The Romans were merciless in the way they talked about their rulers. Baldness and body hair, sexual positions and partners, and inebriation and indolence were all fair game. 

Gossip, far from unimportant to historical study, is in fact its own form of evidence, argues Caillan Davenport, Prof of Ancient History at the Australian National University. 

• Guest: Professor Caillan Davenport, ‘Behind the Emperor’s back: Rumor, gossip, and the making of the Roman Emperors’ (Yale University Press)
• Producer: Ann Arnold