Gregory Aldrete

So yeah, they go crazy, they murder senators, they murder their members of their own family, they do wacky stuff. But a lot of that is constrained to the immediate surroundings around them. And meanwhile, the mechanism of the Roman Empire is just grinding along as it would anyway. I mean, the governors are running their provinces, stuff's happening. I mean, I guess an emperor can start a war.

So yeah, they go crazy, they murder senators, they murder their members of their own family, they do wacky stuff. But a lot of that is constrained to the immediate surroundings around them. And meanwhile, the mechanism of the Roman Empire is just grinding along as it would anyway. I mean, the governors are running their provinces, stuff's happening. I mean, I guess an emperor can start a war.

So yeah, they go crazy, they murder senators, they murder their members of their own family, they do wacky stuff. But a lot of that is constrained to the immediate surroundings around them. And meanwhile, the mechanism of the Roman Empire is just grinding along as it would anyway. I mean, the governors are running their provinces, stuff's happening. I mean, I guess an emperor can start a war.

He can maybe raise taxes, but that would be the ways that he's affecting the whole empire. And here we get into technology does matter. We're dealing with a world where let's say you're in Rome and you're the emperor and you want to send a message to a province far away, let's say Judea. That message might take one or two months to get there and one or two months to get a reply.

He can maybe raise taxes, but that would be the ways that he's affecting the whole empire. And here we get into technology does matter. We're dealing with a world where let's say you're in Rome and you're the emperor and you want to send a message to a province far away, let's say Judea. That message might take one or two months to get there and one or two months to get a reply.

He can maybe raise taxes, but that would be the ways that he's affecting the whole empire. And here we get into technology does matter. We're dealing with a world where let's say you're in Rome and you're the emperor and you want to send a message to a province far away, let's say Judea. That message might take one or two months to get there and one or two months to get a reply.

So how much influence as emperor are you really having over that province? I mean, those people pretty much have to make their own decisions and then kind of just say to you, this is what we did. I hope that's okay because otherwise nothing gets done if they're waiting four months for a decision.

So how much influence as emperor are you really having over that province? I mean, those people pretty much have to make their own decisions and then kind of just say to you, this is what we did. I hope that's okay because otherwise nothing gets done if they're waiting four months for a decision.

So how much influence as emperor are you really having over that province? I mean, those people pretty much have to make their own decisions and then kind of just say to you, this is what we did. I hope that's okay because otherwise nothing gets done if they're waiting four months for a decision.

Yeah, communication is so slow and so uncertain in ways that today with the ability to instantaneously talk to people across the world, we can't even imagine. And the Roman Empire is huge. I mean, it is months to send a message and get an answer. So here you have the emperor in Rome. Yeah, he affects who's around him. And he can affect even common people.

Yeah, communication is so slow and so uncertain in ways that today with the ability to instantaneously talk to people across the world, we can't even imagine. And the Roman Empire is huge. I mean, it is months to send a message and get an answer. So here you have the emperor in Rome. Yeah, he affects who's around him. And he can affect even common people.

Yeah, communication is so slow and so uncertain in ways that today with the ability to instantaneously talk to people across the world, we can't even imagine. And the Roman Empire is huge. I mean, it is months to send a message and get an answer. So here you have the emperor in Rome. Yeah, he affects who's around him. And he can affect even common people.

I mean, there's crazy emperors who are at the games and they're bored and they say, well, take that whole section of the crowd and throw them to the lions or something. There you're being affected by the emperor. But if you're outside the range of his sight and voice, do you care who the emperor is most of the time?

I mean, there's crazy emperors who are at the games and they're bored and they say, well, take that whole section of the crowd and throw them to the lions or something. There you're being affected by the emperor. But if you're outside the range of his sight and voice, do you care who the emperor is most of the time?

I mean, there's crazy emperors who are at the games and they're bored and they say, well, take that whole section of the crowd and throw them to the lions or something. There you're being affected by the emperor. But if you're outside the range of his sight and voice, do you care who the emperor is most of the time?

What was the role of taxation in Roman Empire? Romans are really weird with this. So in the Republic, once they started to acquire overseas provinces, right, they had to decide, well, what are we going to do with these provinces? Right. And they in the end settled on this notion of we'll put a Roman governor in charge. We'll collect some sort of taxes.

What was the role of taxation in Roman Empire? Romans are really weird with this. So in the Republic, once they started to acquire overseas provinces, right, they had to decide, well, what are we going to do with these provinces? Right. And they in the end settled on this notion of we'll put a Roman governor in charge. We'll collect some sort of taxes.

What was the role of taxation in Roman Empire? Romans are really weird with this. So in the Republic, once they started to acquire overseas provinces, right, they had to decide, well, what are we going to do with these provinces? Right. And they in the end settled on this notion of we'll put a Roman governor in charge. We'll collect some sort of taxes.

But they often didn't collect the taxes directly. Instead, they would sell contracts to private businesses to collect taxes. So the private businesses would bid and say, all right, if you give us the contract to collect taxes in Sicily, we'll give you X number of money up front. And then we go out and try to collect enough to make back that money and make ourselves a profit.

But they often didn't collect the taxes directly. Instead, they would sell contracts to private businesses to collect taxes. So the private businesses would bid and say, all right, if you give us the contract to collect taxes in Sicily, we'll give you X number of money up front. And then we go out and try to collect enough to make back that money and make ourselves a profit.