Thinking about Rome?
By Amy Barr with The Lukeion Project
I agree that anyone hoping to better understand the modern world should look at Rome. The parallels are clear. Comparisons will lend insight to students of history. The best takeaways still serve us well today. Her worst ideas continue to echo through current events. Take five minutes to think about Rome. I’ll keep things brief.
The Romans were famous for adapting and adopting good ideas from other nations and then turning them into great ideas. Architecture, for example, was given a tremendous boost by the ancient Greeks. The Romans enjoyed their artistry and then tweaked the Greek post-and-lintel system by adding the arch. Adapting arches into barrel vaults and groin vaults allowed architects to craft massive structures like the Colosseum and Pantheon. If they tucked those vaults underground, they crafted effective sewer systems that allowed towns to become massive cities. Further adaptations meant Romans had fresh water year-round. This lead to all sorts of luxurious spa experiences that would fetch high prices today though they were usually free in ancient Rome.
The list of Roman contributions is long, and this blog is brief. Highlights include roads (many still used after 2000 years), Latin (still used today in all academic fields worldwide), cement, plumbing, reliable water pressure, good sanitation, heated floors, and hot tubs the size of swimming pools, and unforgettable sports venues. Rome got close to a global currency that worked just about everywhere (we have found Roman coins in India, China, and throughout Europe. Their legal system was sensible, reliable, and included basic human rights applicable to citizen and foreigner alike.
Neutral contributions include the introduction of fast-food restaurants with take-out, massive free public entertainment events that would last for days of blissful vacation time, and satire as a national pastime. The Romans had a relaxed lifestyle with delicious and readily available food but still loved to crack jokes about all of it. Such is human nature.
The Roman Republic was first established in response to the emergent need to topple a violent and dysfunctional monarchy. As is often the case in historical matters, the Romans had to quickly find a good way to prevent tyranny’s return through a decent political and legal system with plenty of checks and balances on her politicians (they considered term limits a great idea, for example). Early American founders had much in common with early Romans. They too sought a better future for our nation when it became clear that none of us needed kings nor queens.
The Roman Republic worked very well for a little more than 400 years. It served the people and senate of Rome in practical ways while Rome grew from a swampy village to city-state, to nation, to world power, to mega power. Things went well until her politicians discovered loopholes in Rome’s systems of checks and balances. The last century of the Republic left the city in tatters and too much of her population dead. A lengthy period of civil war marked the end of the system. Her politicians had learned how to do whatever they wanted whenever they wished. Once laws are gone, tyranny is the result.
Chaos diminished under the very strong leadership of Rome’s first emperor. In a series of astounding turns of events, the 19-year-old successor to Julius Caesar would overthrow his competitors and, after having united Rome for the first time in a century, he would rewrite the Roman constitution and then quit. The senate begged their new commander-in-chief to remain and power while they gave him a new name, Augustus. In a little over a decade he would change everything, all while heralded as a patriotic and traditional man-of-the-people. He did love Rome and her empire. He was quick to rebuild, reunite, and expand. Augustus had tremendous organizational abilities, but he also had two big problems. First, he couldn’t live forever. Second, though he was long lived, by the time he did die nobody could remember living under any other system.
Wanting a proper heir, Augustus promoted a disappointing stepson who lacked interest in Rome or her people. Under Tiberius, the whole system could have reverted to a Republic, but the Romans bypassed many opportunities because they were too busy attending sports events. They pressed on and installed a long series of truly dreadful emperors who were easily pressured and conned by those that worked for them. The Roman equivalent of the secret service/FBI/CIA (the emperor’s Praetorian guard) learned that they could easily manipulate any emperor who served. The Roman empire was barely beyond infancy when the Praetorian learned how to obtain whatever commands they placed on Rome’s weak rulers.
The most successful emperors learned how to appease the Praetorian guard with lavish perks and extra power, but it was difficult to maintain positive momentum during transitions to a new ruler. Very rarely was an emperor’s son a worthy candidate so success was limited to emperors chosen for practical skills and intellect rather than legacy.
The Roman empire became massive while her enemies became clever and powerful. They would learn to pick and peck at her boundaries while Rome slowly died of a thousand cuts.
What caused the fall of Rome? That’s the subject of many books and theories. Rome fell when she outlived her own success by a couple of centuries. Once there were no more major money-making-wars to fight, she turned her attention to micro-managing the empire. Too much governmental oversight was disastrous. Towards the end, the powers governing Rome split her into quarters and made her rulers and sub-rulers bustle around in mobile command units as needed (or even not as needed). Rome as a city lost her identity as capital while new city-centers grew in importance for the sake of convenience.
Perceiving that the leviathan formerly known as Rome was aging and weakening, her enemies kicked at all her doors and windows until they were eventually invited in. Under the pressures of disease, overextended military forces, squandered taxes, under-performing leadership, and a disinterested population, Rome invited her enemies to join their rat race. They were invited to serve in her military and guard her boundaries. Such soldiers had no interest in a Roman way of life. Rome fizzled, sputtered, and died.
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