Chapter 5 Roman Republic 44 BC

Rome.Finally, we are going to Rome, the only capital of kings in the world. Rome.When the name was pronounced, there was a powerful aura trembling in the air slightly.Rome equals the center of the world.This assertion was valid for at least a millennium in Europe. On the map of world history, there was only a period of time when the entire Eastern and Western worlds entered into a unified situation at the same time, and that was the era of the Roman Empire and the Han Empire around AD.The Roman Empire split from 27 BC to 395 AD, and the Han Empire fell from 202 BC to 220 AD.There are so many similarities between these two empires. They both came from the chaos of war, both had a vast territory, and both created a model of system and law for later generations.The Roman Empire first won the arduous struggle with Carthage, and then conquered Gaul and Andalusia; the Han Empire started from the overthrow of the Qin Empire, and then experienced the tortuous struggle between Chu and Han.War empowers them.Both empires established effective central control, imperial succession systems, legal and administrative enforcement systems.This is the tacit understanding between them thousands of miles away.Their trading tentacles were once close to each other's edges.Although never in direct contact, the two empires acquire fairly close faces in the historical picture.

However, this proximity is only a fleeting moment in the age of empires.The closeness of this moment sometimes gives people an illusion, as if they have experienced the same historical process and reached the same historical state.But it is not.The trends of the two empires before and after are very different, and their inner logics are quite different.This moment is like the node of X, which is both the greatest similarity and the greatest difference. The Roman Empire was not an empire from the start. Our story begins with one person. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar returned victorious from his campaign against Egypt and his final campaign against his domestic rival Pompey, becoming supreme consul.He drove into the city in a carriage, was greeted with applause, flowers, and people, and was chased by people.People rushed to crown him, but he held out his hand three times to push him back.People love Caesar.This was the most glorious moment in his life. He was born and died, and finally pushed his arduous military career to the peak of glory.

Caesar should have been thrilled by all this.His early struggles were not smooth. He was born well, and his parents were both nobles. But when he was very young, his uncle Marius died. Caesar offended the new dictator Sulla and went into exile.He had held many positions, participated in several small battles, and was even captured by pirates. He had been up and down for many years before he obtained the positions of mayor and justice.His success began in Spain, where he launched the Andalusian War and won one of the three dominions in the country.He then started the famous Gaul War, turning the entire northern part of Europe into a province. He fought in London and was the first to attack Germany. He defeated Pompey and rose to the altar in various unfavorable situations. .He rose to the apex of power in a vast territory by means of desperate battles and illustrious feats of conquest north of the Alps.

Caesar was not satisfied with this, he still wanted to do more.At this time, he still had unlimited plans in his heart. Just like Qin Shihuang who conquered the world, Caesar also had a huge blueprint. He planned to build squares, build roads across Europe, and open up the straits between Europe and Africa.He did not have the luck of Qin Shihuang to accomplish all this, and he only had time to show that he had such a plan.His battle is not over, his plan has just begun. It all came to an abrupt end on March 15. On the eve of the day before Caesar's death, it is said that there was a vision from heaven, and Caesar's wife dreamed of ominous things, and her heart was full of fear.She tried to stop Caesar and not let him go out. After much deliberation, he didn't listen to her advice and went to the Senate.He said he was not Caesar if he hid at home out of fear.He put on his robe, stepped out the door as usual, greeted everyone at the gate of the Senate, and invited wine, as usual.

That was the moment when history was frozen.No one knows how the history of the Roman Empire and the world would have been rewritten had Caesar not been assassinated at that moment. The Senate is located at the foot of the Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum in the ancient Roman city.This is an area that contains multiple buildings, ranging from the political center of the Senate and the Great Hall of public meetings to living places and temples.Most of the unearthed buildings have been damaged, only the wall foundation and some columns, and most of the walls and roofs are gone, but half of the undamaged temple dome can still be seen, which is majestic and heavy, with superb architectural skills.This part of the square was excavated during the Mussolini period, and the avenue outside the square was also named Mussolini Avenue.The dictator's war disappeared, but the dictator's excavation remained in the world forever.The fact that the Roman Forum recreated the world through dust is enough to shock the world.

