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The example of the classical world, and especially the Roman empire, was obviously central to the self-image of the British empire, certainly to its sense of mission and probably also to its understanding of its due relations with its dependent peoples and their histories. Although the Mediterranean was not a principal cockpit of British imperial power, throughout the period studied it remained constantly in play with regard to informal influence and imperial rivalries. It was extensively exploited for archaeological purposes, yielding a continuous stream of new findings and new ideas; besides, its romance was deeply embedded (and made ever more romantic) in elite British education.
As this section shows, however, Britain’s use of the classical world for understanding its responsibilities was not as simple as emulation. The Roman empire stood as a warning as well as a model. Its tendency to overreach itself was a proverbial explanation for its decline. Britons excavating their own Roman heritage could see themselves as colonized as well as colonizers. Even where they did emulate the Romans, British imperialists might discover for themselves the tragedies of conquest, learning that archaeology, especially in the context of war, could destroy as much as it preserved. At the fringes of empire, Britons could also discover hybrid forms that even an all-conquering, all-assimilating power had failed to master. Here the Greeks offered an interesting counterpoint to the Romans, blending strongly with indigenous civilizations in Central Asia, or with primitive Christianity in the Byzantine empire.
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