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From Rome’s start on the banks of the Tiber to its fall a millennium later, Rome slowly developed into a socially diverse nation. In the Roman Empire that stretched across the entire Mediterranean, there existed many different peoples with differing ideals. Even so Rome experienced few dramatic societal changes and instead developed by slow growth over the course of several centuries.

The philosophy of Rome was one of the social aspects that evolved slowly. The story of Roman philosophy is of the gradual adoption and adaptation of Greek philosophical doctrines by Roman authors. In Roman philosophy there were few original concepts because for the most part, Roman philosophers were simply repeating the ideas of the famous Greek philosophers before them. This influence of the Greeks in Roman philosophy is most evident in the widespread acceptance of Epicureanism and Stoicism in the Roman Empire. Epicureanism and Stoicism both started around third century BC in Athens, yet they differed in important ways. Stoics believed self-control had precedent over all else and in doing right on all occasions, regardless of personal pleasure or wealth. Epicureanism on the other hand held the belief that there was no eternal soul; hence the goal of life, was not to do the right thing, but rather to experience individual pleasure and tranquility. Epicureanism, at first experienced common acceptance, especially among the ranks in Rome's military and patricians who could afford to live a life of pleasure and excess, while Stoicism was most popular with members of the Senate and other political figures. By the late Roman Empire, Epicureanism was being opposed by other philosophies, mainly Neo-Platonism, that were now getting more recognition and by R...

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...s elevated to official religion of Rome by Theodosius I in 380 AD. Theodosius further influenced Christianity's acceptance by also proclaiming it the only legitimate religion of Rome and began a campaign persecuting members of the old Roman religion. Roman religion progressed slowly as evident by Rome’s four century shift toward Christianity.

Rome experienced few drastic societal changes, but instead it developed by slow growth over the course of several centuries. This slow steady positive growth played an important role in Roman society and served as a key factor for many Roman achievements such as its military might, philosophical views, control of the social class structure, and popularizing Christianity. Slow changes defined Roman society while sudden dramatic shifts, such as its transition from a republic to an empire, eventually damaged the Rome as a whole.