Gregory Aldrete

And Pyrrhus, one of his – actually his officers has a great line as they're kind of going back to Greece. He says, fighting the Romans is like fighting a hydra. And a hydra is this mythological monster that when you cut off one head, two more grow in its place. So you can just never win. That's fascinating. So that's the secret to Rome's early success.

Early on. Early on. And later, the Romans get very good when we're into the empire phase now. So once they have emperors into the AD era of kind of doing the same thing by – Drawing in the best and the brightest and the most ambitious and the most talented local leaders of the people they conquer.

Early on. Early on. And later, the Romans get very good when we're into the empire phase now. So once they have emperors into the AD era of kind of doing the same thing by – Drawing in the best and the brightest and the most ambitious and the most talented local leaders of the people they conquer.

Early on. Early on. And later, the Romans get very good when we're into the empire phase now. So once they have emperors into the AD era of kind of doing the same thing by – Drawing in the best and the brightest and the most ambitious and the most talented local leaders of the people they conquer.

And so it's that whole way of kind of turning your enemies into your own strength. And the Romans start giving citizenship to areas they conquer. So once they move out of Italy, they aren't as free with the citizenship, but eventually they do. So they make Spain, lost cities in Spain, they make all citizens and other places.

And so it's that whole way of kind of turning your enemies into your own strength. And the Romans start giving citizenship to areas they conquer. So once they move out of Italy, they aren't as free with the citizenship, but eventually they do. So they make Spain, lost cities in Spain, they make all citizens and other places.

And so it's that whole way of kind of turning your enemies into your own strength. And the Romans start giving citizenship to areas they conquer. So once they move out of Italy, they aren't as free with the citizenship, but eventually they do. So they make Spain, lost cities in Spain, they make all citizens and other places.

And soon enough, the Roman emperors and the Roman senators are not Italians. They're coming from Spain or North Africa or Germany or wherever. Yeah. So as early as the second century AD of the Roman Empire, so the first set of emperors, the first hundred years were all Italians.

And soon enough, the Roman emperors and the Roman senators are not Italians. They're coming from Spain or North Africa or Germany or wherever. Yeah. So as early as the second century AD of the Roman Empire, so the first set of emperors, the first hundred years were all Italians.

And soon enough, the Roman emperors and the Roman senators are not Italians. They're coming from Spain or North Africa or Germany or wherever. Yeah. So as early as the second century AD of the Roman Empire, so the first set of emperors, the first hundred years were all Italians.

But right away at the beginning of the second century AD, you have Trajan, who's from Spain, and the next guy, Hadrian, is from Spain. And then a century later, you have Septimius Severus, who's from North Africa. You would later get guys from Syria. So, I mean, the actual leaders of the Roman Empire are coming from the provinces. That's brilliant.

But right away at the beginning of the second century AD, you have Trajan, who's from Spain, and the next guy, Hadrian, is from Spain. And then a century later, you have Septimius Severus, who's from North Africa. You would later get guys from Syria. So, I mean, the actual leaders of the Roman Empire are coming from the provinces. That's brilliant.

But right away at the beginning of the second century AD, you have Trajan, who's from Spain, and the next guy, Hadrian, is from Spain. And then a century later, you have Septimius Severus, who's from North Africa. You would later get guys from Syria. So, I mean, the actual leaders of the Roman Empire are coming from the provinces. That's brilliant.

And it's that openness to incorporating foreigners, making them work for you, making them want to be part of your empire that I think is one of Rome's strengths.

And it's that openness to incorporating foreigners, making them work for you, making them want to be part of your empire that I think is one of Rome's strengths.

And it's that openness to incorporating foreigners, making them work for you, making them want to be part of your empire that I think is one of Rome's strengths.

And the Roman military later in the empire is this giant machine of half a million people that takes in foreigners and churns out Romans. So the army is composed of two groups. You have the Roman legionaries who are all citizens. But then you have another group that's just as large, about 250,000 of each, 250,000 legionaries, 250,000 of the second group called auxiliaries.

And the Roman military later in the empire is this giant machine of half a million people that takes in foreigners and churns out Romans. So the army is composed of two groups. You have the Roman legionaries who are all citizens. But then you have another group that's just as large, about 250,000 of each, 250,000 legionaries, 250,000 of the second group called auxiliaries.

And the Roman military later in the empire is this giant machine of half a million people that takes in foreigners and churns out Romans. So the army is composed of two groups. You have the Roman legionaries who are all citizens. But then you have another group that's just as large, about 250,000 of each, 250,000 legionaries, 250,000 of the second group called auxiliaries.

And auxiliaries tend to be newly conquered warlike people that the Romans enlist as auxiliaries to fight with them. And they serve side by side with the Roman legions for 25 years. And at the end of that time, when they're discharged, what do they get? They get Roman citizenship. and their kids then tend to become Roman legionaries.