Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Not Impressed with Ancient Rome

From the History Channel’s “Rome: Engineering an Empire”

So many of the things that the Romans were able to do in their time we were not able to do again until we were able to develop new technologies.

We wouldn’t be able to move a hillside without mechanized equipment.  Given their tools we would never be able to accomplish those same things.

The unspoken qualifier is, of course, without slave labor.  All of the great marvels of the ancient world were only accomplished through brutal leaders that built their wealth on the backs of the oppressed.

Should we marvel at the opulence of antiquity produced by despotism and slavery or marvel at the luxury created by free peoples through invention and innovation?  

I know what my answer is.

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