Theme Number 1: Introduction
Featuring Rome and Gaul
"Why hello, little boy," Rome drawled. He offered him a big, hairy, hand. "Shake?" The boy stared at it as if it was a fish that had died several weeks ago.
Suddenly, Gaul bit him. The little shit! Then he ran into the forest, his tangled and matted blond braid flying out behind him.
Rome winced in pain, but he didn't care that the boy had run away. He would come around eventually. They all did. It always started this way, with the hostile first encounter. After some effort, they would get to know each other a little better. They would move past biting. Rome would only make his final "offer" when rougher, stranger barbarians were breaking down Gaul's door. And Gaul would accept.
He had done this many times before. Some resisted more than others, but the end result was always the same.
Rome thought himself a rather cunning fox in a dog-eat-dog world. "Hey, kid," he said lazily, "Wait up!" Taking his time to enjoy the scenery, he sauntered slowly after Gaul.
And so it began.
They sort of used this strategy in Ancient Rome. Rome (sort of) respected the people it conquered, so when it was taking over small states that were threatened by many armies at once the states preferred to surrender to Rome (back then, everybody was conquering everybody else, so being threatened by multiple armies happened more than you might think. Life sucked back then). They figured if they couldn't keep their independence, they might as well keep their religion, culture, and all that.
Has anyone else read Asterix? You'll totally get the last line if you do.
Theme Number 2: Light