Ultimate Rome Empire Without Limit
Mario Davis
We started with the founding myth, that had much in common with the stories of family dysfunction so characteristic of every religion, not to mention contemporary fiction. A king, fearing potential rivalry if his infant twin sons reached maturity, ordered a servant to dispose of them; Romulus and Remus were carefully placed by the Tiber, in flood, but were rescued, suckled and nurtured by a she-wolf, herself of course a predator at the top of the food chain. But a few years later the twins founded Rome, and Romulus, a true son of the murderous father, committed fratricide. A handsome bronze antiquity showed us the baby boys reaching towards the lupine nipples.
It was to be their commitment to conquest and military victory which was to set the Romans apart, originally under the guidance of Scipio Barbatus, the Bearded Scipio, strong wise and brave. Greed was a strong motivator, too: taking what you could get, and the wealth of others was a primary incentive.
The military city needed women, and so invited a neighbouring tribe, the Sabines, to visit. They captured the women, kept them by force, and needless to say the so-called Rape of the Sabines has proved an immortal subject for art. When the Romans needed something, they simply went out and grabbed it. Simultaneously, they ran their fledgling empire by incorporating conquered people and land, extending citizenship. Romans ensured a permanent relationship with those they conquered, and the conquered were conscripted. Military might was predicated not on technologically advanced weaponry but on sheer manpower: by the 3rd century BC, the army was 700,000 strong.
Alliances were more improvised than planned. The first overseas war was with Carthage, over Sicily (241 BC); the Romans, not a naval power, simply copied the Carthaginian warships and their battering rams. Illustrating a fascinating cultural difference, the Carthaginian bronze battering rams were enlivened with engraved moral precepts, while the Romans indicated by name who had inspected the weapons to ensure their quality. From earliest times, they were bureaucratically gifted (Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain, below).
A century later they had razed Carthage (146 BC) and sacked Corinth, the wealthiest city of Greece. Scholars even now argue whether Rome conquered Greece, which of course it did militarily, or whether Greece conquered Rome, as Romans imported by the boatload Greek art, and became addicted to Greek culture.
In a few turbulent centuries, the Romans had turned from being cattle raiders to forming organised armies and taking over the world around them, creating the mythologies to justify their actions as they went. And in Rome, building as though there was a tomorrow: a living material history that Mary Beard enthusiastically deployed for her absorbing essay.
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Arms, and the man I sing, who, forc'd by fate,
And haughty Juno's unrelenting hate,
Expell'd and exil'd, left the Trojan shore.
Long labors, both by sea and land, he bore,
And in the doubtful war, before he won
The Latian realm, and built the destin'd town;
His banish'd gods restor'd to rites divine,
And settled sure succession in his line,
From whence the race of Alban fathers come,
And the long glories of majestic Rome.
Three full centuries
That kingdom [of Alba Longa] will be ruled by Hector's race,
Until the queen and priestess, Ilia,
Pregnant by Mars, will bear twin sons to him.
Afterward, happy in the tawny pelt
His nurse, the she-wolf, wears, young Romulus
Will take the leadership, build walls of Mars,
And call by his own name his people Romans.
For these I set no limits, world or time,
But make a gift of empire without end.
Juno, indeed, whose bitterness now fills
With fear and torment the sea and earth and sky,
Will mend her ways, and favor them as I do,
Lords of the world, the toga-bearing Romans.
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 peoplesfor your arts are to be these:
To pacify, impose the rule of law,
To spare the conquered, battle down the proud.
Writing for the Catholic Herald, Father Alexander Lucie-Smith unpacks an important and widely overlooked concept known as romanitas. He starts with a review of a documentary on the Roman Empire by Mary Beard called Ultimate Rome: Empire without Limit. Fr. Lucie-Smith first discusses romanitas within the context of the pagan Roman Empire. Ancient Romans believed their vast empire was distinct, universal and eternal.
Gregorian chant also addresses the question of inculturation because it transcends the boundaries of particular cultures and therefore has a universal appeal. It is happily sung by Catholics in Africa and Asia, just as in Europe or North America.
