1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: What's uh warming my my globe. I'm Robert Evans. My 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,680 Speaker 1: hair conditioning is not currently functioning, so I'm hiding in 3 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: my basement, which I think this is a historic moment 4 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,120 Speaker 1: everybody marks the first time a human being has experienced 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: the consequences of climate change. That that's that's me right now. 6 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: Number one. It is seventy four degrees maybe in my 7 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: basement upwards of seventy three degrees. So yeah, suffering, suffering 8 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: here still, I mean that in a basement. Is that's 9 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,480 Speaker 1: a pretty That's pretty warm, dog, It's pretty It's pretty 10 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: warm for the basement. It might be more like seventy degrees. 11 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:42,599 Speaker 1: I don't know what temperatures are. And I'm drinking coffee. 12 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: Andrew T. How are you doing today? Hi? What's up? 13 00:00:48,280 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 1: How's it going? I'm I'm um. I'm This is the honestly, 14 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: probably the first or second week that me long time 15 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: shorts Denier is wearing short Wow, I'm not short. Yeah, 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 1: I'm not a short person. I wore I wore black 17 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: jeans to a Dodger game two years ago when it 18 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: was like a hundred and ten outside, and I did 19 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:17,080 Speaker 1: almost pass out, but I was pretty committed and now 20 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: I'm now I'm wearing shorts. I have also purchased a 21 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: pair of shorts recently. I mean, just take this evidence 22 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,120 Speaker 1: to any climate change and I are and be like Andrew, 23 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:31,039 Speaker 1: two wear shorts. Now that's your that's the proof. Yeah, 24 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: climate change is a real problem. This is the first 25 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: evidence anyone has of it. Um, Andrew, it's good to 26 00:01:37,800 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: have you back. You are having Sophie and eyes one 27 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: of our very, very very favorite people to have on 28 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 1: the show. You have been doing a lot of Hollywood. 29 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: We call you Mr Hollywood with a private conversation. Such 30 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: a big Hollywood guy. But you know what other kind 31 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: of guy you are, Andrew. It's a very funny guy 32 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: who we like to have on every now and again 33 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,720 Speaker 1: to talk about bits of history. You and I have 34 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: talked about King Leopold of Belgium. We've talked about the 35 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: Andaman Islands. We've had all sorts of history conversations. Andrew, 36 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: how do you How do you feel about the Roman Empire? Oh? 37 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: I probably as far as like contemporary Americans go, I 38 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: probably took more Latin than I think most people like. 39 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:35,040 Speaker 1: That was my primary to Andrew corn quote unquote foreign language. 40 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: So I and ultimately all of three useless years propaganda. Yeah, 41 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:44,639 Speaker 1: so yeah, I probably to the extent that I know anything, 42 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: I probably I'm like more aware of a sort of 43 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: sugarcoated version of whatever whatever the funk is happening here. Yeah, 44 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,959 Speaker 1: we're we're today. We're going to tell the story about 45 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: how the Roman Republic became a police stay um which did, 46 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: which is quite a tale um I have. You know, 47 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: we've we'ven't. We haven't done a lot of ancient history 48 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: stuff on this podcast for good reasons, among other things, 49 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: it's kind of hard to like get good details about 50 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: people who died two thousand years ago that aren't just 51 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: like nonsense propaganda, right, because it's usually just like, yeah, 52 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: some like poem about some kings. History is written by 53 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: the winners, especially yeah, when it's like sucking epigrams like 54 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: leftover from the Roman But also I I feel like 55 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: they're they're the the The worry is the sliding scale 56 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: of bastardom through history is Yes, I would imagine the 57 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: trickiest part because it's like there's sort of like no 58 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: amount of fascism and or um, you know, brutality that 59 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: doesn't eventually get justified by everyone else was doing it. Yeah, yeah, 60 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: I mean that that's like it's are you gonna call 61 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: like Genghis Khan a bastard? Okay, well then like what 62 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: like sure, but but what is I It seems like 63 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: kind of pointless to be like and this guy was 64 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: a king who murdered people when it's like, well, yeah, 65 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: they all were, like why why is that? Like nobody's 66 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 1: like really going other than some people were better at it. 67 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,160 Speaker 1: It's not that interesting to talk about them being like shitty, 68 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: that's not the One of the cool things about the 69 00:04:23,400 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: Roman Republic is number one, we have a lot of 70 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: detail on these guys and all that's bad, right, all 71 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: of our historians are propagandists, but at least there's more 72 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:32,920 Speaker 1: than one of them. So you get like the this 73 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 1: dude rocked and like this dude was terrible story usually um. 74 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: And number two, they're basically exactly the same as modern 75 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: Americans um politically, so you get really modern like political 76 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: dick moves from from from from terrible people in a 77 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,479 Speaker 1: way that's like very familiar. Um. And in fact, like 78 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 1: so we're talking about a lot of the things that 79 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: led up to the fall of the Roman Republic, and 80 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: like the end of of you the kind of democratic 81 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,000 Speaker 1: experiment that had existed there for a few centuries. And 82 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 1: this is something that like people are talking about a 83 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,360 Speaker 1: lot right now. So when when you get like history 84 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: nerds talking about how funked up politics are in America, 85 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: they're either going to go back to Weimar Germany, which 86 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,160 Speaker 1: we've already done, or they're going to talk about the 87 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: fall of the Roman Republic, which is why there's like 88 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,440 Speaker 1: three three books out right. It's like three or four 89 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: books that have come out in the last year that 90 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 1: are like, here's what the Fall of the Roman Republic 91 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: can teach us about the fall of American or like 92 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 1: what's happening in American democracy. Most of these books are stupid. Um. 93 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 1: There is one really good book by podcaster Mike Duncan 94 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: who does the Revolutions podcast, called The Storm Before the Storm. 95 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 1: That's the one I would recommend if you want to 96 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: read a book like that. We're not gonna mainly be 97 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: telling that story. Instead, we're gonna talk about how Rome 98 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: invented militarized policing and the first police state and kind 99 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,679 Speaker 1: of the first fbi um, because that's not a history, 100 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,799 Speaker 1: and I think most people know, and it's pretty cool. Um, 101 00:05:55,839 --> 00:06:00,080 Speaker 1: but first we're going to talk about well some guys, well, 102 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: we're gonna talk about a lot of ship. We're gonna 103 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 1: we're gonna have to cover quite a bit of ground today. 104 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: This is one of the reasons we don't do so 105 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: many ancient history ones, because it's like, all right, well, 106 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: if you want to tell this story, you have to 107 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 1: go through like a thousand years shit. Yeah. Well, also 108 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: because the audience is like, like me, probably is like 109 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,159 Speaker 1: not just a thousand years of ship, but so much 110 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: backstory in context. Yeah, I don't envy you. You have 111 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: to explain a lot. But thankfully the Romans were pretty 112 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: entertaining sons of bitches, um, not if they were killing 113 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:35,560 Speaker 1: or enslaving you, but like sometimes if they were enslaving you. 114 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:37,680 Speaker 1: There were some Greeks who had fun with that. So 115 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: the city of Rome andrew founded on April one, seven 116 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,840 Speaker 1: fifty three BC by two brothers who were nursed by 117 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:48,200 Speaker 1: a wolf. If you believe the myths that a lot 118 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: of Romans didn't believe, right, like, these are like the 119 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: things that we we we tell about Lindon, this is 120 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: what the Romans thought, Like most of them are like 121 00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: I don't. I've never seen a wolf nurse two babies, 122 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: Like I don't think statue of of the of like 123 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:06,600 Speaker 1: to two infants sucking on a wolf's breasts is or 124 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: you're talking about the statue in my living room, right, 125 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 1: yeah you know I have that instead of a television. Yeah. Yeah, 126 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: I made it out of a macaroni. Yes, um, just 127 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: harrowing stuff if you think about it, like it's just 128 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: so gross. Yeah, bad for the wolf, bad for the babies, 129 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,840 Speaker 1: for anyone. But yeah, this is Romulus and Remus, right, 130 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: like that's the that's the legend. There's a good line 131 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: in um. I think it's the movie Spartacus where Julius 132 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: Caesar and I believe it would have been Pompy are 133 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: like walking around and talking about like they're walking past 134 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: like a temple, and Caesar asked a question like don't 135 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:47,160 Speaker 1: you venerate the gods and and Pompys Like well, publicly sure, 136 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:48,960 Speaker 1: but privately I don't believe in any of them. And 137 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:50,680 Speaker 1: that's probably how it was for a lot of Romans. 138 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: Like everyone's like, people aren't lockstep believing these silly as myths, 139 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: but this is the myth. April seventh through fifty three BC, 140 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: which is a slutely not when Rome was founded. Archaeologists 141 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: know that people have been living in that spot for 142 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: about fourteen thousand years um, because very rarely do just 143 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: there's just like a bunch of people suddenly arrive at 144 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: a chunk of land and be like and now it's 145 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: a city. That's not. Yeah, you just have like groups 146 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: of people farming. Like Rome has a bunch of hills, 147 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: so you could set up shop on a hill. It's 148 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:25,120 Speaker 1: a good place to grow food. You can beat up 149 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: people if they try to like come onto your property 150 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: and stuff, because hills are easy to defend. You know. 151 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: It's just a good place for people to exist up 152 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: until the present day, where it's about to die because 153 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: there's no water. But for a while it was a 154 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: good place to be a person until we invented the car. 155 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: Yeah we're changing, we're changing the good places to be 156 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:47,480 Speaker 1: a person. Yeah. Yeah, everybody's gonna have to go. Yeah, 157 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,760 Speaker 1: there's not gonna be so many Italians in the future. 158 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:51,959 Speaker 1: I was just I was just in Yeah, right, I 159 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:55,679 Speaker 1: guess peninsula. Peninsula life is about to be Island life 160 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: is about to be Atlantis life. Yeah, I us just 161 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: in Minneapolis, and there was a real palpable sense of like, 162 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: we're going to be the new Miami Soude. Yeah, yeah, 163 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:12,000 Speaker 1: Minneapolis is going to be dealing with those hundred and 164 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:15,719 Speaker 1: ten degree days. Time to get your beach body on, 165 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 1: Midwesterners or whatever part of the country. Minneapolis is lakes 166 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:23,880 Speaker 1: fucking lakes. So even ancient Romans had a lot of 167 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: competing stories about the founding of the city. Uh. Probably 168 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 1: most likely, like most of them, tended to think that 169 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: it had been basically like a Greek colonial offshoot. There. Later, 170 00:09:33,920 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: when Rome becomes an empire, there's this state propaganda line 171 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: that it had been founded by a bunch of Trojan 172 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 1: war refugees and a Trojan king named Aeneas. None of 173 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: that's true either, um, and it doesn't really matter what. 174 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: What we definitely know is that sometime around the seven 175 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: hundred spec uh, there's this city state called Rome that 176 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,040 Speaker 1: kind of comes together, probably from a bunch of different 177 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:58,760 Speaker 1: light communities in the area, gradually sort of you know, merging, 178 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: and it starts to gain power and influence in central Italy. Now, 179 00:10:02,400 --> 00:10:05,360 Speaker 1: like most places, it's ruled by kings, and over time, 180 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: the Latins, who were like a tribe, right the Latins 181 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: are a tribe in Italy, and it's because they speak 182 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: Latin that that's yeah, or or vice versa. But yeah, yeah, yeah, 183 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,080 Speaker 1: these these at this point, they're just like primitive tribesmen 184 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: wandering around Italy. They don't even know that in a 185 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,079 Speaker 1: couple of thousand years you and I will be learning 186 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: their language badly, uh Eca, Romani and whatnot, because we 187 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: because we got scared by French and didn't want to 188 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: have to the pressure of learning a real language. I 189 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: honestly I cannot get back into the mindset of the bozoh. 