Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Rome, played a pivotal role in the downfall of the Roman Republic and its transition into the Roman Empire. Crassus bankrolled and supported the military and political campaigns of Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great, forming the so-called First Triumvirate – an unofficial alliance that allowed its members to bypass the Senate and consolidate power, fulfilling their political and military ambitions.   However, Crassus’ lack of military triumph and the jealousy over Caesar’s and Pompey’s military successes drove him to the East, where he embarked on the ill-fated military campaign against the Parthians. The annihilation of the Roman legions at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE spelled the end of Crassus’ career and life, setting the stage for the civil war between Caesar and Pompey. And the end of the Roman Republic.    Marcus Licinius Crassus Was the Wealthiest Man in Rome Bust of Marcus Licinius Crassus, 1st century CE, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen   Marcus Licinius Crassus, the “wealthiest man in Rome,” was born in 115 BCE in Roman Iberia (present-day Spain). The region’s relative remoteness allowed Crassus not only to avoid political turmoil in Italy, but to flourish. The ambitious man used his family wealth to fund an army for Sulla, who rewarded Crassus with the properties confiscated from the victims of the infamous proscriptions. Those assets became the core of Crassus’ burgeoning wealth, which was further increased by investing in various enterprises, including real estate speculation and acquiring hazardous properties in Rome. If we are to believe historian Plutarch, Crassus became notorious for his practice of purchasing fire-damaged buildings at a fraction of their value and then rebuilding and selling the properties at a substantial profit.    Soon, Crassus’ vast holdings encompassed numerous buildings and lands across Rome, making him a dominant figure in the capital’s real estate market. Crassus’ vast fortune enabled him to fund political campaigns of the men who would amply reward him once they gained power. Thus, Crassus became the wealthiest man in Rome.     Crassus Crushed Spartacus’ Slave Revolt Mosaic showing a fight between the gladiators Astyanax and Kalendio, 3rd century CE. Source: National Archaeological Museum, Madrid   Like any wealthy Roman, Crassus engaged in the slave trade. Slaves were, after all, the lifeblood that kept the Republic alive. While the high-profile enslaved individuals were treated relatively well (some of them better than lower-class freemen), most of the slaves suffered harsh work conditions, forced to work in the mines or row the warships of the Roman navy (albeit not in combat). No wonder this social injustice resulted in slave revolts, including the most severe and dangerous of all – the Spartacus revolt in 73-71 BCE.    Following several Roman defeats at the hands of Spartacus, a former gladiator, and his growing army, the Senate appointed Crassus to deal with the revolt, which was spinning out of control. Recognizing this rare opportunity, Crassus amassed a large force of ten legions, funding most soldiers from his own pocket and taking personal command. However, despite his victory over Spartacus in 71 BCE, the triumph eluded Crassus. Instead, the coveted award went to another powerful and ambitious man – Pompey the Great – who dealt a final blow to the slave rebellion.   He Formed The First Triumvirate Vignette with profiles of the three Triumvirs, Raphael Morghen after Giovanni Battista Mengardi, 1791-94. Source: The British Museum, London   The inability of the Senate to deal with Spartacus’ revolt exposed the weaknesses of the Late Republic, ready to be exploited by those with power and wealth. Crassus had vast fortune and connections but lacked military glory. It did not take long to find allies – two equally ambitious and powerful men – Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. While Caesar became Crassus’ protégé and friend, Pompey was Crassus’ rival. Yet, Crassus needed both to fulfill his ambitions and become one of the most powerful men in Rome.    Around 60 BCE, three potentates formed the First Triumvirate, an informal alliance designed to bypass the Senate’s authority and advance their personal ambitions. Crassus’ wealth enabled the trio to fund their political campaigns and secure key positions. Caesar brought his military prowess and charismatic leadership, while Pompey contributed his military prestige and political influence. Together, the three triumviri aimed to reshape the political landscape of Rome and divide the Roman world between themselves. It was an uneasy alliance, but it gave Crassus a much-needed opportunity to gain military glory – an opportunity that would lead to his doom.   Crassus Perished in the Ill-Fated Parthian Campaign Artist’s impression of the kataphraktoi charging the Roman positions during the Battle of Carrhae, 53 BCE.   In 53 BCE, driven by a desire for military glory and jealousy over the achievements of Caesar – the conqueror of Gaul, and Pompey, the man who crushed the Spartacus’ revolt and eradicated Mediterranean piracy, Crassus led Roman legions into Mesopotamia. His goal was to conquer the Parthian Empire. The Romans were slowly encroaching into the Hellenistic East, and Parthia was a prime prize. Victory over such a powerful and wealthy rival would allow Crassus to surpass both Pompey and Caesar. Or so, Crassus thought, when in June 53 BCE, his legions engaged the Parthians near the ancient city of Carrhae.    Instead of military glory, Crassus suffered an ignominious defeat. The Roman legions, predominantly heavy infantry, were lured into the desert and could do little to counter mighty Parthian cataphracts and mounted archers. The result was the destruction of Roman forces and the captivity of those who surrendered. To make matters worse, the Parthians captured the eagle standards, the most prized possession of the Roman legion (they would be retrieved decades later by Augustus). The commander of the ill-fated expedition, Crassus, fell into captivity and was killed by a Parthian general.    Marcus Licinius Crassus’ Demise Led to the Fall of the Republic Detail from the larger-than-life statue of Augustus of Prima Porta, early 1st century CE. Source: Musei Vaticani, Rome   The defeat at Carrhae was a significant blow to Roman prestige and marked one of the worst military disasters in Roman history, along with Cannae and Adrianople. The infamous story of Crassus being executed by having molten gold poured down his throat is probably a rumor. Crassus’ death plunged Rome into chaos. It did not take long for the triumvirate to collapse, putting Caesar and Pompey on a collision course. A series of civil wars undermined the foundations of the Republic. In the end, the sole victor – Caesar’s nephew Octavian – declared himself Augustus, the first Roman emperor.    Marcus Licinius Crassus’ rise and fall remains a cautionary tale of ambition, jealousy, military misfortune, and hubris. His immense wealth and political ambitions set the stage for turbulent events, highlighting the role of powerful individuals and the precarious balance of power in the last years of the Roman Republic. Thus, Crassus’s life and career mirror the volatile nature of Roman politics, where alliances were fleeting, and personal ambition often dictated the course of history. The ambitions and actions of men like Crassus, whose pursuit of power and glory toppled down the Republic, and ushered in the Roman Empire.

