The Roman Debt to Greece

[Epictetus]

To just add a small footnote to Max's excellent post: today many historians speak of an orientalising phase for very early Rome (and elsewhere), meaning the influence from Greek sources, including sources filtered through the Etruscans and Phoenicians. Some have suggested that even Rome's proto-urban and urban stages were due to orientalising influences. So, yes, Rome owed much to Greece throughout its history.