On a series note, after due consideration, I don’t believe the Romans would use the phrase ‘Omnes viae Romam ducunt” to mean ‘there is more than one way to accomplish an objective’. The Romans were too logical to mean that. The Romans would have said “Many roads lead to Rome.”

I believe that the statement that “All roads lead to Rome” was a way to drive home to the world the power, prestige, and authority of the Roman government.

I see it as an answer to the question a Syrian might have asked, “Why does Rome get to set our taxes, pick our King, and make our laws?”

Why? “All roads lead to Rome.” That’s why.

Vince

Now that you mention it, I will have to agree with you. It makes sense.

However, I always considered these wise folk sayings to be self-evident. I don’t remember ever being taught any of these sayings in school.

It just seems natural to me that if all A is B, then it is inevitable that if A, then B. If all rivers run to the sea, then it is inevitable that rivers will end up in the sea.

I think the saying that “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” is far more intuitive than “all roads lead to Rome”. But then, when in Rome, one should do as the Romans do. Now that is intuitive.

Vince

The Italian meaning of ‘tutte le strade portano a Roma’ is exactly the same as the English one. Here is what the Treccani official ‘Vocabolario della Lingua Italiana’ says “uno scopo puo’ essere raggiunto con mezzi diversi”. which means: ‘an aim can be reached by different means’ or, as I wrote in my blog “there are many different ways to arrive somewhere or achieve something”. It definately doesn’t have the meaning of something being inevitable. The final paragraph about one day getting to Aquileia was a kind of joke, or play on the title of the blog.

Serena

I always took “All roads lead to Rome” as meaning that something was inevitable. That is, no matter what you do, you will eventually wind-up in Rome. “There is more than one way to skin a cat” is how I would say, “there are many ways to accomplish the same thing.”

Interesting: I don’t think it would make sense to an American to say that since “all roads lead to Rome, you just might wind-up in Paris one day.” Can you also use “Tutte le strade portano a Roma” to mean some things are inevitable?

Vince