What is your opinion on the Roman Empire?

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RavVid · Accepted Answer

I visited a superb museum in Torino Italy. You entered at the bottom and walked around up an inclining ramp around and around. As you walked around and around you progressed forward in time

At the bottom was stone age remains. Probably Western Hunter and Gathers and Neolithic Farmers, maybe Beaker people. Dunno because they just had the age and I didn't know the breaks of those ethno periods. Very primitive.

Then suddenly there was a whole lot of good stuff. Proper coins, pottery, carved marble friezes. The quality was really high - better than you would get today.

Then it all turned to shit. Wooden bowls, wooden spoons. Several loops later it was still shit but there was a gradually improving quality. By the time you got to the 1700's the quality of the artifacts was getting to within reach of the Roman period. Even at the exit the quality was not as good as the roman period.

I still feel sad about the fall of Rome. A lot of people think the Roman Empire ended around 400 AD not knowing the Eastern Roman empire continued to 1453. Fortunately when the writing was on the wall a lot of scholars fled to Italy with manuscripts to kick start the Renaissance.

Overall I would summarize as the Romans were good at engineering (which includes military organization weapons and armor in my view) and pinching ideas. It is quite remarkable the number of things that weren't surpassed by Western Europe till the late 1800's and in some cases the 1900's.

I do have to confess they were shit at brick work. Probably because they used legionaries who didn't care that much about getting the courses even. Still a lot of their stuff continues to stand so I can't be too critical. Their concrete is still better than ours but we seem to be cracking their code finally.

KostasKouvalis · Accepted Answer

It's a cool empire. I think it was well ahead of its time. And to occupy three continents with so many different cultures was quite an achievement at the time. They were also one of the few cultures who were into feet, but I do think they were stupid for persecuting Christians for so long, then finally saying, "To hell with it, let's legalize it and destroy our own temples"

AngryCarl2 · Answer

I think it was probably fine when it started. They built some of our best roads. Their worst excesses happened when the Empire was in decline, much like America is now.

andreasderjuengere · Answer

2000 years ago my people kicked them out when they attempted to extend their (mostly robbed) territory. ''We'' don't need others to tell ''us'' what to do :D My opinion: Empires come; and empires go.

RyanEC · Answer

I think the Roman Empire was great. I see it as the beginning of western civilization. The art, the engineering, the architecture still influences the west today.

DJB72 · Answer

It's my opinion it collapsed about 1900 years ago...

Dargil · Answer

The American Empire (The USA) is copying it and we are beginning to fall.

Anonymous · Answer

Greatest empire of the ancient world. It no coincidence that when Rome collapsed the world was plunged into darkness that lasted a 1000 years.

Anonymous · Answer

i miss my wife and kids from my previous life and i regret the lives i took in battles and in wars i'm sorry to all who lost their lives by me during those years i was following orders

westsideman · Answer

Ruled the world much better than shit hole called US.

OddBeMe · Answer

Slacked off at the end.

Anonymous · Answer

Eh... that question is so broad.

What is your opinion on the Roman Empire?

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