20<\/div>SHARES<\/span><\/div>

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The year in \u201ca word,\u201d according to a Dec.\u200b 22 Financial\u2064 Times article<\/a>, is \u201cThe Roman [E]mpire.\u201d The Roman Empire also\u2062 happened\u2064 to tie into one of the year\u2019s top social media trends<\/a>, according<\/a> to The New York Times. That\u2019s pretty impressive, given it was only in September that people the world over were suddenly\u2063 fascinated, perplexed, and amused by how often men think about \u2064it.<\/p>\n

More than 1 billion \u200dpeople<\/a> viewed a TikTok video encouraging\u200b women to ask the men in their lives how often they think about the\u2062 subject. \u201cThree times a day,\u201d answers one \u200dman<\/a> to his fianc\u00e9 in one viral video; in another, a woman\u2019s father explains<\/a> that using the commode provokes thoughts \u2063of \u201d \u2063how the Romans invented the modern-day sewage system.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Granted, there\u2019s plenty to commend a political entity that lasted a thousand years, which at its height \u200dcontrolled an empire spanning three continents and crafted technological \u2063advances that still amaze modern man. And yet, truth be told, the society from \u2062which \u2064that empire issued was already\u200c showing signs\u2064 of decrepitude during the\u2063 life of Christ, a century before \u200bthe empire reached its greatest\u200b extent during the reign of Trajan. Rome\u2019s greatest victories, in some respects, precipitated and accelerated its downfall.\u200b As such,\u200d they \u200bserve as a cautionary tale for those seeking to identify the traits of a thriving civilization.<\/p>\n

Early Signs \u2062of Imperial Problems<\/h2>\n
As the story typically goes, Rome propelled herself onto the world stage via strict adherence to republican virtue and civic piety. In three wars with the Carthaginians, the republic proved her mettle, courageously suffering catastrophic \u2062losses \u2014 including approximately\u2062 50,000 in a single day at Cannae \u2014 but ultimately \u2063triumphed. Just\u200d over a century after the end of the Third \u200cPunic War in 146 B.C., Rome exerted total dominance over the entire Mediterranean and made significant\u200b incursions into Gaul, central Europe, and Asia Minor.<\/p>\n
And yet, the very same expansion that occurred as \u2064Rome transitioned from a republic to an empire acted to obscure the virtues cementing her success. Originally a cultural backwater of the Mediterranean \u200cworld, conquest brought her into communication with a rich diversity of ideas, beliefs, and practices that\u200d undermined her\u200d rigid, family-focused principles. Twentieth-century French scholar and member of\u200d the Acad\u00e9mie fran\u00e7aise \u2062Henri Daniel-Rops explains in the first \u200cvolume of his History of the Church of Christ<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n
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Her conquests led Rome into a kind of spiritual\u2064 no man\u2019s\u2062 land. Her intake of spiritual \u2062ideas \u2014 all those things which form the very basis of a civilization, its interpretation of life, the conception which it has of itself \u2014 came less and \u2062less from her own ancient loyalties. As they became more cultured and civilized the Romans deviated more and more from the ideal picture of their race that they had held in bygone days,\u2062 regarding it now\u2062 as uncouth and old-fashioned.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Even\u2062 in \u200dthe earliest days of the empire, Roman society was already descending into hedonism and backstabbing intrigue \u2014 the poet Sextus Propertius called the vacation city of Baiae<\/a>,\u00a0\u200c frequented by indulgent, conspiring Roman elites, a \u201cden of licentiousness and vice.\u201d The emperor Augustus instituted laws \u2014 the leges Juliae<\/em> \u2014 to combat the scourges of adultery and divorce, \u2062though\u2063 with little effect. <\/p>\n
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\u201cOf\u200c late years\u200d wealth has made us greedy, and self-indulgence has \u200cbrought us, through every form\u2064 of sensual excess, to be, if I may so put it, in\u200b love\u2062 with death both individual and collective,\u201d observed ancient Roman historian Livy in his History of Rome<\/em>. <\/p>\n
The Unexpected Curses of an Empire<\/h2>\n
The same Roman generals who\u200b expanded the empire into \u2063Europe, Asia, and Africa \u200dreturned to Rome \u2062with\u2062 astronomical amounts of gold. Tributes levied on eastern provinces alone amounted to \u2064annual\u200b deliveries\u2064 of 90 \u2063million gold sovereigns. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn an\u2062 era when capital possessed \u200bfew outlets for investment,\u200d owing to the lack of large-scale industry,\u200d gold merely enabled the common people to stop working, and the idle rich to spend riotously on dwelling-houses, food and drink and material pleasures of all \u2064kinds,\u201d writes Daniel-Rops. <\/p>\n
Imagine if\u200b an entire society won the lottery. Actually, you don\u2019t even need\u200d to imagine: The citizens of the exorbitantly wealthy \u200b(and decadent) Gulf state of Qatar<\/a> \u2014 which has made a fortune off oil and gas \u2014 enjoy tax-free \u2064incomes, high-paying government jobs, free health care<\/a>,\u200b free higher education<\/a>, financial support for newlyweds, housing support, subsidies that cover utility bills, and plush retirement benefits.<\/p>\n
