Culture of Rome (Superpowers)

The culture of the Roman Empire has been in existence for more than two millennia and so contains influences from countless other historical cultures. Interestingly, this has made the Empire divided by several subcultures that are each entirely unique from one another. Among the many aspects of each culture that connect them, the central link is a shared Christian Culture that dominates every corner of the Empire.

Given that more than 30% of all inhabited land is under Roman rule, the influence of Rome is more widespread than any other culture on the planet, covering all 6 continents to a decent extent. This area of influence has come to be known as the Romanosphere. The Romans themselves have started referring to their own culture as "Terran Culture", believing that they represent the best that humanity has to offer, and that they serve as the ideal that every other nation should strive for. Not only do many of Earth's other nations resent them for espousing this, but the Romans themselves believe that other peoples are not even capable of achieving what they have done.

Needless to say, the development of Roman culture has been characterized by intense racism, and a belief that Mediterranean cultures, Roman, Aegyptian, Greek and Phoenician, are the most superior ones on the planet.

In any case, the Empire really is distinctly separated into regional cultures, all of which reflect at least one historical nation which once ruled those territories. Nevertheless, they all maintain some resemblance to the dominant "Roman Culture", and so real physical separations have never appeared from these cultural ones.

Roman Culture
The culture of the Romans themselves is one which is most often associated with the idea of a "Rome", or unified Roman culture. It is this aspect of the Empire which is most often seen by foreigners, and which can be found in one form or another within every single Roman province. Although certain aspects of other cultures have been assimilated, this process of Romanization has not made it any less "Roman". The Roman culture is therefore the largest pure culture in the entire country, in the sense that it is not being actively influenced by another larger culture, as is the case with nearly all of the others.

Nevertheless, all cultures in the Empire are exemplified by many inherent allusions to both Christianity and their Old Religion, being unique in the case of each. Whilst in the arts, scientific developments and politics, references to the Roman Gods are very popular, this is not out of longing nostalgia but instead a different way of thinking in terms of culture that exists in the world. With the planet split into large national blocks, most cultures have become highly homogeneous, often being forced into conformity by the state. Ironically, the Romans are one of the only countries to have not done this, and have instead nurtured certain cultures to create something like internal nations within the Empire itself.

Language
The de jure language of Roman culture, and of the Empire, is the Lingua Latina. Stemming from a form of Latin that existed in the years of the early Republic, Modern Latin only first came into its present shape around the end of the Republic and early Imperial years. It has steadily evolved in the two thousand years since but only the spelling of a lot of the words has changed, or words have been added from another language. Despite these slight changes, Latin is the oldest language in the world that is still in use in a form close to its original usage.

Currently over 90% of the Empire's population, or nearly 2 billion people, are are fluent in either Latin or one of its more vulgar forms. Most importantly, every single person of Roman birth, and who is therefore part of the Roman culture, is fully fluent in Latin. It it the language taught in every school, and through which most subjects are taught in, and is the official language of the Roman government and state. Literally no matter what part of the Empire one might find themselves in, they'll hear one group or another conversing in Latin. It is truly one of the most recognized symbols of imperial presence and power, almost as recognizable as the eagle itself.

The Academia Lingua was founded by Emperor Optime in 1221 as a finalization for his academic reforms of the previous 25 years. This body better organized the rules for the Latin language and manage the different vulgar varieties that had been popping up, an event not too dissimilar from early Christianity's methods of wiping out schisms. Not only did this create a more centralized and organized Lingua Latina, but it allowed for the government to actively improve and maintain the language. New words could be officially created, spelling and pronunciation could be argued and decided upon, and the semantics and definitions inherent to the language could be made more uniform. Due to this organization, Latin is generally considered one of the most functional and aesthetic languages in the world, even amongst members of the non-Roman world. It has therefore become the de facto language for international affairs, particularly in organizations that are in at least one way associated with Rome itself.