A History of Pi

The architecture of the thugs
differs from that of normal societies.
It can often be recognized by
the megalomaniac style
of their public buildings.

The Moscow subway
is a faithful copy of the London
Underground, except that its stations
and corridors are filled with statues
of homo sovieticus, a fictional species
that stands (or sits on a tractor),
chin up, chest out, belly in,
heroically gazing into the distance
with a look of grim determination.

The Romans had similar tastes.
When a particularly elaborately decorated
structure at Puteoli was dug up
by archaeologists in the last century,
they thought at first that they had
discovered a temple; but it turned out
to be a public latrine.