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Hello and welcome to The Spectator's Book Club podcast. I'm Sam Leith, the literary editor of The Spectator.

This week I'm joined by the writer-historium and former editor of the Times, Sir Peter Stodd,

whose new book delves into the past. It's a book about a man who would have approved, I think,

of the Chancellor's recent fiscal event. And that's Crassus, the first tycoon, the richest man in ancient Rome.

Peter, welcome. Great to be here, yes. I think Krasis would have very much like the high interest rates.

And he would also have liked being at the cocktail party,

where everybody comes and finds the people who are really powerful

and make sure they're happy with what he's doing.

Well, very first thing I want to say, I'd always thought Riches Cresus, is it Riches Crasus?

Are Cresus and Crasus, they're homophonic ancients, but one was Greek and one was Roman,

which is the origin of the phrase?

No, it's definitely Riches Cretus was about 400, 500 years, 400 so years before Crasus.

And he ruled, actually, he ruled a chunk of what was called Lydia, where all the gold came from.

And he was famous in the Greek world for being extraordinarily rich.

But it was quite a small economy in those days.

I suspect Crasus, who lived 400 years later, was a great deal rich. But it was quite a small economy in those days. I suspect Krasis, who lived

400 years later, was a great deal richer. Now, you call him the first tycoon. And as you set out in the

book, part of the famous triumvirate, Pompey and Caesar and Krasis, but his influence was, at least for most

of the pomp of his career, was through money rather than through force of arms or direct politics.

Is that what made him the first tycoon? I mean, what was sort of innovative about his financial

setup? Well, a tycoon means someone who is normally very wealthy, but who exercises a lot of secret power.

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