Volubilis—limits of the empire

Volubilis

Sometime I expect I will grow weary of visiting Roman ruins, decide I’ve seen enough of them to last me for life, or at least for a half dozen years or so. It’s happened with the old European masters—after you’ve seen a hundred or so of their old paintings, you’ve seen them all, it seems.

Neighboring Moulay Idriss

 But that day hasn’t come yet. While in Meknes, I visited the Roman city of Volubilis. At least what’s left of it—which isn’t much. Despite its meager remains, it was one of my favorite places in Morocco. In the distance, olive-clad hills ringed it about, but spreading out from the actual city, lay fields and orchards of wheat and olives. It was a pastoral scene: quiet after the hustle and bustle of the crowded cities. The ruins lay on a slight hill, overlooking a river— nothing but  a few odd pillars, a gate or two, and a multitude of stones projecting through the wild carrot and thistles.

A local donkey

There wasn’t much to see; yet there was much to think upon. Rome. Two-thousand years ago, the peace of Rome encompassed the entire Mediterranean and well beyond. I tried comparing it with the so-call Pax Americana—but I’m no philosopher, so… we’ll leave that be. Maybe.

It’s impossible, however, not to observe the decline of American power—America is still the biggest kid on the block, but less and less so as the years go by. Worse is the growing cultural and political weariness—the bogging down on the minutiae of civil administration, the political navel gazing of a civilization that has lost its way, the intense fracturing of civil society into ethnic groups.*

Triumphal Arch

*Just this spring, I had a student defiantly tell me that, despite growing up in the same town, we hailed from distinct cultures. I wanted to pity her naiveté—sure there were slight differences in the way our parents raised us, no doubt, yet that doesn’t imply a different culture or heritage. But what if she’s right? Perception is often more real than reality, so if that’s a common American conception (and it was backed up by the rest of the students in the class), then perhaps, against all reason, it is true: a self-imposed internal splitting.



Ruins at Volubilis

Weird. That happened to Rome also—immigrants, introduced into the heart of the empire failed to assimilate, creating a state poised for disintegration. Poised, I’d say, because, arguably, these new immigrants extended the life, vitality, and greatness of the empire for generations. The empire, however, built by Rome, while remaining intact, passed from the hands of the weak, indulgent Romans into the vigorous management of non-assimilated new comers.

I wonder if America’s immigrants are enough to sustain the international system built by the U.S. If not, well, I imagine life in America will still be pleasant even without the prerogatives of the global superpower.

Disclaimer: Please do not take my ramblings in anyway seriously. Sometimes I right as random thoughts come, not as I actually believe (there is a big difference). The future is such a befuddling, fascinating topic to think about, especially after you’ve been reading history. 

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