When Roman “Barbarians” Met the Asian Enlightenment
I greatly enjoyed reading this, although the author takes (more than) a few liberties when comparing the Roman and the various Asian empires:<p>&gt; Imperial Rome was a dim backwater by comparison<p>This is a slippery claim, especially when you consider how long the Roman Empire lasted and how widely its relevance and regional dominance swayed over its lifetime. During its peak, Rome spanned dozens of cultures on two separate continents and liberally imported other peoples and norms into their own. That&#x27;s not to say that the contemporaneous Chinese empires didn&#x27;t do the same, only that the distinction between the two in this aspect is less stark than the author would have us believe.<p>&gt; Rome’s legions were fighting fiercely for control of Gaul (modern France and Germany), Britain, Egypt, and various parts of the Balkans; while a succession of (often unfairly maligned) emperors scrambled to hold Rome together through an endless series of famines, wars with the East, coups d’état, refugee crises, and revolts.<p>This is not strictly false, but it&#x27;s again muddied by the extreme duration of the Roman Empire. The Pax Romana lasted for two centuries, spanned three major political dynasties, and is generally the period people think of when they think of the Roman Empire (or Rome in general). By the time the Chinese Empire(s) had begun trading silk with the Roman Empire, peace was already the norm in the Roman world.<p>The author is correct in his characterization of Rome as less artistically and creatively inclined than it perhaps ought to have been, considering its size and wealth during its peak. That being said, Rome&#x27;s accomplishments in architecture and culture are visible (and audible) <i>everywhere</i> in the Western world. I don&#x27;t think that any one Eastern power of the same period can claim such cultural permanence to any comparable degree.