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Panzer V

The Panzer V, or Panzerkampfwagen V Panther, is a German medium tank of WWII. It was used around 1943 to the end of the war in 1945. The Panzer V was made to counter the Soviet T-34 medium tank and to replace the previous panzer tanks. The Panzer V is often praised for its excellent firepower, protection, and mobility. It traded side armor for better mobility. This tradeoff made the Panzer V vulnerable on its flanks. The Panzer V, being a medium tank, had the weight of a heavy tank. This caused logistical problems, making it difficult for the tank to cross bridges. The Panzer Vs saw action on both the western and eastern fronts. The Panzer V is one of the most successful tanks of WWII. There were around 6,000 Panzer V tanks built from 1943-1945.

A Cousin of the Manatee Is Going Extinct!

Dugongs are one of four extant species in the Sirenia Order. They are usually found in shallow coastal areas, grazing largely on seagrass and occasionally algae. Dugongs are very important to many people. Dugongs are thought to be human in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, and if beached or murdered, they will weep. Their "tears" and flesh were regarded aphrodisiacs in portions of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Some places have been hunted nearly to extinction. In Kenya, Dugong are utilized for food, medicine, and ornament.

To preserve population stability, 95% of adults must be maintained alive. 99% to 98% of females must be kept alive. The International Union for Conservation of Nature updated the species' extinction risk category to vulnerable in December. The Convention on International Trading in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora monitors and, in certain cases, prohibits international trade in these species. The existence of Dugong in the Mediterranean Sea has been established, although it is now extinct. Because Dugongs live in shallow water, they are more vulnerable to human activity.

There has been little research on Dugongs and the consequences of human activities on them, with the majority currently happening in Australia. In several countries, Dugong populations have yet to be counted. The Dugong is also under threat. Torres Strait Islanders have always hunted and counted them in a sustainable manner. However, living there is difficult owing to rising sea levels and temperatures. Even under ideal conditions, the population is projected to grow by more than 5% every year.

Dugong hunting is now illegal in Kenya, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Although the Dugong is protected in many countries, human factors such as hunting, habitat damage, and fishing-related mortality are causing its population to decline. Furthermore, some governments do not enforce the laws. Shark nets have killed a high number of Dugongs. Due to a lack of sunlight, cyclones, and floods, the population of Halophila Ovalis, a sea grass that Dugongs mostly eat, has been declining. Water salinity is rising due to wastewater. Scientists aren't sure how much salt seagrasses can resist.

The Nerva-Antonine Dynasty

The Pinnacle of Roman Societyby Chuheng Wen

The adoption of Antoninus Pius

In February of 138 AD, Roman emperor Hadrian would formally adopt Senator Antoninus to be his next successor. Hadrian did this because his intended heir of Marcus Annius Verus, was merely a 10-year old, not fit enough to take on the demanding position of Roman Emperor. However, this future Marcus Aurelius would gain the adequate experience he needed to effectively manage the empire. As it would be under the reign of Antoninus Pius, that Rome would achieve a total of 23 wars of no major conflicts of expansion, defense, or for whatever other reason. But how did the Empire get to this stage of total prosperity? What were the events which preceded Antoninus, and what is the context behind his accession and the rise of the so-called Philosopher King of Marcus Aurelius?

Backstory

The Roman Empire was a new system of government after the collapse of the civil war-ridden Roman Republic, replacing the republic in 27 BC. This empire forged by the grandnephew of the famous Julius Caesar, Gaius Octavian Thurinus, later accepted the name of Augustus Julius Caesar as a gift from the Roman Senate. Under Augustus, the position of Emperor would be solidified through complete control over the legions, the Senate as a whole, and the Roman religion. With this god-like status and power, also came with god-like responsibility, as Rome was quite literally the biggest empire at the time. However, Augustus dealt with this challenge head-on, even creating a navigable road system which covered the entire empire. This era of peace after the series of civil wars during the Roman Republic was so great that many historians call this era, the Pax Romana (1).

However, Augustus' successors failed to do what he had done during his 40-year long rule. This eventually led to the degradation of the role of Emperor, from degrading the position through hiding away in some summer palace in Capri (2) to having literal teenagers on the purple (3). This degradation eventually led to the fall of the Julio-Claudians, in which, the final Julio-Claudian Emperor, Nero, caused an entire civil war to occur on who should become emperor of Rome( 4). This civil war in 69 AD would be known as the Year of Four Emperors, as Roman general after general took power all in the same year (5). This all ended however after the Second Battle of Bedriacum, in which, the highly popular Roman general Titus Flavius Vespasian's allied forces beat Roman usurper Aulus Vitellius' forces.

Under the new Flavian Dynasty, fantastic projects such as the Colosseum would be built. However, most importantly to this article, is the revival of the economy, which was torn into pieces during the civil war and the excessive Julio-Claudians. This revival of the economy came in the hands of Emperor Domitian, who micro-managed so heavily into almost all affairs of the Senate that he made all of the Senators hate him, eventually leading to his assassination. After Domitian's assassination in 96 AD, his old mentor and caretaker (6), Senator Marcus Cocceius Nerva, would be proclaimed emperor by the Senate. Thus, beginning the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty.

