Urbanization matters. “If on politics we have a bit of a mix between decline and continuity, when it comes to the cities that made up the old political system, the ‘decline and fall’ knight strikes a clear blow: the system… Read More »Collections: Rome: Decline and Fall? Part II: Institutions
Why everyone listens and watches the old shit.
Rome has not fallen in a day. “Roman Empire in the west was swept over by some destructive military tide. Instead the process here is one in which the parts of the western Roman Empire steadily fragment apart as central… Read More »Collections: Rome: Decline and Fall? Part I: Words
“Imagine I were to build a bridge over a stream and for twenty years the bridge stays up and then one day, quite unexpectedly, the bridge collapses. We can ask why the bridge fell down, but the fundamental force of… Read More »Collections: The Queen’s Latin or Who Were the Romans, Part V: Saving And Losing an Empire
Modern concept of race cannot be applied to the past. “I want to note that I think this argument begins from a mistaken premise: it is assuming that the divisions we impose today on our culture are fundamentally true in… Read More »Collections: The Queen’s Latin or Who Were the Romans? Part IV: The Color of Purple
People are complex. “identities are not exclusive; they layer and coexist, sometimes easily, sometimes in tension. This insight is essential to make any sense out of how historical people think of themselves and define themselves and others.” https://acoup.blog/2021/07/16/collections-the-queens-latin-or-who-were-the-romans-part-iii-bigotry-and-diversity-at-rome/
USA or Trum do not go to war. American citizens electing him are. “Citizenship status was clearly extremely important to the ancients whose communities had it. Greek and Roman writers, for instance, do not generally write that ‘Athens’ or ‘Carthage’… Read More »Collections: The Queen’s Latin or Who Were the Romans, Part II: Citizens and Allies
Some sens for crazy world.
There in some truth in any story. “Legends are a tricky historical source to use. The key is to remember that the value of these legends for us is often not in their truth about the past (which may be… Read More »Collections: The Queen’s Latin or Who Were the Romans? Part I: Beginnings and Legends
Slavery as necessity. “To greatly simplify, in this vision, what makes the ancient economy distinct from other subsequent forms was its substantial reliance on slavery (as opposed to dependent tenants or wage laborers) as the main system by which labor… Read More »Collections: Teaching Paradox, Imperator, Part IIa: Pops and Chains