#521 Edward Watts - The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea
RECORDED ON AUGUST 5th 2021.
Dr. Edward Watts is presently the Vassiliadis Professor of Byzantine Greek History at UC San Diego, where he was formerly Co-Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies. His research interests center on the intellectual and religious history of the Roman Empire and the early Byzantine Empire. He is the author of several books on ancient history, including Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny. His new book is The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea.
In this episode, we focus on The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome. We walk through topics like: when did people start theorizing about the decline and fall of Rome; the actual factors that played a role in the fall of Rome; periods in Roman history where there was renewal without decline, and decline and false renewal; dynamics of conservatism, decline, renewal, and progress in the history of Rome; the role of Christianity in the later stages of the Western Roman Empire, and in the Byzantine Empire; Europe in the aftermath of the fall of Rome; the Holy Roman Empire; the “decline of the West”, if it is real, and how populists on the right and the left take advantage of narratives of “decline”. Finally, we discuss how we can prevent populist political movements from rising, and the ethical duty of historians.
Time Links:
Intro
Where does the idea of the decline and fall of Rome come from?
What caused the fall of Rome
Renewal without decline, the Antonines and the Severans
Decline and false renewal in the third century
The role of Christianity
The Byzantine Empire
Europe after the Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire
The motives of people who espouse narratives of “decline”
The “decline of the West”
Preventing the rise of populist movements, and the role of historians
Follow Dr. Watts’ work!
Follow Dr. Watts’ work:
Our first interview: https://youtu.be/SemLGgZROw4
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/2SPNmW5
Academia.edu page: https://bit.ly/3iWFxsd
Rome’s Eternal Decline (YT channel): https://bit.ly/2VBJexu
The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: https://amzn.to/3zQWVHX