re: How did the ancient Romans feel about the Roman Republic/Empire

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Julian the apostate is my favorite Roman leader because of this. Besides him removing the church from the state, he also gave power back to local governors who of course said “thanks but i like to be figure head”

I think the world would have been a better place had that arrow not randomly found him in battle

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I think by that time paganism was dead no matter what. It couldn’t be brought back.

It’s hard to say if Christianity is at fault for sinking Rome. On one hand, it’s easy to blame. But then, the Byzantines were militantly Christian and hung around another millennium.

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Read Gibbon; Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, eight volumes. This was published in last two decades of 18th C but remains a monumental and informative work. Gibbon was a secularist which was only then becoming acceptable, and these volumes had a huge influence on the founding fathers of the United States and the development of our constituents.

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Read Gibbon, but don't take his revisions as the definitive version of Roman history, which continued for another thousand years.

As he came to the end of the work, he was looking for scapegoats for the decline and fall, and settled on a mish-mash of Christianity, the Byzantine East not helping out another failed Western Emperor, and the idea that Roman ideas died with Rome.

It is, in the end, a deeply flawed work that does better in its earlier parts than in the ending.

Rome ruled the world. Their legions and navy kept the shipping lanes open allowing trade and commerce. That was important because since the terrain around Rome was not particularly favorable to raising crops (at least in quantities sufficient to feed the populace) they looked to Northern Africa to supply their needs. The arrival of the fruit of the new crop by ship was greeted with much fanfare at the entrance to the city. The produce (commodities, plump and lush grapes, olives, etc) was unloaded on wagons which were harnessed to bullucks. The horns of the animals were adored with laurel wreaths and preceeded by minstrels playing flutes and instruments. Then the entire wagon train was paraded through the center of the city to the joy and anticipation of the citizens. It was a happy festive occasion.

As long as Rome maintained its military might, the folks in Rome were fed. But then gradually corruption set in, amongst other social problems. Then the raiding hordes of barbarians began to invade Northern Africa, attacking, burning, destroying. Soon all roads leading to Rome became all roads leading away from Rome. People were hungry, unrest followed.

Happens all the time. Nations struggle to attain status and achieve autonomy. Then they become corrupt,lazy, factions develop, folks play the blame game. Eventually they're overwhelmed and defeated by their enemies. Their cities and magnificent institutions reduced to rubble. Saw it happen to Rome, Jerusalem, Berlin.

You'd think we should have learned a lesson by now. Wait a minute! Let me tell you about this little place called Jamestown, Virginia in the year 1607..........

The more things change, the more they stay the same.