Reflections on the Fall of Rome

Eli Schuster's View:

Synopsis: (edits from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, three installments between 1776 and 1788) British historian Edward Gibbon tells a strange tale of an agricultural republic that became an empire ("an absolute monarchy disguised by the forms of a commonwealth"), and a once-proud people who lost their freedoms and didn't care so long as they were given bread and entertainment.

What I Learned: Roman soldiers carried short, well-tempered Spanish blades, and were encouraged to stab, rather than slash at an enemy.

Memorable Line: "If a savage conqueror should issue from the deserts of Tartary, he must repeatedly vanquish the robust peasants of Russia, the numerous armies of Germany, the gallant nobles of France, and the intrepid freemen of Britain; who, perhaps, might confederate for their common defence. Should the victorious Barbarians carry slavery and desolation as far as the Atlantic Ocean, ten thousand vessels would transport beyond their pursuit the remains of civilized society; and Europe would revive and flourish in the American world, which is already filled with her colonies, and institutions."

You Might Like This Book If: Russell Crowe's performance in Gladiator inspired you to learn everything you could about those wacky Romans.

Not Sure I Agree With This... "(E)very age of the world has increased, and still increases, the real wealth, the happiness, the knowledge, and perhaps the virtue, of the human race."