<p>Is President Trump a new Nero, or a contemporary Caligula? The Roman Empire was full of merchants of chaos, power-hungry emperors, epic wars, backstabbing, betrayals — the whole horror show. And it was a time of civilisational scale change. As we grapple with a rewriting of the world order,  does Ancient Rome have lessons for us today — about the building and breaking of empires, or the rise and fall of autocrats? Or are these sorts of comparisons with the past fraught with complication? </p><p>Join Natasha Mitchell and guests at this <a href="https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/">Melbourne Museum</a> event to coincide with the opening of the <a href="https://museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whats-on/rome-empire-power-people/">ROME: Empire, Power, People exhibition</a>.</p><p>Speakers</p><p><a href="https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/r5evans">Rhiannon Evans</a>Co-host of the <a href="https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/podcasts/podcasts/emperors-of-rome">Emperors of Rome podcast</a>Author, Utopia Antiqua: Readings of the Golden Age and decline at Rome (Routledge, 2007)Adjunct Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient HistoryLa Trobe University </p><p><a href="https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/nbisley">Nick Bisley</a>Author, Asian Crucible: Globalization, Geopolitics and the Contest for the Future (Bristol University Press, 2026); The Belt and Road Initiative and the Future of Regional Order in the Indo-Pacific (Rowman and Littlefield, 2020), Issues in 21st Century World Politics, 3rd Edition (Palgrave, 2017) and Great Powers in the Changing International Order (Lynne Rienner, 2012)Professor of International RelationsPro Vice-Chancellor ResearchLa Trobe University </p><p>Thanks to event producer Jennifer Brookings, Nick Marchand (Director of Global Engagement at Museums Victoria), and team the Melbourne Museum.</p>