What exactly led to the Roman civilization's extraordinary durability, even discounting the Byzantine portion?
They weren't an Ancient people, by the standard of the time or in possession of a wealth of natural resources; they were surrounded on both sides by much superior peoples; and anything they had, they appropriated from someone who had it longer.
By all counts, they should have fallen with the litany of other Italic tribesmen before them to the Greek, Etruscan, or Phonetician powers, yet they put all of them under the yoke and lasted as a civilization for over 1000 years, despite numerous bad rulers, political upheavals, and horrific invasions.
Hijacking this thread to request any sources, historical or otherwise, on roman architecture and construction both domestic and military.
>>1385083
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd3MJPHaotQ&list=PLBCB3059E45654BCE&index=1
?????
>>1385089
Thanks
>>1385069
Willingness to adapt combined with cultural inability to accept defeat.
They also existed in an era where most powers gave up after losing a single field army.
Multiculturalism
People stayed loyal to Rome cause it was better than being anywhere else
>>1385069
Republic + empire, discounting byzantine/ERE, only lasted about 700 years as a major geo-political power.
>>1385069
genetics
>>1387939
Surely this wasn't it. We're talking about Italians for god's sake.
>>1387439
Yeah the mid to late republic was fucking scary
>>1387785
>only
Rome in some form lasted for 2235 years
That's pretty crazy
Greek influence
They took over the right places at the right time