Shitlording in History: Scipio Aemilianus Scipio Aemilianus was the Roman Consul during the Thrid Punic War with Carthage. Following his destruction of Carthage, he was instructed to inspect the kingdoms in the east Mediterranean. One of those kingdoms was Egypt, ruled by the Ptolemaic Dynasty  since the death of Alexander the Great. The members of this dynasty never integrated into Egyptian culture: They seldom left the palace, practiced indulgent lifestyles, and they were commonly obese.  To Scipio, a Roman, this was incredibly improper on top of being disgusting. For the Romans in this period, all men 17-60 were eligible for military service and the draft, and were thus expected to remain in a physical condition that would ensure they would be able to fight effectively. Upon arriving in Alexandria, he saw the ruler as a disgusting blob and found it necessary to shitlord him: Our account of it comes from the disciple of Panaetius, Posidonius. The visit gave later writers the occasion for an effective contrast between the great Roman noble in his republican simplicity and dignity and the king of Egypt, a bloated mountain of flesh in his indecent gauze, puffing and panting as he escorted his powerful visitor from the ship to the palace on foot. Scipio then ends up having the Egyptian ruler follow him as he tours the city. At this time, Alexandria is the second largest city in the Western World. It's the middle of the day, and it's hot and dusty. The Ptolemaic ruler reportedly wore almost transparent silk clothes, and almost passed out as Scipio inspected the city. "The Alexandrines," Scipio whispered to Panaetius, "owe me one thing; I have proven their king can walk!"