190 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 1: I wasn't made the decision in middle school to just 191 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: be like, you know what Latin. I think I was 192 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: intimidated by like, oh no, that I don't want to 193 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: have to because the thing they promised us is you 194 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: don't have to do like pronunciation tests because nobody knows 195 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:59,240 Speaker 1: how a lot of Latin was spro spoken. I did 196 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: actually my senior year of high school, they let me 197 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:06,960 Speaker 1: go to the university and take Italian, oh, which Latin, 198 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: bicy Latin did not help me out very much for 199 00:11:11,559 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: I have so my family is incredibly fucking like my 200 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 1: my dad is first generation like American, like that's how 201 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: Italian my family is. And we had some relatives when 202 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:22,559 Speaker 1: I was a kid come over who spoke only Italian, 203 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 1: and because they were old Catholics, Latin and so when 204 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: they were in town, my dad, who was also an 205 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 1: old Catholic, had to like translate for them, so they 206 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: would speak in Latin and then my dad would translate 207 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 1: to the rest of the family. Damn. Yeah, um, which 208 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:42,679 Speaker 1: I think makes this yet crazy. Well, that was your 209 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: your Romulus is air, that's what everybody says. I mean, 210 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: that was one of the benefits of the fact that, 211 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 1: like all church services in the Catholic Church took place 212 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: in Latin. Is that like you could have people from 213 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: like England and Spain and fucking Portugal all in the 214 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:00,000 Speaker 1: same room and they might not speak each other's land 215 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 1: which is but they all know Latin, right because they 216 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: have to do the Jesus stuff. Um So anyway, uh so, yeah, 217 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,559 Speaker 1: you get these Latins hanging around, and you know, these 218 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: are the people who are going to become the Romans, 219 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: but at the time they're just like some other group 220 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: of assholes in Italy. And these dudes called the Etruscans 221 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: are much more powerful and there's this Etruscan dynasty that 222 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:23,320 Speaker 1: comes to be the Kings of Rome, known as the 223 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,959 Speaker 1: Great House of Tarquin. But that's just kind of like 224 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 1: what more modern people call them. They were not a 225 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:31,240 Speaker 1: great house. This is not game of throne ship. These 226 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:34,360 Speaker 1: guys are like like petty petty chiefs. These are like 227 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 1: dudes with like sharpened sticks beating anybody who like the 228 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: tark Wins are the guys who have the most muscly 229 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: friends with sharpened sticks and are the best at stabbing 230 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: people who don't pay protection money. Right. Think of them 231 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: more as like street thugs than it's always it's always like, uh, yeah, 232 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: it's a it's organized crime until it's taxes, yeah, exactly. 233 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: And like the so they in the seven hundreds, they 234 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: kind of start to make the jump from organized crime 235 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: to taxes, but it's still more organized crime than anything. 236 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: So for a while Rome is like pretty much every 237 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: other city in the Mediterranean, um, and then in the 238 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: five hundreds ship changes. Um. The last king of Rome 239 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: is a guy named Lucius tarquinas Superbus, which is where 240 00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: we get the words superb, although that's like anyway, that's 241 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: the nickname people gave him, and it's kind of Romans 242 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: have like a history of like this guy's an asshole. 243 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: Let's let's call him great or like superb or like 244 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 1: an awesome or something. Um. So, he's he gets to 245 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: power like five thirty four BC. He has a pretty 246 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 1: good reign for a while. He wins a bunch of 247 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:43,319 Speaker 1: wars um, he signs the city's first treaty with Carthage. 248 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: He builds a big gas temple um and yeah, he 249 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: enslaves a bunch of people to make the first sewers 250 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:53,559 Speaker 1: and drainage systems in Rome. Um. So he's he's definitely like, 251 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: you know, that's solid king stuff. He's he's he's made 252 00:13:57,280 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: a step beyond gang leader. When you're making sewage, you've 253 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: made a move, have passed past gang shit. Um. And then, 254 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 1: according to myth, his son rapes a Roman noble woman 255 00:14:06,360 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 1: named Lucretia um and this this becomes a problem for him. 256 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: Here's how the Getty summarizes what's said to have happened. 257 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,880 Speaker 1: The tragedy of Lucretia began when Sextist, son of the 258 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: tyrannical Etruscan King of Rome and member of the Tarquin family, 259 00:14:19,000 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 1: raped her. For the ancient Romans, a woman who was raped, 260 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 1: was guilty of adultery, a crime punishable by death, even 261 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: though she had not given herself willingly. After she was raped, 262 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:29,800 Speaker 1: Lucretia made her husband and father swear an oath of 263 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: vengeance against the Tarkwin's, and then killed herself in shame. 264 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,720 Speaker 1: Enraged by her death, Junius Brutus led a victorious rebellion 265 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:40,720 Speaker 1: against the Etruscan king. So a couple of things there. 266 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:44,920 Speaker 1: A couple of things there. Number one looked, obviously you 267 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 1: should be angry at the guy who did the rape, 268 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: but also most of your anger might be at like 269 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,640 Speaker 1: the social custom that says that she has to kill 270 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 1: herself after this, Like that might that might be the 271 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: thing to be angrier at. The people don't think that way. 272 00:14:56,920 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: I guess it really is like this, this like it's 273 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: it's spoken so a matter of factly, and this is 274 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: where like the context of it makes it so hard 275 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,200 Speaker 1: to figure out what the what the approach of this 276 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 1: is because I mean, look, the entire misogynist society, like 277 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 1: every misogyst society, this one, you know, worse by modern standards, 278 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 1: but you know it's pretty normal behind the yeah, but yeah, 279 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:27,760 Speaker 1: and then you're just like you know, you're the family 280 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: members watching this happen, enraged that this had to happen, 281 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: but not not because of the like the society. Like 282 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:39,000 Speaker 1: it's sort of like this classic everyone is always mad 283 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:43,280 Speaker 1: at the wrong thing it is. It's also, though, I 284 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: think if you get yourself in a different mind state, 285 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: you can really feel this because like this is a 286 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: stupid rule that's like cruel and evil and is it 287 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 1: makes like a bad situation even more horrifying, and like 288 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 1: we can look at that as like, oh, look at 289 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: these fund up people in their cocked up rules. But 290 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: also the story you get is that like all of 291 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: the Romans are pissed at this, and Lucretia is a 292 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: sympathetic figure in their history. And think about all of 293 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:12,200 Speaker 1: the different times in recent past when like everyone in 294 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: America has been like, wait, that's the law, that's the 295 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: way it works. That's stupid as ship, why the hell 296 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: are we doing it this way? But then the stupid 297 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:23,200 Speaker 1: thing happens. That's fucked up because like can't change the law, yeah, 298 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 1: or we're not going to yeah, I mean you can't 299 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,560 Speaker 1: just change laws. And you get the feeling that's kind 300 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 1: of the attitude people have. It's like, well, this is 301 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: all like stupid and fucked up. But at the end 302 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: of the day, the only person we can really take 303 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: our anger out on is the Tarquin families. Let's get 304 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: them kings out of here um, which they do. And 305 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:43,160 Speaker 1: it's also worth noting the guy who leads the rebellion, 306 00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: Junius Brutus. That name Brutus should be familiar, right, that's 307 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: the guy who kills Well that the guy who kills 308 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:53,720 Speaker 1: Caesar is this kid's descendant, you know, hundreds and hundreds 309 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: of years down the line. That's part of why he 310 00:16:55,600 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: kills Caesar's his family's got this reputation of like when 311 00:16:58,520 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: people try to do kings stuff, murder them anyway, to 312 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:06,920 Speaker 1: be fair, pretty good family tradition. It's a cool family tradition. 313 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:10,959 Speaker 1: It does. So Junius Brutus is one of like forty 314 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,439 Speaker 1: guys that all have the same name. So one of 315 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: the cool things in Roman history, and by cool I 316 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: mean very frustrating, is that if there's ever a guy 317 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:20,440 Speaker 1: who does anything worth noting, there will be three other 318 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,320 Speaker 1: guys who are also really important with the exact same name, 319 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 1: because that's how the Romans did things. To be like, yes, 320 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: Scipio Africanus. Well, which one the one from like the 321 00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,000 Speaker 1: one sixties or the one from like the or like 322 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: the two d the one from the one fifties and like, um, yeah, 323 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: it's it's very frustrating, but that's if you're if you're 324 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 1: early on in Western civilization. How many names you can't 325 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:49,360 Speaker 1: have that there's like seven names? Yeah, there's like seven names. Um. 326 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:52,879 Speaker 1: So the details of obviously the Lucretia story are almost 327 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,040 Speaker 1: certainly not exact, but there's a pretty decent chance that 328 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 1: it broadly is accurate as to what caused the insurrection 329 00:17:59,600 --> 00:18:02,879 Speaker 1: against Etruscan power. Um. Most people probably heard of the 330 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: right of prima nocta right which you see in Brave Heart. 331 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: You know this this right that like nobles supposedly had 332 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:12,160 Speaker 1: to have sex with a woman the first night after 333 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: a marriage and stuff that. Like in Brave Heart, this 334 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,880 Speaker 1: is depicted as like what sparks the Scottish. But it's 335 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: not a real thing. It never it was not a 336 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 1: thing in any medieval law. It didn't happen. It certainly 337 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 1: had nothing to do with fucking William Wallace. Um. There 338 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:29,120 Speaker 1: were some similar rules in history. The Epic of Gilgamesh 339 00:18:29,520 --> 00:18:33,160 Speaker 1: references customs that are similar to that, as do Herodotus histories. 340 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:36,080 Speaker 1: And we know that around this same period at least 341 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: one other Italian city revolted from Etruscan control because their 342 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: women were abused. You know, you often don't get a 343 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 1: lot of detail about this, just something notes that, like 344 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,960 Speaker 1: they were angry about something the Etruscans had done to 345 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: their women, and so like there's a war and they win, 346 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:53,640 Speaker 1: right right, yeah, right, and it is yeah, that's history. 347 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,920 Speaker 1: I mean it's yeah, I mean often angry that they're 348 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 1: doing the thing because you were supposed to be doing 349 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: the thing. But yeah, well it's just like you know, 350 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 1: military occupations haven't changed, you can there's a long ugly 351 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: history of like when the US occupied Japan, you know, 352 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 1: raped by US service members and stuff that caused a 353 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 1: lot of problems. And that's it's the thing everywhere. It's 354 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 1: a thing in interrac it's the thing all throughout history. Um, 355 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:20,840 Speaker 1: so whatever the excesses of Rome's last king, uh, they 356 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 1: kick out that last dude, Tarquin and a republic is 357 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,080 Speaker 1: founded in five oh nine b c e UM. And 358 00:19:27,119 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: it was it was not a super different government in 359 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 1: a lot of ways from the ones that are quote 360 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 1: unquote founding fathers established UM, and what I mean by 361 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 1: that is that only the very wealthiest people could actually 362 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:42,639 Speaker 1: hold office UM. Now, one thing that's interesting is that 363 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 1: like pretty much everyone could vote though, so they didn't 364 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: have that difference like when when the United States is established, 365 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: you have to be like a property owning white male 366 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:54,920 Speaker 1: in order to vote UM, and it's not until later 367 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,680 Speaker 1: that every guy gets the vote. Basically, every freeman has 368 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:01,560 Speaker 1: a vote in the Roman Republic. But it also doesn't 369 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: really work that way because so the Romans have this 370 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: this system, the client system, where every rich guy just 371 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 1: over the course of their life picks up hundreds or 372 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: even thousands or tens of thousands of like clients. And 373 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,360 Speaker 1: these are like dudes who he has to give them 374 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,640 Speaker 1: money and or food or something on a pretty regular basis. 