The Podcast of the Lotus Eaters - July 26, 2026


PREVIEW： Epochs #273 ｜ Diocletian - Part 2


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Length

20 minutes

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150.2

Word count

3,140

Sentence count

43

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Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome back to Epochs. If you remember last time I'd started the
00:00:24.600 story, nominally supposed to be talking about the reign of Constantine the Great, Constantine the
00:00:30.400 First. But I decided, if you recall, I would talk all about the reign or the generation or two even
00:00:36.060 before Constantine in order to give it full context, in order to give it all the sort of
00:00:41.700 background I think that it's worthy of, this great, great story of the reign and adventures and life
00:00:47.840 of Constantine the Great. So we went back to Diocletian. I gave you a little bit of an overview
00:00:51.780 of the crisis of the third century and then started talking all about the reign of Diocletian
00:00:56.560 and the rule of the four emperors how he wanted Maximian or he had Maximian as a co-emperor with
00:01:02.280 him and then decided that each of them as senior emperors senior Augusti should have a second in
00:01:08.260 command a junior emperor a Caesar each of them should have one of those so that's four we've
00:01:13.780 now got four emperors ruling the Roman Empire the Tetrarchy the rule of four that the empire will
00:01:18.940 be broken up into four bits each one has their own quarter of the empire but they're all supposed to
00:01:25.860 be brothers they're all supposed to work together in unison and really diocletian is the most senior
00:01:31.980 of the four so if there's any sort of quarrel or anything he would be the arbiter and it worked
00:01:37.700 worked really well for a while while diocletian was alive it worked really well last time if you
00:01:41.980 remember we left the story off at the point where britain the roman prophets of britannia
00:01:48.060 a modern the modern united kingdom basically had had broken off from the roman empire they've been
00:01:55.140 sort of a rogue roman leader roman general had broken away but it had just been and for a fair
00:02:02.480 few years diocletian and the roman world couldn't retake britain but then they did they retook it
00:02:10.260 and the power of this usurper fell apart and one of diocletian's junior emperors was sent over to
00:02:17.040 retake Britannia and that man was Constantius who is Constantine the Great's father so that's where
00:02:26.360 we left off last time if you recall I'm reading from Edward Gibbon the great masterpiece the
00:02:30.980 decline and fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon written right at the end of the 18th
00:02:35.640 century so we don't need to worry about any wokeness or any silly revisionism just good solid
00:02:41.140 thoroughly thoroughly researched history and written in a florid style which I like and so
00:02:48.420 we just left off with where the Roman Empire had retaken Britannia back into the fold of the Roman
00:02:54.320 world in in a proper sense so Gibbon continues his narrative telling us this quote Britain had
00:03:01.620 none but domestic enemies to dread and as long as the governors preserve their fidelity and the
00:03:07.480 troops their discipline the incursions of the naked savages of scotland or ireland could not
00:03:12.860 materially affect the safety of the province what he's saying there is that other than as he
00:03:18.400 describes the naked savages of scotland and ireland other than that britain didn't need to
00:03:22.860 the island of britannia didn't need to worry about you know all the endless foreign invasion
00:03:29.480 attempts from endless tribes which the rest of mainland europe did have to contend with just
00:03:35.620 endless hordes of germanic tribesmen coming out of the forests and swamps and morasses of germany
00:03:41.560 endless steppe people from the eurasian steppe attacking the east and on and on and on endless
00:03:49.240 wars in north africa britain didn't need to worry about any of that really there's as we say there's 0.98
00:03:55.300 a bit of scots and irish but that was easy enough for the roman legions to to keep down at this
