Rome and Veii are central to the politics and military activity of c. 478 BCE.

Rome and the Fabians have developed a whole new military tactic by building a fortress near Veii. This is momentous! It allows Rome to station soldiers outside the City in preparation for battle. This force though is made up largely of Fabians and their supporters which will have implications.

Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus continue to offer competing narratives for this very early period. Both are quite concerned with what is happening in the north including both the immediate threat, the people of Veii and their even further northern allies, the Tyrrhenians. The Romans now realise there are more hostile people behind Veii than previously suspected.

The traditional levy of troops continues this year but without the usual report of Plebeian discontent. Lucius Aemilius Mamercus (cos II) takes his troops north to join the Fabians while his co-consul Gaius Servilius Structus Ahala heads south to deal with the Volscii. An additional army is sent out against the Aequians in the north east led by one Servius Furius. The extent of the armies raised and the fact they they are sent out in all directions suggests that Rome sees itself as at the centre of threat in the region.

The major conflict (no surprise here!) is between Rome and Veii. For some reason Veii has set up a camp for their troops outside their city, which Aemilius attacks continuously…

When Rome finally breaks through to take the camp they are in for some surprises!

The Romans' challenges in this year are bound up in the divisions of the forces. The Fabians in their Cremera fortress are acting as a single gens force largely beyond senatorial control.

The Roman forces sent north in support are led by Mamercus who previously held the consulship with Caeso Fabius in 484 BCE, so there is a block of pro-Fabian forces near Veii.

This feeds into the complexities of the situation when Veii sues for peace. Without telling you how it ends, let's just say that things start to get weird when Aemilius makes a very favourable deal with Veii…

Hear all the details:

Episode 80 – The Year 478 BCE

Etruscan male torso from Veii, probably Hercules, c 550 BCE / Image courtesy of Rjdeadly / Wikimedia Commons

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The history of Rome from the founding of the City continues and, if the title is a hint, the fabulous Fabians are at the forefront of the narrative!

In the wake of the horrific Battle of Veii in 480 BCE we head into c. 479 BCE. While we follow Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus predominantly at this time, we also see a little of the Fasti Capitolini creep in.

After a little bit of faffing about the consuls Caeso Fabius (cos. III) and Titus Verginius Tricostus Rutilus emerge – were these two just as in favour with the plebeians and the patricians? Livy has some details to offer on this front!

We also see a disruption to the argarian situation led by Caeso Fabius – how will that turn out? Dr Radness has the answer.

Rome continues to conduct expansionist activity into the territory around the City. Fabius is sent out against the Aequians while Verginius heads towards the Veientes. The situation with Veii becomes increasing complicated as Rome learns more about Veii's friends in the north.

As the drama unfolds, we take you through some curious moments where the troops are released from the standards, Veii and her allies move south as far as mount Janiculum(!), and the Romans begin to develop a new policy to deal with the increasing challenges with Veii.

It's at the point that this episode gains its name as the power of the Fabian family is confirmed when the Fabii raise their own forces to serve as a border garrison. This is an innovation in Rome's way of thinking about the edges of their territory. Hear all the details here!

Episode 79: Fabian Domination

Errata: in our excitement we talked about Titus Siccius as though he were the ‘hot centurian'. This is definitely our mistake and we apologise. The ‘hot centurian' Marcus Flavoleius has no part in the narrative of c. 479 BCE. Titus Siccius was a legate with imperium in the battle of Veii in 480 BCE cf. Dion. Hal. Rom. Ant. 9.12.5 and he continues to lead troops and saves Verginius from a spot of military bother.

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The politics starts with some agitation from Titus Pontificus (aka Tiberius Pontificius) the tribune of the plebs who seeks some movement on the stalled agrarian reform, but you may already be able to guess how that turns out! We delve into the perspective offered by the sources and discuss what that may mean in terms of the events narrated, but also how we go about reading and interpreting the sources.

Central to the year is Rome's conflict with her neighbours and particularly Veii. Without giving too much of the detail away (since we wouldn't want to ruin the episode for you!), it is fair to say that this battle is devastating for all concerned.

So let us take you on a journey through the signs from the gods read by the Roman augurs and the Tyrrhenian* augurs, the escalating to-and-fro between the forces of Rome and Veii, the moment plebeian farmer Marcus Flavoleius finds fame, and the point when the tide turns on the plan of legate Titus Siccius (aka Titus Sicinius).

It's all here: glorious details of battle, politics on the edge of sword, and speeches with more rhetorical flourish than you can find in a seasoned orator!

The Battle Against Veii 480 BCE

Episode 78: The Battle of Veii 480 BCE

*'Tyrrhenian' ~ this term pops up in Dionysius of Halicarnassus and tends to refers broadly to the people of Veii and to the north of Veii. These peoples are also known as the Etruscans.

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We dive back into the history of Rome from the founding of the city and end up right in the challenges of 481 BCE. This means that we're in the hazy early period of the Republic where the conflict between the patricians and plebeians dominates the narratives offered by Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus.

