A Realistic Look at Roman and American Cultures, Warts and All

Strong parallels can be drawn between the ancient Roman Republic and modern-day America. An obvious observation is that both civilizations can be considered melting pots of customs, traditions, and beliefs. A more subtle, yet fascinating, link is formed by these cultures’ distinctive focus on realism. The Romans utilized a hyper-realistic technique known as verism in their art, architecture, funerary customs, and propaganda. The United States wholly embraces the notion of the American Dream, which is ostensibly rooted in the realistic ideals of hard work, determination, and merit. While the Roman and American civilizations have each been influenced by myriad societies, their respective use of realism to convey their values has enabled both of these powerhouses to build strong and unique cultures.

The Romans’ focus on realism was applied through a technique known as verism. The Etruscans and the Greeks had an early and strong influence on Roman art, but by the beginning of the first century B.C., during the late Roman Republic, evidence emerged of the birth of a truly Roman form of portraiture, which modern scholars call verism (Pollini). Richter defines verism as “a somewhat dry realism, a realism which shows the person portrayed as he really is, without idealizing tendencies, with wrinkles and warts and other physical defects, and also, what is more important, with an expression not of a philosopher or poet or visionary, but of what might be called a man of affairs” (Richter 39). Although portraiture is considered to be one of Rome’s greatest artistic contributions, the origins of this art form are obscure and complex. This style can be traced back to Hellenistic Greece, but its purposeful, reimagined use in the Roman Republic clearly reflected Roman values, customs, and political life. The Romans used this hyper-realistic technique in their portraiture to emphasize the significance of age, wisdom, and individuality. Verism spotlighted the intricacies of imperfections such as scars, blemishes, and receding hairlines rather than showcasing youth and beauty that was not actually there. While some may argue that even Roman verism was an adaptation of other existing traditions, it is critical to understand how their deliberate application of this technique placed an unmistakable emphasis on the Roman values of wisdom, experience, gravitas, and ancestor veneration.

Roman verism can be observed within numerous portraits of Roman citizens. A famous surviving Roman marble sculpture, entitled Head of a Roman Patrician, brilliantly exemplifies the Romans’ exaggerated style of realism with its furrowed brow and sunken skin. Another prime example is seen within the bust of Cicero, which is housed in the Museo del Prado (Cicero). This sculpture was forged in white marble and retains the original inscription with Cicero’s name and age at death etched in Roman numerals. Cicero’s highly realistic likeness survives in multiple busts that reveal his thin, aging face and thoughtful expression, which underscores the Romans’ deep veneration of intellect, seniority, and gravitas. In addition, the Chiaramonti Museum, which is part of the Vatican Museum complex, boasts one of the most extensive collections of Roman portrait busts with more than a thousand examples of verism portraiture and funerary sculpture.  (“Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities”)

Verism was also used in the creation of funerary masks to honor the deceased and to strengthen Roman ancestral ties. While Greek and Egyptian funerary masks served spiritual purposes such as protecting the deceased and acting as idealized representations for the afterlife, the Romans’ imagines were specifically created to remember the deceased and to solidify a family’s social status. Romans had a tradition of designing imagines, which were life-like ancestral death masks typically forged out of wax or terracotta. These masks were fashioned with hyper-realistic detail and were showcased in genealogical order in the homes of aristocratic Roman families. “The wealthy Roman family kept a gallery of its ancestors’ portraits in the home and sometimes in the family tomb; they would display the busts on certain religious and funerary occasions” (Small 47). Imagines were a way of preserving family legitimacy, expressing moral values, and showing continuity of lineage. The subject’s worn face and aged features were intended to convey the longevity and unbroken virtue of the family line (“Republican Art”). Utilizing the veristic technique to honor the deceased and inspire patriotism was a uniquely Roman cultural characteristic.

This highly realistic style was further employed as a tool of political propaganda by Roman emperors who commissioned artistic and architectural projects to highlight their personal achievements and solidify power. Although other ancient civilizations also used art for propaganda, they did so for different purposes. For example, Egyptian art focused on the belief in pharaohs’ divine origins, while Greek art emphasized the aspirational concept of the ideal citizen. The Romans’ distinctive use of realistic works of art for propaganda was uniquely centered on promoting the image and political accomplishments of specific Roman leaders. A prime example can be seen in Caesar, who was the first man to mint coins with his own likeness printed on them. “In the decades prior to this, it had become increasingly common to place an illustrious ancestor on a coin, but putting a living person, especially oneself, on a coin departed from Roman propriety. By circulating coins issued with his hyper-realistic image, Caesar attempted to convince his people that they were indebted to him for their own prosperity and should, therefore, support his political pursuits” (“Republican Art”). Similarly, “the coins with Caesar’s portrait mark a turning point in Roman portraiture and Roman numismatics. They not only introduced portraits of living rulers, they also initiated the explicit use of coin designs as a means of political propaganda and self-promotion” (“Caesar’s Portrait on Coins”). Another example is seen within Trajan’s Column (113 AD), which serves as a monumental visual history of his Dacian campaigns. It glorifies Trajan’s victories, presenting him as a strong, just, and divinely favored leader. Pollen describes the Column’s style by stating, “Much of the sculpture and all the composition is stiff and graceless, though each individual figure is incomparably faithful to life, and has all the qualities that give so high a place to the sculptured portraiture of the Imperial time in Rome till long after the age of Trajan” (Pollen). The Arch of Titus (81 AD) serves as a third example of the Romans’ use of realism in creating art for propaganda purposes. Its reliefs incorporate highly detailed depictions of the triumphal procession. They vividly portray Roman soldiers carrying treasures looted from the Jewish Temple. “The figures are naturalistic. There’s even an illusion of space as these soldiers carry the booty from the temple in Jerusalem through a gate of the city” (Fine and Harris). This work, intended to serve as a permanent reminder of imperial authority and divine favor, publicly celebrated Titus’s victory and Rome’s dominance over conquered peoples. All of this evidence plainly supports the claim that the Romans’ focus on hyper-realism in their portraiture, funerary customs, and political propaganda was a distinctly Roman cultural trait used to emphasize their extreme value of wisdom, gravitas, power, and ancestral lineage.

