History according to Asterix the Gaul
Rome = Evil,
Barbarian (sorry, I mean FREEDOM FIGHTER) = Good
What I find funny is that people see this as a "fresh" take on the Roman Empire. Right, because every other movie ever made depicted the Romans as peace loving hippies!
The only difference between Rome and the peoples it conquered was that Rome developed a better system that allowed for science and development giving it military and social advantages. If the Gauls had done so, then we would be vacationing in Lutetia to take pictures of the Colosseum! Slavery was practiced throughout the ancient world. It was not Rome's advantage.
When you take into consideration the duration of the Roman Empire you see that it was by and large peaceful. Why? Because peace makes for good business. Within the Roman sphere commerce took place with a minimum of theft and piracy.
Rome didn't fall to freedom fighters looking for justice. It fell to rough men that come in the night to loot rape pillage and burn! Yeah, not just Romans do that.
If you don't like Rome, then here are some of the things you should give back:
The system of government of the USA
Concrete
Thermal baths, central heating and floor heating
Aqueducts and viaducts
Half of the European legal system
Highways
Stadiums
The architecture of every other "wanna be" empire, including Washington
and my personal favorite - Wine!