This is the Friends of History Debating Society.

I'm Gaius in Lunditiam.

It is springtime in 92 AD.

Germanicus is here, and we've been debating what looks to be expected, but surprising news from Parthia, also known as Persia, also known as Iran,

that the Roman legions, the American air power and naval power, does not have an answer

for the asymmetrical attack by the Parthians, the Persians, the Iranians,

on the choke point of the Strait of Hormuz.

And remarks are flying around the world right now about what is to be done.

What is to be done is accept and defeat and reorganize.

However, there is a larger story here, too, about the emperor.

And Germanicus will help me on this because I get persuaded by analogies.

Nero was a legitimate heir of the Julian Claudian line.

He was the last, as it turned out, but he was legitimate.

There was nothing pretentious about him.

His mother was a really good advisor.

His poet guide was a really good advisor.

All the people around him wanted to help him.

It was the young man

when he became emperor. He had ambition to be a great actor. Okay, they indulged him on that.

He would put on performances. At the same time, he ran a rye of his own discipline and became a rascal, would roam, the story goes, would roam

the city streets at night as emperor in disguise and take advantage of various vice-ridden

organizations. You understand. But they forgave him that. And when he grew up,

...