It can be argued that, like the Roman Republic, America also used realism, although in a different way, to build its own distinctive culture. While influenced by many, including the colonial Europeans, Native Americans, Africans, and immigrants from around the globe, the American Dream is rooted in the realistic concepts of hard work, determination, grit, liberty, and justice for all. The modern phrase “the American Dream” was coined by historian James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book The Epic of America. Writing during the Great Depression, he defined the American Dream as “a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable” (Adams). While this aspirational goal seemed achievable through realistic measures, Adams warned that the dream was threatened by excessive materialism and wealth inequality. He believed such disparities undermined the spiritual and communal aspects of American life. Many scholars point to the Declaration of Independence’s words, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” as the true impetus for the American Dream. This statement established the ideal that individuals are endowed with inherent rights and should have the freedom to pursue a better life, regardless of their circumstances at birth. However, it is critical to acknowledge that while the founding fathers claimed to champion equality for all, Native Americans, enslaved Africans, and women did not have any rights at that time. In fact, these inalienable rights were not extended to marginalized groups for many decades after 1776, and their struggle for equality extended through the 19th and 20th centuries. Even after key civil rights legislation was passed, discriminatory practices persisted and the fight for equality continued.

Another example of America’s focus on realism can be seen within Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, which popularized the “rags-to-riches” narrative through his candid discussion of thrift and hard work. Franklin humbly highlights the realistic American values of labor and determination as he shares the inscription on his parents’ marble tombstone: “Josiah Franklin and Abiah his wife, Lie here interred. They lived lovingly together in wedlock, Fifty-five years; And without an estate or any gainful employment, By constant labor, and honest industry, (With God’s blessing,) Maintained a large family comfortably; And brought up thirteen children and seven grandchildren” (Franklin). Additionally, historian Frederick Jackson Turner focused on realistic ideals as he argued that moving the American frontier was critical to shaping the national character. He believed that the hardships and labor associated with pioneering the frontier fostered distinctly American traits like individualism, self-reliance, and optimism (Turner).

Both societies used realism as a cultural tool to make abstract values concrete. Romans artistically translated ideals into faces and bodies that embodied age, authority, and continuity. The Romans uniquely and unapologetically used verism as an expression of their values, thereby putting their stamp on Roman society. Americans translate ideals into narratives of labor and achievement that embody hard work, education, and meritocracy. In both instances, realism legitimizes social order and shapes unique cultures. Roman verism upheld ancestral and political dominance, while American pragmatic realism encourages faith in equal opportunity and the pursuit of success for all. Yet, while the American Dream calls itself realistic, it is ultimately a dream—a promise of future fulfillment that often goes unrealized. Rome, on the other hand, grounded its cultural identity in values that were observable in everyday life. 

In conclusion, both Roman and American societies relied on realism to construct and communicate their cultural identities, yet the two approached it in fundamentally different ways. The Romans used verism to depict leaders, ancestors, and citizens with unflinching honesty, warts, wrinkles, and all, reflecting lived reality and reinforcing values such as gravitas, wisdom, and continuity of lineage. This candid representation of society and its ideals helped establish a tangible, enduring culture, contributing to the remarkable longevity of Roman influence. In contrast, American realism often manifests in the ideals embodied by the American Dream, including grit, determination, and opportunity. However, the Dream is as much an aspirational promise as it is a reflection of reality. While it inspires achievement and fosters optimism, it can also mask systemic inequalities and unrealized outcomes, creating a cultural identity tied to ideals that may never be fully attainable. Unlike the Romans, who grounded their values in observable reality, America risks conflating aspiration with lived experience. Recognizing this distinction is crucial. Enduring cultural influence, as the Romans demonstrate, may rely not on the pursuit of idealized goals, but on the honest projection of what a society truly values and the realities its people experience. As America approaches its 250th year in existence, leaders and citizens would be wise to learn from the ancient Romans. Ultimately, America’s survival may depend upon the honest and realistic identification of its own values.

Works Cited 

Adams, James Truslow. The Epic of America. Little, Brown, and Company, 1931. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.262385/page/n7/mode/2up.

“Bust of Cicero.” Museo del Prado, https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/cicero/42937d06-545b-4fe6-a5b5-97869ce55383.

“Caesar’s Portrait on Coins.” Harvard Art Museums, https://harvardartmuseums.org/tour/693/slide/11502.

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Fine, Steven, and Beth Harris. “Relief from the Arch of Titus, Showing the Spoils of Jerusalem Being Brought into Rome.” Smarthistory, 16 Dec. 2015, https://smarthistory.org/the-arch-of-titus-2/.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Simon & Schuster, 2004. Internet Archive, https://archive.org/details/autobiographyof00fran/page/n11/mode/2up.

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Pollini, John, editor. Roman Portraiture: Images of Character and Virtue. Exhibition Catalogue,
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“Republican Art.” Art and Visual Culture: Prehistory to Renaissance. Humanities LibreTexts,
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Richter, G. M. A. “The Origin of Verism in Roman Portraits.” The Journal of Roman Studies, vol. 45, no. 1–2, 1955, pp. 39–46. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/298742.

Small, J. P. “Verism and the Vernacular: Late Roman Republican Portraiture and Catullus.” Parola del Passato, vol. 37, 1982, pp. 47–71. Academia.edu,
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Turner, Frederick Jackson. “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1893. USMCU,
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