375 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: It's kind of like their social welfare program. Like this 376 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,160 Speaker 1: rich guy has to take care of you a little bit, 377 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:27,240 Speaker 1: but you have to do what he says when it's 378 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:29,359 Speaker 1: time to vote, right, And this is kind of what 379 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 1: they have instead of political parties is these coalitions of 380 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: rich guys and their clients who are like, well, like 381 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 1: this is the guy that like my family, we all 382 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: go and he gives us bread every couple of weeks 383 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: and we vote for right. I guess it is just 384 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:46,359 Speaker 1: the like local local gang leader. Yeah, it's a little 385 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,399 Speaker 1: different from that yet at this point in that there's 386 00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: not really violent coercion holding that together. At this point, 387 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:56,560 Speaker 1: it's more like an extension of like the way familial 388 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,000 Speaker 1: units and tribes and stuff would have worked in In In fact, 389 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 1: a lot of it kind of is based on tribal stuff. 390 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:09,879 Speaker 1: You know, um, probably likely, well probably I make that 391 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: point because these are going to turn into street gangs. 392 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,440 Speaker 1: This absolutely ends with street gangs of people murdering each other. 393 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: But it doesn't mean yeah it was. It's almost it's 394 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:22,200 Speaker 1: like the same as the electoral college, or like you know, 395 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 1: it's exactly like the electoral college. Yeah, and we in 396 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: American need to get to the point where our electoral 397 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 1: college is just several hundred people beating each other to 398 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,840 Speaker 1: death with SAPs in the street. We're getting closer every everything. 399 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: You know, I'm waiting for it. I gotta fucking baseball 400 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: bat with a nail through it. I'm I'm down. Let's 401 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:43,399 Speaker 1: let's let's become electors. Do you do you put the 402 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 1: nail like a big nail through making. You got a 403 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:50,680 Speaker 1: couple of options, so yeah, I mean, I think you 404 00:21:50,800 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: just One of the better ways is you just kind 405 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:54,720 Speaker 1: of like hammer the nail in through the edges and stuff, 406 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: so you get a couple of different nails poking out. 407 00:21:57,040 --> 00:21:58,920 Speaker 1: Another thing you could do you can actually like get 408 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:01,960 Speaker 1: long screws and just like screw with like a like 409 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: a drill through a couple of areas of the bat. 410 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,120 Speaker 1: That'll that'll help you. Like that's a little bit easier. Um. 411 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,160 Speaker 1: You know, a fun thing to do is you get 412 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:15,399 Speaker 1: some like JB. Wild or a POxy or something. You 413 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: cut little runnels in the sides of the bat. You 414 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 1: jam razor blades in there, and yeah, you're kind of 415 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,600 Speaker 1: making like a maquahedel. Anyway, I think I know what 416 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: that is, the stick with the It's like what the 417 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: Aztecs used. It's like the stick with all the obsidian, 418 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:34,119 Speaker 1: but using dollar store razor blades on a baseball bat. Yeah, 419 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,720 Speaker 1: right right, anyway, I get I'm just I'm not I'm 420 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: not as crafty, but I just got an electric drill, 421 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:43,879 Speaker 1: So I'm like, you know, man, do this anywhere to 422 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: interrupt the spark in your eye when I asked you 423 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 1: how to make a spike bat a little a little much. 424 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,720 Speaker 1: I knew one of these days, Yeah, one of these days. 425 00:22:54,880 --> 00:22:57,840 Speaker 1: That's that's what We'll get back to the roots of 426 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: Western democracy and I'll be able to have a street 427 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:06,880 Speaker 1: fight with my home made razor bat. Um. So, yeah, 428 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: you got all these So the Roman Republic, yeah, five 429 00:23:09,359 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: o nine BC. And you know, we don't exactly know 430 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: what all of the rules were at the start of 431 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:18,120 Speaker 1: the republic because they were unwritten. Um So their constitution 432 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: is like it's not put down anywhere. It exists only 433 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:24,640 Speaker 1: in the memories of the oldest rich people. So it's 434 00:23:24,680 --> 00:23:26,719 Speaker 1: kind of like all of the rules are like whatever 435 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:29,960 Speaker 1: the old people say they are. Um. So, again, very 436 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: similar to our current system in a lot of ways. 437 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 1: Um And yeah, what if Thomas Jefferson think, oh, now 438 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: the Senate parliamentary and is a thing that matters, Like 439 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: nobody thought about this before, but suddenly it's a huge problem. 440 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:51,879 Speaker 1: Um So this caused problems over time, which I know 441 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: will surprise you because those patricians and patricians are like 442 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,159 Speaker 1: they're basically nobility. At the start of the Roman Empire, 443 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 1: they're all of the rich people who's like, families have 444 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: been powerful for a long time. Um and yeah, they 445 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: are the ones who kind of get to tell everyone 446 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:13,600 Speaker 1: what the constitution says effectively, and people say, yeah, it's 447 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 1: extremely American. These are the most American, but the Roman 448 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:25,040 Speaker 1: Republic is the most American thing that ever existed. Um. 449 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: So the poor, the pleabs, the poor people, you know, 450 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 1: or at least you could call them the regular people 451 00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:33,119 Speaker 1: start to be like, well, this doesn't seem like a 452 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,840 Speaker 1: very good system, Like if we're supposed to be a republic, 453 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:37,760 Speaker 1: it kind of seems like this, this is a bad 454 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:43,680 Speaker 1: way to do things. Um and yeah. It also over time, 455 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 1: as the republic goes on, it starts to change, like 456 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:51,080 Speaker 1: the wealth situations. So the patricians are like noble because 457 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:54,879 Speaker 1: of their birth, but they're not necessarily rich, um because 458 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:56,919 Speaker 1: number one, they have all these obligations. So they have 459 00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: all these clients that they have to like pay and feed, 460 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 1: and they have all these like when they get political office, 461 00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: that often means they have to throw parties for everybody 462 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 1: in the city or like big religious festivals. So a 463 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 1: lot of them are fucking broke all of the time. 464 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,920 Speaker 1: And this class of merchants rises up who aren't noble, 465 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: but they have a bunch of money. And they're like, well, 466 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,400 Speaker 1: we're the ones paying for everything now, like one way 467 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 1: or the other. And we're like buying these patricians and 468 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:20,480 Speaker 1: having them do stuff. Why don't we get to like 469 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: hold political office or have any kind of power. Um. 470 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: And part of like what's fucking these patricians over is 471 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: that the only way that they can acceptably make money 472 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:32,719 Speaker 1: is like either going to war and conquering shit or 473 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,720 Speaker 1: like agriculture. It's kind of considered gross for them to 474 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:40,199 Speaker 1: be in business. So anyway, ship starts to change in 475 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,160 Speaker 1: Rome and you get this like wealthy class of people 476 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: who are like plebeian but but have money. Um. And 477 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:50,040 Speaker 1: over time, like the folks who are not patrician get 478 00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: increasingly angry, and you know, you get your riots and 479 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 1: you get people threatening each other in the streets. And 480 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:59,359 Speaker 1: then in four one BC they force the patricians to 481 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:02,160 Speaker 1: commission a series to actually write out a constitution where 482 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:04,720 Speaker 1: they're like, okay, we're gonna actually like lay out what 483 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:06,720 Speaker 1: the rules are in a way that people can see 484 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:09,000 Speaker 1: as opposed to us just being like oh yeah, I 485 00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: remember the way. It's all it's supposed to be. I 486 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: remember how the law works. Um, So because it's the past, 487 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: they just like hammer a bunch of rules into big 488 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,159 Speaker 1: bronze tablets, twelve of them, and stick them in the 489 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:22,919 Speaker 1: center of town, so that if you want to know 490 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:24,359 Speaker 1: what the law is, you just like walk up to 491 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:28,159 Speaker 1: the bronze tablets and read them, um, which is a 492 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:30,359 Speaker 1: flich is a fun way to do it. Now, Like 493 00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: all democratic compromises, the new written Constitution codified extraordinary powers 494 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 1: for the wealthy. Most of it dealt with debts and debtors, 495 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: and noted that in the event that a debtor was 496 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: ruled to have failed to like pay a debt uh, 497 00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:46,120 Speaker 1: he would have to be basically on the after three 498 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:48,840 Speaker 1: days or so, he would either be executed or sold 499 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 1: uh into slavery. So like, debt's a serious thing. And 500 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:55,960 Speaker 1: this is on the separate point. Something that like a 501 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 1: Corey doctor and a couple of other people will make 502 00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 1: a point of is that, like the Romans were the 503 00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:02,240 Speaker 1: first people would be like, debt is a thing that 504 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:06,080 Speaker 1: exists forever for you and eventually like your family, as 505 00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: opposed to like every twenty years we'd have a jubilee 506 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:11,919 Speaker 1: and there's no more debt the Romans, because they have 507 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 1: this entrenched power structure that actually holds. You don't have 508 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:18,120 Speaker 1: like a king who might be like, well, every twenty 509 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,320 Speaker 1: years or so, I'm gonna do a jubilee because then 510 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: people get their debts cleared and they like the king more. 511 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,119 Speaker 1: Now the people running it are like all of the 512 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,400 Speaker 1: rich people, and they're like, well, no, we're never gonna 513 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,560 Speaker 1: white people's debts. Where the funk would we do that? Ship, 514 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,919 Speaker 1: And so that's where that whole process starts in history. 515 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:36,720 Speaker 1: That's the source of our power right right as opposed. Yeah, 516 00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,280 Speaker 1: when it switched from large as to money, you know what, 517 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:45,360 Speaker 1: making me miss kings Robert. Yeah, well it's not entirely 518 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:47,159 Speaker 1: a good thing that they get rid of theirs, I 519 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: guess um. The Constitution also enshrined incredible powers for Roman men. 520 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:55,919 Speaker 1: The pattern familius, or the head of each family was 521 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: essentially a little dictator. So we don't have a king, 522 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,439 Speaker 1: but like if you're the dad, you you have the 523 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: absolute power of life and death. So number one, deformed 524 00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: children have to be killed immediately. That's one of their 525 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: that's like there, that's like their first amendment in ancient 526 00:28:10,760 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: rome Um, which you know it's the past. Um. And 527 00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:20,200 Speaker 1: fathers have the power of life and death over their children, 528 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 1: UM and their wife. So you can, as the father, 529 00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:26,120 Speaker 1: execute your kids or other members of your family anytime 530 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 1: you want to. Um, the classic law of I brought 531 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 1: you into this world, I can take you out. Yeah, 532 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: which one is the most important societal bedrock? Look, if 533 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: that was the rule, I would have kids. I'd have 534 00:28:39,760 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: a buckload of kids, and they'd be they'd be doing 535 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:46,200 Speaker 1: a lot of work for me. So. Um. There are 536 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: some like more sensible rules though, that kind of limits. So, 537 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,920 Speaker 1: among other things, if you're a dad and you sell 538 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 1: your kid into slavery three times, um, then your son 539 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: no longer has to do what you say. I don't 540 00:28:57,800 --> 00:29:00,080 Speaker 1: know why three times is the rule, but like you 541 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 1: have to pick a number. I guess where. It's like 542 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: Genie ship, what is happening here? Uh, It's it's cool. 543 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,280 Speaker 1: Um so yeah, it's it's good stuff. It's this weird 544 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: mix of like nightmare social laws and then like broadly 545 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:19,080 Speaker 1: reasonable stuff like yeah, if a child's born within ten 546 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 1: months of the father's death, they get some of the inheritance, 547 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: you know, like stuff like that. It's like, well, that's 548 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:28,160 Speaker 1: just like a pretty reasonable solution to a problem. Um. Now, 549 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,400 Speaker 1: the Twelve Tables also note that women are always legally children. 