Matt Beall Podcast Told In Stone | Power, Influence, Technology, & Empire of Greece & Rome
Mar 5, 2026
Garrett Ryan, historian (PhD) and creator of Told In Stone, specializes in ancient Greece and Rome. He explores Greek philosophy and democracy, the Antikythera mechanism and ancient science, monumental stonework and engineering, hoplite and Roman military systems, Pompeii’s daily life, and theories on Rome’s rise and fall. Multiple lively stories and archaeological mysteries keep the conversation brisk and surprising.
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Roman Legions Won Through Training and Practical Weapons
- Roman military strength came from experience, organization, and equipment like the pilum and gladius rather than exotic superiority.
- Ryan notes the pila's design to bend on impact and the gladius' lethal stabbing use, plus repeated campaigning that made legions battle-hardened.
Roman Culture Spread Because Locals Chose It
- Romanization often happened voluntarily as local elites adopted Latin, Roman dress, and urban forms to access imperial opportunity.
- Ryan says provincial notables built miniature Romes, sponsored temples, and enrolled children in Latin schools to ascend within the imperial system.
Baalbek Stones Fit A Roman Rhetoric Of Size
- The massive trilithon stones at Baalbek likely come from nearby quarries and fit a Roman-era rhetoric of monumentality, though controversy remains.
- Ryan argues the site's masonry, Nero-era graffiti, and Roman architectural context make a Roman dating plausible while acknowledging unresolved anomalies like differential weathering.
