Where they make a wasteland, they call it peace

[Ichingcarpenter]

Been reading up on Tacitus fAD 56 – 117) who was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire.after listening to Free Hardcore History Podcasts by Dan Carlin who quoted him in many of his lectures on the Germanic tribes or the Roman Empire..


The quote reminded me of the results of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.


The quote in full latin is:


Auferre, trucidare, rapere, falsis nominibus imperium; atque, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.

The quote has been translated many ways
but basically:


They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal: this they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace. — translation Loeb Classical Library edition

Translation: To plunder, butcher, steal, these things they misname empire: they make a desolation and they call it peace. — translation by William Peterson


For History buffs, Dan Carlin is an exciting storyteller of history. They are more like oral books rather than podcast, many of his podcasts are free and can be found here or on `youtube.

http://www.dancarlin.com/disp.php/hharchive


This was an interview he did with the great British Historian, James Burke, who did the BBC series 'Connections.

Anyway I thought I'd share

[idwiyo]

1. K&R Thank you for the link.

[xchrom]

2. Du rec. Nt

[DeSwiss]

3. K&R

[Recursion]

4. "The Germans are divided from the Gauls by the Rhein, from the Dacians by mutual hatred"

I love that line.