550 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: They always have to have a guardian. This is because 551 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 1: of quote their levity of mind. Uh. And the only 552 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: exception to this are the vestal virgins, which are basically 553 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:44,120 Speaker 1: older like O. G. Nuns um, but they're much cooler 554 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,760 Speaker 1: than the nuns um and a lot more weird sex 555 00:29:47,840 --> 00:29:51,000 Speaker 1: stuff going on allegedly. And you know who else is 556 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:53,720 Speaker 1: allegedly engaging in a lot of weird sex shit. Andrew 557 00:29:54,400 --> 00:29:59,520 Speaker 1: Yo hit me the products and services that support this podcast. 558 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: They never stop fucking, not not not once. And that 559 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: ship I was gonna say, is not in the Bible, 560 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:09,719 Speaker 1: but it very much is in the Bible. What they're doing, 561 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 1: most of what they're doing is in the Bible. But 562 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:14,640 Speaker 1: they go off the map every now and then. You 563 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:19,240 Speaker 1: know it's gonna enter any situation. It goes into cock first, 564 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: and you don't know what's going to happen. Like they're 565 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 1: just they're just gonna they live to penetrate. That's actually 566 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 1: the corporate motto, we live to penetrate. I was going 567 00:30:30,200 --> 00:30:33,080 Speaker 1: to ask you which sponsor you were specifically referring to 568 00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:35,200 Speaker 1: and then I realized that you already had one in mind, 569 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:38,959 Speaker 1: and that sorry, good luck with that. Bleep. I know 570 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 1: you love it. I would love I would love a 571 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: Bible that has like a just like a map of 572 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:48,560 Speaker 1: you know, the Bible, parts of the parts of the 573 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: Bible story like like the like an edition of Lord 574 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 1: of the Rings or whatever, just like a little map 575 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: of the front page. Yeah, lit, they should do that. 576 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: They probably do. So there's this broad understanding that political 577 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,400 Speaker 1: violence is undesirable, um, and there's actually not as far 578 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:13,479 Speaker 1: as we can tell. It doesn't seem to have been 579 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:16,959 Speaker 1: a thing that happened very often, um in in the 580 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:21,080 Speaker 1: early Republic, right, like when people had political disputes, they 581 00:31:21,120 --> 00:31:24,040 Speaker 1: didn't murder each other generally, which is a big thing 582 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 1: right in this period of time, If you've like gotten 583 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: to that point in your society, that's pretty cool. Um. 584 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 1: We have trouble with that today. We don't. We don't 585 00:31:32,800 --> 00:31:36,360 Speaker 1: do that. Yeah. And one of the reasons for this, 586 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 1: so the Romans have this written constitution kind of thing. Now, 587 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 1: they also have this thing called the most mal um, 588 00:31:41,960 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 1: which is it just literally means way of the ancestors, 589 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:49,080 Speaker 1: and it's it's another unwritten legal code kind of and 590 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: it's basically just a bunch of like, you don't murder 591 00:31:51,720 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: people who are elected leaders, you know, you don't like 592 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:56,960 Speaker 1: bribe people in order to make them vote the way 593 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:00,200 Speaker 1: you want. You don't do this, you don't do that, um. 594 00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: And there's a couple of different things in there, including 595 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: there's a rule that you don't carry weapons inside the city. Now, 596 00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:10,239 Speaker 1: this band gets misinterpreted a lot of times. You might 597 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:12,360 Speaker 1: think of it as the ancient equivalent of an assault 598 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 1: weapons ban, right, So they're not banning all weapons because spoilers, 599 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:20,480 Speaker 1: everybody still has weapons, but they don't have military weapons, 600 00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:22,840 Speaker 1: so they're not support you're it's like you can get 601 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: executed and ship if you're caught carrying a sword or 602 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:29,560 Speaker 1: like a dagger within the what's called the pomarium, which 603 00:32:29,600 --> 00:32:34,360 Speaker 1: is this like kind of sacred quasi ethereal boundary that 604 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,440 Speaker 1: like is the supposed to be the actual like boundary 605 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:42,440 Speaker 1: of rome Um. Now obviously, so again this just refers 606 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:45,400 Speaker 1: to like military weapons. So when people do have fights 607 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:49,440 Speaker 1: and stuff, they'll usually have like chair legs that they'll 608 00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: stick sharp things into, or they'll they'll make SAPs or 609 00:32:52,880 --> 00:32:56,120 Speaker 1: brass knuckles are super popular. The Romans have their own 610 00:32:56,160 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 1: kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, they call it a cestis. Yeah, 611 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:05,000 Speaker 1: it's basically brass knuckles or like punch daggers that like 612 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: really nasty fighting weapons, right, so you don't have swords 613 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,479 Speaker 1: and stuff. So people are just like calling it and 614 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:13,920 Speaker 1: beating the ship out of each other with like stuff 615 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:17,920 Speaker 1: they make in their fucking garages. Um, which is pretty cool. 616 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:21,040 Speaker 1: It's like the Warriors stuff, right, Like that's that's very 617 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: very Yeah, you spike bat is just too big? Yeah, 618 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:31,400 Speaker 1: what's the what's the what's the fucking millwall thing where 619 00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:33,720 Speaker 1: you make it with just like a bunch of editions 620 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:37,880 Speaker 1: of like the like the Daily Mirror or whatever. Yeah 621 00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:41,720 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, for some fucking it's basically the Jason Bourne 622 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: shop where he fights a dude with the magazine or whatever. Yeah. Yeah, 623 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: I mean the the coolest thing that the fucking Romans 624 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 1: had was this thing called a cestus or castis or whatever, 625 00:33:51,120 --> 00:33:53,320 Speaker 1: and it was basically it was like a boxing glove 626 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 1: that had was covered in iron balls, so that like 627 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,800 Speaker 1: when you so it's like this combination box singlove slash, 628 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 1: brass knuckles and yeah you can eat. Yeah, they so 629 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:06,600 Speaker 1: they had plenty of weapons, they just did not allow 630 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 1: military weapons. And you're not allowed to bring soldiers into 631 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:11,879 Speaker 1: the city of Rome. Nobody can take an army into Rome. 632 00:34:11,880 --> 00:34:14,319 Speaker 1: They have to camp outside of the city if you've 633 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:18,320 Speaker 1: got an army nearby, because again they recognize pretty early 634 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: on that, like, well, if we want to have a republic, 635 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:23,359 Speaker 1: it's probably a bad idea to let people march their 636 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:26,200 Speaker 1: army into the city. That could end badly, that might 637 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:28,880 Speaker 1: not go well. Um, but most of this stuff is 638 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:32,080 Speaker 1: just like it's not written law. It's everybody knows that 639 00:34:32,160 --> 00:34:35,680 Speaker 1: you're not supposed to do these things, right, right, A 640 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,799 Speaker 1: wonderful way to run a government. Yes, a norm, right, 641 00:34:38,840 --> 00:34:41,839 Speaker 1: these are their norms. You know. The other thing, too, 642 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 1: is like the army thing is like I think it's 643 00:34:44,040 --> 00:34:46,759 Speaker 1: I mean obviously just because I'm a soft child of 644 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 1: the twentieth century, but it is like wild to kind 645 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:54,520 Speaker 1: of remember how threatening a parade really should be. Yeah, 646 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:57,480 Speaker 1: a parade. I mean historically, the Romans are kind of 647 00:34:57,480 --> 00:34:59,319 Speaker 1: one of the first groups of people to try to 648 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:02,319 Speaker 1: stop a raid from being a threat because they have 649 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:05,719 Speaker 1: this these things called triumphs, and so if you win 650 00:35:05,760 --> 00:35:08,799 Speaker 1: a military victory, that's big enough, the Senate will vote 651 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:12,279 Speaker 1: you a triumph and you basically are king of the 652 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:14,759 Speaker 1: city for a day and you get to take your 653 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:17,440 Speaker 1: army and march them through the city with all your captives, 654 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:20,120 Speaker 1: and everybody pretty much worships you. But the whole time 655 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 1: you're doing it, Number one, it's just for a day, 656 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:24,319 Speaker 1: And the whole time you're doing it, there's a guy 657 00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: whose only job is to like walk behind you and 658 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:28,960 Speaker 1: be like, hey, bro, you're gonna die one of these days. 659 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:32,440 Speaker 1: Hey bro, Like you're still fucked. Like everybody's fucked. Nobody 660 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,959 Speaker 1: lives forever, Like you're not actually a king or a god. 661 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,879 Speaker 1: You're gonna die, dude, like, which is kind of neat. 662 00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:39,719 Speaker 1: I think it's it's one of my favorite parts of 663 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:48,280 Speaker 1: Roman history. Um yeah, so the best job, Yeah, civic life. 664 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: This These were the first. Like nowadays, anybody can like 665 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:55,400 Speaker 1: go on Twitter and ratio a political leader, um, if 666 00:35:55,400 --> 00:35:57,960 Speaker 1: they're if they're good enough at trolling. This was. This 667 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 1: was that job in the ancient world, like the dude 668 00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:04,600 Speaker 1: who follows the imperatore around being like, hey bro, you 669 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 1: kind of suck. Actually, yeah exactly. My god, Rome would 670 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,280 Speaker 1: have adopted Twitter immediately, like they basically they had like 671 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:21,600 Speaker 1: like their Roman graffiti is a whole other story, but 672 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:24,640 Speaker 1: like they had Twitter, they had their own Twitter. Um. 673 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,040 Speaker 1: I think my favorite piece of Roman graffiti that was 674 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:30,399 Speaker 1: like found in fucking POMPEII is this guy being like 675 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:33,400 Speaker 1: all of the women in Rome or all of the 676 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 1: women in the Empire should weep because I'm just fucking 677 00:36:35,640 --> 00:36:39,000 Speaker 1: dudes now, Like I'm I'm so tired of fucking ladies. 678 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:41,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna i'm my dicks for nothing, but men. Now 679 00:36:44,080 --> 00:36:48,520 Speaker 1: that's pretty. That is peaked Twitter. It is incredibly peaked Twitter. 680 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:52,920 Speaker 1: Amazing Twitter. How does it? What is it just like 681 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:55,680 Speaker 1: paint and brush? I guess yeah, they're just like paint 682 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:57,800 Speaker 1: and ship. Yeah, they've got paint, Like they're just like 683 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 1: painting stuff on walls and whatnot. I guess I was 684 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:05,480 Speaker 1: just thinking, like the advent of spray paint for graffiti, 685 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:08,680 Speaker 1: Like what again they would have taken to spray paint 686 00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:14,799 Speaker 1: Immediately you show like literally any Roman citizen spray paint 687 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 1: and they're like, oh fuck, I'm gonna be able to 688 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: yell at like my neighbor so much more efficiently. Um, 689 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:25,360 Speaker 1: you'll probably make a primitive air brush Yeah. So the 690 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 1: Roman system is it's it's a little bit wacky, but 691 00:37:28,360 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: it works really well, and for most of like three 692 00:37:31,080 --> 00:37:35,360 Speaker 1: hundred years they get by without any massive internal political violence. Now, 693 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 1: a big part of this is that for these first 694 00:37:37,120 --> 00:37:40,840 Speaker 1: couple of hundred years, Romans nearly destroyed. Like every thirty 695 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:44,200 Speaker 1: years or so, like every couple of decades, somebody will 696 00:37:44,280 --> 00:37:47,360 Speaker 1: invade Italy and almost wipe them out. And usually the 697 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:50,279 Speaker 1: way it goes is the Romans. There's an invasion, the 698 00:37:50,440 --> 00:37:53,239 Speaker 1: Romans get together a massive army and they send it 699 00:37:53,320 --> 00:37:55,480 Speaker 1: to fight the invasion, and they all get wiped out 700 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,520 Speaker 1: because some idiot makes a stupid mistake on the Roman side. 701 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:01,439 Speaker 1: And then the Romans some how put together another army 702 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:05,560 Speaker 1: and eventually win the war. Um. And this is like 703 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:08,759 Speaker 1: how every war works out for Rome. They take these 704 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,040 Speaker 1: like the thing that distinguishes Romans as a military power 705 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 1: is they're able to like lose all of their guys 706 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: and then win the war anyway, um, which is like 707 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:22,640 Speaker 1: a mixed sort of reputation to have militarily UM. A 708 00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:24,560 Speaker 1: good example of this would be the Pyric War from 709 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:27,160 Speaker 1: two eighty to two seventy b c. The gist of 710 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:28,800 Speaker 1: it is that the Romans go to war with a 711 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:31,600 Speaker 1: bunch of Greek cities in southern Italy, and those Greek 712 00:38:31,640 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: cities are like, hey, we need help, and they called 713 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,920 Speaker 1: to this Greek king over in Greece called Pyrus, and 714 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:39,800 Speaker 1: he invades Italy to like funk up the Romans. And 715 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,239 Speaker 1: Pirus is a scary old son of a bit. She's 716 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:44,360 Speaker 1: got a big army, a bunch of war elephants, and 717 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 1: he just shatters the Roman military. And this series of 718 00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:51,800 Speaker 1: horrible grinding thousands and thousands of people massacred, but also 719 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:55,080 Speaker 1: every battle is so ugly that like he loses most 720 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,239 Speaker 1: of his army fighting it, so kind of at the 721 00:38:57,400 --> 00:39:00,440 Speaker 1: end of this series of battles, the Romans can't continue 722 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,680 Speaker 1: to prosecute the war um. But Pirrus doesn't really want 723 00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:05,400 Speaker 1: to keep fighting either, because he doesn't have much of 724 00:39:05,440 --> 00:39:06,759 Speaker 1: an army left. And this is where we get the 725 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:11,960 Speaker 1: term pyric victory, right. Um. So he like goes to 726 00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:14,600 Speaker 1: Rome and he's like, hey, guys, you're you're y'all are fucked, 727 00:39:14,719 --> 00:39:17,120 Speaker 1: let's do a peace deal. Um. And he offers them 728 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:19,640 Speaker 1: pretty good terms. And I'm gonna quote what comes next 729 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:21,799 Speaker 1: from a rite up in the New York Times. When 730 00:39:21,840 --> 00:39:24,440 Speaker 1: the Senate convened to debate the offer, an old blind 731 00:39:24,560 --> 00:39:27,560 Speaker 1: senator named Appius Claudius was carried into the Senate house 732 00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,120 Speaker 1: by his sons. As the chamber fell silent, he stood 733 00:39:30,160 --> 00:39:33,040 Speaker 1: to chastise his colleagues. I have, he said, long thought 734 00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:35,360 Speaker 1: of the unfortunate state of my eyes as an affliction. 