Do contemporary governments place as much value on the creation of public works? Provide one or two examples to support what you see as similarities and differences in this respect between modern "rulers" and the Roman emperors.

There are some similarities in the way in which contemporary governments understand public works, and the way the Roman Empire understood them.

For example, both regimes were interested in creating such public works in order to benefit the population. Projects such as housing, public squares and roads were intended to make the lives of the people more comfortable.

However, these regimes also disagreed on the secondary purposes of such works. For example, contemporary projects in America are often simplistic and unrelated to a particular ruler. On the other hand, projects in Rome were often grand and majestic, with lots of aesthetic work going into it. Moreover, such projects would be directly connected to the prestige that a particular ruler enjoyed. Nevertheless, I believe that both societies placed great importance in the creation of public works.