Looking at today's dilapidated Caesar Square, I can't help but feel emotional.Caesar Square is still unfinished, and it is impossible to infer the blueprint from the sporadic remnants.Caesar did not become emperor in the end, and Rome became an empire after him.Caesar's adopted son Augustus became the first emperor to be crowned by avenging him.Caesar's assassins claimed to have killed Caesar for fear of becoming emperor, but his successors really became emperors just because of the opportunity of his being killed.The paradox of history is that you cannot know whether it must be so, or because of it, so it is so.

The Augustus Square is just opposite the Caesar Square, and the two squares stand opposite each other.Their buildings are now gone, as are their powers.There are slightly more remains of the Augustus Square. In addition to the Corinthian columns, there are also the remains of half of the temple.Caesarplatz looked desolate.Augustus still has an intact tomb in the north of Rome, but Caesar has no bones left.There are two tall statues beside the two squares, also standing face to face, somewhat similar, yet somewhat different.They are the closest relatives and allies in the same line, but the abyss of the Republic and the Empire is separated between them.

Rome wasn't an empire from the start.It began to rise as the Republic, and the Empire was only the pinnacle of its glory.The empire is a height that no European power has reached in the next two thousand years.It has conquered almost all of Europe.During the thousands of years from the birth of the Republic to the fall of the Empire, Rome has always survived in the world with the image of fighting to the death.It has bred the most and most outstanding generals in the world. "In history, apart from this, we can no longer see such an uninterrupted series of outstanding statesmen and generals." Montesquieu said.

In just 100 years, Rome sent Scipio, Marius, Pompey, Caesar, Antony, Augustus, a string of names that make every era tremble.Caesar is the most dazzling one in this series of names. He never became emperor, but his name later became the title of emperor. After Caesar's death, Rome became an empire.Before that, it was a 700-year republic. According to Roman legends and Livy's "History of Rome", Rome is the descendant of Troy.According to legend, the fire on the night of the destruction of Troy did not kill everyone. Venus' son Aeneas was rescued by his mother, drifted along the boat, and began to flee.He passed through Carthage. Queen Dido of Carthage fell in love with him and wanted to keep him by her side, but he knew the oracle and knew that his mission was to sow the fate of Troy to another city, so he reluctantly fought with his beloved Women separate.This parting scene later became a well-known classic on the theater stage.Aeneas finally reached a plain and settled down, and his descendants multiplied here, which is the predecessor of Rome.

After Aeneas, and through many generations, the city-state gradually expanded its scope.Among the descendants of Aeneas, there were two brothers. The elder brother was the king, and the younger brother later usurped the throne. He not only killed the elder brother's family, but also sent the elder brother's daughter to be a virgin priest to prevent her from giving birth to offspring.But Mars, the god of war, fell in love with her and let her give birth to two children named Romulus and Remus. When the king heard the news, he ordered the two babies to be thrown into the river in a basket and thrown into the wilderness. Miraculously, the two babies were fed by the mother wolf's milk and grew up.When they grew up, they became powerful and brave, returned to the city-state to instigate civil rebellion, executed the king, regained the throne that belonged to them, led the team that followed them, chose a hill, and established a new city.After the apocalypse and some competition, Romulus became king, and the new city was named Rome after him.Romulus created the history of the country. He legislated for the city-state, designed a new system, established the Senate and the Legion, and made everything prosperous.He is full of leadership, but also unscrupulous.Because of the lack of women in the new city of Rome, they planned to invite the Sabines from the neighboring city to attend the rally, plundered the Sabine women, and became the wives of the Romans.

