Caesar almost loses it all, in part 2 of our series on Caesar’s masterwork of psychology, strategy, and propaganda: On the Gallic War (De Bello Gallico).
 
This is a world-history making story (the conquest of what’s now modern France), told by a world-history making storyteller. 

Caesar entered Gaul as a mere politician. He returned 9 years later as a conqueror - and an enemy of the state. He tells how it all happened with his own pen.

In this episode:
-A conspiracy of the powerful, warlike Belgae (Belgian tribes).
-The battle of the Sabis, against the Nervii
-Caesar's terrifying siege tactics

Subscribe to the CoG Substack to get high quality transcripts w/ MAPS AND IMAGES.  Here's the one for this episode.

This episode is sponsored by our very generous sponsor, Dr. Richard Johnson, an avid Cost of Glory listener. Thanks Richard!

The beginning of a new series on Caesar’s masterwork of psychology, strategy, and propaganda: On the Gallic Wars (De Bello Gallico). It’s a world-history making story (the conquest of what’s now modern France), told by a world-history making storyteller. 

Caesar entered Gaul as a mere politician. He returned 9 years later as a conqueror - and an enemy of the state. He tells how it all happened with his own pen.

I’m having a blast revisiting this classic, and I think you will too.

Subscribe to the CoG Substack to get high quality transcripts w/ MAPS AND IMAGES - here's the one for this episode.

This episode is sponsored by Ancient Language Institute. If you want to be like Caesar, you should learn an ancient language (Caesar knew Greek in addition to his native Latin). The Ancient Language Institute will help you do just that. Registration is now open (till August 10th) for their Fall term where you can take advanced classes in Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, and Old English.

Johnathan Bi left success in the startup world to focus on researching the deep ideas that power the world, and has recently launched his series on the Great Books of the West, starting with his lecture on Nietzsche.

In this episode:

• What is Rousseau’s impact on the world?
• Johnathan’s Journey towards the Great Thinkers and their Books
• The Duality of Heroism & Rousseau as Hero Worshipper
• Rousseau’s balanced treatments of Nietzsche’s Ideas
• Why do we need Heroes?
• The Difference between Desire for Power and Execution of that Power
• Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs and their Selfish Desire for Glory
• The Hero vs. The Citizen
• The Degeneration of Modern Languages
• The Core of Nietzsche’s Interest in the Great Heroes of the Past
• Tech Startups are Non-Egalitarian!
• Rome Against Judea

Resources mentioned:

• Johnathan’s Interview and Lecture Series: Great Books of the West
• Rousseau’s Discourse on This Question: Which Is the Virtue Most Necessary for a Hero and Which Are the Heroes Who Lacked This Virtue?
• Johnathan’s Newsletter

Subscribe to our Substack for transcripts and updates!
Show transcript here

An interview with Johnny Burtka, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He is a graduate of Hillsdale College, and his most recent book is titled “Gateway to Statesmanship—Selections from Xenophon to Churchill”.

In this episode:

• The Mirrors for Princes tradition
• Obstacles as a Ladder to Greatness
• The Potency of Xenophon’s ‘Education of Cyrus’
• The Leadership Qualities of Cyrus
• The Complex Enduring Power of Cicero’s ‘On Duties’
• Cultivating Greatness of Soul and the Magnitudo Animi of Churchill
• Machiavelli as Practitioner, not Political Philosopher
• Where should an 18-year old dedicate himself to?
• Washington’s Farewell Address as a Beautiful Political Text

Books Mentioned:

• Gateway to Statesmanship—Selections from Xenophon to Churchill by Johnny Burtka
• Education of Cyrus by Xenophon
• On Duties by Cicero
• The Founders: The Story of PayPal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley by Jimmy Soni
• Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts

For the episode transcript, be sure to subscribe to my Substack!

Thanks to our sponsor Intercollegiate Studies Institute! Check out their programs on supporting quality thought and intellectual life in and after your college years.

An interview with Nat Friedman, former CEO of GitHub and creator of the Vesuvius Challenge, which aims to crack the riddles of the Herculaneum Papyri.

