It's no mystery that Rome liberally borrowed from other sources whatever they could get their hands on, from architectural and military innovations to artistic and literary forms; regarding art and literature, it often feels like Rome was so dependent on Greek models, it couldn't come up with anything truly theirs - sure, they were less creatively sterile than classical Sparta, but they seem to have shared something of Sparta's dour, military-centered ethos nonetheless, even though the ideal Roman citizen was (on paper) a peasant as well as a soldier.
What would have to happen in Rome's history, for its culture to become something that, while not overly dependent on Greek models (the Mediterranean being what it was, some amount of Greek influence was inevitable), could measure up to classical and Hellenistic standards nonetheless?
What would have to happen in Rome's history, for its culture to become something that, while not overly dependent on Greek models (the Mediterranean being what it was, some amount of Greek influence was inevitable), could measure up to classical and Hellenistic standards nonetheless?