From this, the Romans are descendants of Venus, the god of love, and Mars, the god of war, corresponding to Aphrodite and Ares in Greek mythology, which means that they have the most sacred and noble blood.This is Rome's magical memory of itself. The Temple of Romulus can still be seen near the Roman Forum today, and the bronze sculpture of a she-wolf feeding two children is still a symbol of Rome. Virgil's long poem "Aeneas" is the best poem about the Aeneas legend.Virgil was born in 70 BC, studied philosophy in Rome, and returned home to farm and write in 44 BC, the year Caesar was assassinated.Virgil is the greatest poet written in Latin, and his poems are a compulsory course in medieval Latin. Dante, a romantic poet in the 14th century, took Virgil as his mentor and got inspiration from him.Livy's "History of Rome" is a classic historical work that tells the history of Rome and mixes all legends. Although it involves myths and stories, later scholars still regard it as the most authoritative historical data.Li Wei was born in 59 BC. He told the legend with a serious attitude, combined the legend with real politics, and endowed the legend with an equally serious temperament.He said that Romulus' rule gave citizens the right to vote and the lofty status of the Senate, which laid the foundation for the Roman Republic, which was rigorous and plain. And go, it seems that everything is God's will.Whether these stories are true or not, they give the city a magical and unique air: determined, wolf-like courage. Rome is the city of toughness, tenacity, unyielding and fighting.From the very beginning, they fought from a disadvantaged position.Under the prosperity of Greece, the sweep of Alexander and the power of Carthage, they were just a small city-state.They have been invaded and defeated by the enemy many times, but they have not been conquered.They slowly build themselves up.In the 4th century BC when the Alexander Empire was strong, Rome was still underdeveloped. In the 3rd century BC when Carthage dominated the Mediterranean, Rome began to rise gradually.There were three Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage, each of which was extremely difficult and difficult for Rome.The final victory caused the status of Rome and Carthage to be exchanged, bringing about an eternal difference.The Second Punic War made Hannibal, the famous general of Carthage, and Scipio, the Roman commander praised as wise. Roma has experienced many defeats, but the secret of their strength is never to admit defeat.They never make peace when the enemy remains in their land.According to Montesquieu's words in "The Causes of the Rise and Fall of Rome": "When they waged a large-scale war, the Senate took all kinds of insults and waited silently for the moment of revenge. " The Senate is the soul of Rome.Rome has consuls, but not consuls alone rule the world.The Senate is aristocrats, respected elders who govern in conjunction with the consuls and decide the strategy, tactics and laws of the whole of Rome.The consuls are elected regularly, and the Senate is relatively stable.The consuls represent the rising present, and the elders represent relatively fixed traditions because they are connected to battles and bloodlines.The Romans called this a republic, and according to the definition of Aristotelian politics, a mixture of democracy and aristocracy is a republic.This is very similar to the country today.Cicero's "On the State" elaborated on this in detail. He discussed the advantages and disadvantages of democracy and aristocracy through the mouth of the pretended ideal monarch Scipio.The Romans had a clear understanding of this and chose to seek a balance between democracy and aristocracy. The republic was a consistent principle that Rome adhered to in the early days.The Romans had no emperor, and the consuls were constantly changing.The Romans believed then that a republic could keep itself more pure and just than an empire.Without understanding this, it is impossible to understand how Caesar's assassins could have made this choice of an eminent leader for impersonal purposes.They clearly reject the individual claiming to be emperor, and they do not want the freedom of one person to override the freedom of all.Livy once expressed his pride in the republic in retrospect: "Never was a republic more powerful than Rome, had a purer morality or a more diverse example; never did any country put an end to greed and luxury for so long so high and persistent a respect for poverty and frugality." In his later years he saw the transformation brought about by glory: "In recent years, wealth has brought greed, and the unlimited domination of pleasure has led people to indulgence and destroyed Themselves and everything else." The empire gave the emperor a chance to indulge.In the history of Rome, from time to time, we can see the consuls and senators making private plans for their own status-duplicity when distributing spoils, disputes when determining dictatorial power, but the final result is relatively balanced. The Senate had kept the spirit of Rome alive.In today's Roman Forum and the Campidoglio Hill behind it, traces of the