Why was Roman politics so stabby?

Washington is a Roman town. From the Senate at its heart to the columns adorning every building and the giant commemorative obelisk and the city’s (sketchy) claim to be built on seven hills, the capital imitated Rome. So did Moscow, boasting of its status as the “third Rome.” So did London, a provincial backwater in Roman times. The EU’s motto, adopted in 2000, is in Latin, as are over half of U.S. state mottos — and the inscription on U.S.