In this episode:

• The Genesis of the Vesuvius Challenge
• Early Attempts to Open the Scrolls
• Using a Particle Accelerator to Scan the Scrolls!
• Partnering with Daniel Gross and Brent Seales
• Nat’s Childhood experience with Open-source Communities
• How to Design Prize Incentives for a Complex Contest
• Doing Crazy, Strange and Risky Projects
• A Possible Resurgence of Epicureanism?

For the episode transcript, be sure to subscribe to my Substack!

An interview with Pano Kanelos, the founding president of the University of Austin and the former President of St. John’s College, Annapolis.

In this episode:

• How founding a university is like running a diner
• The flourishing of American universities in the 19th century
• How old philosophers were men of action
• The Intellectual Foundations Program at UATX
• How The Brothers Karamazov explains our current moment
• Pursuing Greatness by finding your North Star
• Plutarch on self-reflection
• Why Heroes and Truth-tellers are needed when forming communities
• Analyzing the opening scene from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
  
  

In which we follow the lead of Plutarch and study Pompey's character and analyze what we can learn from the life of Pompey the Great, by comparing him to King Agesilaus of Sparta, whom Plutarch paired him with. 

Sources and Further Reading for the Life of Pompey:  

John Leach, Pompey the Great: https://amzn.to/3UxOsW8 

Robin Seager, Pompey: a Political Biography: https://amzn.to/3UPpeUg 

Gareth Sampson: Rome's Great Eastern War, Lucullus, Pompey and the Conquest of the East: https://amzn.to/3wrVGD1 

-The Battle of Dyrrhachium: https://amzn.to/3wp4Wro 

-The Battle of Pharsalus: https://amzn.to/3ULWJHk 

-"Rome in Crisis" Penguin edition of Plutarch: 

https://amzn.to/4b2WgGv  (feat. Lives of Sertorius, Lucullus, and Cato the Younger) 

 -"Fall of the Roman Republic" Penguin Plutarch Volume: https://amzn.to/4a7vpYw  (feat. Lives of Sulla, Crassus, Pompey, Caesar, and Cicero) 

Life of Pompey Part 3 of 3: Pompey's final rise to the heights of Roman power, his war with his friend Julius Caesar, and his final downfall.  

People:

(M. Tullius) Cicero 

(Titus Pomponius) Atticus 

C. Julius Caesar 

Cn. Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) 

Julia, Caesar's Daughter 

(M. Licinius) Crassus 

(L. Domitius) Ahenobarbus - Optimate Stalwart (Cos. 54) 

(M. Porcius) Cato "The Younger" - the Stoic 

(M. Calpurnius) Bibulus - Cos. 59 

P. Clodius Pulcher - Populist Thug lord 

(T. Annius) Milo - Pompey's Thug lord 

M. Caelius (Rufus) - Cicero's young political analyst friend 

Publius Licinius Crassus - The Richest Man's Son 

Cornelia - Pompey's final wife 

(Q. Caecilius) Metellus (Pius) Scipio - Pompey's new Father in Law 

Aulus Gabinius - Pompey's friend, exiled after Egyptian expedition 

Ptolemy XII Auletes ("The Piper") - exiled king of Egypt 

(C. Scribonius) Curio - Optimate turncoat, Caesar's tribune 

M. Antonius (Mark Antony) 

M. Claudius Marcellus - Optimate stalwart (Cos 51) 

C. Claudius Marcellus - Optimate stalwart (Cos. 50, cousin of Cos. 51) 

M. Favonius - "Stamp, Pompey!" Senator 

Themistocles - Athenian statesman 

Camillus - 4th c. BC Roman statesman 

T. Labienus - Caesar's general, deserted to Pompey 

(M. Junius) Brutus - Future Conspirator 

Theophanes of Mytilene - the Historian 

Crassianus - Caesar's centurion at Pharsalus 

Cratippus of Pergamon - Philosopher at Mytilene 

Ptolemy XIII - Boy king of Egypt 

Potheinus - Ptolemy XIII's Eunuch 

Achillas - Ptolemy XIII's General 

Theodotus - Ptolemy XIII's Rhetoric Teacher 

Philippus - Pompey's freedman   

Places: 

The Roman Forum 

The Tiber River 

Parthia 

Carrhae (Battle of) - in Mesopotamia (Parthian Empire) 

