The Romans destroyed a lot but I thought the present day Low Countries was not one of the places known for that. And as far as the Germanic peoples in general, in spite of the short-lived attempt to conquer them, overall it seems to me they were allies of the Romans who also gained at the expense of the Celts.

Not a good analogy. Most people in the US and in the Netherlands are not aware of the fact that form most of its history the Roman Empire was a Christian state centered in Constantinople, from 330 AD to 1453.

Most people tend to think of the Roman Empire as the city of Rome, when in fact the empire of the ROMANS was centered in New Rome Constantinople for most of its history, with the city of Rome having declined to insignificant provincial status long before Emperor Constantine moved the capital to the more important, richer, more civilized, more ancient, more educated East.

Following successive barbarian invasions from the North (the teutonic, blue-eyed, blont types), the Western part of the Empire was abandoned by the authorities in Constantinople as impossible to defend, and reverted to multitudes of feudal kingdoms, whose Germanofrankish autocrats turned the Romans into serfs and villains, keeping them under control from 40,000 fortified castles (castillos, chateaux).

The consequent onset of the DARK AGES meant the reversion of these areas into barbarism, ignorance and warlordism.

For example, England (the former Anglia province of the empire), where magnificent Roman edifices and other manifistations of Roman culture still amaze visitors, became so devoid of culture, that not one single piece of writing, not one articact, not the slightest indication of civilization has been found from the period of FIVE CENTURIES that followed the withdrawl of the Romans.

There was a documentary about Hannibal Sunday night the 2nd. Any one else see it?