00:04:01.740 point in history. And just to remind you, we're talking the third century, so the 200s AD, the
00:04:07.600 late 200s AD. Giving us the news. The peace of the continent and the defence of the principal rivers
00:04:14.780 which bounded the empire were objects of far greater difficulty and importance. The policy
00:04:21.400 of Diocletian, which inspired the councils of his associates, provided for the public tranquility 0.99
00:04:28.120 by encouraging a spirit of dissension among the barbarians, 0.98
00:04:32.620 divide and conquer, basically,
00:04:34.160 and by strengthening the fortifications of the Roman limit.
00:04:38.720 If you remember, I've mentioned before that Hadrian in sort of the 110s
00:04:43.100 or the 120s AD, good 150 years ago, Hadrian had said,
00:04:49.040 we need to put limits on the empire across the northern boundaries
00:04:53.700 of the Danube, across what is now today sort of modern Germany, really.
00:04:58.120 At the top of Scotland, out in the east
00:05:01.140 We need to put limits on it
00:05:03.140 We can't just endlessly, endlessly expand
00:05:05.640 It's not possible
00:05:07.820 Guy agrees with that
00:05:09.240 Feels like we need to be able to hold on to what we've already got
00:05:12.940 That's difficult enough
00:05:14.540 So fortify our borders 1.00
00:05:17.440 And sow dissension wherever possible among barbarians 1.00
00:05:21.380 Turn them against them wherever possible 0.99
00:05:23.320 Use diplomacy and even subterfuge 0.98
00:05:25.880 to keep the barbarians fighting one another classic divide and conquer right divide and rule
00:05:31.780 gibbon says in the east he fixed a line of camps from egypt to the persian dominions and for every
00:05:38.840 camp he instituted an adequate number of stationary troops commanded by their respective officers
00:05:45.360 and supplied with every kind of arms from the new arsenals which he had formed at antioch
00:05:51.260 and Damascus. Nor was the precaution of the emperor less watchful against the well-known
00:05:57.100 valour of the barbarians of Europe. From the mouth of the Rhine to that of the Danube the ancient
00:06:02.920 camps, towns and citadel were diligently re-established and in the most exposed places
00:06:09.140 new ones were skillfully constructed. The strictest vigilance was introduced among the garrisons of
00:06:14.840 the frontier and every expedient was practiced that could render the long chain of fortifications
00:06:20.220 firm and impenetrable. Do you remember we talked about how Diocletian before he had become emperor
00:06:26.360 had been a military man right he'd risen through the ranks of the army through his own merits in
00:06:31.720 order to become the head of the palace guard and his right-hand man his co-emperor Maximian was
00:06:37.440 really really was a soldier's soldier completely a soldier through and through so they're two
00:06:42.740 military despots really like to style themselves jove and hercules these are two military men so
00:06:50.740 when it comes to fortifying and holding the frontiers and garrison garrisoning men and making
00:06:57.140 sure discipline is all squared away and all perfect it's sort of that's sort of their wheelhouse
00:07:01.620 they're better at that even than any sort of like rome intrigue in rome or ravenna or something or
00:07:07.520 Milan when it comes to matters actually military thank god they needed to be they were up to speed
00:07:14.020 on all of that sort of thing and they would need to be as I say the crisis of the third century
00:07:19.160 which is still going on basically historians like to say ended it but of course it didn't end on one
00:07:24.220 particular day and the reason why it kind of ended is because of the diligence and skill of
00:07:30.120 and Maximian that they were able to hold strong and make the frontiers something close to
00:07:36.940 impenetrable. Gibbon continues saying, a barrier so respectable was seldom violated, and the
00:07:43.560 barbarians often turned against each other their disappointed rage. The Goths, the Vandals, the
00:07:50.120 Gepidae, the Burgundians, the Alimane, wasted each other's strength by destructive hostilities, 0.79
00:07:57.680 and whosoever vanquished, they vanquished the enemies of Rome. So every barbarian that another 0.99
