General Discussion

Study the 2 triumvirates. It smells similar (not exactly tho)
The democracy was very very dangerous to common people and very unstable.
It was hard not to get sucked in.

The Empire had remarkable staying power. Half of it lasted over a thousand years.
A lot of survival skills are hard to pin down because the survivors weren't getting killed
for the benefit of history writers. Staying out of the way of the emperors and senior
generals seems to be one element.

Could be a lesson for us.

Plagues, public health, lead, and simple infections were real problems. They had terrible
medical science compared to us, but still. Paying attention to your own medical care might be another lesson.