Gregory Aldrete: The Roman Empire - Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome | Lex Fridman Podcast #443

Gregory Aldrete is a historian specializing in ancient Rome and military history.
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

*Transcript:*

*CONTACT LEX:*

*EPISODE LINKS:*

*SPONSORS:*
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
*LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
*Shopify:* Sell stuff online.
*AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drinks.
*BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling.
*ExpressVPN:* Fast & secure VPN.

*OUTLINE:*
0:00 - Introduction
2:23 - Ancient world
16:18 - Three phases of Roman history
19:08 - Rome's expansion
30:48 - Punic wars
39:20 - Conquering Greece
40:59 - Scipio vs Hannibal
44:05 - Heavy infantry vs Cavalry
47:42 - Armor
1:00:32 - Alexander the Great
1:06:33 - Roman law
1:16:13 - Slavery
1:23:53 - Fall of the Roman Republic
1:27:38 - Julius Caesar
1:32:17 - Octavian's rise
1:42:09 - Cleopatra
1:50:32 - Augustus
2:18:42 - Religion in Rome
2:42:47 - Emperors
2:49:54 - Marcus Aurelius
2:56:05 - Taxes
2:59:13 - Fall of the Roman Empire
3:16:25 - Decisive battles
3:40:35 - Hope

*PODCAST LINKS:*

*SOCIAL LINKS:*

[lexfridman]

See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
0:00 - Introduction
2:23 - Ancient world
16:18 - Three phases of Roman history
19:08 - Rome's expansion
30:48 - Punic wars
39:20 - Conquering Greece
40:59 - Scipio vs Hannibal
44:05 - Heavy infantry vs Cavalry
47:42 - Armor
1:00:32 - Alexander the Great
1:06:33 - Roman law
1:16:13 - Slavery
1:23:53 - Fall of the Roman Republic
1:27:38 - Julius Caesar
1:32:17 - Octavian's rise
1:42:09 - Cleopatra
1:50:32 - Augustus
2:18:42 - Religion in Rome
2:42:47 - Emperors
2:49:54 - Marcus Aurelius
2:56:05 - Taxes
2:59:13 - Fall of the Roman Empire
3:16:25 - Decisive battles
3:40:35 - Hope

*Transcript:*

*CONTACT LEX:*

*EPISODE LINKS:*

*SPONSORS:*
To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts:
*LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.
*Shopify:* Sell stuff online.
*AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drinks.
*BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling.
*ExpressVPN:* Fast & secure VPN.

[koju]

This is Lex at his best. Finding an expert in a random but specific area of interest and doing a deep dive.

[Saniqal]

I just listened to two guys talking about Rome for 4 hours straight and wish I could listen for 4 more hours.

[KelticTim]

Holy shit, almost 4 hours discussing Rome? What a day to be alive.

[ddjerfi]

Bring this man back ASAP. He's fantastic and I'm not that much into history lol. Could listen to him for hours. Greets from Croatia.

[SpaderB]

Days without thinking about the Roman Empire: 0

[death_krom_]

Finally, the topic that is on everyone's mind!

[dexterts]

I would say this is one of the best podcasts I've listened to this year from Lex Fridman. I sat through the entire 3 hours and 42 minutes, and I still wanted more. This is very rare. Gregory Aldrete is such a great speaker with a great topic. I could feel his passion for the subject, which affected me and was described so vividly. I felt like I could picture the days of ancient Rome through his conversation. Love it. Please do more podcast about Roman Empire!

[gilroitto]

Fell asleep with YT autoplaying, got this video and been dreaming about the Roman Empire all night

[mattstakeontheancients]

Love when he has historians on. My favorite academics being a history nerd.

[rufussssss]

Easiest 4 hour podcast I’ve ever listened to that left me wanting more

[tommynukes]

As a fan of ancient Roman history this is one of the best pods I’ve listened to on the topic. Just four hours of interesting facts about Rome. Great work Lex.

[perrywmorris]

The worst part of this podcast is that it’s only 4 hours.

[masroor]

I did not have spending 2+ hours listening to a Roman historian on my bingo card today, but here I am. Dr Aldrete obviously loves this topic and is a great story teller. What a joy to listen and thanks to Lex for having this kind of wide-ranging fascinating topics and finding the right people to explore them with. Awesome!

[MonQ]

Nice timing, i was just thinking about the roman empire

[KrishnaKumarGreenPepper]

This episode is an absolute masterpiece! Gregory Aldrete's passion for Roman history is infectious, and the way he brings ancient battles, culture, and figures to life is mesmerizing. I could listen to this for hours—Lex Fridman nailed it by diving deep into such an epic topic!

[qwertasdfgzxcvb]

I was looking for a podcast to listen to while folding clothes. Randomly decided to check out Lex Friedman again. Don't know much about Rome. Chose this one.

This is one of the best podcasts, ever. The density of new interesting information combined with the passion and storytelling is unmatched. Thank you.

[HyacintheDelauney]

I was watching a show last night on my tablet. My husband had this playing in the background while he was on VR. As soon as I heard how knowledgeable this man was and expansive with details, etc. I turned off my tablet and started watching this instead. It was late, so I ended up falling asleep but restarted it today. Great episode, Lex. And the fact you let the man continue talking with no interruptions. He is obviously very passionate about this. Wonderful, interview. 🎉

[chiefinasmith]

This might be one of the most interesting discussions I’ve listened to. The explanation on why Brutus felt obligated to betray Caesar was something I had never heard of before and was extremely interesting.

[colecarter]

Wow, one of the best episodes I've seen. What a great guest. Dr. Aldrete's passion and knowledge practically beam out of him. He's studied legendary orators extensively and definitely picked something up from them!