Announcing The Classical Society - https://theclassicalsociety.com

Part 2 of 3 of Caesar's Civil War series. After his lightning conquest of Italy, Caesar faces his greatest challenge yet as Pompey masses a vast army in Greece. In this episode:

• Caesar's second dictatorship and revolutionary reforms in Rome—citizenship grants, debt relief, and restoration of the proscribed
• The dangerous winter crossing of the Adriatic, splitting his forces against Pompey's naval supremacy
• The siege of Dyrrhachium and Caesar's ambitious 17-mile circumvallation to trap Pompey
• The catastrophic defeat that nearly ended Caesar's career—his worst loss yet
• The brilliant strategic retreat showcasing the iron discipline of Caesar's veterans
• Young Curio's tragic death in Africa, highlighting Caesar's reliance on inexperienced lieutenants
• The fateful convergence at Pharsalus as both armies march into Thessaly
• The decisive moment when Caesar's hidden fourth line shattered Pompey's cavalry charge
• The fall of the Roman Republic as 15,000 Romans died by Roman swords

Caesar's own account reveals a commander pushed to his absolute limits, saved only by the loyalty of soldiers who would "rather eat tree bark than let Pompey slip through our fingers." The battle that destroyed the old Republic hinged on a single morning's decisions, proving that world history sometimes turns on the choices of one man in command. As Caesar stood over the carnage at Pharsalus, he reportedly said: "This is what they chose. After so many deeds in the service of my country, they would have me, Julius Caesar, condemned as a criminal, unless I sought the protection of an army."

Works Cited: Gareth Sampson, The Battle of Pharsalus Matthias Gelzer, Caesar: Politician and Statesman James Froude, Caesar: A Sketch, Raaflaub (ed.) Landmark Caesar. (Affiliate links - support the show!)

Thanks to our sponsor, Ai Labs. Visit austinlab.ai to chat with a team member about custom Agentic AI power solutions for your SMB to Enterprise level business.  Powered by Shokworks.

Also Thanks Dr. Richard Johnson, the Crassus to this Caesar series!

Announcing The Classical Society - https://theclassicalsociety.com

Part 1 of 3 of Caesar's Civil War series. The die is cast—Caesar crosses the Rubicon and plunges Rome into civil war. In this episode:

• The political crisis of 51-50 BCE as Caesar's enemies demand his recall from Gaul
• Curio's shocking defection and proposal that both Caesar and Pompey lay down arms
• The breakdown of negotiations and Pompey's fateful acceptance of command against Caesar
• His lightning campaign through Italy as cities surrender without a fight
• The siege of Corfinium and Caesar's revolutionary policy of clemency toward enemies
• Pompey's strategic retreat to Greece, abandoning Rome and splitting the Republic
• The brilliant Spanish campaign at Ilerda, showcasing Caesar's military genius
• The brutal siege of Marseille and Caesar's appointment as Dictator

Caesar's own account reveals a man driven not by revolutionary ambition, but by wounded dignity and the desperate need to defend his honor against enemies who would destroy him through partisan prosecution.

As Lucan wrote of this cosmic struggle: "Of civil wars and worse waged on Thessalian fields / Of crime made law we sing, how a powerful people / Turned on its own heart its conquering hand."

The war that would transform Rome forever begins not with grand ideology, but with Caesar's refusal to submit to humiliation—and his enemies' fatal miscalculation of the man they sought to crush.

Works Cited

Kurt Raaflaub (ed.), The Landmark Julius Caesar
Matthias Gelzer, Caesar: Politician and Statesman
Erich Gruen, Last Generation of the Roman Republic

Thanks to our sponsor, Ai Labs. Visit austinlab.ai to chat with a team member about custom Agentic AI power solutions for your SMB to Enterprise level business.  Powered by Shokworks.

Also Thanks Dr. Richard Johnson, the Crassus to this Caesar series!

Announcing The Classical Society - https://theclassicalsociety.com

Part 2 of 3 of the Life of Julius Caesar. In this episode:

• Caesar forms the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus, uniting Rome's most powerful men
• His revolutionary consulship of 59 BCE bypasses Senate opposition through popular assemblies
• The brilliant staging of the Gallic conquest, using allies and tribal conflicts as pretexts for expansion
• His management of Rome through letters while commanding armies across Gaul
• The death of Julia and Crassus fractures the political alliance holding Rome together
• Vercingetorix's rebellion culminates in the decisive siege of Alesia, securing Gaul for Rome

Caesar transforms both Rome and Gaul forever through calculated strategy, personal magnetism, and relentless ambition—all while his enemies in Rome, led by Cato, plot his downfall and convince Pompey to turn against him, setting the stage for civil war.

