Adrian Goldsworthy

And there's an element where the later you get, obviously, the harder it is.

And there's an element where the later you get, obviously, the harder it is.

And there's an element where the later you get, obviously, the harder it is.

But even then, the fact that Honorius Valentinian just lived that long, for whatever reason, if they'd caught the fever and died much younger, in the same way if Augustus had actually died on all those occasions when he was despaired of, people thought he was going to early on in his reign, would you have got the Principate as it was or anything resembling it or something completely different?

But even then, the fact that Honorius Valentinian just lived that long, for whatever reason, if they'd caught the fever and died much younger, in the same way if Augustus had actually died on all those occasions when he was despaired of, people thought he was going to early on in his reign, would you have got the Principate as it was or anything resembling it or something completely different?

But even then, the fact that Honorius Valentinian just lived that long, for whatever reason, if they'd caught the fever and died much younger, in the same way if Augustus had actually died on all those occasions when he was despaired of, people thought he was going to early on in his reign, would you have got the Principate as it was or anything resembling it or something completely different?

that the role of the individual still matters at each point. So it's a combination somewhere in between all of this in this complex mixes the truth. But I don't think, you know, you could look and say, well, Augustus never really sorted out succession of emperors. Therefore that was going to be a problem. It would lead to civil war. That's why centuries later, the empire goes.

that the role of the individual still matters at each point. So it's a combination somewhere in between all of this in this complex mixes the truth. But I don't think, you know, you could look and say, well, Augustus never really sorted out succession of emperors. Therefore that was going to be a problem. It would lead to civil war. That's why centuries later, the empire goes.

that the role of the individual still matters at each point. So it's a combination somewhere in between all of this in this complex mixes the truth. But I don't think, you know, you could look and say, well, Augustus never really sorted out succession of emperors. Therefore that was going to be a problem. It would lead to civil war. That's why centuries later, the empire goes.

Now that's a big step between those two points. There are problems. There are things they maybe could have done better, but on the whole, The success of Rome was something that nearly everybody seems to want to continue. It just...

Now that's a big step between those two points. There are problems. There are things they maybe could have done better, but on the whole, The success of Rome was something that nearly everybody seems to want to continue. It just...

Now that's a big step between those two points. There are problems. There are things they maybe could have done better, but on the whole, The success of Rome was something that nearly everybody seems to want to continue. It just...

doesn't happen but again it would be marvelous if we had the the data that meant we could measure the impact of successive plagues you know from the antonine one through to the third century ones what that's done just what that means whereas you know you can look at the black death in britain or europe in the 14th century and get a sense of the impact and consequences of it there are so many other factors in the same way when people will start to say oh you know the climate's changing all this sort of thing things are less favorable for the agricultural system well maybe but

doesn't happen but again it would be marvelous if we had the the data that meant we could measure the impact of successive plagues you know from the antonine one through to the third century ones what that's done just what that means whereas you know you can look at the black death in britain or europe in the 14th century and get a sense of the impact and consequences of it there are so many other factors in the same way when people will start to say oh you know the climate's changing all this sort of thing things are less favorable for the agricultural system well maybe but

doesn't happen but again it would be marvelous if we had the the data that meant we could measure the impact of successive plagues you know from the antonine one through to the third century ones what that's done just what that means whereas you know you can look at the black death in britain or europe in the 14th century and get a sense of the impact and consequences of it there are so many other factors in the same way when people will start to say oh you know the climate's changing all this sort of thing things are less favorable for the agricultural system well maybe but

We don't know. We don't have enough data yet. We probably never will to measure most. So a lot is going on. I think we should come back. We should flip the question and say, isn't it remarkable that the Roman Empire lasts as long as it does? And it's as big as it is for so long because other people haven't done this.

We don't know. We don't have enough data yet. We probably never will to measure most. So a lot is going on. I think we should come back. We should flip the question and say, isn't it remarkable that the Roman Empire lasts as long as it does? And it's as big as it is for so long because other people haven't done this.

We don't know. We don't have enough data yet. We probably never will to measure most. So a lot is going on. I think we should come back. We should flip the question and say, isn't it remarkable that the Roman Empire lasts as long as it does? And it's as big as it is for so long because other people haven't done this.

So in the same way, Achaemenid Persia, take that, you know, it's destroyed by Alexander the Great, but it isn't half incredibly successful for a very long time. So you can't, in the same way, if we live a healthy life and do and achieve things, we will eventually die. So you come to all these questions whereby nothing is going to be forever. but it could have been different.

So in the same way, Achaemenid Persia, take that, you know, it's destroyed by Alexander the Great, but it isn't half incredibly successful for a very long time. So you can't, in the same way, if we live a healthy life and do and achieve things, we will eventually die. So you come to all these questions whereby nothing is going to be forever. but it could have been different.