Most empires rise, fall, and leave only ruins to tell their tale.

But some empires never die, rising like a phoenix again and again from ashes to glory.

This is the concept of "translatio imperii" — how empires inspire empires and live forever... 🧵 (thread) Translatio imperii — Latin for ‘transfer of rule’ — is the idea that one empire may live on as the successor of a former empire. It’s a natural extension of the succession of kings to the scale of nations and empires.

Great men read great books.

A thread on the great figures of history and the books that influenced them🧵 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.

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.

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.

How in the world do you beat this formation?

Well, it was virtually unstoppable when it was first used in battle—it toppled an empire and became the default fighting formation of the ancient Greek world.

An introduction to the Macedonian phalanx…🧵 You’ve probably heard about Alexander the Great’s conquest of the ancient world—what’s lesser known is that much of his success was due to his father Philip II.

Specifically, it was Philip who created a game-changing new infantry formation called the Macedonian phalanx.

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.

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.

Machiavelli promoted a *realistic* approach to governance.

It didn’t always involve being nice.

More than anything, though, he claimed rulers needed to avoid this one mistake — it was absolutely fatal and ruined nations…🧵(thread) Niccolò Machiavelli was a 15-16th century Florentine diplomat, philosopher, and author who’s best known for his political masterpiece “The Prince”.

Often called the father of modern political philosophy, he wrote the book as a guide for potential rulers.

Illuminated manuscripts were true works of art.

The monks that made them ensured the beauty of the books reflected the beauty of the content.

Let’s explore how they were made (and what they can teach us)🧵 Christian Neoplatonism saw beauty as concomitant with the Good — so monks like Cassiodorus went to great lengths to not only copy religious texts, but also to make them beautiful.

Information and art converged in the illuminated manuscript.

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.

Most cultural movements aren’t grass roots—they’re top down.

Charlemagne’s cultural rebirth, the “Carolingian renaissance,” proved how real cultural change is planned and executed by society’s elites...🧵(thread) In the late 8th and early 9th century, Charlemagne ruled vast lands from Northern Spain to the North Sea.

Charlemagne was a skilled administrator, but his newfound empire had problems.

You need to be buying *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.

Millionaire Andrew Carnegie ushered in America's "Gilded Age" via the industrial empire he forged.

But he also patronized the arts, building over 3,000 public libraries at his own expense — why?

An introduction to the concept of "noblesse oblige"...🧵
Andrew Carnegie was a leading industrialist at the turn of the 20th century. His steel business made him one of the wealthiest men in American history.

But his wealth wasn’t just for his private use—he believed he had a responsibility to care for the common man, too.

The Holy Roman Empire lasted ~1000 years, and it looked like this:

How did such a fractured political entity last so long?

It has to do with a concept called “subsidiarity”, and it holds the key to implementing responsible government today 🧵 (thread) Voltaire famously derided the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) as “neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire”, but what couldn't be denied was its longevity.

Existing from 800-1806, it was birthed before William the Conqueror invaded England and continued on after the American Revolution.

A road might seem like a simple thing...

But it was mastery of road construction that made Rome the most connected—and powerful—empire in the ancient world.

Roman roads were engineering marvels in their own right 🧵 (thread) “All roads lead to Rome” is a saying everyone knows. And there’s a reason for it—Rome developed the most incredible network of interconnected highways in the ancient world.

It’s estimated there were over 50,000 miles (~80000 km) of paved roads throughout the empire.

There are a lot of misconceptions about witch trials.

Opponents of religion often point to the Church’s handling of witch hunts, hoping to paint a simplistic picture of an “evil” medieval Church.

But the real story is more complicated…🧵(thread) Sorcery has been around since ancient times, but witchcraft — loosely defined as the practice of black (or evil) magic to harm others — really came to head once Christianity became the dominant religion in the West.

Galileo called him “superhuman”. Tesla said he was the “ideal” inventor. And da Vinci was directly inspired by him.

Simply put, Archimedes was the greatest engineer and mathematician of the ancient world.

Here’s why...🧵(thread) Born around 287 BC, Archimedes was an inventor, mathematician, astronomer, and engineer from the city of Syracuse in Sicily.

Very little is known of Archimedes’ life other than his discoveries and inventions, of which there were many.

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

He saw some positives, but also noted 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.”

Everyone dreams of fighting in a "last stand" — battling an overwhelming force against all odds.

The 10 greatest last stands in Western history to fuel your dreams🧵 10. Siege of Antioch, 1098

Shortly after the crusaders took the city, they found themselves besieged by the Seljuk Turks.

Finding inspiration after discovering the Holy Lance—the spear that pierced Christ—they sallied forth and confronted the Seljuks head on, winning the day.

You’ve probably seen this painting before.

It’s actually one of a five-part collection…

The artist, Thomas Cole, was known mostly for landscapes—but the series reveals a poignant facet of human nature.

The clues are in the details…🧵 Cole, an Englishmen who immigrated to America in 1818, became famous due to his scenic paintings.

He founded the “Hudson River School”—a Romantic art movement that painted scenes of New England, the American West, and South America.

The Roman Empire had its own sin city.

Baia, the “ancient Las Vegas,” was described as a "vortex of luxury" and a "harbor of vice" by Seneca.

But the fun didn’t last—half the city now rests at the bottom of the Mediterranean sea…🧵 Situated on the northwest shore of the Gulf of Naples, Baia was a fashionable resort town for the Roman elite. From about 100 BC on, wealthy Romans, including emperors, built villas there.

Pompey, Caesar, Nero, and Hadrian all had residencies in Baia.