Emperors of Rome

Emperors of Rome episodes:

• 04.11.2024

  Episode CCXXII - A Stolen Election (The Catiline Conspiracy III)

  Catiline attempted to become consul of Rome more than once, and its a position he believes he deserves. When he fails in his efforts and Cicero is elected he attempts to force the issue, conspiring with all those who have...

  
• 03.28.2024

  Episode CCXXI - An Entire Farrago (The Catiline Conspiracy II)

  Catiline doesn’t have the best reputation in Rome, and in the years after his failed conspiracy he has been implicated in every failed plot of that time. Was he involved in them? Possibly. Part II of The Catiline Conspiracy Guest: Associate...

  
• 03.15.2024

  Episode CCXX - A Disordered Mind (The Catiline Conspiracy I)

  Catiline is a notorious figure of the Roman republic, a longtime rival of Cicero who, after repeated attempts at the consulship decided to push the matter by force. In this episode we look at his character, his role in the...

  
• 02.21.2024

  Episode CCXIX - Hispala Faecena and the Bacchanalia Conspiracy

  Hispala Faecena was instrumental in bringing the cult of Bacchus to the attention of Roman authorities, ending a conspiracy that was threatening lives and the rule of law. Guest: Dr Emma Southon (Author of ‘A History of the Roman Empire in...

  
• 02.08.2024

  Episode CCXVIII - Martial on the Emperors

  Martial was a Roman poet primarily writing during the reign of Domitian, and while primarily known for his commentary on Roman life, his takedowns, his insults and vulgarity, in this episode we look at how he toes the careful line...

  
• 12.15.2023

  Episode CCXVII - Angeronalia

  Yes, it’s that festive time of year again, when you gather all ye merry people with sore throats, stand around a statue with its mouth covered, and keep the sacred name of Rome safe. Guest: Associate Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classics and...

  
• 10.27.2023

  Episode CCXVI - A Roman Haunting in Three Parts

  A dire warning from the spirit of Africa! A Haunting in Athens! And someone cuts the hair of Pliny’s freedman. Pliny the Younger presents a Roman Haunting in Three Parts. Guest: Associate Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University).

  
• 09.27.2023

  Episode CCXV - The Unconquered Sun

  Aurelian is known as a conqueror, a general and a restorer, and his reputation is based on those achievements. But in his short rule of five years, he was also an Emperor, and made efforts to leave his mark on...

  
• 08.25.2023

  Episode CCXIV - Aurelian, Restorer of the Age

  Aurelian has seen off vandals, goths, and conquered the forces of Zenobia to reclaim the east. But to the west lies the Gallic Empire, once firm territory of Rome, awaiting his attention. Part III of ‘Aurelian’ Guest: Associate Professor Caillan Davenport (Head...

  
• 08.04.2023

  Episode CCXIII - Zenobia

  The weakness of Rome was the strength of Palmyra, and the east came to be be ruled by the Queen Zenobia. Cultured and ambitious, her empire stretched from Egypt to Turkey, which made her a formidable challenge for Aurelian. Part II...

  
• 07.14.2023

  Episode CCXII - Aurelian, the Restorer of the World

  Aurelian became Emperor of a fractured empire. To the west the Gallic Empire had been established ten years earlier, the eastern provinces were now controlled by Zenobia, and there were threats from the vandals in the North. To unite an...

  
• 06.23.2023

  Episode CCXI - Claudius Gothicus

  The treacherous death of Gallienus saw the rise of a man of war. Claudius Gothicus definitely earned his title, but with a reign of only two years perhaps he made the right kind of impact without the time to leave...

  
• 06.08.2023

  Episode CCX - A Lesson in Latin III

  What Latin words and concepts for time are still with us today? Guest: Associate Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University).

  
• 05.12.2023

  Episode CCIX - A Diminished Rome

  While much of the Roman Empire was lost during the rule of Gallienus, We don’t really know how much of that is his fault, or really get a sense of his reign. Was he responsible for the loss of territory,...

  
• 04.28.2023

  Episode CCVIII - Odaenathus, King of Kings

  As the Roman empire lost the western provinces something very different was happening in the east. Odaenathus remained on the side of Rome, but assumed the title of King, building his influence throughout the region, to the point where it...

  
• 03.29.2023

  Episode CCVII - The Gallic Empire

  A challenge to the imperial authority was hardly unusual in the third century, but for whatever reason, Postumus decides to do things differently. Rather than marching an army on Rome he shaves off the western provinces, declaring Gaul, Germania, Hispania...

  
• 03.17.2023

  Episode CCVI - Rome Crumbles

  When the Emperor Valerian was captured by the enemy what the empire needed was a trusted, capable, firm set of hands to take on the imperial mantle. In retrospect, that probably wasn’t his son Gallienus. For the next eight years...

  
• 03.03.2023

  Episode CCV - Cleopatra Selene

  Cleopatra Selene was the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, and was destined for greatness. Following the death of her parents she became a prisoner of Rome, survived into adulthood, and became a queen of the ancient world. Dr Draycott is...

  
• 02.03.2023

  Episode CCIV - Octavian's Illyrian War

  Part of the making of Octavian was the victories he had early in his career. He defeated his rivals, conquered territory, and united the senate behind him whether they liked it or not. One of those territories was Illyria, in which...

