The History Of Rome - nihil novi
I’ve been listening to “The History of Rome” podcast recently. There is nothing new under the sun: Plagues (er, “pandemics”), riots, xenophobia, wars, greed, ambition, and political factions.
It’s filling in a lot of gaps and details for me. I would recommend if you’re interested in history. Today’s basic problems are not new.
Figure 1: Life-Size Lego Roman Soldier, Lego Store, Rome, 2019
Post 22 #100DaysToOffload https://100daystooffload.com/
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Why was Mark Twain’s home town named for a general who ultimately lost? (hit, he spent 10 years wondering around Italy conquering everything but Rome itself and his tactics are still studied in military schools).
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Where did Tolkien get the idea for war “Oliphants”? (related to the last question).
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What is a Pyrrhic Victory? (hint: the kind you don’t want many of)
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What happens when you move from a democratic society made up of a broad base of citizens with wide distribution of wealth (farms) to one where most of the wealth is held in a few hands (hint: Jefferson and the other American founders had seen where that lead and thus championed the idea of the “Yoeman farmer”)
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How do you accomplish land (wealth) reform and not get killed? Ask the Gracci, wait, they were both killed. Ask the American Indians, wait, wait…
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What happens when the reward structure for civic and military leaders morphs from community-minded civic responsibility to personal power bases and personal enrichment? (you get Caesar … who gave us the basic calendar we use to this day … and then got killed)
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Is peace under military dictatorship (the “Pax Romana”) worth the loss of freedom? What have the Romans ever done for us?