00:08:03.300 barbarian killed is just a win for Rome. The subjects of Diocletian enjoyed the bloody 0.99
00:08:09.340 spectacle and congratulated each other that the mischiefs of civil war were now experienced 0.97
00:08:15.480 only by the barbarians. Notwithstanding the policy of Diocletian, it was impossible to 0.96
00:08:21.240 maintain an equal and undisturbed tranquility during a reign of 20 years and along a frontier
00:08:27.900 of many hundreds of miles. Sometimes the barbarians suspended their domestic animosities
00:08:33.060 and the relaxed vigilance of the garrisons sometimes gave a passage to their strength
00:08:38.420 or dexterity. Whenever the provinces were invaded, Diocletian conducted himself with
00:08:43.820 that calm dignity which he always affected or possessed. He reserved his presence for
00:08:49.760 such occasions as were worthy of his interposition. He'd only really turn up when it was a really,
00:08:55.740 really serious barbarian incursion he never exposed his person or reputation to any unnecessary
00:09:02.360 danger ensured his success by every means that prudence could suggest and displayed with
00:09:09.020 ostentation the consequences of his victory in wars of a more difficult nature and more doubtful
00:09:15.160 event he employed the rough valor of maximian the real deal maximian's like the real deal you know
00:09:21.120 He is going to get down and mucky with the troops
00:09:25.840 And even personally fight
00:09:28.620 He's not necessarily just going to turn up on a golden comparisoned horse
00:09:33.680 Wearing silks and purples
00:09:35.440 And sort of languidly wave a hand to his commanders
00:09:38.780 He's actually going to do the real business of generaling Maximian
00:09:43.140 And that faithful soldier Maximian
00:09:45.880 Was content to ascribe his own victories to the wise councils
00:09:49.780 and auspicious influence of his benefactor diocletian but after the adoption of the two
00:09:55.980 caesars the emperors themselves retiring to a less laborious scene of action devolved on their
00:10:01.940 adopted sons the defense of the danube and the rhine arguably the two most important frontiers
00:10:08.180 right the two frontiers where it's most likely to actually have to fight off a barbarian army
00:10:15.320 I mean it's almost constant
00:10:17.160 Really as the scene of action is the Danube and Rhine frontiers
00:10:21.280 So the two senior emperors take a bit of a back seat
00:10:26.160 While the two junior ones sort of, you know, cut their teeth
00:10:29.820 Earn their stripes on the Danubian and Rhine frontiers
00:10:35.120 The Vigilant Galerius, and remember the two junior ones are called Galerius and Constantius 0.78
00:10:39.600 The vigilant Galerius was never reduced to the necessity of vanquishing an army of barbarians
00:10:45.980 on Roman territory. The brave and active Constantius delivered Gaul from a very furious
00:10:51.820 inroad of the Alemanni, and his victories at Longra and Lindenicia appear to have been
00:10:58.740 actions of considerable danger and merit. As he traversed the open country with a feeble guard,
00:11:04.620 he was encompassed on a sudden by the superior multitude of the enemy he retreated with
00:11:10.880 difficulty towards longer and remember we're talking about constantine's father here but in
00:11:16.020 the general consternation the citizens refused to open their gates and the wounded prince he was
00:11:21.480 actually physically wounded was drawn up the wall by the means of a rope so a lucky escape just about
00:11:28.240 escaped perhaps moments away from being chopped to pieces by invading barbarians but on the news of
00:11:34.400 his distress, the Roman troops hastened from all sides to his relief, and before the evening he had
00:11:40.520 satisfied his honour and revenge by the slaughter of 6,000 Alemanni, Germans, Alemanni, roughly
00:11:47.580 speaking. From the monuments of those times, the obscure traces of several other victories over
00:11:53.620 the barbarians of Sarmatia and Germany might possibly be collected, but the tedious search
00:11:59.380 would not be rewarded either with amusement nor with instruction that's a funny thing for gibbon
00:12:04.960 to say he's basically saying we're not exactly in the dark ages yet but we are in a period where the