735 00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 1: But now that I hear you debates shameful resolutions which 736 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:40,400 Speaker 1: would diminish the glory of Rome, I wish that I 737 00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:43,200 Speaker 1: were not only blind, but also death. By giving in 738 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:46,320 Speaker 1: to Pyrus, Claudius warned, the Roman Republic would only invite 739 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:48,480 Speaker 1: more outside powers to mess with it. Low as the 740 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:50,800 Speaker 1: odds of victory might be, Rome had no choice but 741 00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:56,839 Speaker 1: to keep fighting, and they actually somehow win. Um. Pyrus like, yeah, 742 00:39:57,000 --> 00:39:59,920 Speaker 1: it's it's it's the whole thing. Um. He tries to 743 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:01,680 Speaker 1: to bribe a bunch of his way out of like 744 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:04,839 Speaker 1: fighting the more, but it doesn't work. Um. And yeah, 745 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:08,239 Speaker 1: this is like this is a somewhat idolized version of 746 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:11,759 Speaker 1: events of how like Warm beats Rome beats pirates And 747 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:15,400 Speaker 1: it's based on the writings of a guy named Edward J. Watts, 748 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:17,439 Speaker 1: who is one of these historians who's written a book 749 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:19,880 Speaker 1: about the Roman Republic to talk about the collapse of 750 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:25,120 Speaker 1: the United States. Um. Yeah, But as kind of biased 751 00:40:25,160 --> 00:40:27,120 Speaker 1: as his take on things is, it is worth noting 752 00:40:27,160 --> 00:40:30,080 Speaker 1: that like what they build really works, like as flawed 753 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:31,880 Speaker 1: as we're going to talk about all of the flaws 754 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,160 Speaker 1: as it is, the Romans create this political structure that's 755 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:38,960 Speaker 1: able to like repeatedly almost get wiped out in disastrous 756 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 1: military defeats and not lose wars um. And part of 757 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:45,160 Speaker 1: it is because everybody's got skin in the game. The 758 00:40:45,360 --> 00:40:49,080 Speaker 1: entire ruling class is out there fighting whenever there's a war, 759 00:40:49,239 --> 00:40:51,239 Speaker 1: along with like all of the and and in fact, 760 00:40:51,360 --> 00:40:54,080 Speaker 1: most of the people fighting are people with like property. 761 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:56,760 Speaker 1: The Roman army, you have to pay for your own weapons, 762 00:40:56,880 --> 00:40:59,040 Speaker 1: so poor people are not fighting. It's basically like the 763 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:01,560 Speaker 1: middle class and the rich people who are actually like 764 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:03,960 Speaker 1: going to war. And one of the downsides is that 765 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:06,160 Speaker 1: all of their armies are led by the equivalent of 766 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:10,439 Speaker 1: like Nancy Pelosi, which goes really badly sometimes, right because 767 00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:13,520 Speaker 1: you'll have like this eighty year old career politician trying 768 00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:16,400 Speaker 1: to like lead an army of seventy thousand guys and 769 00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:19,760 Speaker 1: he doesn't know what the funk he's doing? Um, probably 770 00:41:20,120 --> 00:41:22,759 Speaker 1: there there's some argument that that is sort of why 771 00:41:23,880 --> 00:41:27,640 Speaker 1: the first the first crack at our first draft. At 772 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:29,680 Speaker 1: any given Roman army is sort of just the ship 773 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,520 Speaker 1: that needs to be exactly They all it's the guys 774 00:41:32,560 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 1: who suck the most, and you get like Ted Cruz 775 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,200 Speaker 1: out there, and you just need to get rid of him. 776 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:41,840 Speaker 1: Anyone who survives that first one plus the fresh recruits 777 00:41:41,960 --> 00:41:44,399 Speaker 1: is probably the way to go. Yeah, we gotta burn 778 00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 1: off an army before we can get anything done. Yeah, 779 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:50,399 Speaker 1: it's like making it's like making pancakes. The first one's 780 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,960 Speaker 1: just for the trash. If we had invaded Afghanistan by 781 00:41:54,040 --> 00:41:58,040 Speaker 1: sending all of Congress in first, I think the United 782 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:00,360 Speaker 1: States and Afghanistan would be in a state of perfect 783 00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:02,759 Speaker 1: peace with each other and there would be no more 784 00:42:02,880 --> 00:42:06,239 Speaker 1: problems in the world. I mean truly, this, like you know, 785 00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:11,440 Speaker 1: are the that is the least American thing about this 786 00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 1: is about this particular iteration of Rome is putting middle 787 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:21,520 Speaker 1: class and nobles on the line at all. Yeah, um, 788 00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,600 Speaker 1: if only, if only, but all of these nobles they 789 00:42:24,640 --> 00:42:26,680 Speaker 1: have fucking so like one of the things pirates tries 790 00:42:26,680 --> 00:42:28,480 Speaker 1: to bribe a bunch of guys and he can't bribe 791 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:30,400 Speaker 1: them because they're like, well, no, this is like my 792 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,279 Speaker 1: whole family's fighting, Like this is what we do. We 793 00:42:33,440 --> 00:42:35,640 Speaker 1: have this like system and we're kind of all in 794 00:42:35,719 --> 00:42:38,040 Speaker 1: it together. And one of the reasons this works is 795 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:41,080 Speaker 1: that there's not a massive like there's rich people and 796 00:42:41,120 --> 00:42:43,719 Speaker 1: there's poor people. But within all of the people who 797 00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:46,640 Speaker 1: the freemen who have property, there's not a massive disparity 798 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:50,080 Speaker 1: in wealth. Right, the rich are not very rich, um, 799 00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,520 Speaker 1: because like it's Rome's just kind of this scrappy little 800 00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:55,200 Speaker 1: city in the middle of Italy. Right, it's not like 801 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:59,120 Speaker 1: this super powerful force. Um. But as time goes on, 802 00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:02,160 Speaker 1: they keep winning these wars, and so they wind up 803 00:43:02,200 --> 00:43:04,240 Speaker 1: in control of more and more and more of Italy, 804 00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:05,880 Speaker 1: and they get all of this land, and all of 805 00:43:05,920 --> 00:43:08,640 Speaker 1: this money starts coming in, and that's when things start 806 00:43:08,719 --> 00:43:12,520 Speaker 1: to go awry. Right. So, after Rome beats Purists and 807 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:15,600 Speaker 1: conquers most of southern Italy, they settle into what's what's 808 00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:18,560 Speaker 1: going to be two hundred straight years of unbroken victories 809 00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:22,480 Speaker 1: in foreign wars. Rome's military record here Basically they spend 810 00:43:23,080 --> 00:43:25,640 Speaker 1: the length of the time that the United States has 811 00:43:25,719 --> 00:43:29,560 Speaker 1: existed as a country winning every fight they get into, um, 812 00:43:30,080 --> 00:43:34,560 Speaker 1: which is like a pretty solid record. Now they lose 813 00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:38,000 Speaker 1: battles constantly, like with Devon in the First Punic War, 814 00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:40,760 Speaker 1: which starts in two sixty BC. This is with Carthage. 815 00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:43,760 Speaker 1: It lasts twenty years. Like to tell you how silly 816 00:43:43,840 --> 00:43:45,800 Speaker 1: some of their wars go. So this war starts with 817 00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:50,160 Speaker 1: Rome going to Sicily to fight Carthage and they win there. 818 00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:53,239 Speaker 1: They invade North Africa and they win what's probably what 819 00:43:53,400 --> 00:43:55,799 Speaker 1: might be the largest naval battle in all history still 820 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:58,200 Speaker 1: to this day. Like if you listen to the historians, 821 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:00,640 Speaker 1: then it's like three hundred thousand people are all fighting 822 00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:04,160 Speaker 1: in boats. Um. And again this is like twenty three 823 00:44:04,239 --> 00:44:07,320 Speaker 1: hundred years ago. Fucking wild, how like many people that 824 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:10,120 Speaker 1: they could put together at this point. Um. But they 825 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:12,520 Speaker 1: win this series of battles. They win these naval battles. 826 00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:17,160 Speaker 1: Carthage sues for peace and Rome refuses to like have peace, 827 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:19,840 Speaker 1: So Carthage keeps fighting and then beats them and like 828 00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:23,520 Speaker 1: chatters a Roman army. So Rome has to send a 829 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:26,680 Speaker 1: fleet to evacuate the remains of this army that's gotten 830 00:44:26,680 --> 00:44:29,880 Speaker 1: it's askect in Africa, and then the entire fleet and 831 00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:31,960 Speaker 1: a hundred thousand men all die in a storm like 832 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:34,759 Speaker 1: heading back to Italy. That kind of ship happens constantly 833 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:37,920 Speaker 1: to the Romans, and it just never stops them. Um. 834 00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:40,239 Speaker 1: Then you've got the Second Punic War, which starts into 835 00:44:40,320 --> 00:44:44,160 Speaker 1: eighteen BC. It also lasts like twenty fucking years. And 836 00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:46,160 Speaker 1: there's like we've talked about the Battle of kan I, 837 00:44:46,360 --> 00:44:50,040 Speaker 1: which is one of the most famous battles in history. Hannibal, 838 00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:53,840 Speaker 1: you know, the elephant guy encircles their army and kills 839 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:56,880 Speaker 1: fifty thou Romans in a day. It's like ten percent 840 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:59,960 Speaker 1: of the male population of the Republic he like wipes out, 841 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:03,120 Speaker 1: including like eight senators, like a bunch of a significant 842 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:06,000 Speaker 1: percentage of the Roman It's like if it's like if 843 00:45:06,040 --> 00:45:09,560 Speaker 1: the United States had like ten percent of its male 844 00:45:09,680 --> 00:45:13,000 Speaker 1: population and half of its political class wiped out in 845 00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:17,239 Speaker 1: a battle in fucking Afghanistan. Um, Like, it's pretty it's 846 00:45:17,280 --> 00:45:19,719 Speaker 1: it's a bad day for them, and they just do 847 00:45:19,880 --> 00:45:22,120 Speaker 1: the same thing they always do. They make more guys senators, 848 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:24,200 Speaker 1: they make more guys soldiers, and they send them back 849 00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: out to fight, right um Um, And it's it's fine. Um. 850 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:31,160 Speaker 1: But while these wars are going on, and they win 851 00:45:31,280 --> 00:45:33,120 Speaker 1: these wars. They win the First Punic War, they win 852 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:35,680 Speaker 1: the Second Punic War, they get control of Sicily, they 853 00:45:35,719 --> 00:45:38,319 Speaker 1: get a bunch of influence and power in northern uh 854 00:45:38,440 --> 00:45:41,160 Speaker 1: in Northern Africa. They take control of all of Spain 855 00:45:41,280 --> 00:45:44,319 Speaker 1: in the Second Punic War, like Rome is now running Iberia. 856 00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:46,960 Speaker 1: While all this is going on, a couple of other 857 00:45:47,000 --> 00:45:49,759 Speaker 1: things are happening. One is that a lot of Roman 858 00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:54,600 Speaker 1: soldiers are dying right like shipload because Nancy Pelosi is 859 00:45:54,719 --> 00:45:57,759 Speaker 1: very often the battlefield commander, and she's not very good 860 00:45:57,800 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 1: at that. Um And and since these guys these are 861 00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:03,839 Speaker 1: like the Roman middle class, right, most of them are 862 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:06,879 Speaker 1: small independent farmers. They have enough money to buy their 863 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:10,480 Speaker 1: own weapons and armor and stuff and sometimes even horses. 864 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:15,880 Speaker 1: Um And so the system that they set up works 865 00:46:15,960 --> 00:46:18,120 Speaker 1: really well when war means you have to like walk 866 00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:20,759 Speaker 1: two days to like funk with this town across like 867 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:23,520 Speaker 1: the river from you. Um. But when you're going to 868 00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:26,640 Speaker 1: war for twenty years and your army is all of 869 00:46:26,719 --> 00:46:30,040 Speaker 1: the guys who make your food, then it becomes a problem, right, 870 00:46:30,360 --> 00:46:33,840 Speaker 1: are you seeing like the flaw and the Roman social 871 00:46:33,960 --> 00:46:37,480 Speaker 1: system also, it's it's like I mean and this I 872 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:40,680 Speaker 1: guess is the thing that's like distressing is like you 873 00:46:40,719 --> 00:46:44,160 Speaker 1: would hope what this would do is lead towards like 874 00:46:44,320 --> 00:46:48,480 Speaker 1: more measured wars and like you know, no, no, it's 875 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 1: simply the opposite, is we will I mean your well, 876 00:46:51,280 --> 00:46:54,440 Speaker 1: we're seeing it obviously in our time also, I was like, 877 00:46:54,480 --> 00:46:58,160 Speaker 1: we will simply let society crumble rather than and that's 878 00:46:58,200 --> 00:47:01,080 Speaker 1: what happens because here's the thing. If you were to 879 00:47:01,160 --> 00:47:05,080 Speaker 1: make have less wars, well, the only ways that the 880 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:09,839 Speaker 1: nobility can make money is war or taking a bunch 881 00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:13,280 Speaker 1: of farming land, right, because they're not allowed to have businesses, 882 00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:17,160 Speaker 1: they're not allowed to be merchants. Uh. And if they 883 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:20,000 Speaker 1: don't get to have more wars and massacre more generations 884 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:23,839 Speaker 1: of Roman boys, then the merchants who aren't nobles will 885 00:47:23,880 --> 00:47:25,880 Speaker 1: have more money than them and nicer houses. Do you 886 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:29,040 Speaker 1: see why this is a problem, right? I know it's 887 00:47:29,080 --> 00:47:31,920 Speaker 1: so just like but like instead of being like the 888 00:47:32,120 --> 00:47:37,080 Speaker 1: custom is weird, and we could just diversify our ruling 889 00:47:37,160 --> 00:47:42,440 Speaker 1: classes economy look at the same point. Nope, I'm the farmers. 890 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:48,000 Speaker 1: I'm all for restricting our ruling classes economic sources of income. 891 00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:52,080 Speaker 1: It is interesting that if you look at the two 892 00:47:52,200 --> 00:47:55,080 Speaker 1: longest lived republics in history, which is the Roman Republic 893 00:47:55,160 --> 00:47:58,359 Speaker 1: and now US, and both of them, you have this group, 894 00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:02,160 Speaker 1: this hereditary nobility, who are like, well, if we're going 895 00:48:02,320 --> 00:48:05,240 Speaker 1: to stay rich, we're gonna have to kill the middle class. 896 00:48:06,320 --> 00:48:08,359 Speaker 1: We're gonna have to We're gonna have to get rid 897 00:48:08,400 --> 00:48:14,320 Speaker 1: of those people. Um. So yeah, you this is you 898 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:17,080 Speaker 1: start to get these serious problems where like these farmers 899 00:48:17,160 --> 00:48:19,719 Speaker 1: soldiers are spending like five years at a time out 900 00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:23,239 Speaker 1: on campaigns, and like fucking Africa or Spain which is 901 00:48:23,600 --> 00:48:26,040 Speaker 1: quite a distance from Italy when you have to walk 902 00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:29,320 Speaker 1: it right, like they are far as funk away and 903 00:48:30,200 --> 00:48:33,000 Speaker 1: a lot of people listening probably are not farmers. I'll 904 00:48:33,040 --> 00:48:35,000 Speaker 1: let you in on a secret about farming. If you 905 00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:37,600 Speaker 1: don't do anything to your farm for five years, it 906 00:48:37,760 --> 00:48:40,520 Speaker 1: is no longer a farm. It's it's just the woods 907 00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:45,640 Speaker 1: like um, and that's that that that causes an issue. 