What attracts you to Late Rome?

[Alexand96]

Well, if you like to understand, why the glorious times of the 1st and 2nd century ended, it helps to look at the changes and measures in the 3rd and 4th century. From my point of view, some of these measures were simple mistakes, but others were reactions to basic misconceptions of the principate or to ongoing processes and structural changes of the the roman society starting already with Augustus or earlier. And finally I saw that these glorious first centuries were far away from being glorious

I think that these questions are what will eventually enable me to dive headfirst into this period. What, in general at least, do you mean when you say the "first centuries" were not glorious? The political and military upheavals in the 1st century AD? I am intrigued by the idea that the Roman system itself was doomed from the inception of its foreign, territorial empire (international conquests and provinces), as the system itself was inadequate in its ability to effectively rule such large areas in perpetuam.

Evan, I gues it must just be subjective, aesthetic tastes then with regard to what "looked pretty." You see, I inherintly find something "un-Roman" with historical scenes such as these cataphracti on parade in Rome:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=...angpair=ru

While more "traditionally Roman" scenes such as this please me a great deal:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=...angpair=ru

Of course, even I know that such a statement is ridiculous in light of the fact that almost all of the Republican Roman military tactics and equipment are just as bastardized from foreign contacts and enemies as they are in Later Roman times. To each his own I guess