Not only Hollywood has it wrong: A good part of our cultural vision of Rome and Greece was influence by wishfully thinking of renaissance and enlightenment int

Not only Hollywood has it wrong: A good part of our cultural vision of Rome and Greece was influence by wishfully thinking of renaissance and enlightenment intellectuals that sought legitimacy for their ideas. The rediscovery of Cicero’s letters had huge influence on statecraft in renaissance Italy. It’s telling that in more modern times we project ourselves on Rome in a different way.