Fair point in the long run, but Rome had cycles of ascendance, stagnation, decline, and rebirth. The Roman republic founded by Romulus and Remus was vastly different from the Rome that fought Carthage, which was vastly different from the Rome that unified with Egypt via marrying Cleopatra VII, which was vastly different from Constantine’s Rome.
I’m sure the Romans were saying it would take generations to rebuild the empire, too.
Fair point in the long run, but Rome had cycles of ascendance, stagnation, decline, and rebirth. The Roman republic founded by Romulus and Remus was vastly different from the Rome that fought Carthage, which was vastly different from the Rome that unified with Egypt via marrying Cleopatra VII, which was vastly different from Constantine’s Rome.