Roman Leaders' Legacies

[Guest Plubber80]

Can someone please tell me Roman leaders' legacy to western civilization, i.e. modern day or anything that came after the Golden age period. Information or sources about legacies of Julius Caesar, Augustus, or other leaders will be very helpful. I appreciate your time and help. Thank you very much.

[P.Clodius]

Well, there are of course the obvious ones such as the months July and August named after guess who! There is the Julian Calender that was put in place by Caesar and was slightly modified by Pope Gregory. Every monarchy in western Europe was derived from the rule of the Caesars.

 

And this little snippet that is less well known. During the consulship of Cicero a conspiracy based around a man called Catalina was put together but was succesfully surpressed by Cicero after the senate voted to give him the power of Senatus Consultum Ultimum, or The Ultimate Decree. This decree gave Cicero the power to do whatever was necessary to save the state. He at once had the conspirators arrested and executed, and was subsequently hailed as the saviour of the state by some. Following his consulship he made an enemy by testifying against Publius Clodius Pulcher who was to run for the office of Tribune. In order to attack Cicero, Clodius introduced a bill that forbade any roman from being arbitrarily punished without due process, a move that would enable Clodius to prosecute Cicero for his actions in surpressing the Catalinairians. Cicero subsequently left Rome to escape the attentions of Clodius. The point being the right to due process garanteed in the Bill of Rights, derived from Magna Carta, may be derived from Clodius' desire for revenge against Cicero.

[DanM]

I would have to say Justinian. The work that was done on the legal code under his time had a big influence.