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Seriously, though. How often do you think of the Roman Empire? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by 1bluepixel@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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I know this is a joke/meme, but I sincerely think of the Roman Empire a surprising amount of times. I find myself obsessing over how Roman citizens were living just as complex lives as we are today, or about Marcus Aurelius' life and philosophy, or about how the Republic fell and became a totalitarian state.

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[–] redballooon@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think you are confusing impact and desire for role model there. The impact of the Roman Empire, as well as western colonialism is exactly as you describe it, and it’s not wrong to think about these things.

Just because someone does that doesn’t mean they laude that in any way.

[–] crackajack@reddthat.com 1 points 1 year ago

There is a AskHistorians question in reddit on the legacy of the Roman empire. The response has been that the idea of being the shining beacon on the hill is one of the enduring cultural legacy of Rome, especially with many European/Western countries presenting themselves as entities spreading civilisation to the unknown world, echoing the Roman legacy in Europe, Middle East and North Africa.