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[Feh on your Scipio. Hannibal gets major points for annhilating his foes using novel tactics left Rome weeping. He loses a lot of points(and his life btw) for not knowing how to use his victories.I remember a quote, "One may know how to gain a victory, and not know how to use it!" I think it is attributed to Hamilicar Barca.
Uh, actually... that was from this guy... Close though! I think Maharbal is often attributed that quote, mistakenly. He apparently remarked something very similar to Hannibal as they marched away from Rome after Cannae.
The Romans all seemed like a bunch of jerks to me.Take more history classes. Eventually you'll see that they're tame by comparison to some of the big jerks in history, even if they're still jerks. :)
Still feh. The Romans were notorious for writing histories that made everyone else around them sound monstrous when they could be just as civil and vicious as Romans were.
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Interesting thread to be sure. I would have to agree with the OP's conclusion that his class pretty much sucks. I also tend to agree with W.E. Ray about the value of a liberal arts education. Hell, my undergrad history/English degree has served me well in the business world for 15 years. Also, for anyone who enjoys a very readable and well-regarded history, I highly recommend Adrienne Mayor's recent work on Mithradates, The Poison King.
The Romans all seemed like a bunch of jerks to me.Take more history classes. Eventually you'll see that they're tame by comparison to some of the big jerks in history, even if they're still jerks. :)
The Romans were a bunch of dooty-heads!
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So, at the end of the class that started this whole thread, we were assigned to write a ten-page "tabloid" re: one ancient Roman architectural site. I was assigned the Arch of Titus.
So, I invented the Jewish Vanguard, complete with hammer-and-sickle artwork and wrote a bunch of pages attacking Titus, Vespasian, Josephus, Berenice, Domitian; honoring Masada and the Zealots, etc., etc. (And, yes, Life of Brian was an influence)
It was fun, mind you, inventing my own ancient Judaean socialist party, but the class was so lame that I haven't been back to that school since.
The Romans all seemed like a bunch of jerks to me.
I find them awfully fun to read about from time to time, but they're definitely the kind of culture I'd prefer to live far away from.
Hannibal's scorched earth policy ruined farms throughout the Italian peninsula and was, eventually, one of the factors that led to the fall of the Roman Republic. Not in his lifetime ... but he had his revenge.
What revenge.... Hannibal annoyed the Romans to the point Scipo's grand "nephew" Scipio tore Carthage to the ground, enslaved the populous, and salted the fields so nothing could be cultivated. The a century or two later established a Roman colony on the site.
One of the Plinys (the elder I am guessing) used to start every speech with the words "Carthage must be destroyed".
The republic was doomed when the Romans started to expand their control beyond the Latin and Etruscan cities on the Italian peninsular. The republic was not at all suited to an imperial system as it was set up to be abused..... The imperium was a much more efficient form of government for those in charge to achieve their aims.
One of the Plinys (the elder I am guessing) used to start every speech with the words "Carthage must be destroyed".
It was Cato (the elder), in fact.
Not to be confused with Cato the younger, which is easily done if you've watched Rome. ;)
One of the Plinys (the elder I am guessing) used to start every speech with the words "Carthage must be destroyed".It was Cato (the elder), in fact.
Not to be confused with Cato the younger, which is easily done if you've watched Rome. ;)
I stand corrected :-) I much prefer Greece to Rome as a subject.
HBO's Rome was excellent, I would love to see them do a version of the Peloponnesian War.
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Still feh. The Romans were notorious for writing histories that made everyone else around them sound monstrous when they could be just as civil and vicious as Romans were.
Terry Jones had their number in that recent show about Gaul before the empire crapped all over it under claims of "liberating it".
I like to think Vercingetorix got some solid snaps in before his execution.
Terry Jones had their number in that recent show about Gaul before the empire crapped all over it under claims of "liberating it".I like to think Vercingetorix got some solid snaps in before his execution.
The sad truth seems to be that you don't get to rule the world without being a right asshat.
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The sad truth seems to be that you don't get to rule the world without being a right asshat.
Terry Jones had their number in that recent show about Gaul before the empire crapped all over it under claims of "liberating it".I like to think Vercingetorix got some solid snaps in before his execution.
Let that be a lesson to you. ;)
As usual I am joining this thread much too late.
I have had an abiding intertest in ancient Roman history for over 20 years. In fact, the DnD campaign world I created was dominated by a very Roman Empire-like analogue.
There is a lot of enjoyable historical fiction set in ancient Rome In addition to Robert I particularly enjoyed Colleen McCullough's lengthy and painstakingly researched series that begins with The First Man in Rome and Lindsey Davis' series set in Vespasian's Rome. Of course, original sources and modern historians are all readily available and fascinating reading.
Incidentally, I borrowed an idea for a bit in my Pathfinder module Tomb of the Iron Medusa from Roman history. I'll give a shiny new penny at GenCon to anyone who can name the reference.
Philosophy major here.
When I had to learn more about Roman history in order to teach Greek and Roman philosophy, I made good use of The Civilization of Rome by Pierre Grimal, a French scholar and reputedly one of the best historian of his generation. I don't know about the quality of the translation, as french is my mother tongue, but if it's even close to the original, it's a fantastic work and a really good read to get you started.
As usual I am joining this thread much too late.
I have had an abiding intertest in ancient Roman history for over 20 years. In fact, the DnD campaign world I created was dominated by a very Roman Empire-like analogue.
There is a lot of enjoyable historical fiction set in ancient Rome In addition to Robert I particularly enjoyed Colleen McCullough's lengthy and painstakingly researched series that begins with The First Man in Rome and Lindsey Davis' series set in Vespasian's Rome. Of course, original sources and modern historians are all readily available and fascinating reading.
Incidentally, I borrowed an idea for a bit in my Pathfinder module Tomb of the Iron Medusa from Roman history. I'll give a shiny new penny at GenCon to anyone who can name the reference.
I used to have a signed copy of First Man in Rome... I lent it to somebody at Uni and it came back with the cover ripped off, arrgh.
Podcasts to pick up if you are interested are Ancient Rome Refocused, Mike Duncan's History of Rome, Ancient Warfare Magazines Podcast, and 12 Byzantine Rulers,... all top quality.