The Romans were always warlike. Their only prolonged period of peace was under their second king, Numa. The doors to the Temple of Janus were closed only during time of peace, and they were only closed once during the period between the reign of King Numa and the Principate of Augustus, a period of perhaps […]
Quora Question: When and Why did the Romans Begin to Conquer Other Peoples
April 4, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Quora Question: What did Hannibal Think of the Romans
March 18, 2019 By 2 Comments
Hannibal was indoctrinated by his father, Hamilcar Barca, to hate the Romans. There is a story that, before taking Hannibal with him to Spain, Hamilcar took him to the Temple of Elissa at Carthage and made him swear an oath: “When I come to age, I shall pursue the Romans with fire and sword and […]
Quora Question: Is the Roman Republic Similar to the Modern American Republic
February 18, 2019 By Leave a Comment
No. It is a very dicey proposition to compare any modern republic to the pre-industrial society of Rome. The founding fathers of the U.S. had some admiration for Roman political forms and took some of the ideas of the Greek historian Polybius in account in establishing the political institutions of the new republic. Polybius pointed […]
Book Review: Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean
August 5, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean How is it that a party that only 26% of American voters belong to has come to control most of our state governments and all branches of the Federal Government? Nancy MacLean, in her book Democracy in Chain describes a long term and effective movement to undermine democracy in […]
Book Review: Feast of Sorrow by Crystal King
June 6, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Feast of Sorrow is a brilliant work of Historical fiction which seamlessly interweaves fictional and historical characters and, in addition, provides an insight into how the Romans conducted their famous feasts, what foods they ate and how they were prepared. Apicius was a famous gourmand of first century A.D. Rome, the beginning of the Julio-Claudian […]
What Ancient Rome owed to Greece.
May 17, 2018 By Leave a Comment
This was a Quora question that I responded to. How does the phrase “the conqueror became the conquered one” relate to Rome’s imperial expansion into the Hellenistic world? Robin Levin, works at Writers and Authors (2012-present) This was the sentiment of Quintus Horatius Flaccus, commonly known as Horace, who lived from 65 B.C. to […]
Identifying the Disease
February 18, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Mass shootings. Ever growing numbers of Americans living in tents. A crumbling infrastructure. A failing educational system. A generation mired in educational debt. A minimum wage that doesn’t remotely cover the costs of living. Ever increasing extremes of wealth and poverty. A corrupt, incompetent and venal presidency. A corrupt, incompetent and venal legislature that does […]
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