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Roman wealth was based not on \u2062industrial enterprise benefiting the entire social structure but on\u200d a monopoly\u2064 of gold and land. Wealth was concentrated into fewer and fewer hands \u2014 at one point, half of Roman Africa belonged to six men. There arose\u200b a small class of extremely \u200cwealthy individuals intimately connected \u2063with the \u200bgovernment and separated by a vast financial gulf from the inferior\u2063 strata of society. <\/p>\n
\u201cA serious lack \u2064of\u2063 balance existed between a small, pleasure-loving aristocracy and the enormous mass of the people, which only received the\u200c crumbs of all these benefits of\u200c Roman civilization,\u201d explains Daniel-Rops.<\/p>\n
Military conquests also brought slaves\u2064 to Rome in unprecedented numbers, sometimes as much as 150,000 in \u200ba single campaign. Daniel-Rops writes, \u201cDuring Augustus\u2019s reign, slaves accounted \u2064for more than one-third of\u2064 the population of Rome; in Alexandria, possibly two-thirds.\u201d Consequently, manual labor was no longer performed by the\u200c once-idealized\u2062 citizen-farmer such as\u200c Cincinnatus but by\u200c a massive \u200bunderclass of imported slaves. Cities,\u2064 in turn, overflowed with unemployed and uprooted peasants, skilled workmen, and visiting foreigners, all of whom were parasitic clients paid for their doubtful loyalty by bread and diverted by\u2064 the circus.<\/p>\n
The addictive tendencies of indolence and ceaseless entertainment discouraged the once-fecund Romans from family life, and birth rates plummeted. By the beginning of\u2062 the second century A.D., to\u2063 have\u2062 even three \u2062children was quite exceptional. Men\u200d of means could shirk marriage and its obligations since, as bachelors with female slaves, they possessed bed companions who could be exchanged as they pleased. And\u2064 if these consorts became pregnant, abortion and exposure of \u2062newborn infants (i.e., wanton \u200cabandonment) were easy options.<\/p>\n
Being Rome May Not \u2062Be\u200c a Good Thing<\/h2>\n
Periodic attempts by the state to curb Rome\u2019s suicidal tendencies\u00a0\u2014 such as Augustus\u2019 leges Juliae,<\/em> \u200b which offered benefits to those\u200c who married\u2064 and had at least three male offspring\u200c \u2014 had little effect. The alimenta, <\/em>a welfare program introduced\u2062 in the late first century A.D., seems to have had\u2063 similar \u200daims but, like the efforts \u200bof Augustus, failed to encourage a significant bump \u200din procreation. \u201cA nation is indeed sick at heart if in order to\u2063 live decently and to produce children it needs a series of subsidies\u2063 and rules to enable it to do so,\u201d argues Daniel-Rops.<\/p>\n
A widening uneven distribution of \u2063wealth, the evisceration of \u200can independent middle class and importation of a burgeoning servile\u2063 class, the infantilization of the\u2062 elites\u200d via luxury and mindless entertainment, and the vitiation of the\u2063 family for the sake of freedom and pleasure \u2014 these\u200d were the (unintended) fruits of the Roman imperium. As many scholars<\/a> and pundits<\/a> observe, such trends are also visible in a contemporary America \u2063that \u200cis experiencing rising inequality<\/a>, widespread exploitation of immigrants for cheap labor<\/a>, \u2062a culture of \u200dconstant \u200damusement<\/a>, and the abandonment of the family in the name of\u2062 autonomy, self-fulfillment, and financial security<\/a>.\u200b \u201cWe\u2019re DINKs. \u2063We go to Trader Joe\u2019s and \u2063work-out classes on\u2063 the weekends,\u201d says a woman in a recent video<\/a> that epitomizes an America \u2063 suffering the lowest birthrates in its history<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Whether or not America is Rome, the imperium is as much a cautionary tale as it is an ancient marvel. Concurrent with some of its most remarkable achievements, Rome was already steadily decaying within. Even while it continued accumulating territories, its citizens were growing ever weaker and incapable of self-government. The armies it used\u200b to expand and defend its borders became less Roman and, as \u2064a result, less allegiant to the citizens they swore to\u2064 defend.\u200d It \u200bwas, after all, a Roman mercenary army\u2064 that\u200c sacked the eternal city in 410\u2062 A.D.<\/p>\n
And measures, however well-intentioned, \u2064to renew those ancient Roman mores typically fell flat. \u201cStates have always shown themselves completely incapable of restoring their moral foundations once\u200b they have\u2063 allowed them to weaken,\u201d Daniel-Rops opined. If so, it \u200dwould be good to reflect \u2063on Rome, but perhaps less \u200cso for her glories than for\u200b what lessons we may learn from her descent into oblivion.<\/p>\n
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How can the \u200brise and fall of\u2064 the Roman Empire serve \u200bas a\u2062 cautionary\u200c tale\u2062 for contemporary \u200bsocieties\u2064 facing similar challenges<\/h2>\n
The Rise \u200band Fall \u2063of the Roman \u200bEmpire: \u2063A Cautionary Tale<\/p>\n
