The Barbarians: How Rome Lost Control

Comments · 73

• VI

  @ViggosLady · 3 weeks ago

  Wonderful episode!  Always something to learn about Rome that applies to our time now.  Thanks for a great conversation!

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• LE

  @LegIIAVGCA · 2 months ago

  Taxes were quite low in 1st century but by end of 2nd century, they increasing. &nbsp; &nbsp; Inflation from 100 BC with silver Denarius (95% silver) to year 200 AD (denarius now 55% silver) prices only doubled over 300 years (but food prices can spike with famines). &nbsp; &nbsp; From 200 AD to year 250, silver content dropped to 40%… but from 250 to 262, silver content dropped to 2% so items cost now from 250 AD to 262 AD 20 Times higher!!! But soldier pay only went up 4 times. &nbsp; &nbsp; <br><br>Silver (above 90%) do not appear until 320 AD onwards to about 390’s but rarely seen… used to pay soldiers and they buried them quickly. &nbsp; &nbsp;The down fall is 1) silver mines depleted, civil wars, constant barbarian raids… and wars with Parthia / Sasanian empire (224 AD onward).<br><br>It really hurt having bloody poor quality emperors from 378 AD onwards….. just a slow slow winding down of the Western Empire until by 468 AD… the Eastern just gave up funding two huge campaigns to bring back the West… the last few years until 476… Rome Western Empire was &nbsp;null and void.

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• PH

  @PhantomHarlock78 · 3 months ago

  “History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”

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• NO

  @NoUturn-u3k · 1 month ago

  Oooo how familiar this sound in 2026....

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• FU

  @futurelessvivid · 3 months ago

  Excellent episode, as always. That bright blue background is a little crazy, though. Yikes.

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• MI

  @mikeymmike · 3 months ago

  I have Peter&apos;s 1991 &apos;Goths and Romans&apos; on my shelf! He was a draught of common sense at a time Herwig Wolfram was saying a lot of odd things

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• VA

  @vaughnyboy8 · 3 weeks ago

  Only a fleeting mention of Majorian 😭 but hey, we&apos;ll take whatever we can get!

• OU

  @OutlawedSpank · 3 months ago

  The latest evidence that Rome had a great economy right up until the end, has taken us full circle back to ‘ it was the barbarian invasions’ &nbsp;amazing.

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• LO

  @LorrieWhittington · 2 months ago

  Excellent, many thanks.

• JE

  @JeffBilkins · 3 months ago

  The blue background is too much, what even is that? Usually it is so warm and nice.

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• VR

  @Vryokastrian · 3 months ago

  If you&apos;ve time in Australia get in touch with the guys from the &apos;Ouzo Talk&apos; podcast. They&apos;ve had guests like Prof Paul Cartledge, Stephen Fry etc &amp; they love to talk about Greek history, ancient or otherwise. You&apos;ll get to taste some fine Greek ouzo too.

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• LE

  @LegIIAVGCA · 2 months ago

  I am the commander of a California Roman Reenactment unit. &nbsp;Legio II AVG COH V. &nbsp; We dress as 1st and 4th century Roman soldiers based in Britannia from 42 AD to after the pullout in 408 AD. &nbsp;Early is year 50… a few years after the Britannia invasion…. Year 363 late Roman just a few years before the chaos of 367 and disaster of 378. &nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>We late Romans rarely get pain in coin but “in kind” like shoes, bolts of cloth, salt, 1/2 a pig. &nbsp; &nbsp; Barbarians are nipping at the borders and taxes are very high….

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