Twelve years before they played the Olympic opening ceremony, Gojira released their classic fifth album, 2012’s L’Enfant Sauvage

Dance/electronic outfit Another Chemical Love Story have remixed Caravan's Golf Girl

10 U.S. Olympic Athletes Who Champion Their Christian Faith

A video essay of who Kamala Harris is. Check it out. Who is Kamala Harris? Well, she took Nina Simone’s estate from her daughter. WOW! Nina Simone’s daughter, granddaughter, and family did not get the royalties to her estate. “Neither did they have any say so in Nina Simone’s documentary, in her movie. Because Kamala […] The post Dark Side of Kamala: She Took Nina Simone’s Estate From Her Daughter appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

When Lauren Hamilton found out she was going to be a mom, she knew that she wanted to reveal the good news to her best friend with a surprise pregnancy announcement. So, she purchased a special bottle of wine and got ready to film the other woman’s reaction. However, what she didn’t know was that her bestie had a surprise for her, too. Lauren shared the cutest video of the unforgettable moment! In the clip, the mom-to-be brought out the bottle of wine during a meal. Her best friend, Madison, could barely restrain her giggles during the big reveal. She shared a knowing look with her partner before getting up from the table. Then, she produced two wine bottles of her own. Madison was having a baby, too. Not only that, but she’d planned the exact same pregnancy announcement for her best friend! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren Hamilton (@laurennn.hamilton) These two women could barely contain their excitement as they celebrated each others’ pregnancy announcements. Madison was doubled over with laughter while Lauren jumped up and down for joy. They couldn’t believe they were both pregnant at the same time — and that they’d literally come up with the same surprise for each other! “Still can’t get over this,” Lauren wrote in her Instagram caption. She also revealed that both babies were expected some time in December, “just a few days apart.” Great minds really do think alike! Screengrab from Instagram This hilarious pregnancy announcement video has received over 19 million views! Commenters thought the clip was too sweet, although a couple of people pointed out that neither woman would be able to enjoy their wine just yet. “Well in 9 months they can drink their wines lol,” wrote one user. “Looks like the guys are getting wine drunk,” joked another. We doubt that either of these moms-to-be are disappointed, though. They’re too busy being thrilled about each other’s pregnancy announcements! You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post Woman Surprises Best Friend With A Pregnancy Announcement — But There’s A Plot Twist appeared first on InspireMore.