Roman Senate two thousand years ago can still be seen.The red stone corridor is thick and high, overlooking the entire Roman Forum.The empty field below the chamber is where Caesar was killed. The sun shines on the earth, and the green grass and gravel coexist.The Senate Palace is now a museum, one of the best in Rome.The museum has been rebuilt, the interior is painted with murals of Roman stories, ancient sculptures and famous oil paintings are displayed, the square maintains the style after the Renaissance, and the wide steps are designed by Michelangelo himself.The style of ancient Rome basically no longer exists, only the side facing the Roman Forum retains its original appearance.On this side, it seems that there is still a trace of ancient majesty.The deep corridor, the huge crimson stone carvings, the unimaginably thick stone walls, and the deep and furious shouts seem to be lingering under the formidable dome. Caesar and Pompey were the last two contenders for the republic.After Caesar's death, for decades, you and me appeared on the stage, integrating war, conspiracy and love, and became a legendary topic talked about by later generations, and it was very lively for a while. When Caesar conquered Egypt, he fell in love with Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt, and had a child. After Caesar's death, Antony, his closest adjutant during his lifetime, fell in love with Cleopatra again.Antony avenged Caesar and ascended to the peak of power, but was defeated by Augustus in a key battle.Legend has it that Antony, Cleopatra and Augustus fought at sea. For some unknown reason, Cleopatra led the warship to turn around and leave. Antony was unwilling to fight, and followed his lover. If you don't fight, you will collapse.Antony and Cleopatra then committed suicide together, while Augustus defeated all opponents and ascended to the throne, and Rome entered the world of dictatorship.Some historians have studied that if Cleopatra's nose was lowered a little and she was not so beautiful, I don't know how history will turn in the end. This is the most interesting topic left to future generations by the turning point of history.When the warship disappeared on the bottom of the sea, love became a topic of conversation, making people ignore the logic of social change.Rome has entered a new era.Augustus, or Octavian as he was called, finally became the only winner after a hundred years of hunting by the mantis and the oriole.Augustus was his title, honored with the gods, and the Senate awarded him this title, and he became the only king without hesitation.He ruled for 40 years, passing on to his designated heir after his death. Rome lived through four long centuries during its empire.At this time, Rome is no longer a stage of turmoil and activity.This is not to say that they lost power, on the contrary, the emperors made great achievements in war, at least in the first hundred years, they continued to expand the territory of Rome.Nero, Titus, Trajan, Hadrian, Aurelius, each was both emperor and general. The vitality that Rome lost was not military exploits, but a strong heart.Empire makes one enter into fear and obedience.The emperor's title is the first citizen, but it's just a title, they are still emperors.Emperors are always very controversial. They have different personalities, but they all have supreme power in their hands.The empire was not without its benefits. Decades or even hundreds of years of peace promoted construction. In the early days of Augustus' rule, literature, art and historiography also had good development.However, the problem with the empire is that it cannot guarantee that every dictator is enlightened and benevolent. When brutal suppression occurs, even once, the memory of the trauma and resistance left by it will be eternal. Two emotions remain: fear or confrontation.Neither of these passions is active and flourishing, and then the kingdom of a strong mind is no longer available. There were various emperors in the Roman Empire.Nero was the most famous tyrant, the cruelest and most extravagant, but he loved art and drama extremely.He built a grand theater, performed on stage himself, and for a while completely indulged in it.Hadrian was versatile and valued education.Caligula, on the other hand, was generous and magnanimous when he came to the throne, but became licentious and cruel after the death of his dear sister.Trajan helped the poor improve their lives, but conquered the most extensive soil.Titus sacked Jerusalem and set fire to the temple.Tiberius executed Jesus during his reign.These blends of good and evil, excellence and tyranny have made future generations have mixed feelings about the Roman Empire. Marco Aurelius is the most unique emperor. He is not only an emperor who left a good name, but also an outstanding philosopher. He wrote a famous Stoic philosophy work—— The book reads quietly and serenely, hardly like the writing of a warlike emperor.Stoic philosophy is a genre that was popular and developed in the middle of the Roman Empire. It talks about the sky, the overall fate of the universe, and the unity of man and the universe as a whole. Find peace beyond