9.1%
Theodosian
Numa
Pompilius
"Five Good Emperors"
9.1%
"Though supposedly legendary (and not technically dynastical), Numa Pompilius focused not on war but on peace. He instituted many of the classical institutions that marked later Rome, including the Vestal Virgins, the pontifex maximus, and even January and February! Also, his reign was probably the most peaceful out of all the dynasties, which is always nice to know :)"
Julia Wang
Fairbanks BEST Homeschool, Alaska
"What's the best Roman dynasty? It’s easy to make a case for the Julio-Claudians, the Good Emperors, and especially the Constantinian Dynasty, but I’m going to be a contrarian and say the Theodosians. After the Battle of Adrianople in 378 A.D. and Emperor Valens’ untimely demise, Rome would have disintegrated almost immediately if not for the valiant efforts of Theodosius the Great. Equally important is his namesake and grandson, Theodosius II, who built an impregnable wall around Constantinople which made it nearly impossible to defeat for the next 1000 years. They say that history is written nothing — or rewritten nothing — by the victors. Barbarian invaders in the west might have done just this if it weren’t for the Theodosian Dynasty who ensured that the Eastern Empire lived on and kept the name of Rome alive."
Johan Coisman
Weston High School, Massachusetts
Winter 2025 · Torch: U.S. · THIS OR THAT: ROMAN DYNASTIES
26
"They definitely don't call it the 'Five Good Emperors' for nothing — that if anything should be telling. Even the bad emperors from this dynasty were kind of iconic."
Kaitlyn Tyler
Stafford High School, Virginia
"Marcus Aurelius!"
Aurelia Shaitelman
St. John's School, Texas
"I just like them."
Chloe Silbermann
Winchester High School, Massachusetts