[extropy-chat] Romans (was Economic consensus on immigration)

[Amara Graps]

Lee Corbin:
>The Romans had unlimited faith in themselves, apparently unlimited self-
>confidence, and on top of that, it was simply inconceivable to them that
>their own inner strength---and the fact that they were *Romans*---
>wouldn't eventually enable them to prevail over their enemies.

In that Roman mixture was a good bit of Etruscan stuff [1]. The Romans
assimilated them, absorbing and using alot of their (disparate, since
the Etruscans were individual city-states like the Greeks) culture(s),
such as the alphabet, calendar, building technology (arches, waterways).
The fifth Roman king was Tarquinius Priscus, an Etruscan. The classic
statue depicting the mythical founding of Rome, the Capitoline Wolf,
which shows Romulus and Remus suckling at the she-wolf is not Roman, but
Etruscan [2].

How can you be so sure that the Romans didn't commit racial suicide?

By the way, you seem to be right regarding the unlimited faith in
themselves, if you talk to a Roman today. One would commit a faux pas if
they criticize a Roman about their city. It's very difficult for a
typical Roman to see faults with Rome.

Amara

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitoline_Wolf

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Amara Graps, PhD          email: amara at amara.com
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