Jefferson Airplane was formed in 1965 in San Francisco. They quickly became one of the premier acts of the burgeoning psychedelic rock scene. Known for their complex vocal harmonies and radical political lyrics, they were among the defining artists of the 1960s counterculture movement. The band’s debut performance was at the Matrix nightclub in San Francisco, marking the beginning of a significant journey in rock history. Jefferson Airplane played a vital role at key events of the 1960s, including the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock. Their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow is considered one of the landmark records of psychedelic rock The post Complete List Of Jefferson Airplane Band Members appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Our partner Rob Brezsny, who has a new book out, Astrology Is Real: Revelations from My Life as an Oracle, provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote […] The post Your Weekly Horoscope – ‘Free Will Astrology’ From Rob Brezsny appeared first on Good News Network.

Anyone who’s stumbled onto the “wellness” side of TikTok recently will no doubt have seen some sort of video about cortisol, with a whole bunch of people claiming that an imbalance of the oft-dubbed “stress hormone” is responsible for all sorts of health problems. Should we really be worried about it, or is this yet another case of popular pseudoscience?What is cortisol?Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, the two triangular blobs sitting on top of the kidneys. It’s quite the all-rounder in terms of the functions it has in the body, which range from reducing inflammation to increasing the breakdown of glucose.It’s perhaps best known, however, as the “stress hormone”. That’s because it’s released as part of the body’s stress response, helping it to stay on high alert by ramping up the functions we do need and slowing down the things we don’t.The rest of the time, when we’re not stressed, the levels of cortisol in the body change throughout the day, usually peaking in the morning and declining to a low at night.Medical misinformationWe weren’t overselling it when we said just how popular a topic cortisol is on the wellness side of the internet at the moment; over the last three months, there have been 30,000 TikToks posted with the tag “#cortisol”, gaining a whopping 529 million views. Google searches for “cortisol levels” have also ramped up since the beginning of this year.Clearly, there’s an appetite for it – but unfortunately for something racking up so many views, a lot of what’s being broadcast about the hormone (and how to combat its apparent effects) is plain ol’ misinformation.According to some of the most popular of these videos, high cortisol levels can be responsible for bloating and facial puffiness (often dubbed “cortisol belly” and “cortisol face”), being tired in the afternoons, bruising easily, not being able to think clearly, and the list goes on and on.If those symptoms sound like they could be the result of a plethora of other things – anemia, not getting enough sleep/food/water, menstruation – then you’re not mistaken. While many have pointed the finger at out-of-whack cortisol, for the vast majority of people, the hormone is unlikely to be the responsible party for experiencing these symptoms on a noticeable, consistent basis.For most people, an increase in cortisol “wouldn’t be something so dramatic where they would have to go seek an endocrinologist to go get treated,” Dr Charlotte Hodges, chair of the surgery department at White Rock Medical Center in Dallas, told CNN Health.Somewhat more bluntly, Professor Stafford Lightman, a professor of medicine at the University of Bristol said to Dazed: “[T]here is no such thing as ‘raised cortisol’ outside of clinical conditions.”One such clinical condition is Cushing’s syndrome, which is caused by having too much cortisol in the body over a long period of time. A tumor in the pituitary or adrenal glands or long-term steroid medication use can cause this. One of its symptoms can be a puffy face, which is likely where the “cortisol face” idea stems from – but there are plenty of others, such as a fatty hump between the shoulders, muscle weakness, thin skin, irregular periods, and mood changes.While some of these are name-dropped on TikTok, it’s unlikely that everyone who identifies with them has Cushing’s syndrome – it’s rare, estimated to affect only around 40 to 70 people out of every million each year.It’s also important to note that plenty of the ways in which wellness videos recommend tackling high cortisol won’t actually make a difference if you have a condition like Cushing’s syndrome. Going out on a walk, getting more sleep, and swapping some of your coffees for water might help you feel less stressed, but if you actually have clinically high levels of cortisol, more targeted treatments (which one depends on the cause) like surgery or changing medications are required.For people without such conditions, no fancy supplements are required – it’s normal for cortisol to fluctuate throughout the day, and the body is capable of keeping that in check, even if the day is a bit of a stressful one.As well as medical conditions like Cushing's, prescription corticosteroid medications can be behind some of the symptoms associated with increased cortisol in the body. These drugs – which act as anti-inflammatories and can be used for a range of different conditions – contain synthetic versions of cortisol, so if you have to take them for a long period of time you can start to see some of the physical effects of high cortisol levels, like a rounder face and bruising of the skin. In these cases, the potential risks of the treatment will have been weighed against the risks of not taking it, so before stopping or changing any prescribed medication you should always speak to your doctor. What about low cortisol?Another way in which some of the videos about high cortisol provide misinformation is that some of the symptoms they list can actually be signs of lower-than-normal cortisol, such as fatigue, low mood, and muscle weakness – if their tips for reducing cortisol did work, this just goes to show that taking advice from TikTok isn’t a safe thing to do.Clinically low levels of cortisol are often a sign of a condition called Addison’s disease, or adrenal insufficiency, where something has gone wrong with the adrenal glands and as a result, they don’t produce enough cortisol or another hormone called aldosterone.Again, it’s unlikely to be something that will apply to the vast majority of people who come across popular videos about cortisol; Addison’s disease is estimated to affect around 100 to 140 of every million people.The bottom lineIf you’re unsure about whether or not cortisol could be behind any health problems that you’re experiencing, it’s best not to try and tackle it yourself with the help of TikTok – it’s just not reliable. The only way to know for sure is to speak to a doctor, who can carry out tests to confirm your cortisol levels.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text, images, and links may be edited, removed, or added to at a later date to keep information current.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

