I know this is a joke/meme, but I sincerely think of the Roman Empire a surprising amount of times. I find myself obsessing over how Roman citizens were living just as complex lives as we are today, or about Marcus Aurelius’ life and philosophy, or about how the Republic fell and became a totalitarian state.
The Empire was the most powerful nation to ever exist. The Republic was merely a bunch of rich people who thought they were great.
The empire was also a bunch of rich guys who thought they were great
Ah, but they were actually great this time.