I've read a lot lately (Flemming, Altright, and others) about pre-Christian German pagans and their standard of living as compared to those of the Roman Empire.
For some reason *cough, Hollywood, cough* many people picture the average fellow in ancient (circa 100 AD) Italy, Greece, Gaul and so on as living like a pampered Roman Senator. You know, togas grapes, wine, marble buildings and the whole the nine years.
And of course those up in Germania, Britain and Scandinavia were merely frizzy haired cave dwellers jealous of Greco-Roman fashion accessories.
Call me cynical, but I have my doubts.
I have no proof, but I'd be willing to wager that around 50% of the peoples within the Roman Empire (which stretched out across southern and south-eastern Europe, parts of north Africa, Asia minor and the middle-east) lived no better than the Germanic pagans.
And further, I'd speculate that another 48% had a lower standard of living than the Teutonic pagans.
The elite in a society always live in a utopia.
Critics should be careful not to confuse that with the world of the average "barbarian" walking the streets.
Past or present.
...
