Wait, I've seen this one before
this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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Rough Roman Memes
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Fun fact: Part of the Roman Empire's strength was its tolerance and integration of other cultures instead of trying to impose their own. Their various Italian subjects were "allies" in name and bound by pacts of mutual assistance, but otherwise largely left to govern themselves as long as they paid their tithes.
The prospect of becoming Roman Citizens in exchange for military service enticed them to serve as auxiliary units. These units were also tightly integrated with the Roman troops, often leading to a gradual blending of cultures, a layering of identities rather than exclusively choosing them.
Sure, this wasn't some altruistic act of goodwill so much as political strategy to maximise their power, but it worked. Part of the fall was the fracturing of loyalties because later Emperors abandoned that policy and it's just not as appealing to send your sons off to war for an empire that will only ever treat you as second class subjects.
Of course, the whole thing is more complicated than I could convey in a single comment, but check out this ancient historian's blog series on "Who were the Romans?" and "Decline and Fall?".
In support of your point, here's a nice little quote from Emperor Claudius, who was also a scholar and a historian:
I have a fantastic book on the subject, Imperial Ideology and Provincial Loyalty in the Roman Empire, highly recommend.
Is the book you recommend accessible to non-historians?
After losing the book in an apartment the size of a thimble and, after some effort, re-finding it in this hellhole, I managed to give it a look-over! It's more accessible than I remember, even. Very friendly, even if your only background is reading a beginner's guide to Roman history or the like. Detailed, yes, but with explanations of any context that would be unfamiliar to your average layman.
Awesome, that sounds like I'd enjoy checking it out (and not just because if I didn't, I'd feel bad about the effort you put into finding it)
Tangentially related: It's unfortunate and possibly ironic that the people who would most benefit from learning some history are often ill-equipped with the skills needed to study history. My late best friend was a historian, and as a scientist, something I cherished in our friendship was the insight into the historian's perspective. It felt like a jarringly different way of viewing the world, but that's why it felt useful. He'd probably feel proud (and a little smug) to see that my interest in history has lasted even though he wasn't here to feed it.
I was going to say yes, but let me find it so I can reread a chapter or two and be sure. It's not for beginners, but if you're looking into niches like the question of ideology and regional loyalty, it reasonably presumes that you know what the Roman Empire is and its basic aspects.