Excerpt from Roman Africa: An Outline of the History of the Roman Occupation of North Africa For many generations the interest attached to the progress of civilisation in Central and Southern Africa has diverted men's minds from a somewhat analogous process which was being evolved nearly 2000 years ago in the Northern regions of this great Continent. History very often repeats itself in an un accountable way. The methods of civilisation adopted in one age differ in a marked degree from those of another, varying with the habits of national life, and governed by the insuperable natural laws affecting climate or race. But the outcome of human progress is invariably the same, exhibiting respect for and obedience to ruling authority, a mute recognition of the unwritten rules of social life, and greater regard for personal preservation. The gradual development of North Africa as a great Roman colony was spread over a period of. More than 500 years, and culminatedin an era of peace and prosperity to a vast population enjoying the highest civilisation of the time. Asia and Africa took rank as the greatest of Rome's colonial possessions, and it is a question whether the latter did not take the lead, in the third and fourth centuries, in all matters affecting the maintenance of the Empire and the general welfare of its citizens. However successful Roman rule may have proved in the Asiatic provinces, we have in Africa in disputable testimony to the wealth and resources of this fair appendage of the Empire, to the growth of municipal life, the spread of education, and the high attainments of many of its citizens in literature, philosophy, and art. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.