Cited on HN 3 times, 2020–2023, never outright recommendedscore 0
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN commenters quote it jokingly whenever someone lists the unacknowledged benefits of an entity people love to complain about.
A one-minute clip from Monty Python's Life of Brian in which revolutionaries grudgingly list everything the Romans have done for them, from roads to clean water. It is a satirical sketch about refusing to credit a disliked group.
Your comment has merit. Even at it's peak Roman culture was marbled with cruelty and violence. During its decline, these aspects only got worse and became coupled with corruption and decadence. But I think we should see them relative to their historic peers (Gauls, Carthaginians, Parthians), not relative to modern societies to truly see what their contributions were, of which there were many, including in law, engineering, and medicine. Also, there's this: [this video]
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3 Hacker News comments
From the HN archive; up to 20 kept per video, favoring different commenters. Recommendations first.