Oppressive empires have always existed. Emperors have built their kingdoms on the backs of the dispossessed, convinced their power is divinely ordained. They call their conquests "peace" and name their destruction "defense," stripping people of their homes, dignity and right to grieve. Empire is always grasping and consuming, never asking, never listening. It expands without permission, without heed for the cries of those in its path. Expansion is its gospel; dominion, its sacrament.
The Roman Empire is one of history's most glaring testaments to this gospel of expansion. It devoured land and people alike, fueled by a thirst for wealth, resources and control. Conquest was not simply a strategy — it was a declaration of identity, a public liturgy of violence that cemented Rome's claim to the world.
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