trouble.This is somewhat similar to Taoist philosophy.Aurelius's book is full of exhortations, exhorting people to do things quietly and accept the changes of life.Compared with being king, Aurelius prefers to philosophize and live in seclusion.He wrote: "In a word, everything that belongs to the body is just a torrent, what belongs to the soul is just a dream, life is a war, a sojourn as a traveler, and the reputation behind him quickly falls into the river of oblivion. Then a person By what guidance? Only philosophy." All these emperors have left indelible memories for later generations.To this day, people praise the rich achievements of the Roman Empire on the one hand, but on the other hand, people scoff at its tyranny and rigidity.These characteristics are unified in the same country and are difficult to measure.What is certain is that the system of allowing heroes to be born under the painstaking efforts of Rome in the Republic era has disappeared in the Empire era.Montesquieu once highly praised the system of the republic: "In the beginning, the heads of the republic created the system of the republic, and then the system of the republic created the heads of the republic." In the age of empire, the political arena became more like It is a stage, resplendent and magnificent, but without human voices. Today, we can still feel the breath of the empire in the large and small empire-era buildings and ruins preserved in Rome.The Arch of Titus is engraved with the deeds of Titus' suppression of the Jews.On the Trajan's Column in Trajan's Square, you can see the battle reliefs of the emperor's conquest of the territory. The reliefs are like blankets that circle around and lead to the sky. The carvings are fine, mixing beauty and cruelty.The Arc de Triomphe of Constantine is the most stalwart, engraved with the achievements of Emperor Constantine's life.Every commemoration is a commemoration of the victory of the war. That is the glory of Rome and the massacre of Rome to the world.Obelisks stand in every corner of the city, recording the ancient times of Egypt and the desolation of being reduced to a province. The architectural skills of Rome are unquestionable, and they reached heights that could not be regained until the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century.Their ability to use huge stones, their grasp of complex structures, and their ability to integrate artistic sculpture and practicality are far beyond those of other peoples at the same time.The Romans pioneered the technique of building vaults, and the most remarkable Pantheon vault is a perfect hemisphere, with only a ray of sunlight falling from the zenith.They used viaducts to transport water, and the huge project spanning several kilometers stands today.They developed classical architectural techniques, and three of the most classic stone pillars can be seen on the third floor of the Colosseum. The Romans were more than 100 percent passionate about their city.Every emperor drew his own plan and built his own city.Rome was a city of pleasure, its prosperity and indulgence even surpassed today's metropolis.Romans love to watch theatre. In today's ancient Roman theater, walking around the abandoned outer wall, we can still feel the grand sound of drama lingering in the air.The Romans loved the baths. Legend has it that the Roman baths had a set of architectural designs for water delivery and drainage. The Caracalla baths can still be visited.The Romans loved to fight beasts, to gather in public halls, to get drunk, sing, and dance around glorious temples.The heaviness and grandeur of these buildings make them more than mere entertainment, and become mausoleums of time with a strong atmosphere. Walking among these buildings, it seems that you can still feel the powerful atmosphere, like the lingering and long-lasting laughter. The most moving depiction of Caesar's death is in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.Shakespeare asks each character to give a reason—reasonable but specious reason.The duality and appeal of the characters are vividly displayed in the lines.Caesar's worries were covered up with bold words, Brutus' selfishness was intertwined with grandiose reasons, and Antony's sincerity was accompanied by ruthlessness.Shakespeare's Brutus is the most multi-layered. He is not a hypocrite, but he is not as selfless and upright as he claims. Many of his unconscious revelations cast a complicated shadow on his motives. After Caesar's death, Brutus and Antony made separate speeches to the populace, a reversal of the most famous speech. Brutus first gave the most classic reason: "It's not that I don't love Caesar, but I love Rome more. Would you rather let Caesar live in the world and everyone die as slaves, or let Caesar die, everyone Born a free man? I repay his friendship with tears, celebrate his luck with joy, admire his bravery with respect, and punish his ambition with death." Anthony did not have such a grand perspective, but he grasped the part of the heart, first defended Caesar, and then turned to Brutus: "You know, Brutus is the angel in Caesar's mind, God, please Judgment how much Caesar loved him! It