Topic: Tiberius

John Hamer details the legend of flexible glass, an unbreakable material allegedly presented to Roman Emperor Tiberius. According to historical accounts by Pliny the Elder, the inventor demonstrated the glass's durability, but Tiberius had the man executed and the workshop destroyed to protect the value of gold and silver. This story is presented as an early example of suppressed technology and planned obsolescence.

History shows a conflicted relationship between Roman emperors and their diviners, often involving tests of the astrologer's own fate. Caesar Augustus was reportedly identified as a future ruler by an astrologer before his rise to power, while Emperor Tiberius famously interviewed candidates by asking them to predict their own deaths. These anecdotes illustrate how astrology has been both cherished and abused by those in the upper echelons of power.