Julian Dorey Podcast

#418 - "Secret BANKERS!" - Roman Empire Expert on Alexander, BLOODLINES & The Vatican | Jeremy Ryan Slate • 418

May 6, 2026
Jeremy Ryan Slate, authority strategist who reads the early Roman Empire to decode modern power, joins to explore imperial image-making and propaganda. He traces Alexander's cult and Augustus' use of coins, priests and myths. Conversations jump from military genius and founding legends to currency debasement, banking influence and parallels between ancient collapse and today's institutions.
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INSIGHT

Augustus Copied Alexander To Manufacture Imperial Divinity

  • Augustus modeled Roman emperor cult partly on Alexander the Great to build divinity and legitimacy.
  • After Actium Augustus used Alexander's seal, statues, youthful portraits and priestly offices to normalize emperor worship across the empire.
INSIGHT

Coins And Statues Were Rome's Mass Media

  • Imperial imagery and coinage functioned as mass propaganda: portraits, youthful idealization, and distribution signaled authority across the military and provinces.
  • Coins paid soldiers and reinforced the emperor's face and titles as central legitimacy tools.
ANECDOTE

Commodus Played Gladiator For Show Not Risk

  • Commodus staged gladiatorial spectacles but avoided real risk by killing animals from platforms and using safe methods.
  • He preferred spectacle and image (lion‑head iconography) while eschewing genuine combat, which eroded legitimacy.
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