From pop culture references to origins of everyday words and phrases, modern society has always borrowed from the Greek and Roman cultures. Their advanced cultures and unique religious structures set up a perfect example for societies after to follow. Most importantly, their religions, or mythologies, are the most studied and admired by today’s culture. Their gods and rituals were some of the biggest influences on the most important aspects of culture today. Greek and Roman religions influenced modern society in many ways.

The lunar calendar was derived from the Greek system, but the names of the months come from both Greek and Roman influences. January is named after the Greek god Januarius, or the Roman equivalent Janus; he was the god of new beginnings. February comes from the Greek feast of purification called Februa. March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. April is named after Aphrodite, the goddess of love and fertility. June is named after the Roman goddess Juno, queen of the gods. July and August are named after the famous Roman emperors Julius and Augustus Caesar.

They added these two months in after the original calendar was made, which threw off the numbering system they had for the rest of the months. For example, September was suppose to be the seventh month since "sept" is the Latin root for seven, but since the two months of July and August were added, it is now the ninth month.

It goes on like that: October comes from "octo," which means eight; November comes from "nove," which means nine; and December comes from "deci" which means 10. So the last four months were named after the order in which they were set on the calendar, until the two emperors added their own months. A mix of Roman and Greek influence created what is known as the modern calendar.

Many times in pop culture, mythology is used to tell modern stories. Mythological creatures are used throughout children’s books, which first appeared in Greek writings. The book series “Percy Jackson” puts a modern twist on the use of Greek mythology by incorporating the gods within the stories.

Most famously, the “Harry Potter” series makes use of these creatures, but uses even further references. One character in the book is a professor of divination; her first name was Cassandra and everyone thought that she was a false prophet because they saw her as old and senile. That relates back to the Greek tales of the woman named Cassandra, who was blessed with the gift of seeing into the future and who predicted the Trojan war. Except the fault in her gift was that no one would believe her.

Also, most recently, pop singer and songwriter Lady Gaga references the Roman goddess Venus in her album “Artpop,” and depicts herself wearing seashells, referencing the birth of Venus from the seafoam. All these examples of mythology are in still use in modern culture.

Small aspects of our culture are borrowed from the Romans, which they borrowed from Greek influence. Another small example is the use of Latin root words and phrases. The word “aphrodisiac” means a food or drink that induces sexual desire. This word comes from the goddess Aphrodite, who was the goddess of sex. Also, “erotic” comes from the god Eros, or as we commonly know him by his Roman name, Cupid. This is also another idea we borrowed from Roman culture. In his myths, Cupid would shoot people with his arrows and make them fall in love with one another: the same idea of Cupid that people have today. These are only a few examples of how words were influenced originally by the Latin roots of the Roman religions.

Lastly, sports were originally invented by the Greeks in honor of the gods. Festivals were held monthly for the gods and they would include games and parties to honor them. The origin of the Olympics came from Greek culture. Everything they did in celebration was in honor of the gods in some way, and sports are not excluded from this idea.

The Greeks and Romans were very pious cultures and everything they did was in some way to honor or pray to the gods. Since their cultures were so advanced, it is only natural that their customs be passed down throughout the ages. In doing so, Greek and Roman religion was able to influence modern culture in many aspects of everyday life.