strongly influenced by the Greeks, as was sculpture. Architecture was also strongly Greek-influenced, though the Romans did make original contributions, including the round temple, the dome, the vault, and the arch. Murals and mosaics were popular art forms.

The Roman Empire was threatened by the rise of Christianity, which had its roots in Judaism. Christians refused to participate in emperor worship; as Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, various emperors instituted periods of persecution in attempts to squash rebellion. Thus, the Christian movement went underground; literature considered to be subversive circulated privately, and early Christian art was mostly relegated to the catacombs.

Persecutions eventually ended, and when Constantine, a Christian convert, came to power, the Roman Empire became Christianized. Literature, music, and the visual arts became much more spiritual.