**Lex's post on socials:** 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.

**Timestamps:**

[0:00](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=0s) - Episode highlight  
[1:24](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=84s) - Introduction  
[1:51](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=111s) - The Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire  
[5:49](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=349s) - 2,200 Years of Roman History  
[26:12](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=1572s) - Power, violence, and civil war  
[47:27](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=2847s) - Edict of Caracalla  
[1:00:23](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=3623s) - Crisis of the Third Century  
[1:14:52](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=4492s) - Constantine and the new Roman Empire  
[1:26:53](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=5213s) - Christianity in the Roman Empire  
[1:52:21](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=6741s) - Fall of the Western Roman Empire  
[2:05:17](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=7517s) - Eunuchs, Taxes, and Power  
[2:30:24](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=9024s) - Emperor Justinian and wars of conquest  
[2:47:26](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=10046s) - The Arab conquests  
[3:07:01](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=11221s) - Why the Roman empire survived so long  
[3:33:08](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pv1TUJSEM2k&t=12788s) - Lessons from history

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