The\u2063 year 2023 has been quite an eventful one.\u200d From \u200cpolitical \u2062upheavals to social media trends,\u2064 there \u2063were many topics that \u2062captivated the attention\u200d of the public. However, one unexpected trend emerged that seemed\u2064 to fascinate and perplex\u2063 people around the world \u2013 \u2064the Roman Empire.\u200c According to a Financial Times article, the year could be summed up as “The \u2063Roman Empire,”\u200b and this phenomenon even \u2063made it into the list \u2064of top social media trends\u200d of the year, as reported by\u200b The New York Times.<\/p>\n
The fascination with the Roman Empire \u2062began with a TikTok video that \u2064encouraged women to ask the \u200dmen in their lives how often they think \u2063about this ancient civilization. More than 1 billion people viewed the video, and the responses were both amusing and thought-provoking. Some men admitted to thinking \u200babout the Roman \u200cEmpire \u200bthree times a day, while others \u2063related it to \u200beveryday activities such \u2063as using the commode. \u200cThis\u2062 unexpected \u200ctrend shed light on \u2063the enduring legacy and fascination with this historic empire.<\/p>\n
The Roman\u200b Empire’s longevity, lasting\u2062 for a thousand years and spanning three continents, is certainly commendable. It achieved remarkable \u200ctechnological advancements that still impress modern society. However, beneath its\u200b achievements, signs of\u2064 decay were already\u2063 apparent during \u200dthe time of Christ, a century before its peak \u200cunder the reign of\u200c Trajan. Rome’s greatest victories, \u200bin some ways, contributed\u200d to its downfall. This serves\u2063 as a cautionary tale\u200c for those seeking \u200cto understand \u200dthe traits of a thriving \u200bcivilization.<\/p>\n
Initially, Rome became a dominant force by adhering \u200bstrictly to republican virtues and civic piety. Through \u200bthree wars with the Carthaginians, the republic demonstrated its courage and resilience, even in the face of catastrophic losses. Over a century later, Rome exerted complete dominance over the Mediterranean and expanded into\u2064 Gaul, \u2063central Europe, \u200dand Asia \u2063Minor. However, this expansion created a cultural clash\u200b that undermined the principles that had initially led to Rome’s success.<\/p>\n
Rome’s \u2064conquests\u200d exposed it to a rich diversity of\u200b ideas and beliefs that deviated from its ancient \u200cloyalties and traditions. The once \u200cproud and stoic Romans became\u2062 more\u200d cultured and civilized but also lost touch with \u200btheir roots. Indulgence, \u200dintrigue, and hedonism became prevalent \u200cwithin Roman \u2062society. The poet \u2064Sextus Propertius famously\u200d described\u2063 Baiae, a vacation city frequented by\u2063 the Roman elites, as a haven \u200cof licentiousness and vice. The emperor Augustus attempted to\u200d combat these vices through legislation but with limited success.<\/p>\n
The accumulation of wealth\u2063 during Rome’s \u2064conquests further exacerbated\u200b its problems. Gold and land became \u200bthe basis \u2064of Roman wealth, concentrating it \u200cinto the hands of \u200ba few individuals. This created a vast \u200dfinancial\u2062 gap between the\u200c wealthy aristocracy and the masses. \u200bSlavery also rose to unprecedented levels, with\u200c slaves accounting for over one-third of\u200d Rome’s population during Augustus’s reign. The influx of cheap labor disrupted the \u200dtraditional citizen-farmer \u200dmodel, leading to unemployment and\u2063 urban overcrowding.<\/p>\n
The addictive tendencies of wealth and entertainment eroded the importance \u2064of \u200dfamily \u200cand \u2064procreation. Birth rates\u2064 plummeted, and the \u2062Roman population declined. Attempts by \u200dthe state \u2064to incentivize marriage and reproduction through welfare programs \u200bhad little effect.\u2062 Rome had lost\u200c its \u2063balance \u2064between an aristocracy \u2062driven by pleasure and the \u200dmajority of the population,\u2064 who \u2063received only\u200b meager\u2062 benefits from \u2064Roman civilization.<\/p>\n
The decline and \u200bfall of the Roman\u2063 Empire serve as a stark warning for contemporary societies,\u2063 particularly those grappling with \u2064rising inequality, exploitation of\u200c labor, and the erosion\u2064 of family values. Just as Rome\u2064 experienced \u200da widening\u200c wealth disparity, the loss\u2062 of an independent middle \u2063class, and the infantilization of the elites, similar trends can be observed in \u2064present-day \u200cAmerica\u2062 and many other nations. Learning from history, it is crucial to \u200crecognize these \u2063warning signs \u200band strive for a more balanced and sustainable \u200dsociety.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, the \u200cunexpected fascination with the Roman Empire in\u200c 2023 highlights its enduring\u200b legacy and the lessons\u2064 it can teach us. The rise and fall of \u200dRome serve \u2062as a cautionary tale for\u200b civilizations seeking to thrive. By understanding the factors \u200bthat led \u200dto Rome’s downfall, societies \u200ccan avoid similar pitfalls and foster a more equitable, resilient, and prosperous future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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