Chariot race mosaic at Roman museum in Lyon, France
I can’t let you think (if you do, after reading the first entry) that Greece was the only precursor to the Fall of the United States, should that actually happen. Long before the U.S. ever was born, there was another nation that ignored history, and that was Rome.
Rome is a city, not a nation, you say? No, of course you don’t say that because you know that Italy had a jillion city states, or nations, only one of which was Rome, and only one of which, Rome, grew up to conquer the world. And then have a great Fall.
This link is the source of the following list of reasons for the fall of Rome (and perhaps the U.S.):
- Antagonism between the Senate and the Emperor [read President]
- Decline in Morals
- Political Corruption
- Fast expansion of the Empire [remember your history lessons about the 18th & 19th centuries?]
- Constant Wars and Heavy Military Spending
- Barbarian Knowledge of Roman Military Tactics [today’s news told of the Iranians capturing a spy drone with all sorts of high tech important stuff, and of course there’s always espionage in the scientific places]
- Failing Economy
- Unemployment of the Working Classes
- The ‘Mob’ and the cost of the ‘Games’ [The politicians had to pay to keep the ordinary people entertained, as in chariot races]
- Decline in Ethics and Values
- Slave Labor [insert “illegals”]
- Natural Disasters
- Christianity [taught peace, not war; one god, not many]
- Barbarian Invasion [So far, no Huns overrunning us, unless you can think of some.]
So there is the writing on the wall. Doomsday 2012 as forecast (supposedly) by the Mayan calendar. Facebook had a cartoon showing a few Mayans watching another sculpt the Calendar. He was showing them what he put in for the year 2012, saying something like, “Just wait until they read this! They’ll freak!”
Being born on December 31 in an unnamed year, I am used to apocalyptic prognostications [I think that’s the first time I’ve ever written that word]. I am hardened against them by now. I do believe in history, though. If I believed in reincarnation, I would say that the same spirits get born over and over again and make the same mess each time.
Maybe the rest of us are also born over and over again, and make the same mistake of letting the others get away with doing what they do.
Victoria Paulsen 
very interesting!
Terrorists might count as a barbarian invasion…
The parallels between the US and Rome go even deeper, considering that the vast majority of architecture on Capital Hill is directly based off of republican and imperial Rome. One thing you didn’t mention– the reason why barbarians knew Roman military tactics is because they were often hired by Rome to do their dirty work. Then, when Roman emperors backed out of their contracts, lo and behold the mercs turned on their erstwhile employers.
Right, Celia! They might indeed.
same folks . . . same mistakes . . . sigh