Guaranteeing that certain common principles govern the architectural layout of all Catholic churches is another example of romanitas. Father Lang lists three themes that should be common to all Catholic churches: verticality, orientation, and thresholds.
There are other areas where romanitas can (or should) be found that are outside the hallowed setting of the liturgy. Numerous devotional practices (processions, sacramentals, veneration of relics, etc.), our distinct vocabulary and noble intellectual tradition also demonstrate the romanitas of the Church. These should be recovered and nurtured in the home and at the parish level.
We meet to give thanks for 10 more years of peace. Amid the multitude of bounties which have been bestowed upon us, we count that our supreme blessing. In all our domestic and foreign relations our chief concern is that it should be permanent. It is our belief that it is coming to be more and more realized as the natural state of mankind. Yet, while we are placing our faith in more complete understanding which shall harmonize with the universal conscience, we ought not to forget that all the rights we now possess, the peace we now enjoy, have been secured for us by a long series of sacrifices and of conflicts. We are able to participate in this celebration because our country had the resources, the character, and the spirit to raise, equip, and support with adequate supplies an Army and a Navy, which, by placing more than 2,000,000 men on the battle fields of Europe contributed to the making of the armistice on the 11th day of November, 1918.
Our first thought, then, is to acknowledge the obligation which the Nation owes to those who served in our forces afloat and ashore, which contributed the indispensable factor to the final victory. Although all our people became engaged in this great conflict, some in furnishing money, some in producing food and clothing, some in making munitions, some in administering our Government, the place of honor will always be accorded to the men and the women who wore the uniform of our country - the living and the dead.
When the great conflict finally broke upon us we were unprepared to meet its military responsibilities. What Navy we possessed at that time, as is always the case with our Navy, was ready. Admiral Sims at once carried new courage and new energy to the contest on the sea. So complete was the defense of our transports that the loss by enemy attack in sending our land forces to Europe was surprisingly small.
As we study the record of our Army in France, we become more and more impressed by three outstanding features. The unity of the American forces and the integrity of the American command were always preserved. They were trained with a thoroughness becoming the tradition of McClellan, they were fought with a tenacity and skill worthy of the memory of Grant. And finally, they were undefeated. For these outstanding accomplishments, which were the chief sources of the glory of our arms, we are indebted to the genius of General Pershing.
It is unnecessary to recount with any detail our experience in the war. It was a new revelation, not only of the strength, but of the unity of our people. No country ever exhibited a more magnificent spirit or demonstrated a higher degree of patriotic devotion. The great organizing ability of our industrial leaders, the unexpected strength of our financial resources, the dedication of our entire man power under the universal-service law, the farm and the factory, the railroad and the bank, 4,000,000 men under arms and 6,000,000 men in reserve, all became one mighty engine for the prosecution of the war. All together it was the greatest power that any nation on earth had ever assembled.
When it was all over, in spite of the great strain, we were the only country that had much reserve power left. Our foodstuffs were necessary to supply urgent needs; our money was required to save from financial disaster. Our resources delivered Europe from starvation and ruin.
In the final treaty of peace, not only was the map of Europe remade, but the enormous colonial possessions of Germany were divided up among certain allied nations. Such private property of her nationals as they held was applied to the claim for reparations. We neither sought nor took any of the former German possessions. We have provided by law for returning the private property of her nationals.
Viewed from its economic results, war is the most destructive agency that ever afflicts the earth. Yet it is the dead here and abroad who are gone forever. While our own losses were thus very large, the losses of others required a somewhat greater proportionate outlay, but they are to be reduced by territorial acquisitions and by reparations. While we shall receive some further credits on the accounts I have stated as our costs, our outlay will be much greater than that of any other country. Whatever may be thought or said of us, we know and every informed person should know that we reaped no selfish benefit from the war. No citizen of the United States needs to make any apology to anybody anywhere for not having done our duty in defense of the cause of world liberty.
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