Here's my conversation with Anthony Kaldellis about the deep history of the Roman Empire in the west and the east (the Byzantine Empire). This was a truly fascinating conversation with a lot of wisdom for the modern world and for the future of human civilization. The Roman state lasted over 2,200 years. If we want to understand human nature, the modern world, and how humanity can flourish, it is valuable to study history, especially the history of why societies survive and why they collapse. It's here on X in full and is up everywhere else (see comment). Timestamps: 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
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Here's the links for my conversation with Anthony Kaldellis: YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSE… Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2MAi0B… Podcast: lexfridman.com/podcast

Jun 30, 2026 · 10:10 PM UTC

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Great interview
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Kaldellis has such a unique way of stripping away the romanticism to show the raw mechanics of power. It’s fascinating how those ancient political patterns still echo in our modern structures today. I’m curious, what part of his take on Byzantine governance resonated most with you?
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I am a big fan of this ep, his analysis of what would happen if a Byzantine met a Republican was great
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Thanks for sharing the links. Always good to hear different perspectives.
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Irfan@MalikIrfanFanu1Jul 15
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2,200 years is an insane run. It proves that while tech and weapons evolve, human psychology and power dynamics stay exactly the same. The empires change, but the playbook doesn't. Can't wait to dive into this one.
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It's been a while. Just wondering,,,,, Especially now in the new age of Western and European totalitarian tyrannical authotarian surveillance state governments. Would another episode with @durov be due. #privacymatters #freedomofspeech #freedomofexpression
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É OFICIAL: O BRASIL VAI LANÇAR SEU PRIMEIRO FOGUETE COMERCIAL ! Entre o fim de outubro e o início de novembro, o Centro Espacial de Alcântara, no Maranhão, fará história. Pela primeira vez, um foguete comercial será lançado em solo sul-americano e esse marco só foi possível graças ao Acordo de Salvaguardas Tecnológicas com os Estados Unidos, que tive a honra de negociar quando fui ministro da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovações. Esse acordo abriu as portas para que o Brasil pudesse usar tecnologia norte-americana com soberania nacional, transformando Alcântara em um polo internacional de lançamentos espaciais. Além disso, no Senado, criei a ALADA, empresa responsável por coordenar e fortalecer as operações comerciais de lançamentos espaciais no país. Alcântara é uma das bases mais bem localizadas do planeta, próxima à linha do Equador, o que reduz em até 30% os custos de lançamento. Agora, com o setor privado participando, o Brasil entra de vez na corrida espacial mundial. Esse é um passo histórico que vai gerar empregos, atrair investimentos e colocar o Brasil no mapa da economia espacial. O futuro chegou. E ele parte de Alcântara. Vídeo: @startseoficial @innospacecorp Faça parte do meu canal do Whatsapp whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vas…
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Prefeitura suspende rodízio de veículos na Zona Leste de SP em razão das falhas nas linhas de trens da Trivia na região glo.bo/4hstODM #g1
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Constantine had no political motive for adopting Christianity? In a fractured empire with repeated civil wars? Wouldn't a pacifist, monotheistic state religion be perfect? Was Christianity not spreading fast by ~312 even if only 5-10% of the empire was Chirstian?
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"It's truly a pleasure to see your brilliant work again."❤️
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Prédio onde Michael Jackson gravou clipe no Pelourinho pode deixar de ser atração turística glo.bo/4fjQNOA #g1
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Thanks for sharing the links. I'll check out the conversation.
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Your from Naperville... close to Nick Fuentes! #elonmusk
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