It’s an iconic piece of imagery: an astronaut plonking down a flagpole with the Stars and Stripes on the lunar surface. But decades after those flags were first placed, many are curious to know – have they stood the test of time?Keeping an eye on the flags on the Moon is easier said than done. While it would be pretty amazing if any old person could just grab a telescope and take a peek, that’s unfortunately not possible.As astrophotographer Robert Reeves explains in a video, “The Moon is about a quarter million miles away. The smallest objects on the Moon that can be seen with any earthbound telescope, even the largest research telescope, are only a little under a mile across.”“Since the flags left on the Moon by the Apollo astronauts are only about four feet [1.2 meters] wide, unfortunately, they’re a thousand times smaller than what we can spot from the Earth,” he continues. “Not even the powerful Hubble Space Telescope can see the flags.”Thankfully, NASA has a rather handy solution to that problem – the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). As it says on the tin, this spacecraft orbits the Moon and keeps an eye on it, and in doing so, it can spot the shadows cast by the flags left on the surface below.According to NASA, from photographs taken by the LRO in recent years, we can determine that the flags left by the Apollo 12, 16, and 17 missions still seem to be standing. Granted, it takes a bit of squinting to see (there’s a nice helpful arrow), but it’s a good indicator.An image taken by the LRO in 2012 shows the flag left by Apollo 12 still standing.Image credit: NASAIt’s not such good news for the first flag left by Apollo 11. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin has said that he spotted the flag getting knocked over during liftoff and that seems to be backed up by the LRO, which hasn’t been able to see it.As for those left by Apollo 14 and 15 – status report? Inconclusive. The LRO can’t get a detailed enough look, although we wouldn’t be surprised if the one from 14 toppled over, as it apparently took “quite a beating” from the Lunar Module’s exhaust as it lifted off.But there’s plenty of other stuff left on the Moon that we simply won’t know the fate of until humans return there – which might end up being a little later than originally anticipated given recent updates – because it’s just too small to see.We can’t be sure, for example, of what’s happened to the 96 bags of human waste left on the Moon, although if it’s found and brought back to Earth for analysis, we imagine it’ll certainly make for one of the odder experiments those lucky scientists have ever conducted.However, scientists can still make some educated guesses about other objects. Take the framed family photo left on the lunar surface by Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke; after 52 years exposed to the Sun, it’s likely been bleached.Whether or not such mementos, flags, and poop should’ve been left in the first place, or should continue to be left – now that’s a whole other matter.