was the most ruthless blow, for when the noble Caesar saw him stabbing, he was guilty, and this sword, sharper than a traitor's weapon, pierced right through His heart, then his great heart was shattered; his face was veiled by his cloak, and his blood flowed unceasingly, under the seat of Pompeii, the great Caesar fell ’” After the force of emotion touched the hearts of the people, he read out Caesar’s will: the estate and the garden were to be distributed to every Roman citizen.This completely overwhelmed the emotions of the Romans. After supporting the assassin for only a moment, the people completely turned back and recognized Caesar as a hero. All the complexity of events and the variety of characters remain in Shakespeare's pen, which is the fullest record of history, and because of its fullness, it is deeper than any praise or disapproval. The source of Shakespeare's story is the "Life of Caesar" by the ancient Roman philosopher Plutarch. "The Life of Caesar" is an article in Plutarch's masterpiece "Biography of Greek and Roman Celebrities", from which Shakespeare's entire story framework comes from.Plutarch is one of the best writers in the classical period. His writing style is simple and broad, which deeply moved future generations.His vast imagery, clear heart and public spirit have been widely popularized in post-Renaissance Europe.He is one of the classical writers with the greatest influence on the world. Plutarch's Caesar has a rich character.He wept while reading the biography of Alexander.He drank and slept with the soldiers, and his daily life was simple.He rescued his soldiers himself, and his soldiers were willing to die for him.He judged the situation and treated his competitors ruthlessly.He conquered the whole of Gaul and led his troops across the Rhine and the English Channel.His enemies hung out the daggers they had taken from him, and he just smiled when he saw them.He finally became a threat to the country, but before his final battle, he was just a general on the frontier, walking out of the camp alone, hesitating in the dark about the unknown battle until he stepped across the river. Plutarch undoubtedly saw a side of generosity in Caesar, and his few words always evoke it.It is precisely because of this that he writes: "This is the unique benefit and effect of studying history: you can see various types of examples in the brilliance of historical truth. From them, you can choose for yourself and for your country. Models to follow." The breadth of Caesar remains in the breadth of Plutarch, and what the writer writes becomes true history.Plutarch's biographies leave behind the unadorned lives of great men in whom he wrote his vision.When tens of thousands of people inadvertently staged a play that leaves a messy scene, on the stage of time, there are only scripts written for them by historians.The writer chooses the characters to be left in history. In this sense, the writer chooses history. Plutarch's writing left an immeasurable influence on later generations, just like Roman architecture, which became a model for later generations to follow.The splendor of the Roman Empire is still clearly visible to this day.The majestic Pantheon, towering monuments, perfectly constructed domes, municipal facilities surrounding the city, and mature and exquisite sculptures.These are one of the few relics that people must see in their lifetime. They may not be the most beautiful, but they must be the most spectacular human legend in the wind. The Chinese Empire has a unified center, before the Han Dynasty, and after the Han Dynasty.But Europe is not. From the beginning to the end, only the Roman Empire can be called an empire, and only Rome can be called the capital of Europe.Even at just one point in the whole of European history, there was Rome anyway. Rome has excellent transportation links, numerous airline routes, and Italian domestic railways are cheap and comfortable.In the city, you can buy a subway day ticket, a three-day ticket, or a Rome pass that includes city transportation and some famous attractions. ancient roman ruins 1.Roman Forum: The most famous relics and buildings, including temples, public halls, podiums and three famous triumphal arches, are the best places to learn about the political life of ancient Rome.The square is where Caesar was assassinated.Adjacent to the landmark building of Rome - the Colosseum. 2.Caesar's Forum and Augustus' Forum: The two opposite ruins near the Roman Forum, there are far fewer remaining buildings than the Roman Forum, but they are worth seeing for their important historical significance.There are sculptures of Caesar, Augustus and Minerva near the square. 3.Campidoglio Hill: The towering hill behind the Roman Forum is also one of the hillsides where the ancient Romans originated.In ancient Rome, it was the seat of the Senate, and you can still visit the original grand appearance of the Senate.There is the Temple of Jupiter on the hill. In the 16th century, Michelangelo designed the town hall and beautiful steps.It is now the Archives of the Senate of Palaizzo, the Galleria de Campidoglio and the Museum, with its exquisite collection of ancient Roman sculptures and paintings, well worth a visit. 