Did The Commentator "Fall?"

Man Of Roma asks if Rome "fell."

I tried to leave a comment on his site but for some reason it asks for a Wordpress password. Can't get in.

So I figured, meh, why litter his thread when I can pollute my posts.

The city stands, but the empire has come and gone. In this way, maybe we can ask 'Did Venice fall?' After all, it too possessed one of the greatest empires in the world at one point. Venice offers a completely different and most interesting existence to Rome.

Logically and physically, as far as I can tell, Rome still stands. It may arouse great, if not fond, thoughts of its past grandeur and mighty sword, but for the most part, it hasn't been razed to the ground like Carthage. Which is impressive when you consider how many times it was invaded, raped and pillaged through the centuries. To say nothing of disease.

Philosophically, Rome stirs the imagination like few cities in Western civilization - not even, I would argue, Athens, London, Paris or Washington or Regina*. Not sure why Rome has inflicted such a powerful force on the minds of many.

What have the Romans ever done for us, anyway?

A commenter mentioned the 'Three Western peaks' as being made up of Athens, Rome and The Renaissance. I would argue for a fourth: The Enlightenment. It gave much to the foundation of our modern philosophical heritage. A professor once asked in a University history class, indeed, which event had a greater impact on Western culture: The Renaissance or The Enlightenment?

Another asked: Rome or Athens?

*Heh.