00:12:10.260 literary sources become more and more scant there isn't much archaeology certainly not in the late
00:12:16.920 18th century so you're relying largely on the literary sources and they become fewer and fewer
00:12:23.300 and fewer so for example Constantius's victories other victories perhaps even big battles in Gaul
00:12:29.440 we don't really know about them we've only really got hints that they even happened just a brief
00:12:34.440 note on historiography we know from the accounts of people like Zosimus and Eusebius Jerome
00:12:40.940 Utropius sources like this which are sometimes often written long long after and if the few
00:12:47.340 scant literary accounts don't tell us about anything in detail that's it it's sort of lost
00:12:51.460 to us sort of lost to history but okay gibbon continues saying this the conduct with which
00:12:57.440 the emperor probus who was from a previous generation the conduct which the emperor
00:13:02.620 probus had adopted in the disposal of the vanquished was imitated by diocletian and his
00:13:09.080 associates the captive barbarians exchanging death for slavery were distributed among the
00:13:15.320 Provincials and assigned to those districts in Gaul, the territories of Ambeauvet, Combray,
00:13:22.540 Treve, Longre and Troy are particularly specified, which had been depopulated by the calamities of
00:13:29.620 war. They were usually employed as shepherds and husbandmen, but were denied the exercise of arms
00:13:35.840 except when it was found expedient to enroll them in the military service,
00:13:42.420 except when you really really had to because there was another invasion of i don't know
00:13:47.440 the germans again nor did the emperors refuse the property of lands which are less servile tenure
00:13:54.520 to such of the barbarians as solicited the protection of rome they granted a settlement
00:14:00.040 to several colonies of the capri the basternia and the sarmatians and by a dangerous indulgence 0.95
00:14:08.260 Permitted them in some measure
00:14:09.660 To retain their national manners and independence
00:14:12.320 Among the provincials
00:14:14.240 It was a subject of flattering exultation
00:14:16.400 That the barbarian 1.00
00:14:17.940 So lately an object of terror 1.00
00:14:19.780 Now cultivated their lands
00:14:21.580 Drove their cattle to the neighbouring fair
00:14:23.640 And contributed by his labour
00:14:25.580 To the public plenty
00:14:26.980 They congratulated their masters
00:14:29.160 On the powerful accession of subjects and soldiers
00:14:32.060 But they forgot to observe
00:14:33.720 That multitudes of secret enemies
00:14:36.160 Insolent from favour
00:14:37.640 or desperate from oppression were introduced into the heart of the empire again don't let 0.99
00:14:43.420 lots and lots and lots of people migrate into the middle of your country who might well hate you
00:14:49.240 it's probably not a good idea yeah sound familiar while the caesars exercised their valor on the
00:14:56.100 banks of the rhine and the danube the presence of the emperors was required on the southern
00:15:02.060 confines of the Roman world. From the Nile to Mount Atlas, Africa was in arms, a confederacy
00:15:08.800 of five Moorish nations issued from their deserts to invade the peaceful provinces. Julian had 0.91
00:15:15.100 assumed the purple at Carthage, that was the Emperor Julian from a previous age, had assumed
00:15:20.520 the purple at Carthage, Achilles at Alexandria, and given the Blemines, renewed or rather continued
00:15:28.060 their incursions into the Upper Egypt. Scarcely any circumstances have been preserved of the
00:15:35.040 exploits of Maximian in the western parts of Africa, but it appears by the event that the
00:15:41.580 progress of his arms was rapid and decisive, that he vanquished the fiercest barbarians of
00:15:47.960 Mauritania, and that he removed them from the mountains, whose inaccessible strength had
00:15:54.100 inspired their inhabitants with a lawless confidence and in and habituated them to a 0.97
00:16:00.040 life of rapine and violence so good sounds like good the maximian got rid of them defeated them
00:16:06.980 diocletian on his side opened the campaign in egypt by the siege of alexandria cut off the
00:16:13.820 aqueducts which conveyed the waters of the nile into every quarter of that immense city and
