Kyle Harper

productivity.

They just wanted to extract labor, extract wealth rather than create wealth, which I don't think is a terrible argument.

But ultimately, I don't think it's the system of labor that keeps the Roman world from industrializing.

And there are lots of sectors in the Roman world where slavery is not

a dominant institution.

And it's not like they're more productive or like flirting with some kind of breakaway.

So it's an interesting argument, but not one I've ever found all that persuasive.

You know, I haven't seen the second one.

So you mean the first one?

The first one got right that when you're making a movie, you should worry more about making a good movie

The first one's a great movie.

And if it was like completely historically accurate, it would have been much more boring.

So I'm not going to be critical of that movie.

Like it plays very loose with the facts of high politics around Commodus and the creation of this character.

But who cares?

I mean, Russell Crowe is incredible.

On slavery in particular.

I mean, I think actually that's one of the strong suits of the movie is you see this like completely exploitative system that brings people from very different parts of the world who –

Have very different backgrounds.

And then the system of like urban spectacle is very real.