> Rome wasn't found upon rebellion Myths aside, we don't really know anything about the founding of Rome. But it's clear that (like the United States), Rome wa

> Rome wasn't found upon rebellion Myths aside, we don't really know anything about the founding of Rome. But it's clear that (like the United States), Rome was originally a "frontier" place, situated at the intersection of several older groups of Italic peoples. > it didn't have a civil war at the scale of america The Social War would certainly beg to differ - a war fought over who got to be full-fledged members of the Roman community. > it didn't have WMDs, fighter jets, interlinked supply chains and the internet. One of the most stunning features of the late Roman Republic (and subsequent Empire) is the degree to which trans-Mediterranean trade takes off in the second century B.C.E. after the Roman defeat of Carthage. By the standards of the ancient world, the late Roman Republic was incredibly interconnected. I'm not trying to argue that the parallel totally fits or that the outcome will be the same. But I think there are more similarities here than you give credit for.