Ursus

As long as you don't open with an inflammatory statement and/or highly controversial topic, I think you should feel quite free to start a thread. Most people are actually friendly and reasonable. And if someone does happen to bite off your head when you didn't deserve it, let me know. I shall bite off their head.

For those that care about such things, it also inspired Republicanism. The infamous Machiavelli was praising the virtues of Roman republicanism as early as the 1500s. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourses_on_Livy

Imposed unity on them, for one thing. Greek freedom was often nothing but the freedom to fight petty turf wars with each other. For another thing, preserved and spread their culture to some degree.

"Star Wars: The Imperial March" for Caesar, and "Star Wars: Emperor's Theme" for Augustus.

I bought EU today on a whim because I seriously needed a distraction ... And I have to say I'm very disappointed and severely wish I had waited for the bargain bin. There are indeed considerable flaws, especially with unit movement.

*nods* True.

In other words they provided the political, legal and physical infrastructure by which the Mediterranean and its hinterlands were furnished with a common meta-culture, bringing both subjectively good and bad elements, and laying the groundwork for the very idea of a universal empire that would inspire future generations? Yeah, I'll go with that. I'd only add "economic" to the list of infrastructures. Wherever the Romans went in the West, they founded cities and an urban economies linked to the greater Mediterranean. Good point. Heck, the forts/settlements they founded became the great cities of Medieval Europe, a contribution in their own right.

I'm sure this particular line of argument will spiral out of control and become its own thread, but ... I've heard the argument presented many times before that Christ himself was all sweetness and light, and only when his religion was organized and codified under the auspices of the Roman state did it become an instrument of sectarian violence. I don't believe it, myself. "He who is not with me is against me ... I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword" etc. He wasn't a pacifist. He was a heretical zealot with a serious axe to grind, and a rabble rouser preparing for the perceived end of the world.

In other words they provided the political, legal and physical infrastructure by which the Mediterranean and its hinterlands were furnished with a common meta-culture, bringing both subjectively good and bad elements, and laying the groundwork for the very idea of a universal empire that would inspire future generations? Yeah, I'll go with that.

I greatly enjoyed the thesis, Jasminia. Congratulations.

I've studied primarily Romans, Greeks and Egyptians. I would say I have the basics covered for most of the rest of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean peoples, though minor cultures like Hittites elude me. Currently when I am not reading up on Rome, I read up on the Hellenistic era - the Ptolemies, the Seleucids, etc. Most of the best scholarship seems to be a generation old.

If that's the state of things, it should be shut off from the public and open only to scholars and cultural officials.

Quite extraordinary if true.

Lucky dog. Enjoy yourself, sounds promising (although that Tin Man series the star previously played in was quite bad, I thought).

I enjoyed Heather's style immensely. I had nothing to do with the Late Empire until he came along.

Yes, those were most excellent adventures.

Google strikes again. http://www.texascoritani.com/groups.html

I highly recommend "Roman Life" by John R. Clarke. With it comes a CD of a complete tour of a house from Pompeii - the famous house of the Vetii.

Salve, U It must be a bear affinity thing: Ursula meets Ursus. Yeah ...I should have been the one to interview her!

http://inkwellreview.blogspot.com/ I don't usually go for fiction but I am very tempted to read this.

Just read "Roman Women" by Eve D'Ambra. A short review for this short work was duly submitted. Moving on to "The Roman Army" by Pat Southern. Though I don't usually care for military studies, Southern's clear prose and no nonsense approach is making it enjoyable.

Yeah, I can't comment as it takes too long to load. But if you had a good vacation, that is all that matters.

The current issue of the Traveller has a few pages on attractions for the eternal city: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/

I rather agree with Kosmo's assessment. And furthermore, when I was in college a few years ago, the intellectual prism through which the majority of professional academics viewed history and social sciences was at the opposite end from social darwinism.