00:16:19.560 rendering his camp impregnable to the sallies of the besieged multitude he pushed his reiterated
00:16:26.360 attacks with caution and vigor after a siege of eight months alexandria wasted by the sword and
00:16:33.480 by fire implored the clemency of the emperor but it experienced the full extent of his severity
00:16:39.260 many thousands of the citizens perished in a promiscuous slaughter and there were few obnoxious
00:16:45.660 persons in Egypt who escaped a sentence either of death or at least of exile. The fate of Barissus 0.67
00:16:52.680 and of Koptos was still more melancholy than that of Alexandria. Those proud cities, the former
00:16:59.580 distinguished by its antiquity, the latter enriched by the passage of the Indian trade, were utterly
00:17:05.620 destroyed by the arms and by the severe order of Diocletian. The character of the Egyptian nation,
00:17:11.420 insensible to kindness but extremely susceptible of fear could alone justify this excessive rigor 1.00
00:17:18.580 by destroying whole cities. The seditions of Alexandria had often affected the tranquility
00:17:24.980 and subsistence of Rome itself, since a lot of food came from Egypt that helped feed Italy and
00:17:33.400 Rome itself. It had been that way for a few centuries already. Since the usurpation of
00:17:38.480 firmus one of the many men during the height of the crisis of the third century to try and usurp
00:17:44.380 power since the usurpation of firmus the province of upper egypt incessantly relapsing into rebellion
00:17:51.060 had embraced the alliance of the savages of ethiopia the number of the bled scattered between
00:17:56.820 the island of moreau and the red sea was very inconsiderable their disposition was unwarlike 0.98
00:18:03.220 their weapons rude and inoffensive yet in the public disorders these barbarians whom antiquity 0.97
00:18:09.580 shocked with the deformity of their figure had almost excluded from the human species 0.71
00:18:14.860 presumed to rank themselves among the enemies of rome so i did warn you didn't know that it's not 0.62
00:18:20.480 woke edward gibbon isn't woke sort of saying that ethiopians the sub-saharan africans are so deformed
00:18:26.820 that they're barely counted as the human species gibbon's words gibbon's words not mine okay he
00:18:32.960 goes on saying such had been the unworthy allies of the Egyptians and while the attention of the
00:18:38.260 state was engaged in more serious wars their inroads might again harass the repose of the
00:18:44.560 province. With a view of opposing to the suitable adversary Diocletian persuaded the Nobute or
00:18:52.220 people of Nubia to remove from their ancient habitations in the deserts of Libya and resigned 0.98
00:18:58.720 to them an extensive but unprofitable territory above Cyrene and the cataracts of the Nile with
00:19:06.280 the stipulation that they should ever respect and guard the frontier of the empire. The treaty long
00:19:11.660 subsisted until the establishment of Christianity introduced stricter notions of religious worship
00:19:18.220 it was annually ratified by a solemn sacrifice in the Isle of Elephantine in which the Romans
00:19:24.380 As well as the barbarians
00:19:26.060 Adored the same visible or invisible powers 0.99
00:19:28.600 Of the universe
00:19:29.440 Elephantine is an island in the Nile
00:19:32.160 Which is considered
00:19:33.660 Had always been considered
00:19:35.600 Sacred or holy in some way
00:19:37.840 And often had marked
00:19:39.960 The lower reaches, the outer reaches
00:19:42.200 Of Egypt, on and off 0.88
00:19:43.900 In fact it was the last stronghold
00:19:46.040 Of Egyptian paganism
00:19:48.060 That island of Elephantine 0.98
00:19:49.480 The last of truly ancient Egyptian 0.94
00:19:52.060 Priests that still wrote in hierarchy
00:19:54.360 and still worshipped some of the truly ancient Egyptian deities.
00:19:58.360 Some of those, I think one temple lasted there until something like the 5th or the 6th century AD
00:20:04.360 before they were finally wiped out or lost, the last one died
00:20:07.360 and the ability to read hieroglyphs was lost for well over a millennia and a half.
00:20:14.360 We hope you enjoyed that video and if you did, please head over to lotusseaters.com for the full unabridged video.
00:20:24.360 Thank you.