Gaul (Mod. France) 

Pompey's Theater ("Temple of Venus") 

Alesia (Battle of) - in Gaul 

Naples (Neapolis) 

Ravenna (N. Italy, "Cisalpine Gaul" then) 

Rubicon River 

Ariminum (Rimini) 

Corfinium - Italian town in the Apennines 

Brundisium - Eastern Port in Italy 

Dyrrhachium (Mod. Durrës) - in Epirus (Rom. province of Macedonia) 

Thessaly - large plain in central Greece 

Pharsalus - town in Thessaly 

Tempē - Valley in Thessaly 

Mytilene - City on island of Lesbos 

Pompey becomes Rome’s greatest conqueror, and empire builder, but faces even greater trials back home in Rome. 

People 

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, "Pompey the Great"
Sulla Felix, the Dictator 

Pompey 

The Pirates 

Posidonius the Stoic 

Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus 

Lucius Licinius Lucullus 

Cicero, the Orator 

Manilius, the Tribune 

Julius Caesar 

Theophanes of Mytilene 

Queen Monime 

Tigranes the Great of Armenia 

Tigranes the Younger, Prince 

Albani(ans) of Caucasus 

Iberians of Caucasus 

King Phraates of Parthia 

The Parthians 

Antiochus XIII, Seleucid King 

Aretas, King of the Nabatean Arabs 

Aristobulus of Judea 

Hyrcanus of Judea 

Aulus Gabinius 

Josephus (Jewish Historian) 

Marcus Licinius Crassus, Richest Man in Rome 

Marcus Porcius Cato (the Younger) 

Metellus Celer 

Metellus Nepos 

M. Calpurnius Bibulus 

Publius Clodius Pulcher, Slum Lord 

Milo 

Julia 

Domitius Ahenobarbus 

Places 

Sicily 

Sardinia 

Corsica 

North Africa 

Rhodes 

Cilicia 

Cappadocia 

Galatia 

Armenia 

Artaxata  

Mt Ararat 

Sophene 

Syria 

Bithynia 

Pontus 

Caucasus 

Colchis 

Albania (Caucasus) 

Iberia (Caucasus) 

Bosphoran Kingdom (Crimea / Azov) 

Damascus 

Petra (Arabia) 

Judea 

Jordan River Valley 

Jericho 

Jerusalem 

Campus Martius 

Alban Hills / Lake / Villa 

Luca 

Image: The Triumph of Pompey, Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, 1765. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pompey, the Great.  Part 1 of 3.  Pompey's rise to become one of Rome's greatest generals - before he's even old enough to hold office.  How he got the nickname of "Kid Butcher" or "The Butcher Boy".

Thanks to our Sponsor, Intercollegiate Studies Institute! www.isi.org

Key Names: 
Agesilaus of Sparta 
Julius Caesar 
Alexander the Great 
Pompeius STRABO (father) 
Social War 
Gaius MARIUS (populist consul) 
Lucius Cornelius CINNA (populist consul) 
Lucius Cornelius SULLA (optimate consul & dictator) 
MITHRIDATES - King of Pontus 
Gnaeus Papirius CARBO (populist consul)  
Antistia (first wife) 
Marcus Licinius CRASSUS 
Marcus Aemilus LEPIDUS (rebel consul) 
Marcus Junius BRUTUS (Father of the conspirator) 
Quintus Lutatius CATULUS (optimate stalwart) 
Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Caecilus METELLUS PIUS (P's fellow general in Spain)
Marcus PERPERNA (populist ally of Sertorius)
Spartacus
Marcus Terentius VARRO (the scholar)
Lucius Licinius LUCULLUS (rival general)
Quintus HORTENSIUS Hortalus (optimate stalwart) 
Aulus GABINIUS (P's tribune buddy)
The Pirates
"Quirites" (the Roman citizenry) 

Key Places: 
Rome 
Picenum 
Asculum 
North Africa
Mutina
Spain 
Lauron
Sucro River
Ostia (Rome's port)

[Jeremy Giffon on Invest like the Best Podcast, ep. 336: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Vdv5i250hF6EfzOTML9RE?si=98bacff34a7244e9]