Thanks to our sponsor, Ai Labs. Visit austinlab.ai to chat with a team member about custom Agentic AI power solutions for your SMB to Enterprise level business.  Powered by Shokworks.

Also Thanks Dr. Richard Johnson, the Crassus to this Caesar series!

Announcing The Classical Society - https://theclassicalsociety.com

The much awaited series on Julius Caesar begins, with the inaugural episode: "Man of Destiny".

In this episode:

• Caesar's formative years in the shadow of Sulla's dictatorship
• His early political boldness and refusal to divorce Cornelia
• The capture by pirates and his merciless revenge
• Caesar's rise through the ranks of Roman politics as Quaestor and Aedile
• The Catilinarian conspiracy and Caesar's narrow escape from execution
• His famous ambition: "I would rather be first man here than second at Rome"

A tale of charm, audacity, and calculated risk as a young aristocrat from a modest branch of an ancient family navigates the treacherous waters of late Republican politics. Caesar—stylish, charismatic, deeply in debt, and dangerously ambitious—sets himself against the legacy of Sulla while methodically building a coalition that would eventually transform Rome forever.

Thanks to our sponsor, Ai Labs. Visit austinlab.ai to chat with a team member about custom Agentic AI power solutions for your SMB to Enterprise level business.  Powered by Shokworks.

Also Thanks Dr. Richard Johnson, the Crassus to this Caesar series!

A conversation with Dr. Brent Seales, professor of computer science at the University of Kentucky and a modern day Indiana Jones who has been using advanced technology to restore and redeem cultural and historical artifacts from the ravages of time.

In this episode:

• The 'virtual unwrapping' of the Vesuvius scrolls
• Unearthing an entire new Renaissance
• Brent's encounters with Silicon Valley and some DOGE members
• The long-term future of this project

A conversation w/ Kevin Dolan on Kings of Sparta, Anti-Natalist Roman Aristocrats, and whether Christianity destroyed or saved Rome.

Join me at the Natal Conference, March 28-29, 2025, in Austin, TX!  https://natalism.org

Find Kevin on X at https://x.com/extradeadjcb

A conversation with Doyle Glass, author of Swift Sword, The True Story of the Marines of MIKE 3/5 in Vietnam, 4 September 1967. 

Intro Story featuring BlackJack Mulligan.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackjack_Mulligan)

In this episode:
Mastering Fear in Combat

A lawyer's journey to becoming an artist and an author
The ambush begins: "The tree line stood up"
Clear headed leadership of Lieutenant Murray
The heroic Father Capodanno
Larry Peters' Sacrifice to Save His Squad

The powerful psychology of accepting death in combat
"With the Old Breed" war classic by Eugene Sledge

Man of Mystery Robert Benoist

Cato's Afterlife, Takeaways, Sources.

Some Modern Sources:

Rome's Last Citizen, by Goodman and Soni
Uncommon Wrath, by Osgood
Cato the Younger by Drogula

The Finale, of the life of Cato the Younger. In this episode:

• The burning of the Senate house after Clodius' murder in 52 BCE
• Cato's failed bid for consulship and his hardline stance against Caesar
• The outbreak of civil war and Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon
• Cato's final days and dramatic suicide

A tale of principle and paradox, Cato's resolute stand for Republican values helped precipitate its own downfall. His death at Utica - dramatic, philosophical, and on his own terms - marked not just the end of his life but symbolically, the end of the Roman Republic itself.

Check out Becoming the Main Character.  Here's a link to the Moby Dick episode.

Part 2 of 3 of the Life of Cato the Younger. In this episode:

• Cato confronts the rising power of Caesar and Pompey in the Senate
• The scandalous note from Servilia that backfired on Cato
• His principled handling of the Cyprus annexation mission
• The formation of the First Triumvirate and Cato's resistance
• His memorable year as Praetor and battles against corruption
• The death of Julia and Crassus sets the stage for civil war

A story of political intrigue, street violence, and the struggle to preserve Republican institutions against the rising tide of populist strongmen. At the heart of it all stands Cato, refusing to compromise his principles even as Rome's political system crumbles around him.