Cripple. History Major. Irritable and in constant pain. Vaguely Left-Wing.

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  • 231 Comments
Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: July 21st, 2023

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  • Explanation: While we in the modern day marvel at how thoroughly the Romans assimilated people, the fact is that the Romans were more-than-happy to allow provinces under their rule to continue most of their traditional ways of life - so long as they continued to loyally serve the Roman polity!

    Romans, for all of their immense arrogance and chauvinism, were also very capable of recognizing superior foreign ways of doing things, and either adapting them themselves, or using the foreigners in such matters. This is something recognized both by the Romans themselves and Greek writers - Roman society, for all of its clamor about tradition and the CORRECT, ROMAN WAY of doing things, was flexible and adaptable in practical matters (and also abstract matters, but don’t mention that to the Romans, they’ll have a fit over not being as tradition-oriented as they talk themselves up to be).

    This varied in form from copying Carthaginian ships, to adopting the Spanish sword (the famous gladius) and Celtic chainmail in their Legions, to Greek philosophy and theology, to Anatolian cults, to Celtic and Germanic clothing. In the other way - the recognition of foreign skills - the Romans used a wide variety of auxiliaries in their armies whom they freely regarded as superior in certain skills to native Roman troops (Numidian, Germanic, Gallic, and Scythian horsemen, Balaeric slingers, Syrian archers, Batavian shock troops) and highly praised the arts and wisdom of foreign cultures - the artisanship of the Gauls, the art of the Greeks, the intellectual pursuits (especially in law and theology) of the near-east.

    Rome, extremely cognizant of its origins as a little farming village in the backwoods of Italia which burst onto the scene of the wider, more developed Mediterranean, knew damn well that it was not born the center of civilization which bestowed the achievements of man onto its lessers. It became so!

    In the words of the Aeneid, a propaganda piece commissioned by the first Emperor, Augustus, but reflecting pre-existing cultural conceptions in Roman society…

    Others will cast more tenderly in bronze

    Their breathing figures, I can well believe,

    And bring more lifelike portraits out of marble ;

    Argue more eloquently, use the pointer

    To trace the paths of heaven accurately

    And accurately foretell the rising stars.

    Roman, remember by your strength to rule

    Earth’s peoples—for your arts are to be these :

    To pacify, impose the rule of law,

    To spare the conquered, battle down the proud.




















  • I appreciate the advice, but I don’t have that kind of money on hand. Or the willingness, for that matter, to take any of this to court. I get stress ulcers enough just dealing with day-to-day life. At this point, I’ll be content to just get out of here.

    And like I said, it’s not uninhabitable. Place is practically a basement, so it’s only on the most miserable days that the heat seeps in enough that I mourn I can’t fit myself in the fridge, lmao.


  • Not uninhabitable, just uncomfortable. My landlord is not exactly cooperative in any case, and it takes time, resources, and perhaps most of all, energy to square up seriously on such issues. He already has refused to fix the heating, the oven, the wonky electricity, and the leaky roof, and is currently trying to kick me out so he can raise rent.

    … I’m actively looking for a new place.