908 00:48:45,760 --> 00:48:48,080 Speaker 1: These soldiers are spending like half a decade at a time, 909 00:48:48,520 --> 00:48:51,040 Speaker 1: you know, in addition to like whatever injuries and trauma 910 00:48:51,120 --> 00:48:53,920 Speaker 1: they suffer, they come home and their farms are ruined 911 00:48:54,000 --> 00:48:56,440 Speaker 1: and they can't afford to like put them back into shape. 912 00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:00,839 Speaker 1: So again, and as you noted a reasonable country might 913 00:49:00,920 --> 00:49:04,319 Speaker 1: go like, well, clearly, we need farmers and we need 914 00:49:04,640 --> 00:49:07,400 Speaker 1: people to become soldiers, so it's in our best interest 915 00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:09,000 Speaker 1: to like figure out a way to deal with this 916 00:49:09,719 --> 00:49:14,319 Speaker 1: um that is not and this is a volunteer army. 917 00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:17,800 Speaker 1: It wasn't right. Yeah, well, they do have conscriptions, like 918 00:49:18,040 --> 00:49:21,160 Speaker 1: especially during emergencies, they have conscriptions and stuff. So it's 919 00:49:21,200 --> 00:49:23,400 Speaker 1: more like it's kind of like a draft um a 920 00:49:23,480 --> 00:49:26,000 Speaker 1: lot of the time with these wars. So yeah, it's 921 00:49:26,040 --> 00:49:28,680 Speaker 1: generally sort of a you get called up, your number 922 00:49:28,760 --> 00:49:30,840 Speaker 1: gets called up effectively, and like it's time for you 923 00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:33,120 Speaker 1: to go serve. They do have a lot of like 924 00:49:33,360 --> 00:49:36,560 Speaker 1: there are volunteer anyway. Whatever. It's a whole thing that 925 00:49:37,360 --> 00:49:38,879 Speaker 1: we don't have the time to get into that today, 926 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:42,120 Speaker 1: but it's worth noting that, like the money that they 927 00:49:42,200 --> 00:49:46,880 Speaker 1: are making by conquering everything around Rome is plenty of 928 00:49:46,960 --> 00:49:49,040 Speaker 1: money to take care of these farmers. And I want 929 00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:51,200 Speaker 1: to quote now from a Marxist account of Roman history 930 00:49:51,280 --> 00:49:54,759 Speaker 1: written by Alan Woods. Quote, after the Second Punic War 931 00:49:54,880 --> 00:49:56,600 Speaker 1: ended in two o two b c. The economy of 932 00:49:56,640 --> 00:49:59,040 Speaker 1: Italy and dured a massive up people. The legions that 933 00:49:59,120 --> 00:50:02,160 Speaker 1: conquered Spain Greece and North Africa returned home with riches 934 00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:06,399 Speaker 1: on an unprecedented scale. A proconsul that's like the mix 935 00:50:06,480 --> 00:50:09,600 Speaker 1: between the president and a general returned from campaign in 936 00:50:09,680 --> 00:50:12,880 Speaker 1: the East bearing a hundred and thirty seven thousand pounds 937 00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:15,840 Speaker 1: of raw silver, six hundred thousand silver pieces and a 938 00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:20,800 Speaker 1: hundred and forty thousand gold pieces. So like the nobles 939 00:50:20,840 --> 00:50:24,160 Speaker 1: are getting fucking rich in all of this money stays 940 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:27,359 Speaker 1: in the hands of these the patricians and this new 941 00:50:27,440 --> 00:50:30,640 Speaker 1: class of people called the equities, who are like rich businessmen, right, 942 00:50:30,960 --> 00:50:33,840 Speaker 1: because the trade is a lot. The more you conquer, 943 00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:35,879 Speaker 1: the better trade gets for you if you're a fucking 944 00:50:36,000 --> 00:50:40,239 Speaker 1: Roman businessman, So they're making fucking bank um. Now, all 945 00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:42,560 Speaker 1: of the land that the Roman army captures during this 946 00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:45,799 Speaker 1: conquest of Italy they go over become state owned land, 947 00:50:45,880 --> 00:50:48,520 Speaker 1: which seems fair right. They call it the the ager 948 00:50:48,640 --> 00:50:51,520 Speaker 1: publicists popular Romani, which means the public land of the 949 00:50:51,640 --> 00:50:54,400 Speaker 1: Roman people. And over time the Senate votes to allow 950 00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:57,719 Speaker 1: people to own parcels of this public land and perpetuity 951 00:50:57,840 --> 00:51:00,840 Speaker 1: as long as they work it right. So that's how initially, 952 00:51:01,400 --> 00:51:03,680 Speaker 1: like soldiers get rewarded as you get some of this 953 00:51:03,760 --> 00:51:05,520 Speaker 1: public land and you can start a farm on it 954 00:51:05,600 --> 00:51:07,520 Speaker 1: and that will allow you to have like a degree 955 00:51:07,520 --> 00:51:10,960 Speaker 1: of economic independence. Um. But I'm gonna quote here from 956 00:51:10,960 --> 00:51:13,960 Speaker 1: a write up in the Anthropology Review. Quote the problem 957 00:51:14,080 --> 00:51:16,200 Speaker 1: was that if the land was left uncultivated, it could 958 00:51:16,239 --> 00:51:18,279 Speaker 1: be taken over by someone who could work it. So 959 00:51:18,400 --> 00:51:20,320 Speaker 1: soldiers who were out of the country fighting for the 960 00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:23,799 Speaker 1: glory of Rome came back to find themselves dispossessed. Vast 961 00:51:23,840 --> 00:51:26,240 Speaker 1: stretches of land were taken over by rich and powerful 962 00:51:26,360 --> 00:51:29,560 Speaker 1: Romans who used slaves who were not called for military service, 963 00:51:29,640 --> 00:51:32,120 Speaker 1: and thus we're always present to plow the fields and 964 00:51:32,160 --> 00:51:34,640 Speaker 1: tend to the crops and livestock. This meant that peasants 965 00:51:34,680 --> 00:51:36,920 Speaker 1: and returning soldiers had not only lost their land, but 966 00:51:37,040 --> 00:51:40,120 Speaker 1: also the possibility of finding decently paid work with which 967 00:51:40,200 --> 00:51:42,760 Speaker 1: to support their family, because it was impossible to compete 968 00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:46,560 Speaker 1: with slaves who had to work for free. So that's 969 00:51:46,680 --> 00:51:49,319 Speaker 1: that's a bad way to have the situation work, right, 970 00:51:50,239 --> 00:51:56,080 Speaker 1: So just like it is, Yeah, it's I guess it's 971 00:51:56,120 --> 00:51:58,800 Speaker 1: like like all things that's just cobbled together from like 972 00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:02,080 Speaker 1: tradition and like is what happened last time? Just like 973 00:52:02,200 --> 00:52:04,200 Speaker 1: the fact that well, I want to be rich. I 974 00:52:04,239 --> 00:52:07,480 Speaker 1: want to be rich. Nothing nothing really matters more to 975 00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:10,320 Speaker 1: me than personally being richer. So let's let's do whatever 976 00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:12,400 Speaker 1: gets me the most money in the short term. And 977 00:52:12,520 --> 00:52:16,799 Speaker 1: I will never back down. This system can't change because 978 00:52:16,920 --> 00:52:20,759 Speaker 1: it's absolutely can work for us. And again, people at 979 00:52:20,800 --> 00:52:24,000 Speaker 1: the time noted note that this is like bad. Like 980 00:52:24,120 --> 00:52:25,919 Speaker 1: there's like a decent number of people in the Roman 981 00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:30,719 Speaker 1: political structure who are like, hey, guys, this is gonna 982 00:52:30,760 --> 00:52:33,000 Speaker 1: be a problem as as as we have in the 983 00:52:33,120 --> 00:52:36,480 Speaker 1: United States who are consistently being like, this is not 984 00:52:36,600 --> 00:52:40,800 Speaker 1: a good way to do things, um, because they're noticing 985 00:52:40,880 --> 00:52:43,839 Speaker 1: that all of these formerly independent freemen, the veterans who 986 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:46,680 Speaker 1: have like conquered the world for Rome, are winding up 987 00:52:46,760 --> 00:52:49,840 Speaker 1: as almost like homeless in the city of Rome itself, 988 00:52:50,280 --> 00:52:52,600 Speaker 1: Like they have no work, no way to make money, 989 00:52:52,680 --> 00:52:54,680 Speaker 1: and they just kind of swell the city because the 990 00:52:54,760 --> 00:52:57,439 Speaker 1: state will will give them food when they're in the city, 991 00:52:57,600 --> 00:53:00,080 Speaker 1: kind of like it's the only thing they can do 992 00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:02,759 Speaker 1: is kind of become clients to some fucking rich guy 993 00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:07,680 Speaker 1: or whatever, um, and you know, basically exist to provide 994 00:53:07,719 --> 00:53:10,279 Speaker 1: a vote for a rich man and live marginally on 995 00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:15,560 Speaker 1: the edges of society. Um so as you can imagine 996 00:53:15,600 --> 00:53:17,440 Speaker 1: the fact that like the only way for a lot 997 00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:19,680 Speaker 1: of these poor people to get any kind of support 998 00:53:19,719 --> 00:53:22,680 Speaker 1: at all is to like vote for whatever guy has 999 00:53:22,719 --> 00:53:25,279 Speaker 1: the most money and thus can give them food. It 1000 00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:28,040 Speaker 1: makes this political system twist even more in favor of 1001 00:53:28,080 --> 00:53:31,360 Speaker 1: the wealthy. Right, inequality becomes a serious problem in the 1002 00:53:31,480 --> 00:53:35,000 Speaker 1: Roman Republic. Now again, a lot of people recognize this 1003 00:53:35,080 --> 00:53:37,040 Speaker 1: as an issue, and in his wonderful book The Storm 1004 00:53:37,080 --> 00:53:40,239 Speaker 1: Before the Storm, Mike Duncan writes quote as early as 1005 00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:42,759 Speaker 1: one nine, Kato the Elder warned his colleagues, we have 1006 00:53:42,800 --> 00:53:45,000 Speaker 1: crossed in degrease in Asia, places filled with all the 1007 00:53:45,040 --> 00:53:48,040 Speaker 1: allurements of vice, and we are handling the treasures of kings. 1008 00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:50,520 Speaker 1: I fear that these things will capture us rather than 1009 00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:53,640 Speaker 1: we them. Every few years, the Senate would attempt to 1010 00:53:53,719 --> 00:53:56,440 Speaker 1: rein in the ostentatious displays of wealth, but the resulting 1011 00:53:56,480 --> 00:54:00,840 Speaker 1: limitations inevitably went unheeded and unenforced. By little coincidence, the 1012 00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:03,640 Speaker 1: Roman people at the same moment both acquired a taste 1013 00:54:03,680 --> 00:54:08,960 Speaker 1: for vice and obtained a license for gratifying it. Yeah, 1014 00:54:09,160 --> 00:54:11,879 Speaker 1: it's that's that's the way it always goes, right, they're 1015 00:54:11,920 --> 00:54:17,160 Speaker 1: no different from us. Oh god, yeah, they just we 1016 00:54:17,320 --> 00:54:21,960 Speaker 1: just have phones. Yeah, and it's it's it's interesting Karl 1017 00:54:22,040 --> 00:54:25,239 Speaker 1: Marx when he writes Capital is specifically looking at this 1018 00:54:25,400 --> 00:54:27,600 Speaker 1: period in Roman history, he bases a lot of his 1019 00:54:27,719 --> 00:54:31,000 Speaker 1: conclusions off of like what the history that he's like 1020 00:54:31,120 --> 00:54:34,520 Speaker 1: reading about. Why, like what happens in the Roman Republic? 1021 00:54:35,120 --> 00:54:37,320 Speaker 1: And he writes in Capital, quote it requires but a 1022 00:54:37,400 --> 00:54:40,080 Speaker 1: slight acquaintance with the history of the Roman Republic to 1023 00:54:40,160 --> 00:54:42,600 Speaker 1: be aware that it's secret history is the history of 1024 00:54:42,680 --> 00:54:47,319 Speaker 1: its landed property, right that like and essentially what he's 1025 00:54:47,320 --> 00:54:49,040 Speaker 1: saying is that, like you have this vision of what 1026 00:54:49,120 --> 00:54:52,000 Speaker 1: the Roman Republic was that like dudes like our quote 1027 00:54:52,080 --> 00:54:55,000 Speaker 1: unquote founding fathers have where they're just like masturbating over 1028 00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:57,800 Speaker 1: these like austere figures, and then you have the reality, 1029 00:54:57,840 --> 00:55:01,080 Speaker 1: which is that, yeah, this venal corrupt land holding class 1030 00:55:01,560 --> 00:55:04,800 Speaker 1: is choking out the middle class and the poor in 1031 00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:09,319 Speaker 1: order to make their already vast fortunes even larger. Yeah, 1032 00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:12,160 Speaker 1: and destroying the entire state as they do it, because 1033 00:55:12,200 --> 00:55:15,040 Speaker 1: they care about nothing but increasing the amount of wealth 1034 00:55:15,120 --> 00:55:20,040 Speaker 1: that they have, like like parasites on every level. Yeah, 1035 00:55:20,080 --> 00:55:23,000 Speaker 1: it's good stuff, you know, who else is a parasite 1036 00:55:23,040 --> 00:55:28,719 Speaker 1: on every level. Andrew, I've got to find out the 1037 00:55:28,840 --> 00:55:33,640 Speaker 1: sponsors of this podcast absolutely blood sucking ticks, just just 1038 00:55:34,120 --> 00:55:38,799 Speaker 1: guzzling the life out of your your veins. So if 1039 00:55:38,800 --> 00:55:41,239 Speaker 1: he is that a good wittily dads that gonna make 1040 00:55:41,280 --> 00:55:43,640 Speaker 1: him happen, that's the only way you can lead into ads, 1041 00:55:43,719 --> 00:55:54,640 Speaker 1: my friend. Excellent, excellent, Oh we're back. So this all 1042 00:55:54,719 --> 00:55:56,680 Speaker 1: brings us to the story of a guy who, depending 1043 00:55:56,680 --> 00:55:58,880 Speaker 1: on who you ask, is either the first socialist in 1044 00:55:59,040 --> 00:56:02,520 Speaker 1: history or this sinister populist precursor to Donald Trump. You 1045 00:56:02,719 --> 00:56:05,279 Speaker 1: there are think pieces that will say both things. They're 1046 00:56:05,320 --> 00:56:08,320 Speaker 1: all pretty silly because he's his own person and this 1047 00:56:08,520 --> 00:56:12,840 Speaker 1: is a long time ago, so stop stop it. But 1048 00:56:13,040 --> 00:56:17,440 Speaker 1: this guy's name is Tiberius Sempronius gracchus Um, and he's 1049 00:56:17,480 --> 00:56:19,880 Speaker 1: born in either one sixty three or one sixty two 1050 00:56:19,920 --> 00:56:22,520 Speaker 1: b C. And he comes into into being as like 1051 00:56:22,960 --> 00:56:26,640 Speaker 1: the bluest blood motherfucker. It is possible to be his 1052 00:56:26,840 --> 00:56:30,200 Speaker 1: father had served as console, which is kind of like again, 1053 00:56:30,239 --> 00:56:33,120 Speaker 1: it's like a mix between president in general, like if 1054 00:56:35,120 --> 00:56:38,400 Speaker 1: the senators are also leading art right, Yeah, exactly, it 1055 00:56:38,520 --> 00:56:41,320 Speaker 1: should be the same job. Get you get like voted 1056 00:56:41,560 --> 00:56:45,719 Speaker 1: to get a military command effectively. Um so in his 1057 00:56:45,880 --> 00:56:50,120 Speaker 1: dad like celebrates two triumphs for military victories, is like 1058 00:56:50,200 --> 00:56:53,680 Speaker 1: a young man. His mother is like the daughter of 1059 00:56:54,280 --> 00:56:58,360 Speaker 1: this great Roman war hero. Um. Now, everybody's main source 1060 00:56:58,440 --> 00:57:01,319 Speaker 1: on Tiberius gracuss life is a guy named Plutarch, who 1061 00:57:01,400 --> 00:57:03,320 Speaker 1: is a Greek historian who writes about him like a 1062 00:57:03,400 --> 00:57:07,120 Speaker 1: hundred years after he died. And it's worth knowing what 1063 00:57:07,239 --> 00:57:10,560 Speaker 1: Plutarch says because Plutarch's working from like sources that were 1064 00:57:10,600 --> 00:57:13,160 Speaker 1: written by people at the time when Gracis was alive. 1065 00:57:13,560 --> 00:57:16,200 Speaker 1: But like most Roman history, we still you're still just 1066 00:57:16,360 --> 00:57:18,600 Speaker 1: like most of Plutarch's history is like, well a guy 1067 00:57:18,720 --> 00:57:20,880 Speaker 1: told me this, Like I heard this from like a 1068 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:25,680 Speaker 1: dude who's like his grandpa was around, and like I 1069 00:57:25,800 --> 00:57:30,480 Speaker 1: heard this, I heard the I a lot of It's 1070 00:57:30,520 --> 00:57:33,480 Speaker 1: like I guess that's all history anyway, But yeah, like 1071 00:57:33,760 --> 00:57:36,200 Speaker 1: after this, after what happens with this guy happens is 1072 00:57:36,280 --> 00:57:38,760 Speaker 1: like brother writes a pamphlet that he hands out and 1073 00:57:38,960 --> 00:57:41,160 Speaker 1: like a lot of Plutarch is based on like what 1074 00:57:41,280 --> 00:57:43,680 Speaker 1: people remember from being in the pamphlet. But I don't 1075 00:57:43,720 --> 00:57:47,200 Speaker 1: think we have the pamphlet still so it's like it's 1076 00:57:47,240 --> 00:57:49,160 Speaker 1: like if somebody if lot's like if somebody wrote a 1077 00:57:49,280 --> 00:57:53,320 Speaker 1: history of the of the George Floyd protests based on 1078 00:57:53,480 --> 00:57:57,080 Speaker 1: like a conversation with someone who remembered some zines about 1079 00:57:57,160 --> 00:58:00,160 Speaker 1: them right where it's like, yeah, like you're you're you're 1080 00:58:00,160 --> 00:58:05,360 Speaker 1: probably not gonna get all of the facts, but yeah, 1081 00:58:06,040 --> 00:58:09,720 Speaker 1: history is fucking crazy. Yeah it's good stuff. There's a 1082 00:58:09,800 --> 00:58:14,120 Speaker 1: story that Plutarch tells that like when Tiberius's dad is 1083 00:58:14,360 --> 00:58:16,920 Speaker 1: a kid, he goes to a soothsayer, you know, basically 1084 00:58:17,000 --> 00:58:22,960 Speaker 1: a fucking you know, a fortune teller, and uh, she's 1085 00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:27,840 Speaker 1: like you're gonna have to either. Uh like, I'll just 1086 00:58:27,960 --> 00:58:30,400 Speaker 1: read the quote because it's kind of weird. We're told 1087 00:58:30,480 --> 00:58:32,480 Speaker 1: moreover that he once caught a pair of serpents on 1088 00:58:32,600 --> 00:58:35,320 Speaker 1: his bed, and that the soothsayers, after considering the prodigy, 1089 00:58:35,920 --> 00:58:38,600 Speaker 1: forbade him to kill both serpents, or to let both go, 1090 00:58:38,840 --> 00:58:40,560 Speaker 1: but to decide the fate of one or the other 1091 00:58:40,680 --> 00:58:43,200 Speaker 1: of them, declaring that also the male serpent, if killed, 1092 00:58:43,400 --> 00:58:46,760 Speaker 1: would bring death to Tiberius and the female to Cornelia. 1093 00:58:46,920 --> 00:58:50,280 Speaker 1: That's his wife. Uh So Tiberius, accordingly, who loved his 1094 00:58:50,400 --> 00:58:52,520 Speaker 1: wife and thought that she was still young and he 1095 00:58:52,680 --> 00:58:54,560 Speaker 1: was older, and it was more fitting that he should 1096 00:58:54,600 --> 00:58:57,040 Speaker 1: die killed the male serpent, but let the female go. 1097 00:58:57,400 --> 00:58:59,919 Speaker 1: A short time afterwards, as the story goes, he died. 1098 00:59:00,600 --> 00:59:03,240 Speaker 1: So that's what happens with this guy's dad. Like his 1099 00:59:03,400 --> 00:59:07,640 Speaker 1: dad supposedly dies because he kills the snake that represents 1100 00:59:07,760 --> 00:59:10,200 Speaker 1: him to let his wife live. Um, he leaves her 1101 00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:13,440 Speaker 1: with twelve children, three of which survived to adulthoods just 1102 00:59:13,640 --> 00:59:19,440 Speaker 1: like what a bonker's day at the the fortune teller's dates. 