Ruminations on Roman History

Author: Lin Guorong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book discusses various historical facts of Roman history from the perspectives of history, philosophy, politics, and economics, as well as their contemporary significance. What is presented to the readers now is something related to ancient Roman history, the origin of which can be traced back to the spring of 2003. At that time, I served as a teaching assistant for Professor Li Qiang of the School of Government at Peking University, along with Mr. Wu Zengding from the Department of Philosophy at Peking University and Mr. Zhao Xiaoli from the School of Law at Peking University, at the invitation of Professor Li Qiang, to teach a graduate course on Western Political Thought for the School of Government at Peking University. When it comes to learning history, Metland once wrote to a friend in a letter: "Do not read history before the age of thirty." As for discussing or writing history, where does this even come from! To put it bluntly, it was just out of personal interest, and my attitude can be described with Hobbes's words from back then: "It was just for entertainment." The Romans were a war-loving people, renowned for their military prowess, and in this regard, they stood out as a unique model in world history; however, the Romans were also a farming-loving people, and their national character was marked by stability, discipline, and obedience, as can be seen in the fragments of Polybius's "History of Rome." The combination of these two aspects on the battlefield gave rise to the famous Roman legion, which was primarily composed of infantry with cavalry as a supplement. The dual nature of the Romans in this regard...