The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire | Lex Fridman Podcast #498

Anthony Kaldellis is a historian of the Roman Empire and author of "The New Roman Empire", a comprehensive history of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep498-sb See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. *Transcript:* https://lexfridman.com/anthony-kaldellis-transcript *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact *EPISODE LINKS:* Anthony's Books: https://amzn.to/49AX7Q1 Anthony's Publications: https://kaldellispublications.weebly.com Anthony's University of Chicago page: https://classics.uchicago.edu/people/anthony-kaldellis The New Roman Empire (book): https://amzn.to/3PTFTqk Streams of Gold (book): https://amzn.to/4fgRMRq Byzantium & Friends Podcast: https://byzantiumandfriends.podbean.com/ The History of Byzantium Podcast: https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/ *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *Upwork:* Platform for hiring freelancers. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/upwork-ep498-sb *Fin:* AI agent for customer service. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep498-sb *BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep498-sb *LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep498-sb *Shopify:* Sell stuff online. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep498-sb *Perplexity:* AI-powered answer engine. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/perplexity-ep498-sb *OUTLINE:* 0:00 - Episode highlight 1:24 - Introduction 1:51 - The Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire 5:49 - 2,200 Years of Roman History 26:12 - Power, violence, and civil war 47:27 - Edict of Caracalla 1:00:23 - Crisis of the Third Century 1:14:52 - Constantine and the new Roman Empire 1:26:53 - Christianity in the Roman Empire 1:52:21 - Fall of the Western Roman Empire 2:05:17 - Eunuchs, Taxes, and Power 2:30:24 - Emperor Justinian and wars of conquest 2:47:26 - The Arab conquests 3:07:01 - Why the Roman empire survived so long 3:33:08 - Lessons from history *PODCAST LINKS:* - Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast - Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr - Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 - RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ - Podcast Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 - Clips Channel: https://www.youtube.com/lexclips *SOCIAL LINKS:* - X: https://x.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://instagram.com/lexfridman - TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://facebook.com/lexfridman - Patreon: https://patreon.com/lexfridman - Telegram: https://t.me/lexfridman - Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman