History Is Short Enough, if You Know How to Use It

On our current obsession with the Roman Empire.

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Portrait in bas-relief of Julius Caesar, inspired by the medals of the Roman era, carved on the base of the facade of the basilica Certosa di Pavia. Pavia, Italy, ‎1396-‎1507. (Photo by Fototeca Gilardi/Getty Images)

So, why do men—a certain kind of man, anyway—think about the Roman Empire so often? 

The question has, for some reason, been on the public mind in the past week or so, and has produced a number of interesting and amusing essays, podcasts, etc. Please enjoy Jonah Goldberg’s “All Rants Lead to Rome” if you haven’t already. 

Here are some of my thoughts. 

It may very well be that men interested in politics and society think about Rome for the same reason Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest: because it is there. 

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  1. Avatar photo
    Ben Connelly

    Yeah the period from 100 BC to 100 AD is very rich in literary and historical works of Latin, so it makes sense. If anything, we don’t spend much time at all reading or thinking about stuff that happened too far outside of that period (with a few obvious exceptions). Rome lasted 12 centuries but we focus more on 2.

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    Jaredmanly77

    I like this take. Hadn’t really considered this angle.

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    Rajeev

    I feel like we constantly for good reason reference Machiavelli when we talk about political strategy & tactics. However, I often at times think that Marcus Aurelius is a better or just as effective study & reference especially when discussing global politics.

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  4. Jfan

    At the beginning of Caesar's Commentaries, he recounts how people he met in the north related a complicated tale of woe. The king got tired of collecting taxes on river traffic himself, and decided to put out the toll collection contract for competitive bidding. A local gangster intimidated all others from bidding for the contract, and was able to win it with a low bid. As a result he became rich. That one I remember: Privatization, competitive bidding, racketeering -- nothing changes.

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    Stephen Hall

    Does singing Latin during my many years as a chorister count as thinking about Rome? Barely survived my 2 years of HS Latin. I’m the outlier who doesn’t have Rome on the brain.

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  6. Owenoofta

    Given the topic of this essay I recommend the book, Pagans & Christians in the City : Culture Wars from the Tiber to the Potomac, by Steven D. Smith (2018, Emory University Studies in Law & Religion Series John Witte Jr. Ed.) and the recent essay in First Things - WE ARE REPAGANIZING by Louise Perry.

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    1. Richardzuelch

      Thanks for the recommendation. It sounds like an interesting book.

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  7. Pohl

    A Rome article every week would be a nice feature. Wrong website? Probably. I liked this one as a teaser.

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    Reepicheep (Judd)

    Somehow, I just knew that Kyle field was an appropriate metric for the growth of human civilization. Surprised to see Kevin admit it.

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    1. Kevin Williamson

      I'm sure it is human; I am not sure it is civilization.

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        Reepicheep (Judd)

        Heh.

        Speaking of Aggies, did you see Tyler Cowen's re-blurb of this a few days ago? Yikes.

        =============

        Texas A&M on campus and surrounding student housing precincts:

        2000: R+57
        2004: R+44.4
        2008: R+19.1
        2012: R+26.2
        2016: D+3.1
        2020: D+22.9

        2022 Gov: D+36.5 (!!!)

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    Reepicheep (Judd)

    Fun to see Latin nerd Kevin holding forth.

    The Stoics are attractive to those who are a bit interested in the bronze age pervert stuff but are still too culturally embarrassed to throw Christian ethics completely down the drain. Everybody please give your local proud boy a copy of Marcus Aurelius. It won't save his soul but might poke Trump in the eye, slightly.

    Gibbon's whinging about Christians was not novel at all. Fifth century pagans were already positively enraged at how hospitality, women's rights, and saving orphans had become such a scourge to the empire.

    Of course, fundies whinging about secularists destroying society, and vice versa, has the tone now of college sophomores blaming our "capitalist" system for the demise of society. Blaming such a mongrel system for anything dire has the benefit of excusing one from making critical distinctions in judgment.

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  10. Nathan Briggs

    I wish I could remember the source but I remember the church in Ireland, while successive waves of heathens reduced the empire, as a fly in amber. I think it was in reference to Ireland being at the fringe of Europe plus the monasteries preserving traditions, teachings, and writing. And then sending out missionaries to re-start the church in Western Europe.
    Does this sound familiar? Or is this just propaganda from Boston?

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    1. On Fox River

      "How the Irish Saved Civilization" by Thomas Cahill.

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        Ceich62

        He makes the point that Ireland was the only western land Christianized without prior Roman conquest.

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      2. Nathan Briggs

        Thanks!!

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