Lex Fridman Podcast

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

Dienstag, 30. Juni 2026 · 3 h 59

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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).

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Transcript:

lexfridman.com/anthony-kaldellis-transcript

CONTACT LEX:

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EPISODE LINKS:

Anthony’s Books: amzn.to/49AX7Q1

Anthony’s Publications: kaldellispublications.weebly.com

Anthony’s University of Chicago page: classics.uchicago.edu/people/anthony-kaldellis

The New Roman Empire (book): amzn.to/3PTFTqk

Streams of Gold (book): amzn.to/4fgRMRq

Byzantium & Friends Podcast: byzantiumandfriends.podbean.com

The History of Byzantium Podcast: thehistoryofbyzantium.com

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OUTLINE:

() – Introduction

() – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections

() – The Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire

() – 2,200 Years of Roman History

() – Power, violence, and civil war

() – Edict of Caracalla

() – Crisis of the Third Century

() – Constantine and the new Roman Empire

() – Christianity in the Roman Empire

() – Fall of the Western Roman Empire

() – Eunuchs, Taxes, and Power

() – Emperor Justinian and wars of conquest

() – The Arab conquests

() – Why the Roman empire survived so long

() – Lessons from history

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