Ancient Rome: "Roads are Power"


On Friday the students (I should say Senators) continued their stellar work debating the merits of various projects proposed for the Roman Empire.

Mary Holland made a concise, historically accurate statement about the critical importance of transportation networks during ancient times: "Roads are power", said MH. She elaborated: "Having a great road system was a way for the Romans to show other people how strong they really were, and how much land they controlled."

I love the phrase "Roads are power", because it is the kind of short, memorable statement that explains an important aspect of human history. In her analysis, Mary Holland is doing the work of a real historian.

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Musical Mondays: Today I talked about the importance of Constantinople during the Middle Ages, and we listened to "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" by They Might be Giants.

For those of you who enjoyed the catchy melody and beat, here's another fun rendition of the song:


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