• The key to understanding Ancient Rome is to understand that it was obsessed with the past
• The Romans were hyper-competitive and cared deeply about their status amongst their peers; their public competitiveness drove them
• One of the secrets to Rome’s success was its ability to absorb and integrate non-Roman ideas 
• “If we were to write a realistic textbook of the Roman Empire, nine out of ten chapters should be details of what it was like to be a small-time family farmer, because that’s what 90% of the people in the ancient world did.” – Gregory Aldrete
• Roman law is perhaps the most significant legacy the empire has left on the modern world; about 90% of the modern world uses some derivation of it 
• The Great Contradiction: Rome’s very success made almost every group within Roman society deeply unhappy and boiling with resentment
• Caesar succeeded in taking over the state as one man, but he could not solve the problems of ruling Rome as one person and appearing to function as a king  
• Augustus is one of the most significant individuals in Roman history given he was the one who founded the Roman Empire; he led the transition from the republic to empire
• Public speaking was an essential aspect of life in Rome; those who were great orators, such as Cicero, had a great advantage in seeking power and influence 
• While Gladiators were considered low status – because they performed for others – many of them became wildly popular in Roman culture 
• The Five Good Emperors period (96-180 CE) of Roman history is often seen as a high point in Roman history

• The five emperors were Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus Aurelius

Gregory Aldrete is a historian specializing in ancient Rome and military history.

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