(1) - How did Caesar Augustus Shape Rome? - HistoryMarche, Youtube

(2) - Tiberius - Britannica

(3) - Caligula - Britannica and (4) - Nero - Britannica

(5) - The Year of Five Emperors: When Rome plunged into chaos - Biographics, Youtube

(6) - Life of Emperor Domitian #11: The Last Flavian - The SPQR Historian, Youtube

A summary of the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty

Nerva

Being old, childless, and associated with the assassination of Domitian, the military undoubtedly hated Nerva. In fact, Nerva was even locked up in his own house by his own bodyguards, that was how unpopular he really was. However, things would change when he adopted the Roman general Marcus Ulpius Trajanus to be his heir. This would be the best decision ever, as it would cement his reign as the beginning of the 5 Good Emperors period of the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty.

Trajan

Trajan was a military man, and as soon as he became emperor after Nerva suffered a stroke in early-98 AD, Trajan would use his powers for conquest. Defeating and pacifying hostile regions such as the Danubian front in the form of the defeat of the Dacians in two blazing campaigns and outright annexing the heartland of the weakened Parthian Empire in the Middle East. Trajan would extend Rome´s borders to it´s greatest extend between 115 AD and 117 AD, having the profits to even fund quarter of a year long Gladiatorial games, eventually dying from a heatstroke while in the Middle East.

Hadrian

Trajan died with no heir, so, Trajan´s wife, Empress Plotina, decided to nominate Trajan´s cousin Publius Aelius Hadrianus as emperor. Unlike Trajan, Hadrian focused on more domestic issues through traveling across the entire empire. Hadrian particularly loved Greece, putting up new Hellenic styled monuments, temples, and entire cities. However, this pushing of Hellenic-Roman culture was a bit too far in certain regions, take the Third Romano-Jewish War in 134 AD for example.

Antoninus Pius

Hadrian needed an heir, so he chose the great-great-great grandnephew of Trajan to become the next Emperor, the future Marcus Aurelius, but, he was merely a 10-year old. This caused Hadrian to adopt Senator Lucius Aelius as regent, but Aelius died. So, Hadrian adopted Antoninus, who was merely a Senator too, as regent for Marcus Aurelius. Under Antoninus Pius, who came into power in late 138 AD, the empire would experience a whole two decades of no active conflicts on any frontier (something challenging as Rome was continent big).

Marcus Aurelius And Lucius Verus

After Antoninus died in early-161 AD, the intended heir of Hadrian and the son of Lucius Aelius, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus came into power. As soon as the two came to power, the frontiers of the empire erupted once more. Sending Lucius Verus to handle the threatening Parthians in the Middle East while Marcus Aurelius himself, would tackle the Germanic tribes along the Danube. These measures proved successful, but the empire would be critically weakened through the bringing of the Antonine Plague by eastern Roman forces. Marcus Aurelius would also pen his famous philosophical book of the Meditations, being known as the Philsopher King.

Commodus

With Lucius Verus dying from the Antonine Plague and his stoic father, Marcus Aurelius, dead within the military camp of Vindobona, Commodus would become the next Roman emperor. Under Commodus, Rome would see this egocentric young man rename all 12-months under his 12 self-given names, rename Rome and the Roman people after himself, and fighting in prodigal gladiatorial fights. Commodus eventually died through being strangled by his personal wrestling trainer and poison in late-192 AD. Thus, bringing the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty, and the entire period of Roman history called Pax Romana to closure. (7)(8)

(7) - The Five Good Emperors (96 - 180) - Thucydides, Youtube

(8) - Did Commodus end the Golden Age of Rome? - Kings and Generals, Youtube

How did the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty do so well?

The Nerva-Antonine Dynasty did so well was because of the careful planning by each and every Emperor for who should be their heir. In fact, looking at this family tree of the Nerva-Antonines, we can clearly see that majority of the emperors were adopted, had experience in government, and was generally a very skilled governor. Upon the breaking of this trend, Rome practically fell right afterwards, take Commodus, who was 18-years old upon becoming Emperor, and upon his ascension, the Roman Empire practically fell out of Pax Romana.
Another reason for the success of the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty is the groundwork laid by their predecessors. Take the reign of Emperor Domitian for example, the reign in which inflation was practically demolished. Giving the economic power for daring campaigns such as the ones of Trajan's and Marcus Aurelius' while providing the money necessary for lavish building projects under Hadrian. In fact, you can even take reigns as far as the reign of Emperor Augustus' which laid the groundwork for the many achievements of the Nerva-Antonines. Take Augustus' massive infrastructure plans which paved roads across the entirety of the empire and effective tax system as an example for this said groundwork.
One last reason for the success of the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty was the appointment of capable and reliable governors and officials. For example, during the reign of Trajan, many officials such as Lucius Quietus (a capable Berber General) and Pliny the Younger (a capable governor) allowed Trajan to invest his time to his military affairs and to use that invested time effectively.

These are, and possibly even more, the reasons for why the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty was so successful. How they were able to maintain Rome at it's prime for almost a century.

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