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

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

Days without thinking about the Roman Empire: 0

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

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

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

If a man can talk about a specific subject for 4h straight in great details and everyone listening to him understands, this is what we call an expert

Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep443-sa 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:* https://lexfridman.com/gregory-aldrete-transcript *CONTACT LEX:* *Feedback* - give feedback to Lex: https://lexfridman.com/survey *AMA* - submit questions, videos or call-in: https://lexfridman.com/ama *Hiring* - join our team: https://lexfridman.com/hiring *Other* - other ways to get in touch: https://lexfridman.com/contact *EPISODE LINKS:* Gregory's Website: https://gregorysaldrete.com/ Gregory's Books: https://amzn.to/3z6NiKC Gregory's Great Courses Plus: https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/gregory-s-aldrete Gregory's Audible: https://adbl.co/4e72oP0 *SPONSORS:* To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: *LMNT:* Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep443-sa *Shopify:* Sell stuff online. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep443-sa *AG1:* All-in-one daily nutrition drinks. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/ag1-ep443-sa *BetterHelp:* Online therapy and counseling. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep443-sa *ExpressVPN:* Fast & secure VPN. Go to https://lexfridman.com/s/expressvpn-ep443-sa

What a surreal feeling to see my old college professor randomly pop up on my Youtube suggestions. I'm glad I stayed.

One thing that sets Gregory apart from a lot of other guests on this podcast is the fact that he is a captivating and engaging speaker. Wish there were more like him.

Dude is the most vivid story teller. Could literally make a movie just on this video alone.