Anyone here ever read Gibbon? I'm halfway through the first volume; it is quite good so far.
I read Decline and Fall up to the chapter about the evolution of Christianity... very refined, though he does generalize about certain traits of the different nations he writes about, and has a definite disdain for non-Romanized culture.
>>2914620
My favorite part of the work was when he started talking about Elagabalus.
Finely wrought and influential, though it has very little value as a historical text, in light of modern research and archeology.
>>2914624
What does he say about that Syrian fuccboi?
>>2914353
Not a bad read,from aesthetical perspective. However,his theories concerning the reasons for western empire's fall are rather unacceptable these days
>>2914644
He said that he was being too much of a fuccboi and a mama's boy, earned the ire of his peers, and got rekt after complete degeneracy.
>>2914353
It's lovely and it's important. While anon >>2914629
might be technically correct, he's missing that Gibbon redefined what it meant to write history and set the tone for all modern historians. His influence is as profound as Tacitus. Reading Gibbon is /important/.
>"Eastern Roman Empire".
>This is very difficult to say while keeping a straight face. I wonder who can, because indeed it is hard.
>"Eastern", you say, grinning like Procopius did. "Eastern", it is its name. But when thinking of "Eastern", you think about how Rome was located in the West. You think about all those who succeeded Rome in the West. You think about how the Catholic Church continued Roman political system in the West.
>But then, the funniest is coming: "Roman". Yes, now, you cannot contain your laughter. "Roman" it is called, despite the fact that this "Roman" body is standing on Greece, a land so harsh and poor that it took the Legions of Rome 66 years to set foot in it. A Greek-speaking and non-Roman Catholic people, yes, but still calling themselves "Roman".
>And now, here is the end of the fun: "Empire". Now you fell on the ground, laughing so hard you can't breathe. An "Empire", a body made of dozens of pretenders to the throne, all fighting for themselves, giving strange names to their position, full of Despots or Autokrators. An "Empire" who will stay divided and eventually ruled by Turks , while the great powers of Europe create colonies all around the world.
what the fuck was his problem?