History

̶w̶a̶l̶k̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶a̶l̶k̶

hike and mic

fair enough, especially in the frame of any respective emperor existing.

but, imho, institutional strength like shared language upstream of justice, the vibe of an unbeaten capitol, a growing/stable trade network... I would call the Byzantine empire late-stage by 8-9th century (though I would agree they remained intact for much longer).

then again, suzerainty like the Zhou dynasty is another form of overlord dominion, so in such a frame I would call anything like the Warring period as evidence of a late-stage empire.

ultimately, empires are remembered for their Golden Ages, and maybe there's more than one of those. I think we've reached the point with globalism that it's impossible to practically recede from our Golden Age. 

maybe NK & China can temporarily resist for a few generations, but eventually the liberalist economic/informatic mandate will be indominatable. in that respect, any state that's increasingly overspending on resistance is late-stage for whatever mandate they possess.