Showing my bias, but the development of Greek culture and later the Roman empire is still impressive. Rome was comparable to China in cultural impact and material wealth. I would argue Greece is more middle eastern than European, and the way we show Rome as European ignores the African and near Eastern influences on the empire.
aegyptus and anatolia were the richest provinces of the roman empire bar italia and africa was one of the richest per capita, its european provinces were generally backwaters save like hispania.
Showing my bias, but the development of Greek culture and later the Roman empire is still impressive. Rome was comparable to China in cultural impact and material wealth. I would argue Greece is more middle eastern than European, and the way we show Rome as European ignores the African and near Eastern influences on the empire.
aegyptus and anatolia were the richest provinces of the roman empire bar italia and africa was one of the richest per capita, its european provinces were generally backwaters save like hispania.
Yeah. There's a reason the eastern half if the empire persisted for another 1000 years after the western half fell.