J. M. Roberts Quotes

The Romans had been able to post their laws on boards in public places, confidant that enough literate people existed to read them; far into the Middle Ages, even kings remained illiterate.

The Roman jurisprudence has the longest known history of any set of human institutions.

I didn't write because in the corps I took mining engineering of all things and, you know, they, they graduate a mining engineer as a sort of an illiterate.

Rome was great in arms, in government, in law.

In Italy, on the breaking up of the Roman Empire, society might be said to be resolved into its original elements, - into hostile atoms, whose only movement was that of mutual repulsion.

It is evident that in the period designated as that of the kings, when Rome commenced her career of conquest, she was, for that time and country, a great and wealthy city.

Ancient Rome was as confident of the immutability of its world and the continual expansion and improvement of the human lot as we are today.

Perhaps Western civilization is in a post-decline phase, or maybe the decline is just taking a really long time, like the Roman Empire's did. The Romans had gladiators and Christian-hungry lions and that sort of thing. We have MTV.

I studied Latin in high school, and I was reading stuff from Cicero. And that signal took a few thousand years to get to me. But I was still interested in what he had to say.

If the Romans had been obliged to learn Latin, they would never have found time to conquer the world.

Ancient Rome was a violent place.

Any Roman citizen may join the Army.

Of the territory which the Romans won in war from their neighbors, a part they sold, and a part they made common land, and assigned it for occupation to the poor and indignant among the citizens…

The ratio of literacy to illiteracy is constant, but nowadays the illiterates can read and write.

By the will of the people of the Romans, that the Jews shall use their own customs in accordance with their ancestral law …. anyone is detected stealing their sacred books or their sacred monies, either from a synagogue or from a [Jewish] mans' apartment, he shall be considered sacrilegious and his property shall be brought into the public treasury of the Romans.

It's an insane tragedy that 700,000 people get a diploma each year and can't read the damned diploma.

Every Italian is a member of the Roman Republic.

Dark Ages

Eternal Rome

I had proposed to HBO a series about the city cops in Rome at the time of Nero. What had interested me was the idea of order without law. The Praetorian Guard, who were the emperor's guards, understood how they were to proceed. But for the city cops, who were called the Urban Cohorts, there was no law at all.

I am a Roman citizen.

Layer upon layer, Italy's storied past unfolds in Robert Kaster's captivating journey along the venerable Queen of Roads. I cannot imagine a more perfect guide to such a rich trove of ancient and modern memories. Illuminating, erudite, entertaining, and evocative.

Nanny Ogg knew how to start spelling 'banana', but didn't know how you stopped.

My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy.

I am not in any way opposed to medieval studies (or for that matter Latin).