Novara Media Downstream: Europe’s Ancient Myths, Current Crises & Future Possibilities w/ Roderick Beaton
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Apr 20, 2026 
Roderick Beaton, historian and author specializing in Greek studies and European intellectual history, joins to trace how ancient stories and institutions shaped Europe’s boundaries and identity. They discuss Rome’s unifying power, Herodotus’ Europe-versus-Asia framing, Islam’s role in defining frontiers, Reconquista and expulsions, Russia’s ambiguous Europeanness, and whether Europe can defend itself strategically.
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Ancient Wars Focused On Incorporation Not Extermination
- Ancient conquests often aimed to incorporate peoples rather than exterminate them, so they differed from modern genocide in intent.
- Beaton contrasts Rome's assimilation (e.g., Gaul becoming Romanized) with true exterminatory acts like Carthage's destruction.
Hadrian Chose Borders Over Boundless Conquest
- Hadrian prioritized setting defensible boundaries over endless expansion, fortifying rivers and building walls like Hadrian's Wall.
- Beaton praises Hadrian's pragmatic infrastructure and frontier policy that lasted centuries.
America Inherited Europe's Classical Legacy
- The American founding drew heavily on classical Europe: architecture, republican ideas, and Virgil influenced manifest destiny.
- Beaton notes the US constitutional experiment realized Enlightenment ideas Europeans elsewhere failed to consolidate.
