I didn't even finish the rest of this post before coming down here to comment:
When Nate asked me how often I think about the Roman Empire it was an easy weekly answer for sure. I love hearing you're the same. In good company. ALSO, that Corot is gorgeous. The colors!
Name a historical period and I can pretty much guarantee that I have thought about it in the past week. I'm a historian so I'm a weirdo in that way, but one of my life goals is to get other people to think about history regularly and in imaginative and applicable ways! I can't tell you how gratifying it is to see this happening re; the Roman Empire!
(When my husband asked me the other day how often I thought about the Roman Empire I was admittedly taken aback. He doesn't read this substack but evidently our interests overlap enough that wherever he's engaged they're talking about this too. )
For the record my answer was infrequently, if at all. While I would consider Gladiator one of my favorite movies, admit to watching the HBO Series Rome back in the day, and devoured Francine Rivers' Voice in the Wind series as a teenager...it never occurred to me that the Roman Empire was something one (males, evidently!) dwelt on regularly. So I was gobsmacked to find he is not unique among men in thinking about it daily.
And I should confess I'm a former high school history (and English) teacher. So I'm feeling challenged - in a good way - to use my historical imagination just a bit more and see how enriching it can be to my present day circumstances.
Wow, I can't wait to see the results of this poll! What a great plug for historical imagination.
I didn't even finish the rest of this post before coming down here to comment:
When Nate asked me how often I think about the Roman Empire it was an easy weekly answer for sure. I love hearing you're the same. In good company. ALSO, that Corot is gorgeous. The colors!
Somehow this doesn't surprise me in the least, Lore. Great minds! 🤜🤛
How many of us think regularly about the Enlightenment? 🥴
Name a historical period and I can pretty much guarantee that I have thought about it in the past week. I'm a historian so I'm a weirdo in that way, but one of my life goals is to get other people to think about history regularly and in imaginative and applicable ways! I can't tell you how gratifying it is to see this happening re; the Roman Empire!
I frequently think about how much our post-modern worldview and culture is affected by the Enlightenment. Does that count?
Yes, exactly my thoughts!
(When my husband asked me the other day how often I thought about the Roman Empire I was admittedly taken aback. He doesn't read this substack but evidently our interests overlap enough that wherever he's engaged they're talking about this too. )
For the record my answer was infrequently, if at all. While I would consider Gladiator one of my favorite movies, admit to watching the HBO Series Rome back in the day, and devoured Francine Rivers' Voice in the Wind series as a teenager...it never occurred to me that the Roman Empire was something one (males, evidently!) dwelt on regularly. So I was gobsmacked to find he is not unique among men in thinking about it daily.
And I should confess I'm a former high school history (and English) teacher. So I'm feeling challenged - in a good way - to use my historical imagination just a bit more and see how enriching it can be to my present day circumstances.