Ancient Rome:

Civilization or Empire?

INTRODUCTION: Respected author and professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania James O’Donnell suggests in his book “The Ruin of the Roman Empire” that “… people often mistake Rome as civilization, and the opponents of Rome as the opponents of civilization.” The author leads the reader to question whether Ancient Rome should be considered less of a civilization, and more of an empire. Clearly Ancient Rome was both a civilization, and an empire, but what do you think? Did the rulers of Ancient Rome value the empire, more than their own civilization?

VOCABULARY

Before you get started it is important to clearly understand the vocabulary words civilization, and empire.

Civilization – http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Civilization

“An advanced state of intellectual, cultural, and material development in human society, marked by progress in the arts and sciences, the extensive use of record-keeping, including writing, and the appearance of complex political and social institutions……The type of culture and society developed by a particular nation…Cultural or intellectual refinement; good taste…Modern society with its conveniences…intellectual, cultural, and moral refinement…”

Empire – http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Empire

“A political unit having an extensive territory or comprising a number of territories or nations and ruled by a single supreme authority …any monarchy that for reasons of history, prestige, etc., has an emperor rather than a king as head of state.”

BALANCING HEAD & HEART

Good quality decision-makers have a balance of head (thinking), and heart (caring.) Historical examples for a balance of head & heart thinker include Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, as well as Kennedy, Johnson, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the Civil Rights movement. These leaders balanced thinking and caring. Classic examples of an imbalance of head & heart decisions can be found by studying the leaders of Ancient Rome, as well as Napoleon and Hitler's quests to build empires. In each case those leaders were overthrown because they did not have balance of head and heart values.