How consulships are chosen seems to be getting a little more complicated. There are tussles over how elections should proceed. The use of the interrex to manage the electoral process comes into play suggesting the increasing political complexity in the system. Speaking about complexity, we discuss just how likely a struggle of the orders really is in this period of the republic by considering the names of consuls.

482 BCE marks the consulships of Quintus Fabius (cos II) and Gaius Julius Iulus, but, as the title of the episode gives away, the events of 481 BCE, and the consulships of Caeso Fabius (cos II) and Spurius Furius take centre stage.

As domestic politics becomes more strained, Rome continues to (wait for it) have trouble with her neighbours…

The tribune of the plebs Spurius Licinius draws attention to the failure of the movement on the agrarian policy to measure up the ager publicus (public land) and redistribute it to the citizens. The dramas of this continuing situation sets the scene for Rome's problems with the people of Veii, the Aequians, the Tyrrhenians, and their own soldiers…

Episode 77: The Troubles of 481 BCE

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We continue recording in the library, so advance apologies for potential moments of poor editing!

Episode 76 – Plebeian Struggles and the Vestal Oppia

We return to the podcast fray launching into the elections of c. 483 BCE. The conflict between patrician and plebeian sets the tone. And it turns out that our sources don't agree right from the start! One of the consuls this year is definitely Marcus Fabius Vibulanus and the identity of the other is a little more of a mysterious Lucius (Valerius? Verus? Publicola? Potitus?)

By this stage the struggles between the patricians and plebeians is in full flight. The plebeian demand for the redistribution of public land (ager publicus) is taking off and there is only one tribune of the plebs, Gaius Maenius, who is willing to support the people's perspective on this issue.

Threats of violence and coercion ensue. Dr Radness goes so far to liken the extent of conflict in Rome at this point as tantamount to civil war. We are in the midst of a Rome in crisis internally while still trying to face down threats in broader Italy. Follow us into the dangers as the plebeians continue to fight for their share of public land even from the battlefield.

As Rome's strife continues, they turn their gaze inwards and the pontifical college offers the knowledge that there may be an issue with one of the Vestal Virgins, Oppia. What an action-packed episode!

An imagined vision of the Vestal Virgins (note there should only be six!) – from
“Woman Triumphant; the story of her struggles for freedom, education, and political rights. Dedicated to all noble-minded women by an appreciative member of the other sex” by Rudolf Cronau. (1919). Courtesy of wikimedia commons

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The Doctors return with a brand new episode! We are tracing the history of Rome from the founding of the city! At this stage of the narrative, the plebeians and the patricians continue to tussle. And trouble in Rome wouldn't be much without trouble with her neighbours. Tension is also rising between Rome and the Volscii.

Quintus Fabius Vibulanus and Servius Cornelius Maluginensis are the consuls of c. 483 BCE. In the wake of Spurius Cassius' demise, Rome's attention turns inwards. The plebeians and the patrician conflict continues to escalate and the some of the consequences begin to play out with Rome's foreign policy.

• How do you get soldiers to enlist when everyone is hungry?
• How do you maintain yourself in the field when morale is low?
• How do you defeat your foes when your forces do not want to fight?
• How does the voting system of the comitia centuriata work?

We tackle them all in this episode!

Trouble in Rome, Trouble with the Volscii

Episode 75: Trouble in Rome, Trouble with the Volscii

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Episode 74: Gla!

In this very GLAmorous episode, Drs R and G return with a special treat for you, our listeners. Step away from Rome with us for a brief time as we travel further back than we've ever gone before!

Gla is a huge Mycenaean fortress in Boeotia, Greece. There's no mention of the place in Homer's Iliad and it's more than ten times larger than Athens during the Bronze Age…

So what is Gla exactly and what do we really know about this structure?

Let's dive in!

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We return to the fray to consider the late career of Spurius Cassius! The conflict between the the patricians and plebeians continue and Cassius appears to be running a populist campaign…

In this episode we'll consider how the political machinations between these groups play out under a new year and new consuls.

Episode 73: The End of Spurius Cassius

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Our narrative returns to the fray of Spurius Cassius' political machinations while consul!

Can he find a way to distribute Rome's bounty three ways with the inclusion of the Latins and Hernicians? Find out as Drs R and G compare the narrative sources!

Episode 72: Spurius Cassius and c. 486 BCE

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A birth of a republic seems midwived by a lot of local conflict.

In this episode, the Doctors return to explore Rome's continued struggles with her most estimable neighbours, the Volscians, the Hernicans, and the Aequians. The intricacies really start to come to the surface in the consulship of Proculus Verginius and Spurius Cassius.

Hear it all here!

Episode 71: Proculus Verginius and Spurius Cassius

Artwork Credit: Francesco Salviati c. 1543-5. The Rout of the Volscii with thanks to the Google Art Project

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