4.Trajan's Square: The famous Trajan's Column, the relief of the spiraling battle, has a prominent position in the history of art. 5.Marcello Theater Ruins: On the west side of Campidoglio Hill, close to the circus and the Caracalla Baths, it was once the Jewish gathering place in ancient Rome.The curved design and magnificent columns of the theater are still preserved. 6.The Pantheon: the best interpretation of the Roman vault, still intact after two thousand years.In the process of Christianization, the statues of the ancient Roman gods have been replaced by Christian saints, but the skylight penetrating from the shrines and vaults can still feel the majesty of ancient times. "History Since the Founding of the City" [Ancient Rome] Li Wei (59 BC-17 BC) translated by Mu Qile Li Wei's "History Since It Was Built" is an easy-to-read book, with a thin booklet, concise descriptions, and legendary narration.It is the most important source of Roman history quoted by posterity.It is often found that the history of Rome given by various books is similar, and the source is Livy's account.Livi began to write from the fall of Troy and the drifting of Aeneas, and wrote to Romulus, the fifteenth generation descendant of Aeneas.From the miraculous drifting of the Romulus brothers, to the establishment of the city of Rome, the robbing of the Sabine woman, the ten men's regiment and the "absence of the king", everything is both history and myth. "After these monumental deeds, when he held an assembly in the clearing near the Capra Swamp for a parade, a storm rose suddenly with rumblings and thunder, and covered the king with such thick clouds that his shadow was never seen. vanished from the assembly; since then Romulus is no more." "Greek and Roman Celebrities" [Ancient Rome] Plutarch (46-120) Translated by Xi Daiyue Theodore Gazza, the 17th-century classicist, is said to have been asked if the scholarly books were facing disaster and he could only keep the work of one author, whose would he keep?The answer is: Plutarch. "Biography of Greek and Roman Celebrities" is a classic work similar to "Historical Records", which has inspired and inspired countless later scholars, including Shakespeare, Rousseau, Montesquieu, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Rabelais . What Plutarch started was the description of people in the Western text tradition.Plutarch's writing style is excellent, that kind of goodness is not the goodness of antiques that are far away from us and can only be appreciated in the framework of history, but the goodness that is miraculously close to us and readers of every era.He puts people in the frame of a long time, with a far-sighted vision, but the details in his pen are the most personal and accurate, close at hand, as if real.Plutarch is one of the few scholars in ancient Rome who still retains a strong public and republican spirit.His writing is bright and clear, opening up the vastness of history in a few words. "Caesar was lost in thought, and now that he was getting closer and closer to the dreadful step, he slowed down, anxious about the great danger he was about to take... He spent another long time discussing the situation with his friends present, including Assi Nias, thinking of the great misfortune they would bring to the people if they crossed the river, and the reputation they would leave to posterity, at last, driven by a passion, he put aside all scruples , committing himself to the future, uttered a phrase that is often said by risk takers: 'The dice are cast.' "Caesar's many victories did not divert his natural ambitions of domination to the enjoyment of his toil-wrought achievements. What he felt was in fact a struggle with himself, a kind of The battle between what I want to do and what I want to do in the future." - Caesar "If a person can drive out the evil in the ruler's character, or guide the ruler's mind to develop in the right direction, then he can be said to be doing philosophical work for the public good." - "The Classic and the Defense of the Republican Spirit" [Ancient Rome] Marco Aurelius (121-180) translated by He Huaihong Famous in China has a certain chance.It is the thought book of Marcus Aurelius, the only philosophical emperor of Rome.His writing is quiet and restrained, which makes people calm down after reading for a long time.He discusses the position of everything in the universe, the value of people, and the attitudes people should have.Peace of mind comes from persistence in the mind.Aurelius was an important figure in the Stoic school.Compared with the nature of the Stoic belief, all fame and external things are fleeting and perishable. "No one loses any other life than the life he now lives; no one lives any other life than the life he now loses. Thus the longest and the shortest life become the same .Though the past is not the same, the present is the same for all. "What is evil? It is common to you. Keep this in mind in everything that happens: it is common to you. You will find the same thing up and down everywhere, the same thing filling the past.时代的历史、中间时代的历史和我们时代的历史；也充斥着现在的城市和家庭。”