Even today, our culture and society continue to reflect the monumental achievements achieved by some of our world's greatest empires. While certain civilizations tend to dominate the history books, there are plenty of important empires that don't get as much attention, but certainly deserve to be discussed. On the latest episode of 4Thirty, Ben and Pat take a dive deep into the past and bring to the table a handful of powerful civilizations that came to rule large swaths of our world in their time. This week, the guys also talk some gridiron, cover a handful of slightly off-topic news stories, and speculate on the latest world record broken by their favorite STEM education promoter, David Rush. What major empire immediately proceeded Rome as the controlling force of the ancient Mediterranean? Is an ancient American empire still maintaining deep cultural roots in Mexico today? What exactly was the 'Holy Roman Empire'? Can having a notably wide neck lead to internet fame? For answers to these questions and more, please give our latest episode of 4Thirty in the Morning a listen!