What a fantastic reply, thank you! That was extremely well put, I hope you’re an educator.

Always happy to share a little of this obsessive Roman knowledge I have trapped in my head! 🙏

I think there’s a lot of value to examining the collapse of large empires these days.

Oh, certainly. One advantage we have, though, is that the US, as important as it is to the current world order, is not nearly as integral as the Roman Empire was. If the US collapses entirely, there will be increased suffering and death, but the existence of the US - or of any major modern power or group of powers - does not enable the continued production of basic technologies, or long-distance exchange of information or material goods the way the Roman Empire did.

Thank the gods for engine-powered vehicles and the printing press.