Who were the 5 good emperors?

Despite wielding absolute power, they used their authority to maintain peace and stability throughout the Roman empire and ushered in an age of unparalleled cultural heights🧵 In order, they were:

Nerva (reign 96–98 AD)
Trajan (98–117)
Hadrian (117–138)
Antoninus Pius (138–161)
Marcus Aurelius (161–180)

Notably, they were not a bloodline. All were either adopted, or in Nerva’s case, raised to power by assassins of Domitian (the previous emperor).

Rome was the preeminent engineering civilization. Its roads, bridges, and aqueducts ensured an unmatched quality of life for its citizens.

Yet its greatest engineering feat wasn’t about providing a comfortable life—the Colosseum was built for a dramatic death🧵 The Colosseum became famous for its gladiatorial contests, executions, reenactments of famous battles, and even mock sea fights.

It was a theater designed with two things in mind: death and spectacle.

In 1831, French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville traveled to the US to study democracy.

He saw some positives, but also noted a few flaws such as:

-tyranny of the majority
-isolated individuals
-materialism

He claimed religion was essential to prevent these dangers...🧵 Alexis de Tocqueville was a diplomat sent by the French government to learn about the prison system in America.

While abroad, he used the opportunity to investigate American society as a whole, penning his most famous work ”Democracy in America.”

We’ve all seen gargoyles before — ghoulish carvings set outside old churches.

But why pair such ugly images with sacred buildings?

Well, to protect something priceless, you need something *monstrous*.

They teach us a lesson about defending what we love…🧵 First off, what is a gargoyle?

The word gargoyle comes from the French gargouille meaning “gullet” or “throat.”

A gargoyle, then, is a decorated water spout. They were used for a utilitarian purpose: to prevent water from flowing down the sides of buildings, causing erosion.

When General von Steuben first set foot at Valley Forge in 1778, a soldier described him as “the ancient fabled God of War”.

He turned a ragtag group of militiamen into a disciplined force who took down the mighty British army.

Here’s how🧵 Born into a military family, Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was always destined to make warfare a career.

At a mere 14 he observed the 1744 Siege of Prague, and at 17 he enlisted in the Prussian army—the most disciplined fighting force in Europe.

Art Deco is the incarnation of civilizational energy — the spirit of Achilles and Tesla in architectural form.

The ultimate style for high civilization... Kenneth Clarke said:

“Vigour, energy, vitality: all the civilizations—or civilizing epochs—have had a weight of energy behind them.”

Art Deco embodies this vitality.

You need to be stacking *physical* books.

Here’s why: 1. They can’t be changed

Whoever controls the internet controls mankind’s knowledge and history.

With physical books, you don’t have to worry about censorship or malicious editing of humanity’s acquired wisdom.

Is corruption inevitable?

The ancient Greeks observed that governments often devolve into distorted versions of themselves.

The problem is the ruling party's tendency to abuse power...🧵 Precluding the explicit idea of social cycles is the concept of “dark ages” — dominated by poor leadership, war, famine, and tech/artistic stagnation — and “golden ages” — periods of peace, plenty, and social progress — across social scales, from city-states to civilizations.

In ancient tales, a recurring theme appears:

Exiles banished to the wilderness go on to build new cities, nations, and movements.

What is it about losing everything that leads to innovation?

Here’s what exiles can teach us about reinventing ourselves…🧵 Some nations owe their origins to exiles.

Perhaps the most famous example of an exile who begets a new nation is Aeneas, the famed hero of Troy who loses his city yet lays the foundations of the Roman people.

Hadrian was Rome's greatest builder.

A wanderer and a visionary, he defined Rome’s architectural style by gleaning inspiration from his many travels.

Let’s follow in his footsteps and explore his triumphs of architecture🧵 Reigning from 117-138 AD, Hadrian was Roman emperor amidst the height of the “pax Romana,” a period of unprecedented stability and cultural growth for the empire.

He became known as one of the “five good emperors” by spearheading Rome’s cultural revival.

Among the most visible reminders of Rome's storied hegemony are its aqueducts.

These engineering marvels channeled the lifeblood of civilization for near a millennium.

Here’s how they worked🧵 (thread) Rome’s aqueducts had humble origins, much like the city itself.

