Rome v US empires

1,500 years after the fall of the Roman Empire, the supposedly advanced and progressive United States of America is plagued by even worse income inequality. The Roman Empire, a society built on conquest and slave labor, had a more equitable income distribution. Around 150 C.E., Rome's top 1% controlled 16 percent of the wealth, compared to modern America where the top 1% controls 40 percent of the wealth.

What we see as the glory of Rome is really just the rubble of the rich, built on the backs of poor farmers and laborers. Likewise, today's capitalist achievments

http://www.businessinsider.com/even-the-roman-empire-wasnt-as-unequal-as-america-today-2011-12