The hashtag #roman empire has reportedly been viewed over a billion times on TikTok, with most videos women asking men the question: How often do you think about the Roman Empire? The surprising answer: a lot. Feminist historian Mary Beard, of course, says it's because of male chauvinism [How often do you think about the Roman Empire? Expert has thoughts on the new TikTok trend, SkyNews, September 27, 2023]. Well, here's one reason to think about it: I believe the rise and fall of Rome coincided with the rise and fall of Roman intelligence. Rome fell because its people were becoming less intelligent. And the same thing is happening today.