The first aqueduct, the Aqua Appia, was constructed in 312 BC to supply the city’s cattle market.

Great literature usually doesn’t come to mind when imagining the “dark ages.”

But some of the greatest tales that still shape our culture come from the medieval period.

Here are 10 of the best 🧵 1. Beowulf, 8-11th cent.

This legendary poem tells of the hero Beowulf, who leads a quest to save the Danish people from the monster Grendel and finally ends his life in an epic battle with a dragon.

It’s a timeless tale about confronting the monstrous and overcoming obstacles.

Greek poet Hesiod noticed something strange about the world:

Things are not as they should be — malice rules our age, and a time is coming when "there will be no help against evil."

But it wasn’t always so.

He recalled a long-lost golden age, one of peace…

What happened?🧵 Hesiod was an ancient Greek poet thought to have lived during the Archaic period, roughly contemporary with Homer.

His poems explain myths related to the origins of the gods and Zeus’s rise to power, and it’s from him we get the myths like Pandora’s box.

The science vs religion dichotomy is false.

A thread on important scientific discoveries made by priests🧵 5) Atomic Theory (Boscovich Model)

Roger Boscovich, a Croatian physicist, astronomer, and mathematician, was a Catholic priest in the Jesuit order. His model of the atom, the “Boscovich Model,” was a forerunner to modern atomic theory.

Why are public art projects often so ugly?

Well, a key factor is how they’re funded.

Committees inevitably select terrible art.

But masterpieces like the works of Raphael and Michelangelo were funded by individual egos.

Here’s why it matters…🧵 A major factor in the proliferation of art during periods like the Renaissance was a concept called patronage, where princes, popes, and other influential people provided funds for painters, sculptors, and musicians.

Young Napoleon was bullied by his aristocratic peers.

He was aloof, spoke French with a funny accent, and of low nobility.

But he sought refuge in books — igniting a lifelong obsession. Reading became a “matter of power” for him.

Here’s how books guided his every move…🧵 Author Louis Sarkozy’s work “Napoleon's Library” paints a vivid picture of the emperor as an avid reader, enjoying history, philosophy, religion, and fiction.

His official portraits even reflect his love of reading — he’s often depicted in front of books and libraries.

Dueling might seem barbaric today, but it actually reveals a culture obsessed with etiquette.

Duels served a few purposes:

-settled disputes
-encouraged civility
-channeled aggression

Unlike today, careless words had consequences…🧵 Dueling in the West can be traced to pre-Christian practices like the Norse “holmgang”.

A Viking-era duel, the holmgang was a legal way to settle disputes. Whether it was for honor, a legal dispute, or revenge, it was fought regardless of the parties’ social status.

The Ancient Greeks basically invented Western philosophy. 2500 years on and we’re still studying their ideas.

Here are 10 Greek philosophers you need to know🧵 1. Thales, 7th cent. BC

Thales was part of a new generation of thinkers trying to uncover how the cosmos were constructed without relying on the gods as an explanation. An early Monist, he considered a single element to be the main building block of the cosmos.

Kenneth Clark lamented that civilization was a fragile thing.

He observed three “enemies” that could topple even the mightiest cultures — what are they?🧵 The first enemy is fear:

“fear of war, fear of invasion, fear of plague and famine, that make it simply not worthwhile constructing things, or planting trees or even planning next year’s crops. And fear of the supernatural, which means that you daren’t question anything.”

The great men of history read intensively — it's how they gained an edge over their rivals.

We can do the same, today.

So here are the classics that influenced the greats, from ancient warriors to modern emperors🧵 Alexander

According to Plutarch, Alexander was given an annotated copy of the Iliad which he carried with him everywhere.

He considered it a “perfect portable treasure of all military virtue and knowledge” and was especially fascinated by the character Achilles.

The East India Company was the most powerful corporation of all time.

It had an army larger than Great Britain's, and its influence shaped the borders of nations.

So how did a company become stronger than most countries?🧵 The East India Company's origins started with famed explorer Francis Drake.

His voyage in 1577 opened the world to the East Indies, and when he returned to England in 1580, he brought exotic spices from the Spice Islands that investors believed could be a lucrative venture.