Thats really easy to say in hindsight, in a world where almost all the sources are roman. But imagine you could go back in time, do you think your argument would be very compelling to people being subjected by romans?
Very often these arguments were compelling. The Romans of the Imperial era rarely conquered enemies solely by force of arms, but by subversion of locals to join their cause.
Not to mention how doubtful it is that every single tribe and nation conquered by Rome somehow ended up bountiful and happy like some history enthusiasts would have you believe.
Some were pushed out or wiped out. But most were living more-or-less their former lives, but with the advantages that come with being connected to a massive and stable empire.
Theres also the question of whether these people could have made said advancements on their own, or through peaceful trade and exchange of ideas. Personally, i think they probably could have.
Curious, then, that not only did they not make such advancements, but many of said advancements would disappear for a full millennia after the fall of Rome before re-emerging in Europe.
The issue isn’t “Romans were smarter”, the issue is that Romans had a massive state apparatus capable of and interested in such improvements, and that doesn’t spring up overnight. Nor is it easily replaced or replicated.
I feel your argument might be more compelling were it the case that romans never conquered by force of arms and their arguments were always compelling. Yet for some reason i seem to remember them being at war a lot of the time.
Furthermore, you’re forgetting that those ideas were never really roman in the first place, and they disappeared from even the core provinces during the decline, not just those conquered lands. The romans were never interested in innovation, you know that. They were on the cusp of an industrial revolution but never pursued it because what they liked their slaves, their traditions, and their conquest.
Also btw I’m in no way attacking you, im having fun debating and I hope you are too 👍
I feel your argument might be more compelling were it the case that romans never conquered by force of arms and their arguments were always compelling. Yet for some reason i seem to remember them being at war a lot of the time.
You didn’t ask if their arguments were 100% successful in all cases, you asked if the people being subjected would find them compelling; my answer was that it doesn’t need to be a hypothetical - the Romans put great effort into persuasion, and those subjected peoples very often did find those arguments compelling.
Furthermore, you’re forgetting that those ideas were never really roman in the first place,
In the sense that no idea belongs to a single culture, uh, sure; but in the sense that the Romans were the only people doing the things we’re talking about at scale in Europe at the time? It was very much, and very exclusively, Roman.
and they disappeared from even the core provinces during the decline, not just those conquered lands.
Those core provinces which were so thoroughly depopulated by plague and invading Germanic tribes that you can read it in the ice caps? Yes, it does tend to make skill transmission difficult when everyone who isn’t dead has to go back to farming. Furthermore, that, if anything, reinforces my point - the Roman Empire offered something that was not easily replicated. When it was destroyed, that was not just swapping out one ruler for another - it was the loss of something of great value.
The romans were never interested in innovation, you know that.
That’s not even close to true. The Romans had a great deal of respect for innovation - arguably even more than the Greeks. What the Romans disdained was ‘impractical’ theory. Technological innovation was something that was not only recognized by the Romans, but regarded as laudatory and a key piece of civilization.
They were on the cusp of an industrial revolution but never pursued it because what they liked their slaves, their traditions, and their conquest.
Not even close to true. The question of a Roman industrial revolution is a common topic for alt-histories, but not one seriously considered in academia. Material technology was simply nowhere near where it needed to be. Roman ‘traditions’ were notoriously flexible, and conquest was in no way a replacement for the economy - and, in fact, most of Rome’s greatest conquests are in the less-wealthy era of the Republic, not that of the much-wealthier Empire, which only has a handful of provinces to its name.
Very often these arguments were compelling. The Romans of the Imperial era rarely conquered enemies solely by force of arms, but by subversion of locals to join their cause.
Some were pushed out or wiped out. But most were living more-or-less their former lives, but with the advantages that come with being connected to a massive and stable empire.
Curious, then, that not only did they not make such advancements, but many of said advancements would disappear for a full millennia after the fall of Rome before re-emerging in Europe.
The issue isn’t “Romans were smarter”, the issue is that Romans had a massive state apparatus capable of and interested in such improvements, and that doesn’t spring up overnight. Nor is it easily replaced or replicated.
I feel your argument might be more compelling were it the case that romans never conquered by force of arms and their arguments were always compelling. Yet for some reason i seem to remember them being at war a lot of the time.
Furthermore, you’re forgetting that those ideas were never really roman in the first place, and they disappeared from even the core provinces during the decline, not just those conquered lands. The romans were never interested in innovation, you know that. They were on the cusp of an industrial revolution but never pursued it because what they liked their slaves, their traditions, and their conquest.
Also btw I’m in no way attacking you, im having fun debating and I hope you are too 👍
You didn’t ask if their arguments were 100% successful in all cases, you asked if the people being subjected would find them compelling; my answer was that it doesn’t need to be a hypothetical - the Romans put great effort into persuasion, and those subjected peoples very often did find those arguments compelling.
In the sense that no idea belongs to a single culture, uh, sure; but in the sense that the Romans were the only people doing the things we’re talking about at scale in Europe at the time? It was very much, and very exclusively, Roman.
Those core provinces which were so thoroughly depopulated by plague and invading Germanic tribes that you can read it in the ice caps? Yes, it does tend to make skill transmission difficult when everyone who isn’t dead has to go back to farming. Furthermore, that, if anything, reinforces my point - the Roman Empire offered something that was not easily replicated. When it was destroyed, that was not just swapping out one ruler for another - it was the loss of something of great value.
That’s not even close to true. The Romans had a great deal of respect for innovation - arguably even more than the Greeks. What the Romans disdained was ‘impractical’ theory. Technological innovation was something that was not only recognized by the Romans, but regarded as laudatory and a key piece of civilization.
Not even close to true. The question of a Roman industrial revolution is a common topic for alt-histories, but not one seriously considered in academia. Material technology was simply nowhere near where it needed to be. Roman ‘traditions’ were notoriously flexible, and conquest was in no way a replacement for the economy - and, in fact, most of Rome’s greatest conquests are in the less-wealthy era of the Republic, not that of the much-wealthier Empire, which only has a handful of provinces to its name.