Morpheus

From Lex Fridman Podcast

#498 – Anthony Kaldellis: Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Rise & Fall of Empires

Published
June 30, 2026
Starts at
3:40:01

Audio is streamed from the publisher.

Chapters

Read from the show notes

  1. 0:00 Introduction
  2. 0:11 Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
  3. 8:45 The Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire
  4. 12:42 2,200 Years of Roman History
  5. 33:06 Power, violence, and civil war
  6. 54:20 Edict of Caracalla
  7. 1:07:17 Crisis of the Third Century
  8. 1:21:45 Constantine and the new Roman Empire
  9. 1:33:46 Christianity in the Roman Empire
  10. 1:59:14 Fall of the Western Roman Empire
  11. 2:12:11 Eunuchs, Taxes, and Power
  12. 2:37:17 Emperor Justinian and wars of conquest
  13. 2:54:19 The Arab conquests
  14. 3:13:55 Why the Roman empire survived so long
  15. 3:40:01 Lessons from history

Not from the publisher — times may be approximate.

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-sc]( https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep498-sc">https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep498-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. **Transcript:** [https://lexfridman.com/anthony-kaldellis-transcript]( https://lexfridman.com/anthony-kaldellis-transcript">https://lexfridman.com/anthony-kaldellis-transcript **CONTACT LEX:** **Feedback** – give feedback to Lex: [https://lexfridman.com/survey]( https://lexfridman.com/survey">https://lexfridman.com/survey **AMA** – submit questions, videos or call-in: [https://lexfridman.com/ama]( https://lexfridman.com/ama">https://lexfridman.com/ama **Hiring** – join our team: [https://lexfridman.com/hiring]( https://lexfridman.com/hiring">https://lexfridman.com/hiring **Other** – other ways to get in touch: [https://lexfridman.com/contact]( https://lexfridman.com/contact">https://lexfridman.com/contact **EPISODE LINKS:** Anthony’s Books: [https://amzn.to/49AX7Q1]( https://amzn.to/49AX7Q1">https://amzn.to/49AX7Q1 Anthony’s Publications: [https://kaldellispublications.weebly.com]( https://kaldellispublications.weebly.com">https://kaldellispublications.weebly.com Anthony’s University of Chicago page: [https://classics.uchicago.edu/people/anthony-kaldellis]( https://classics.uchicago.edu/people/anthony-kaldellis">https://classics.uchicago.edu/people/anthony-kaldellis The New Roman Empire (book): [https://amzn.to/3PTFTqk]( https://amzn.to/3PTFTqk">https://amzn.to/3PTFTqk Streams of Gold (book): [https://amzn.to/4fgRMRq]( https://amzn.to/4fgRMRq">https://amzn.to/4fgRMRq Byzantium & Friends Podcast: [https://byzantiumandfriends.podbean.com/]( https://byzantiumandfriends.podbean.com/">https://byzantiumandfriends.podbean.com/ The History of Byzantium Podcast: [https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/]( https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/">https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/ **SPONSORS:** To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: **Upwork:** Platform for hiring freelancers. Go to [https://upwork.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/upwork-ep498-sc">https://upwork.com/lex **Fin:** AI agent for customer service. Go to [https://fin.ai/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep498-sc">https://fin.ai/lex **BetterHelp:** Online therapy and counseling. Go to [https://betterhelp.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep498-sc">https://betterhelp.com/lex **LMNT:** Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to [https://drinkLMNT.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep498-sc">https://drinkLMNT.com/lex **Shopify:** Sell stuff online. Go to [https://shopify.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep498-sc">https://shopify.com/lex **Perplexity:** AI-powered answer engine. Go to [https://perplexity.ai/]( https://lexfridman.com/s/perplexity-ep498-sc">https://perplexity.ai/ **OUTLINE:** (00:00) – Introduction (00:11) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (08:45) – The Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (12:42) – 2,200 Years of Roman History (33:06) – Power, violence, and civil war (54:20) – Edict of Caracalla (1:07:17) – Crisis of the Third Century (1:21:45) – Constantine and the new Roman Empire (1:33:46) – Christianity in the Roman Empire (1:59:14) – Fall of the Western Roman Empire (2:12:11) – Eunuchs, Taxes, and Power (2:37:17) – Emperor Justinian and wars of conquest (2:54:19) – The Arab conquests (3:13:55) – Why the Roman empire survived so long (3:40:01) – Lessons from history **PODCAST LINKS:** – Podcast Website: [https://lexfridman.com/podcast]( https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast – Apple Podcasts: [https://apple.co/2lwqZIr]( https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr – Spotify: [https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8]( https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 – RSS: [https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/]( https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ – Podcast Playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP\_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4]( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP\_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP\_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 – Clips Channel: [https://www.youtube.com/lexclips]( https://www.youtube.com/lexclips">https://www.youtube.com/lexclips