1103 00:59:19,880 --> 00:59:23,880 Speaker 1: Check this out. I tell him if he kills them 1104 00:59:23,960 --> 00:59:26,840 Speaker 1: fails snake, he's gonna die. Yeah at all. I'm gonna 1105 00:59:26,880 --> 00:59:30,240 Speaker 1: tell him kill one snake only Yeah, only one snake, 1106 00:59:30,360 --> 00:59:34,040 Speaker 1: let the other go. They had to just be I 1107 00:59:34,120 --> 00:59:36,960 Speaker 1: assume the fortune teller colleagues are just all, you know, 1108 00:59:37,120 --> 00:59:40,040 Speaker 1: fucking with you. Oh yeah, I mean they're fucking highest ship. 1109 00:59:40,400 --> 00:59:45,160 Speaker 1: They are unbearably lit. So Cornelia takes charge of the 1110 00:59:45,280 --> 00:59:49,160 Speaker 1: children in the estate. Uh she you know, she's good 1111 00:59:49,280 --> 00:59:52,440 Speaker 1: enough at being a mom that like a solid of 1112 00:59:52,480 --> 00:59:55,080 Speaker 1: her children lived to adulthood. Um. And two of those 1113 00:59:55,200 --> 00:59:59,080 Speaker 1: kids are the brothers Tiberius and Gaius Gracus. Now both 1114 00:59:59,160 --> 01:00:01,440 Speaker 1: of them are like a fancy boys. They hold a 1115 01:00:01,480 --> 01:00:04,120 Speaker 1: bunch of public offices that young patrician kids are expected 1116 01:00:04,200 --> 01:00:07,720 Speaker 1: to hold, uh as they climb up the political ladder. UM. 1117 01:00:07,800 --> 01:00:11,600 Speaker 1: At age seventeen, Tiberius goes to Africa to fight, you know, 1118 01:00:11,840 --> 01:00:14,240 Speaker 1: in the last big war against Carthage, and he's supposed 1119 01:00:14,240 --> 01:00:16,400 Speaker 1: to be the first man over the walls of Carthage 1120 01:00:16,480 --> 01:00:19,440 Speaker 1: during that final siege. Um. After that he goes to 1121 01:00:19,520 --> 01:00:23,400 Speaker 1: another war. So by the time you know he comes 1122 01:00:23,480 --> 01:00:29,160 Speaker 1: around in you know the one hundreds, like like ish BC, 1123 01:00:30,320 --> 01:00:33,560 Speaker 1: Rome is kind of locked into this Afghanistan style situation 1124 01:00:33,640 --> 01:00:36,680 Speaker 1: in Spain where they have conquered Spain, but like it's 1125 01:00:36,720 --> 01:00:39,920 Speaker 1: kind of hard to hold onto Spain. Like if you're anyone, 1126 01:00:40,000 --> 01:00:42,520 Speaker 1: there's a reason why Spain has mostly belonged to Spain 1127 01:00:42,640 --> 01:00:45,760 Speaker 1: throughout history. Um, it's not all that it's not always 1128 01:00:45,760 --> 01:00:49,040 Speaker 1: all that easy for Spain to be in charge of Spain. Um. 1129 01:00:49,720 --> 01:00:52,760 Speaker 1: So they're fighting this like endless series of like brush 1130 01:00:52,840 --> 01:00:55,720 Speaker 1: fire rebellions against and it is it's like Afghanistan that 1131 01:00:55,800 --> 01:00:59,280 Speaker 1: you've got like this this Roman military that's very organized 1132 01:00:59,400 --> 01:01:02,840 Speaker 1: and fairly modern and like it's it's command structure, and 1133 01:01:02,920 --> 01:01:04,840 Speaker 1: then there's these guys who are just like throwing rocks 1134 01:01:04,880 --> 01:01:07,240 Speaker 1: at them from the bushes and then running away. Um. 1135 01:01:07,960 --> 01:01:10,120 Speaker 1: And it works pretty well for the fucking Spanish. So 1136 01:01:11,360 --> 01:01:14,880 Speaker 1: Tiberius Gracis goes to go fight in northern Spain against 1137 01:01:14,920 --> 01:01:19,240 Speaker 1: these the city called Normentia um. And the war does 1138 01:01:19,280 --> 01:01:21,520 Speaker 1: not go very well, and the guy who's in charge 1139 01:01:21,560 --> 01:01:24,280 Speaker 1: of the Roman army gets his ass kicked, and so 1140 01:01:24,360 --> 01:01:26,840 Speaker 1: they have to negotiate a surrender. Um. Now the new 1141 01:01:26,920 --> 01:01:29,960 Speaker 1: maintains new Tiberius because his dad had beaten them in 1142 01:01:30,000 --> 01:01:32,320 Speaker 1: a war like twenty years ago, and he'd been cool 1143 01:01:32,360 --> 01:01:34,160 Speaker 1: about it, right, Like he hadn't been a dick about 1144 01:01:34,200 --> 01:01:36,080 Speaker 1: beating them in a war. So they were like, well, 1145 01:01:36,120 --> 01:01:38,120 Speaker 1: we'll let we'll talk with this guy. Will negotiate with 1146 01:01:38,200 --> 01:01:40,120 Speaker 1: this guy, because if he makes a peace treaty with us, 1147 01:01:40,400 --> 01:01:42,560 Speaker 1: we feel like Rome will will stick to it. So 1148 01:01:42,720 --> 01:01:45,360 Speaker 1: Tiberius works out a truce and a peace treaty and 1149 01:01:45,440 --> 01:01:47,640 Speaker 1: he saves this Roman army. But when they get back 1150 01:01:47,680 --> 01:01:50,800 Speaker 1: to Rome, all of these politicians, um, who had not 1151 01:01:51,000 --> 01:01:52,760 Speaker 1: left the city and who wanted the war to keep 1152 01:01:52,840 --> 01:01:57,160 Speaker 1: going because there was money in Spain, but didn't actually 1153 01:01:57,400 --> 01:01:58,760 Speaker 1: want to figure out how to fight it or like 1154 01:01:59,080 --> 01:02:02,720 Speaker 1: how dare you pull out of Spain with this army? Like, 1155 01:02:02,800 --> 01:02:05,560 Speaker 1: how how dare you? It's a little bit familiar to 1156 01:02:05,680 --> 01:02:08,160 Speaker 1: some things that have happened. It's like this bad situation 1157 01:02:08,720 --> 01:02:11,120 Speaker 1: and the guys back home had like didn't have any 1158 01:02:11,160 --> 01:02:13,520 Speaker 1: idea how to deal with it better than Tiberius did. 1159 01:02:13,720 --> 01:02:15,640 Speaker 1: But they're still angry about it, because that's what you 1160 01:02:15,720 --> 01:02:21,000 Speaker 1: do in politics. Probably, well, it's tell me more honest 1161 01:02:21,120 --> 01:02:24,840 Speaker 1: to just have the military industrial complex openly advocating like 1162 01:02:25,080 --> 01:02:28,080 Speaker 1: we need this war for money to continue, we need 1163 01:02:28,200 --> 01:02:31,280 Speaker 1: this war for money to continue, and for pride um, 1164 01:02:31,640 --> 01:02:35,320 Speaker 1: how fucking dare you? Uh So, Tiberius he takes a 1165 01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:39,120 Speaker 1: beating from these guys, but they can't punish him because 1166 01:02:39,160 --> 01:02:41,640 Speaker 1: he did just save the entire army's life and that 1167 01:02:41,840 --> 01:02:44,120 Speaker 1: kind of makes you popular in a way that's dangerous 1168 01:02:44,160 --> 01:02:47,120 Speaker 1: to funk with too much. But they do his commanding 1169 01:02:47,160 --> 01:02:49,760 Speaker 1: officer who had lost the war, They like strip him 1170 01:02:49,800 --> 01:02:51,920 Speaker 1: naked and chain him up and send him back to 1171 01:02:52,000 --> 01:02:53,960 Speaker 1: the enemy and are like, you guys can have him, 1172 01:02:54,000 --> 01:02:55,800 Speaker 1: like we don't want this guy anymore, like do whatever 1173 01:02:55,880 --> 01:02:59,080 Speaker 1: you want to him, which again, if we've done that 1174 01:02:59,200 --> 01:03:02,160 Speaker 1: with David Petre s would have I think been cool. 1175 01:03:02,480 --> 01:03:04,280 Speaker 1: I think that's what we should have done with David. 1176 01:03:04,800 --> 01:03:09,680 Speaker 1: A few more conuences for some of the people's fucking 1177 01:03:09,800 --> 01:03:13,320 Speaker 1: strip Dick Cheney naked and just air drop him into 1178 01:03:13,400 --> 01:03:16,800 Speaker 1: Bosra like like let and whatever happens happens. Right, we're 1179 01:03:16,840 --> 01:03:19,560 Speaker 1: not saying what the penalty should be. It's up to 1180 01:03:19,680 --> 01:03:25,680 Speaker 1: them to figure it out. Um. So the people vote 1181 01:03:25,680 --> 01:03:28,400 Speaker 1: to clear Tiberius of all charges, YadA YadA. Things go 1182 01:03:28,480 --> 01:03:30,760 Speaker 1: pretty good for him. Um. And and this is like 1183 01:03:30,880 --> 01:03:33,280 Speaker 1: what you might call a pretty decent start in Roman 1184 01:03:33,360 --> 01:03:36,560 Speaker 1: public life. Um. And as he's you know, there's a 1185 01:03:36,600 --> 01:03:38,880 Speaker 1: story that later gets told that like while he's kind 1186 01:03:38,920 --> 01:03:41,880 Speaker 1: of going back and forth between Spain and Rome, he's 1187 01:03:41,920 --> 01:03:45,400 Speaker 1: like walking around the countryside and he notices quote um 1188 01:03:45,760 --> 01:03:50,120 Speaker 1: or he notices basically that like there's nobody here. There's 1189 01:03:50,160 --> 01:03:52,520 Speaker 1: no Romans here. It's all slaves. All of these farms 1190 01:03:52,560 --> 01:03:55,600 Speaker 1: are worked by slaves. Um. All of the actual free 1191 01:03:55,680 --> 01:03:58,760 Speaker 1: people are like desperately poor because they've all lost their lands. 1192 01:03:58,800 --> 01:04:01,120 Speaker 1: They're just like huddled in these shanties at the edge 1193 01:04:01,160 --> 01:04:04,520 Speaker 1: of town. Um And like, oh wow, it kind of 1194 01:04:04,600 --> 01:04:07,400 Speaker 1: seems like we've done a terrible thing. And destroyed the 1195 01:04:07,520 --> 01:04:10,120 Speaker 1: class of people who have made like our success possible. 1196 01:04:10,600 --> 01:04:16,080 Speaker 1: This is probably a problem, right, So again basic observation. Um. 1197 01:04:16,760 --> 01:04:20,480 Speaker 1: So he decides to set up this policy to reform 1198 01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:23,160 Speaker 1: the public lands of Rome, to make it impossible for 1199 01:04:23,240 --> 01:04:25,760 Speaker 1: individual rich guys to buy a huge tracts of land, 1200 01:04:26,040 --> 01:04:28,920 Speaker 1: and to guarantee that small, freeholding farmers will continue to 1201 01:04:28,960 --> 01:04:31,320 Speaker 1: be the core of Roman society. Now, the way the 1202 01:04:31,400 --> 01:04:34,960 Speaker 1: popular story gets told, it's just Tiberius who like sees 1203 01:04:35,040 --> 01:04:37,960 Speaker 1: these poor farmers who are dispossessed and has this idea 1204 01:04:38,080 --> 01:04:40,840 Speaker 1: to fix everything. That's not really true. The reality is 1205 01:04:40,880 --> 01:04:44,640 Speaker 1: that this block of senators had been working for years 1206 01:04:44,720 --> 01:04:46,720 Speaker 1: to figure out a way to reform the land system 1207 01:04:46,800 --> 01:04:49,680 Speaker 1: to fix this problem, and Tiberius is just kind of 1208 01:04:49,800 --> 01:04:53,040 Speaker 1: like he's young and he's popular, and these senators are like, 1209 01:04:53,160 --> 01:04:55,720 Speaker 1: you're the guy to be like the fucking frontman, right, 1210 01:04:56,600 --> 01:04:59,840 Speaker 1: which I guess is how a lot of big political 1211 01:05:00,080 --> 01:05:03,919 Speaker 1: form has to work. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's again 1212 01:05:03,960 --> 01:05:06,520 Speaker 1: a fairly modern seeming story. So they come up with 1213 01:05:06,600 --> 01:05:08,800 Speaker 1: this plan where they're going to limit the amount of 1214 01:05:08,880 --> 01:05:11,760 Speaker 1: public land that any individual can have to three hundred 1215 01:05:11,800 --> 01:05:16,200 Speaker 1: and thirty acres um. Now, this is like too harsh 1216 01:05:16,280 --> 01:05:18,840 Speaker 1: for the rich people, and so they start howling. Um, 1217 01:05:19,160 --> 01:05:21,520 Speaker 1: so they kind of like alter it in order to 1218 01:05:21,840 --> 01:05:25,360 Speaker 1: allow like an additional like I don't know, a hundred 1219 01:05:25,480 --> 01:05:28,440 Speaker 1: or so acres or a couple of hundred acres if 1220 01:05:28,520 --> 01:05:31,160 Speaker 1: you like already hold the legs they put in like 1221 01:05:31,320 --> 01:05:34,520 Speaker 1: some again, they immediately are like, all right, we'll look 1222 01:05:34,560 --> 01:05:36,800 Speaker 1: like we'll work. We like, we understand like the rich people, 1223 01:05:36,840 --> 01:05:38,240 Speaker 1: and you already have all this land, so we'll let 1224 01:05:38,280 --> 01:05:40,360 Speaker 1: you have more than we think that you should should 1225 01:05:40,400 --> 01:05:43,120 Speaker 1: be having, just to try to be friendly. Now, think 1226 01:05:43,160 --> 01:05:47,640 Speaker 1: about modern politics. When you offer to let rich conservatives 1227 01:05:48,120 --> 01:05:52,800 Speaker 1: like to compromise with them, do they a compromise or 1228 01:05:53,000 --> 01:05:57,360 Speaker 1: be go ape ship and declare war on you? Yeah, exactly, Yeah, 1229 01:05:57,640 --> 01:06:01,320 Speaker 1: it's like exactly so no, we like the lesson that 1230 01:06:01,480 --> 01:06:05,120 Speaker 1: we I guess we'll never learn from, uh is like 1231 01:06:05,480 --> 01:06:10,200 Speaker 1: don't negotiate with conservative terrorists. No, no, exactly, do not 1232 01:06:10,440 --> 01:06:12,760 Speaker 1: do not talk with these guys. They're not you can't 1233 01:06:13,240 --> 01:06:18,960 Speaker 1: they're not trustworthy. Yeah. Um, so you know, they they 1234 01:06:19,040 --> 01:06:22,840 Speaker 1: start Tiberius Gratis and these other senators and stuff, start 1235 01:06:22,920 --> 01:06:25,720 Speaker 1: putting together this legislation that they're going to introduce at 1236 01:06:25,720 --> 01:06:27,960 Speaker 1: the forum. And while they're doing all of this, this 1237 01:06:28,120 --> 01:06:31,160 Speaker 1: horrible war in Spain is raging on because the Senates 1238 01:06:31,200 --> 01:06:34,080 Speaker 1: rejected the peace deal that Tiberius cooked up, which means 1239 01:06:34,120 --> 01:06:36,760 Speaker 1: they have to raise another army and send it to Spain. 1240 01:06:37,240 --> 01:06:40,520 Speaker 1: But at this point they're kind of having trouble finding soldiers, 1241 01:06:40,680 --> 01:06:43,680 Speaker 1: right because nobody has enough money to like buy weapons, 1242 01:06:44,160 --> 01:06:47,680 Speaker 1: and like, it doesn't matter even if you can script people, 1243 01:06:47,720 --> 01:06:50,680 Speaker 1: they don't have the ability to like arm themselves. Um. 1244 01:06:50,880 --> 01:06:53,680 Speaker 1: And so there's this rich politician who's very much against 1245 01:06:53,760 --> 01:06:56,919 Speaker 1: land reform, Skipio Aemilianus, who figures out how to fix 1246 01:06:57,000 --> 01:06:59,880 Speaker 1: this problem, and it's by using his vast personal wealth 1247 01:07:00,000 --> 01:07:02,960 Speaker 1: to recruit and arm an army of his own. This 1248 01:07:03,080 --> 01:07:04,880 Speaker 1: is the first time this happens in Roman history where 1249 01:07:04,920 --> 01:07:07,160 Speaker 1: just a rich guy buys an army and takes it 1250 01:07:07,240 --> 01:07:09,840 Speaker 1: to war. Um. This will not be the last time 1251 01:07:09,920 --> 01:07:12,280 Speaker 1: this happens, and it will prove to be a serious problem. 1252 01:07:13,080 --> 01:07:14,840 Speaker 1: He's kind of like, he's kind of like the Roman 1253 01:07:15,040 --> 01:07:16,640 Speaker 1: Eric prince where he's like, well, what do I just 1254 01:07:16,760 --> 01:07:18,520 Speaker 1: buy an army? Why don't we just do it that way? 1255 01:07:18,840 --> 01:07:23,400 Speaker 1: And then I can take minerals and ship you know, um. So, 1256 01:07:23,880 --> 01:07:27,800 Speaker 1: this guy Amilianis is again super against the land reform bill, 1257 01:07:27,880 --> 01:07:31,080 Speaker 1: and he's one of the big people organizing against Tiberius 1258 01:07:31,240 --> 01:07:33,800 Speaker 1: and his block. But once he leaves the city to 1259 01:07:33,880 --> 01:07:37,080 Speaker 1: go funk with Spain, he can't like do anything politically, 1260 01:07:37,200 --> 01:07:41,160 Speaker 1: Like there's no sending messages back effectively. So once he 1261 01:07:41,320 --> 01:07:43,720 Speaker 1: leaves the city with this army he's bought, Tiberius and 1262 01:07:43,800 --> 01:07:46,200 Speaker 1: his rivals take this law that they've built and they 1263 01:07:46,200 --> 01:07:48,440 Speaker 1: put it on the docket and they like which literally 1264 01:07:48,480 --> 01:07:50,040 Speaker 1: means that it go to the middle of the city 1265 01:07:50,080 --> 01:07:51,520 Speaker 1: and they're like, hey, guys, we got a fucking law 1266 01:07:51,600 --> 01:07:53,640 Speaker 1: to vote on. Everybody show up and let's vote our 1267 01:07:53,680 --> 01:07:59,280 Speaker 1: asses off around gather around motherfucker's um. Now, since most 1268 01:07:59,320 --> 01:08:02,360 Speaker 1: of the Senate is against land reform, Tiberius and his 1269 01:08:02,440 --> 01:08:05,000 Speaker 1: allies decided to present the bill directly to the Assembly 1270 01:08:05,080 --> 01:08:07,720 Speaker 1: to the voters without letting the Senate debate it. Now, 1271 01:08:08,160 --> 01:08:11,240 Speaker 1: this was not illegal. You did not have to present 1272 01:08:11,320 --> 01:08:13,320 Speaker 1: a law to the Senate first and let them debate it. 1273 01:08:13,760 --> 01:08:17,400 Speaker 1: But the most majoram this like unwritten set of agreement, 1274 01:08:17,479 --> 01:08:19,920 Speaker 1: says that you don't propose a law to the public 1275 01:08:20,000 --> 01:08:22,479 Speaker 1: without letting the Senate debate it. Right, So this is 1276 01:08:22,520 --> 01:08:26,240 Speaker 1: the first big break with like political tradition and decorum, 1277 01:08:26,520 --> 01:08:28,280 Speaker 1: and it's from Tiberius a side. They're like, well, now 1278 01:08:28,360 --> 01:08:30,240 Speaker 1: where fun the Senate, Like, we're just gonna take this 1279 01:08:30,320 --> 01:08:34,040 Speaker 1: one straight to the people. Um. So the rich people 1280 01:08:34,120 --> 01:08:37,840 Speaker 1: are like, okay, well, I guess fuck all of the 1281 01:08:37,960 --> 01:08:40,439 Speaker 1: things that we used to do like now now now 1282 01:08:40,520 --> 01:08:42,760 Speaker 1: there's no rules, right, so so we're just gonna fucking 1283 01:08:42,800 --> 01:08:45,960 Speaker 1: do it. Um, you're went, you went nuclear, and yeah, 1284 01:08:46,920 --> 01:08:48,840 Speaker 1: now we're going to do that too, right, And this 1285 01:08:49,040 --> 01:08:52,000 Speaker 1: is he does go nuclear because when Tiberius light goes 1286 01:08:52,080 --> 01:08:54,000 Speaker 1: up and he's like, hey, guys, I want to take 1287 01:08:54,080 --> 01:08:56,080 Speaker 1: all of this land that only the rich people have, 1288 01:08:56,200 --> 01:08:57,720 Speaker 1: that's supposed to be all of our land, and give 1289 01:08:57,760 --> 01:09:01,559 Speaker 1: it to all of you. And this makes people very excited, right. 1290 01:09:01,840 --> 01:09:04,240 Speaker 1: It's it's such a big deal that like because basically 1291 01:09:04,280 --> 01:09:06,000 Speaker 1: he gets up and he announces this and says in 1292 01:09:06,120 --> 01:09:07,599 Speaker 1: like a couple of weeks, we're gonna have a vote 1293 01:09:07,640 --> 01:09:10,200 Speaker 1: on it. And so all of these poor citizens start 1294 01:09:10,400 --> 01:09:13,080 Speaker 1: flooding out of the city and like finding their relatives 1295 01:09:13,120 --> 01:09:14,720 Speaker 1: who are like living on the outskirts of town or 1296 01:09:14,720 --> 01:09:17,439 Speaker 1: in other towns and bringing them in. And so suddenly 1297 01:09:17,520 --> 01:09:19,880 Speaker 1: thousands and thousands of people start heading into Room Rome, 1298 01:09:19,960 --> 01:09:23,879 Speaker 1: including Italians, people who are not Roman citizens but agree 1299 01:09:24,000 --> 01:09:27,080 Speaker 1: with this like land reform bill because fuck the rich 1300 01:09:27,160 --> 01:09:29,680 Speaker 1: people in Rome, UM who like show up and like 1301 01:09:30,040 --> 01:09:33,280 Speaker 1: are protesting. Basically, they're showing placards, they're like announcing their 1302 01:09:33,320 --> 01:09:36,439 Speaker 1: support for this thing. Obviously, Rome does not have mass 1303 01:09:36,520 --> 01:09:38,200 Speaker 1: media the way we have it, but they do have 1304 01:09:38,400 --> 01:09:41,040 Speaker 1: this forum, which is like Times Square mixed with c 1305 01:09:41,280 --> 01:09:44,720 Speaker 1: Span and also a nineties era mall right, it's this 1306 01:09:44,880 --> 01:09:47,760 Speaker 1: like big stage with shops around it, and it's not 1307 01:09:47,880 --> 01:09:49,559 Speaker 1: it's not even that big a stage. And if you're 1308 01:09:49,640 --> 01:09:51,720 Speaker 1: doing politics, you stand up there and you talk to 1309 01:09:51,800 --> 01:09:54,360 Speaker 1: people about like what you're trying to get them to do. UM. 1310 01:09:54,680 --> 01:09:57,360 Speaker 1: So every day Tiberius is up there while they're waiting 1311 01:09:57,439 --> 01:09:59,200 Speaker 1: for because they're like saying, we're gonna have the vote 1312 01:09:59,240 --> 01:10:01,800 Speaker 1: in you know, excenent of days, right, So, and that's 1313 01:10:01,840 --> 01:10:03,760 Speaker 1: to give everyone time to get into the city because 1314 01:10:03,800 --> 01:10:06,120 Speaker 1: you have to physically be there to vote. So while 1315 01:10:06,280 --> 01:10:08,320 Speaker 1: all he's waiting for everyone to get in town, he's 1316 01:10:08,360 --> 01:10:10,320 Speaker 1: like speaking every day. And I'm gonna quote again from 1317 01:10:10,320 --> 01:10:13,639 Speaker 1: Plutarch here about like that's describing one of his speeches. 1318 01:10:14,439 --> 01:10:17,120 Speaker 1: The wild beasts that roam over Italy, he would say, 1319 01:10:17,240 --> 01:10:19,120 Speaker 1: have every one of them a cave or a layer 1320 01:10:19,160 --> 01:10:21,280 Speaker 1: to lurkin. But the men who fight and die for 1321 01:10:21,360 --> 01:10:24,639 Speaker 1: Italy enjoy the common air and light, indeed, but nothing else. 1322 01:10:25,000 --> 01:10:28,040 Speaker 1: Houseless and homeless, they wander about with their wives and children. 