Two- 

One thing specifically that interested me about the chapter was the idea that books became a symbol of high status. Greenblatt writes “It became increasingly fashionable for wealthy Romans to amass large libraries in their townhouses and country villas (60).”, stating how large private libraries became not only a trend, but a symbol of an aristocratic lifestyle. When thinking about this, I can think of several reasons why books could have gained this new purpose. Firstly, books and reading them is a leisure activity–one that lower class, working individuals could not partake in since they had little time to idle. Additionally, the books tell others that the owner is educated enough to not only read but even understand and apply the ideas in the book to their own life. However, the most fascinating thing about this concept is that “book dealing” became a profitable job for many. According to the book, book dealers would go city to city in order to source books for wealthy individuals. This could contribute to the concept that books were a symbol of wealth and commodity as there was a sense of exclusivity in regards to the books in a person’s collection. 

Another thing that I found interesting was the feud and dislikement that the Romans and Greeks had for each other’s culture. Particularly, I found it interesting how throughout history and development, the two very different cultures began to inspire and mesh with each other. In the beginning, the Greeks and Romans had two different ideas of how a society should function and what should be prioritized. The Greeks believed that the Romans were believed to be “barbarians” due to their focus on war and conflict rather than the arts. Similarly, the Romans had their own assumptions of the Greeks–believing that their philosophical thinkers were telling made up stories that held no relevance to the real world. By conquering Greece in 146 BC, the Romans were exposed to a new world of arts and science that had yet to be fully explored (58,59). Soon the Romans would adopt the ideologies of the Greeks despite their previous feud. I specifically found it quite hypocritical how the Romans began sending their children to Greek institutions. 

One- 

As previously mentioned, the Romans were very hypocritical of the Greeks ideologies in regards to the arts, science, and philosophy. Once Greece was invaded by the Romans, the Romans realized how innovative and educated the Greeks were and began hiring Greek thinkers to work at schools and for their councils. This action reminded me of how following World War Two, many scientists from Nazi Germany were hired to work for the United States government despite the majority of their previous experience conflicted with the ideologies and ethics of America. Moreover, it can be argued that in both instances one group had to put aside their differences in order for the advancement of their society. 

Q-  How much different would have the Roman Empire developed without Greek influence?