1323 01:10:28,360 --> 01:10:31,080 Speaker 1: It is with lying lips that their imperators exhort the 1324 01:10:31,120 --> 01:10:34,160 Speaker 1: soldiers in their battles to defend some pokers and shrines 1325 01:10:34,240 --> 01:10:36,120 Speaker 1: from the enemy. For not a man of them has 1326 01:10:36,160 --> 01:10:38,880 Speaker 1: an hereditary altar, not one of these many Romans an 1327 01:10:38,880 --> 01:10:41,960 Speaker 1: ancestral tomb. But they fight and die to support others 1328 01:10:42,000 --> 01:10:44,799 Speaker 1: in wealth and luxury. And though they are styled masters 1329 01:10:44,840 --> 01:10:46,920 Speaker 1: of the world, they have not a single clot of 1330 01:10:47,000 --> 01:10:52,559 Speaker 1: earth that is their own. Pretty good speech, Yeah, it's 1331 01:10:52,600 --> 01:10:55,080 Speaker 1: pretty speech. You put on you put on your speech 1332 01:10:55,200 --> 01:10:58,840 Speaker 1: voice hard I was. I might have been doing a 1333 01:10:58,880 --> 01:11:03,080 Speaker 1: little bit of Dan Carlin there. Um. So this goes 1334 01:11:03,200 --> 01:11:05,800 Speaker 1: really well, And this is where the Trump comparisons get in, right. 1335 01:11:05,880 --> 01:11:09,360 Speaker 1: He is the first like populist politician in Roman history. 1336 01:11:09,600 --> 01:11:12,080 Speaker 1: He's tapping into decades of anger and resentment among the 1337 01:11:12,160 --> 01:11:14,719 Speaker 1: lower classes. He's promising to take the fight to the elite, 1338 01:11:14,960 --> 01:11:19,200 Speaker 1: which he is clearly a member of, right on their behalf. Um, 1339 01:11:19,520 --> 01:11:21,960 Speaker 1: So you could you can make some Trump comparisons, but 1340 01:11:22,040 --> 01:11:25,439 Speaker 1: you can also make direct comparisons to Lennon and Mao. Right. 1341 01:11:25,520 --> 01:11:28,760 Speaker 1: Lennon and maw are both upper class, rich people who 1342 01:11:28,920 --> 01:11:32,519 Speaker 1: become these socialist fire brands and ignite uprising again against 1343 01:11:32,560 --> 01:11:35,000 Speaker 1: an entrenched in decade and elite. Right, you can see 1344 01:11:35,400 --> 01:11:37,720 Speaker 1: comparisons to all these guys, right, you can see him 1345 01:11:37,720 --> 01:11:42,759 Speaker 1: as like this first uh like um, like a grarian 1346 01:11:42,880 --> 01:11:45,479 Speaker 1: populist sort of Trumpian figure. Or he could be like, well, 1347 01:11:45,479 --> 01:11:48,640 Speaker 1: he's the first socialist, you know, I mean, I I 1348 01:11:48,760 --> 01:11:55,440 Speaker 1: think I think though it's the like like contemporary illusion 1349 01:11:55,720 --> 01:11:59,400 Speaker 1: of the word populist with just like a small band 1350 01:11:59,479 --> 01:12:03,559 Speaker 1: of raceists. Yes, so that's where Trump fits in everyone 1351 01:12:04,080 --> 01:12:07,160 Speaker 1: the other ones are more truly populist. Yeah, because he's 1352 01:12:07,240 --> 01:12:09,760 Speaker 1: this is a real problem he's trying to solve. Is 1353 01:12:09,800 --> 01:12:14,599 Speaker 1: supposed to like howling about again like and like calling 1354 01:12:14,720 --> 01:12:17,160 Speaker 1: calling Trump like a populist is such like a New 1355 01:12:17,240 --> 01:12:20,120 Speaker 1: York Times thing, because they the only population that matters 1356 01:12:20,120 --> 01:12:23,240 Speaker 1: to them is like racists in Ohio. Well, and also like, yeah, 1357 01:12:23,280 --> 01:12:25,200 Speaker 1: it is weird to call him a populist because he's 1358 01:12:25,200 --> 01:12:28,080 Speaker 1: never literally not a popular vote, Like it's literally not 1359 01:12:28,479 --> 01:12:33,519 Speaker 1: most people. Um, whereas most people are really on board 1360 01:12:33,560 --> 01:12:35,800 Speaker 1: with what Tiberians is saying because most people are fucking 1361 01:12:35,840 --> 01:12:38,479 Speaker 1: poor as shit, right, and they're like, yeah, this sounds great. 1362 01:12:39,040 --> 01:12:41,160 Speaker 1: So the rich people they know they have to be 1363 01:12:41,240 --> 01:12:43,800 Speaker 1: careful because he has this huge mob of people who 1364 01:12:43,880 --> 01:12:46,320 Speaker 1: are like on his side, and it would be really 1365 01:12:46,400 --> 01:12:49,000 Speaker 1: easy for them to just murder anybody who who tries 1366 01:12:49,040 --> 01:12:52,040 Speaker 1: to stop him from passing this law. So they bribe 1367 01:12:52,080 --> 01:12:55,719 Speaker 1: a tribune and tribunes are like, it's this political office 1368 01:12:55,800 --> 01:12:57,960 Speaker 1: that the main thing the tribunes can do is they 1369 01:12:58,000 --> 01:13:01,519 Speaker 1: can veto any law that anyone may right. The tribunes, 1370 01:13:01,560 --> 01:13:03,519 Speaker 1: their primary power is that they can just say no 1371 01:13:03,840 --> 01:13:06,360 Speaker 1: and nothing can be done. Right. It's just like there's 1372 01:13:06,400 --> 01:13:08,400 Speaker 1: two guys who get that job, and that's like a 1373 01:13:08,479 --> 01:13:12,639 Speaker 1: thing that they can do. Yeah, it is a little 1374 01:13:12,680 --> 01:13:15,479 Speaker 1: bit supreme courty, although it's more of a it's more 1375 01:13:15,520 --> 01:13:18,320 Speaker 1: of a populist position because one of the tribunes, the 1376 01:13:18,360 --> 01:13:22,519 Speaker 1: tribune of the police, can only be a poor person, right, 1377 01:13:22,760 --> 01:13:25,200 Speaker 1: or if they're not actually poor people, but likely be 1378 01:13:25,320 --> 01:13:29,519 Speaker 1: a non noble um. So it's there is like there 1379 01:13:29,600 --> 01:13:31,240 Speaker 1: is a cool thing in this which is that like, well, 1380 01:13:31,280 --> 01:13:33,680 Speaker 1: the poor people should have a representative who can just 1381 01:13:33,800 --> 01:13:37,560 Speaker 1: say no to everybody, right, But in this case, the 1382 01:13:37,640 --> 01:13:40,920 Speaker 1: tribune gets bribed, um, and so he says, hey, you 1383 01:13:40,960 --> 01:13:44,000 Speaker 1: can't vote on this bill, period. So now Tiberius has 1384 01:13:44,040 --> 01:13:46,439 Speaker 1: to take action. So Tiberius is like, because Tiberius is 1385 01:13:46,479 --> 01:13:49,200 Speaker 1: also a tribune, right, so you've got one tribune who's like, 1386 01:13:49,240 --> 01:13:51,080 Speaker 1: I'm not going to let anyone vote on this fucking 1387 01:13:51,760 --> 01:13:53,800 Speaker 1: land reform bills. So Tiberius is like, all right, well 1388 01:13:53,800 --> 01:13:56,200 Speaker 1: then I won't let anyone vote on fucking anything, and 1389 01:13:56,240 --> 01:13:58,280 Speaker 1: I won't let anyone spend the state's money. And he 1390 01:13:58,520 --> 01:14:02,000 Speaker 1: locks the treasury, like he physically locks the Roman treasury 1391 01:14:02,320 --> 01:14:05,760 Speaker 1: and says, like, the government just he does a government shutdown, right, 1392 01:14:05,840 --> 01:14:09,400 Speaker 1: Like that's what happens, Like no one can do anything now. Um. 1393 01:14:10,479 --> 01:14:12,640 Speaker 1: So while all this is happening, this is becoming like 1394 01:14:12,760 --> 01:14:15,280 Speaker 1: a show, so like people are flooding into the forum 1395 01:14:15,360 --> 01:14:17,800 Speaker 1: to watch. Most a lot of the people who are 1396 01:14:17,880 --> 01:14:20,639 Speaker 1: like in the streets arguing and debating and like watching 1397 01:14:20,960 --> 01:14:24,200 Speaker 1: this political drama unfold are like veterans. They're like former 1398 01:14:24,280 --> 01:14:26,560 Speaker 1: farmers and sons of farmers and all this ship, and 1399 01:14:26,640 --> 01:14:29,720 Speaker 1: they start talking about violence, and Tiberia starts stoking this 1400 01:14:29,800 --> 01:14:31,840 Speaker 1: talk of violence by telling everyone. He gets up on 1401 01:14:31,920 --> 01:14:34,000 Speaker 1: stage and he says, hey, I have evidence that my 1402 01:14:34,120 --> 01:14:37,280 Speaker 1: enemies are planning to assassinate me. And he starts carrying 1403 01:14:37,360 --> 01:14:39,960 Speaker 1: a dagger under his cloak, which is technically illegal, but 1404 01:14:40,000 --> 01:14:41,800 Speaker 1: he'll like pull it out during speeches and be like 1405 01:14:42,560 --> 01:14:44,400 Speaker 1: so serious that I gotta keep a knife on me, 1406 01:14:44,600 --> 01:14:46,200 Speaker 1: you know, I gotta be ready to cut a bit. 1407 01:14:49,600 --> 01:14:53,559 Speaker 1: He's exactly like fifty cent um. So the Tribune, who 1408 01:14:53,560 --> 01:14:55,960 Speaker 1: had been bribed this guy Octavia's, decides at this point 1409 01:14:56,040 --> 01:14:58,439 Speaker 1: to let the people vote about He's not gonna let 1410 01:14:58,479 --> 01:15:00,280 Speaker 1: them vote on the land bill, but will be like, 1411 01:15:00,280 --> 01:15:01,920 Speaker 1: all right, look, if you guys are so unhappy with 1412 01:15:01,960 --> 01:15:04,120 Speaker 1: what I'm doing, you can vote about whether or not 1413 01:15:04,280 --> 01:15:07,680 Speaker 1: to strip me of like my office. Um so, this 1414 01:15:07,800 --> 01:15:10,720 Speaker 1: had never happened before, and this starts to scare Tiberius 1415 01:15:10,760 --> 01:15:13,080 Speaker 1: because he's like, ship, we're now kind of like way 1416 01:15:13,400 --> 01:15:16,479 Speaker 1: off the beaten path of like what politics is supposed 1417 01:15:16,479 --> 01:15:18,439 Speaker 1: to be. And I'm kind of worried that the wheels 1418 01:15:18,600 --> 01:15:21,360 Speaker 1: that there's no breaks on this thing, um, because it 1419 01:15:21,479 --> 01:15:23,439 Speaker 1: gets scary to everyone when all of the social and 1420 01:15:23,520 --> 01:15:27,479 Speaker 1: political mores stop start crumbling at once. Um. But this 1421 01:15:27,680 --> 01:15:30,280 Speaker 1: vote happens, Octavius gets stripped out of his office. He 1422 01:15:30,360 --> 01:15:33,439 Speaker 1: only survives the mob like murdering him because his friends 1423 01:15:33,560 --> 01:15:36,760 Speaker 1: like push their way through a crowd to get him away. Um. 1424 01:15:37,040 --> 01:15:39,080 Speaker 1: And Tiberius gets to have a vote on his law 1425 01:15:39,160 --> 01:15:43,559 Speaker 1: and it passes resoundingly passes. Now, when the law passes, 1426 01:15:43,600 --> 01:15:45,320 Speaker 1: they have to set up a state commission to like 1427 01:15:45,479 --> 01:15:49,000 Speaker 1: redistribute this public land. And so his enemies, these rich people, 1428 01:15:49,040 --> 01:15:51,599 Speaker 1: are like, well, we won't vote to actually pay any 1429 01:15:51,720 --> 01:15:54,320 Speaker 1: funds for the commission to redistribute public lands, so you 1430 01:15:54,360 --> 01:15:57,320 Speaker 1: can't afford to do anything with this new law. And 1431 01:15:57,520 --> 01:16:00,320 Speaker 1: right as this happens is they're like fuck you. Type Arius, 1432 01:16:00,680 --> 01:16:04,960 Speaker 1: A rich king dies. And this king, for completely separate reasons, 1433 01:16:05,040 --> 01:16:07,639 Speaker 1: wants to funk over his dumbship kids, so he leaves 1434 01:16:07,680 --> 01:16:10,280 Speaker 1: all of his money to the Roman people. Right, So 1435 01:16:10,800 --> 01:16:13,000 Speaker 1: Tiberius is like, all right, you're not gonna fund me. Well, 1436 01:16:13,040 --> 01:16:15,240 Speaker 1: this guy left his money to the Roman people, so 1437 01:16:15,400 --> 01:16:17,479 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna use his money to fund this Land 1438 01:16:17,520 --> 01:16:20,800 Speaker 1: Reform Commission. And this is a problem for a bunch 1439 01:16:20,800 --> 01:16:23,160 Speaker 1: of reasons, but basically, the rich people are number one 1440 01:16:23,200 --> 01:16:25,120 Speaker 1: angry that they're not going to get that gold. And 1441 01:16:25,280 --> 01:16:27,640 Speaker 1: number two, they're like, well, you're not supposed to have 1442 01:16:27,800 --> 01:16:29,960 Speaker 1: the power to decide how state money gets spent. So 1443 01:16:30,040 --> 01:16:33,040 Speaker 1: now you've number one year deciding what what can get 1444 01:16:33,120 --> 01:16:35,360 Speaker 1: voted on. You've stripped this other tribune of his power. 1445 01:16:35,720 --> 01:16:39,080 Speaker 1: You're now like exercising power of the purse and like 1446 01:16:39,320 --> 01:16:41,759 Speaker 1: what the state can be spent on. Like you're getting 1447 01:16:41,880 --> 01:16:44,400 Speaker 1: kind of close to becoming a king, right, which is 1448 01:16:44,439 --> 01:16:47,120 Speaker 1: not entirely like wrong. Like they're like, wow, this, you 1449 01:16:47,400 --> 01:16:50,120 Speaker 1: are exercising more power than a single person is supposed 1450 01:16:50,160 --> 01:16:52,479 Speaker 1: to have in our system. So they get really they 1451 01:16:52,560 --> 01:16:54,439 Speaker 1: decide like some ship needs to get done. And I'm 1452 01:16:54,439 --> 01:16:58,599 Speaker 1: gonna quote from Anthropology Review here. At the time, tribunes 1453 01:16:58,640 --> 01:17:01,680 Speaker 1: were considered inviolable, so Siberius was encouraged to run for 1454 01:17:01,760 --> 01:17:04,639 Speaker 1: a third term to retain the protection that the position bestowed. 1455 01:17:04,880 --> 01:17:07,400 Speaker 1: To bolster his popularity with the citizens and increase his 1456 01:17:07,479 --> 01:17:10,519 Speaker 1: chances of being elected, he proposed several new populist measures 1457 01:17:10,560 --> 01:17:13,920 Speaker 1: that further enraged his enemies. These included proposals to reduce 1458 01:17:14,000 --> 01:17:16,639 Speaker 1: the mandatory term of military service as well has changed 1459 01:17:16,680 --> 01:17:18,920 Speaker 1: the balance of power in the Senate by increasing the 1460 01:17:19,000 --> 01:17:22,120 Speaker 1: number of equities to match that of the senators. Uh 1461 01:17:22,240 --> 01:17:24,800 Speaker 1: the night before the vote, Tiberius implored the citizens to 1462 01:17:24,880 --> 01:17:26,720 Speaker 1: vote for him because he feared for his life and 1463 01:17:26,760 --> 01:17:29,000 Speaker 1: the life of his family. His plea was so compelling 1464 01:17:29,040 --> 01:17:31,080 Speaker 1: that many people guarded his house all night to make 1465 01:17:31,120 --> 01:17:33,760 Speaker 1: sure he was safe. The next day, Tiberius went to 1466 01:17:33,800 --> 01:17:35,720 Speaker 1: the capital, where he was surrounded by a crowd of 1467 01:17:35,760 --> 01:17:38,479 Speaker 1: people who wanted to protect him. Plutarch says that one 1468 01:17:38,520 --> 01:17:41,479 Speaker 1: of the senators, Flavius Flaccus, warned Tiberius that the wealthy 1469 01:17:41,560 --> 01:17:44,640 Speaker 1: Romans had resolved to assassinate him. Tiberius pointed at his 1470 01:17:44,720 --> 01:17:47,040 Speaker 1: head to indicate to his supporters that his life was 1471 01:17:47,120 --> 01:17:49,840 Speaker 1: in danger. This was interpreted by the spy sent from 1472 01:17:49,840 --> 01:17:52,200 Speaker 1: the Senate as a request for a crown, a claim 1473 01:17:52,280 --> 01:17:54,519 Speaker 1: they raced to relate to the senators, who immediately sent 1474 01:17:54,600 --> 01:17:57,840 Speaker 1: a mob of armed slaves and supporters to attack Tiberius 1475 01:17:57,880 --> 01:18:02,720 Speaker 1: and his followers. So what follows is a fucking massacre. Um. 1476 01:18:03,200 --> 01:18:07,320 Speaker 1: You have this group of political this political group who 1477 01:18:07,360 --> 01:18:11,280 Speaker 1: have come together to like reform the political system of 1478 01:18:11,360 --> 01:18:13,760 Speaker 1: the entire government in order to make it fairer for 1479 01:18:13,840 --> 01:18:18,040 Speaker 1: poor people and the rich. Send an army into the 1480 01:18:18,120 --> 01:18:21,760 Speaker 1: city of slaves primarily and massacre them. They killed the 1481 01:18:21,760 --> 01:18:24,200 Speaker 1: ship out of Tiberius and like two or three hundred 1482 01:18:24,240 --> 01:18:27,679 Speaker 1: of his followers. Like it's just this bloody nightmare. They're 1483 01:18:27,680 --> 01:18:30,280 Speaker 1: like throwing people's corpses in the river, like all sorts 1484 01:18:30,320 --> 01:18:34,960 Speaker 1: of fucked up ship. Um. Now, after they massacre all 1485 01:18:35,000 --> 01:18:37,680 Speaker 1: these people, they pass most of the reforms that he 1486 01:18:37,760 --> 01:18:40,560 Speaker 1: had suggested, which is another thing that happens repeatedly in 1487 01:18:40,680 --> 01:18:43,200 Speaker 1: Roman history, Like they'll have like they'll have a civil war, 1488 01:18:43,360 --> 01:18:45,720 Speaker 1: and they'll massacre the other side, and then they'll do 1489 01:18:45,840 --> 01:18:49,040 Speaker 1: what they asked for anyway, because it's a good idea. Um. 1490 01:18:49,800 --> 01:18:54,559 Speaker 1: So a lot of his reforms happen. But by killing 1491 01:18:54,680 --> 01:18:56,800 Speaker 1: him and all of his followers in the middle of town, 1492 01:18:57,360 --> 01:18:59,960 Speaker 1: a seal has been broken, right, and the republic is 1493 01:19:00,080 --> 01:19:02,120 Speaker 1: never the same after this. I'm gonna quote from a 1494 01:19:02,160 --> 01:19:04,560 Speaker 1: write up in the New York Times here. Over the 1495 01:19:04,640 --> 01:19:07,880 Speaker 1: next years, it quickly became normal for populist politicians to 1496 01:19:07,960 --> 01:19:11,519 Speaker 1: set aside longstanding norms to accomplish their goals, for military 1497 01:19:11,560 --> 01:19:13,759 Speaker 1: commanders to bind the Senate to their will by threatening 1498 01:19:13,800 --> 01:19:16,439 Speaker 1: to occupy Rome, and for rival generals to wage war 1499 01:19:16,600 --> 01:19:19,360 Speaker 1: on one another. Within a generation of the first political 1500 01:19:19,400 --> 01:19:22,800 Speaker 1: assassination in Rome, politicians had begun to arm their supporters 1501 01:19:22,840 --> 01:19:25,080 Speaker 1: and use the threat of violence to influence the votes 1502 01:19:25,120 --> 01:19:28,640 Speaker 1: of assemblies and the election of magistrates. Within two generations, 1503 01:19:28,800 --> 01:19:34,880 Speaker 1: Rome fell into civil war. So that's good, and yeah, 1504 01:19:36,760 --> 01:19:42,400 Speaker 1: that's I mean, don't especially want to think about I 1505 01:19:42,479 --> 01:19:44,840 Speaker 1: guess that. I mean that is also just the American 1506 01:19:45,120 --> 01:19:49,320 Speaker 1: thing of like, look, if not that the artificial like 1507 01:19:49,680 --> 01:19:53,280 Speaker 1: armed services are not just basically malicious for the powerful, 1508 01:19:53,439 --> 01:19:58,720 Speaker 1: but codifying it that way, it feels like, hey, you 1509 01:19:59,120 --> 01:20:01,400 Speaker 1: you learned where this is going because in part two. 1510 01:20:02,840 --> 01:20:06,000 Speaker 1: Part one is about how the Romans, how Roman politics 1511 01:20:06,080 --> 01:20:08,400 Speaker 1: turned from this like cordial thing where violence was not 1512 01:20:08,560 --> 01:20:11,679 Speaker 1: common too, we will murder anybody who tries to funk 1513 01:20:11,720 --> 01:20:14,160 Speaker 1: with the money, um and part two is about how 1514 01:20:14,200 --> 01:20:21,360 Speaker 1: they create the FBI. Yeah, cat fucking wait, grim as 1515 01:20:21,439 --> 01:20:25,880 Speaker 1: fucking usual things. Andrew, you got anything to plug before 1516 01:20:25,920 --> 01:20:30,760 Speaker 1: we roll out of here? Yes? Actually, this Saturday, um 1517 01:20:31,120 --> 01:20:35,679 Speaker 1: my podcast yoss Racist is doing a show in Austin, Texas. 1518 01:20:36,360 --> 01:20:38,880 Speaker 1: So if you're in Austin, please come out. Um, but yeah, 1519 01:20:39,000 --> 01:20:42,519 Speaker 1: find me RSS racist. I'm Andrew t Uh. Well, you 1520 01:20:42,560 --> 01:20:45,479 Speaker 1: know it's funny because because you your podcast is eos 1521 01:20:45,560 --> 01:20:48,719 Speaker 1: this racist. But we're talking about the Romans, and racism 1522 01:20:48,800 --> 01:20:51,800 Speaker 1: didn't exist yet. They didn't have they did like they 1523 01:20:51,920 --> 01:20:54,200 Speaker 1: literally hadn't figured out how to be racist yet. That 1524 01:20:54,240 --> 01:20:58,320 Speaker 1: hadn't been invented because we also had not invented British people, right, 1525 01:20:58,400 --> 01:20:59,920 Speaker 1: and they also had a lot of a lot of 1526 01:21:00,000 --> 01:21:03,280 Speaker 1: other ship to fight about. Apparently they shared it. They 1527 01:21:03,360 --> 01:21:08,479 Speaker 1: shared it. Um yeah, but but but not racist woke kings, 1528 01:21:08,680 --> 01:21:15,480 Speaker 1: the Roman woke woke Uh I here no woke proconsoles. 1529 01:21:15,960 --> 01:21:21,800 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, all right, Well until next time up yours 1530 01:21:21,880 --> 01:21:27,800 Speaker 1: Woke Moralists Behind the Bastards is a production of cool 1531 01:21:27,880 --> 01:21:30,760 Speaker 1: Zone Media. For more from cool Zone Media, visit our 1532 01:21:30,800 --> 01:21:34,160 Speaker 1: website cool zone media dot com, or check us out 1533 01:21:34,280 --> 01:21:36,800 Speaker 1: on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 1534 01:21:36,920 --> 01:21:37,920 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.