  
• 01.09.2023

  Episode CCIII - Augustan Egypt

  Egypt was a valuable province to Rome, with natural wealth and successful agriculture. Thanks to an arid climate there’s also a number of preserved papyri from that era, providing modern scholarship with an invaluable paper-trail on the administration at the...

  
• 12.09.2022

  Episode CCII - The Death of Cleopatra and Antony

  With Octavian triumphant at the Battle of Actium the scene is finally set for a dramatic showdown in Alexandria. Cleopatra and Antony, a couple famous for their strategy and volatility will pay the ultimate price for resisting Rome, leaving Octavian...

  
• 11.10.2022

  Episode CCI - Actium

  In 31 BCE one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships, almost 200,000 men, and one woman. The forces of Octavian, Antony and Cleopatra would square off for control of the mediterranean, and...

  
• 10.27.2022

  Episode CC - Cleopatra and Antony (Live in Melbourne)

  When Cleopatra and Antony stood side by side they were at the pinnacle of power. Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was the queen of an ancient civilisation, and heir to the unmatched cultural achievements of Greece. Marcus Antonius of Rome contended...

  
• 10.12.2022

  Episode CXCIX - Sextus Pompeius

  Sextus Pompeius was the youngest son of Pompey the Great, and was responsible for leading the last great resistance of the Roman republic against Octavian and Mark Antony. While he made the most of his late father’s reputation, Sextus was...

  
• 10.04.2022

  Episode CXCVIII - Octavia

  Octavia was, in many ways, the very model of a modern Roman matron. As the older sister to Octavian, later Augustus, and a wife of the powerful figure Antony, she was respected and admired by her contemporaries for her loyalty,...

  
• 09.15.2022

  Episode CXCVII - The Perusine War

  With Antony distracted with developments in the east, Fulvia finds herself in the familiar position of advocating for her husband’s interests. This escalated to a war with Octavian, the outcome of which would leave Fulvia isolated. Guest: Dr Rhiannon Evans (Associate...

  
• 08.31.2022

  Episode CXCVI - Fulvia

  Fulvia came from a Roman noble family and is strongly associated with a string of influential husbands, most notably Mark Antony. She was influential and powerful in her own way, and would go on to play an important role in...

  
• 08.11.2022

  Episode CXCV - Q and A VIII

  For the eighth time, listeners provide questions and Rhiannon and Matt answer! In this episode: - Was Antony rehabilitated? - Did Classical Latin have regional dialects? - How did Romans celebrate their birthday? - Who was the first true Roman emperor? - How much...

  
• 07.27.2022

  Episode CXCIV - Sea Monsters in Roman Mythology

  Rome has always been a sea-faring power, relying on the Mediterranean for food and trade. But what lies beneath the waves can chill the hearts of mortal men, and tales of aquatic horrors were common in antiquity. Guest: Dr Gillian Shepherd...

  
• 07.14.2022

  Episode CXCIII - The Humiliation of Caesar (Valerian III)

  With enemies to confront in every direction, Valerian heads back to the east where Shapur and the Parthians are once again threatening the borders of the Roman empire. While Valerian anticipates a victory, what is to come is the greatest...

  
• 07.01.2022

  Episode CXCII - The Persecution of Christians (Valerian II)

  Religious persecution wasn’t a new thing for Rome, but under the rule of Valerian they intensified. Christians were now the specified target, but the executions and confiscation of property did little to help the stability of the empire. Episode II of...

  
• 06.13.2022

  Episode CXCI - Empire Under Siege (Valerian)

  When Valerian became emperor in 253CE Rome was fighting on all fronts. With Shapur and the Syrians taking territory in the east, and Germanic tribes to the west and the north, the empire was going to get messy for Valerian...

  
• 05.26.2022

  Episode CXC - I, Augustus (with Brian Blessed)

  Brian Blessed is a treasured British actor who for our purposes will fondly be remembered for his iconic role as Emperor Augustus in the 1976 BBC television series I, Claudius. Brian dominated the screen with his performance and we were...

  
• 05.20.2022

  Episode CLXXXIX - Nero and the Great Fire of Rome (Live in Canberra)

  On the night of 18 July, 64 CE, a fire broke out in the Circus Maximus at Rome. It raged for nine days, destroying or damaging ten of the city’s fourteen regions. Was the fire just a terrible accident? Or...

  
• 05.11.2022

  Episode CLXXXVIII - How to Win a Consular Election

  Every year Rome held an election in which two senators were chosen for the role of consul. Being elected consul was a great honour, and the position was hotly contested, and a successful campaign depended upon the candidate’s military achievements,...

  
• 04.29.2022

  Episode CLXXXVII - The Battle of Philippi

  More than two years have passed since the death of Caesar, and we now find our story at the final battle of the Liberator’s war. Octavian and Mark Antony lead their forces west to confront Cassius and Brutus, who have...

  
• 04.21.2022

  Episode CLXXXVI - Proscriptions

  Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus have secured their alliance against Caesar’s assassins, and since they have control of Rome, it’s time for them to get rid of any competition. Proscribing an enemy means they will likely be executed, and their...

  
• 03.29.2022

  Episode CLXXXV - The Second Triumvirate

  After his victory in at Mutina, Octavian desired honours that the senate declined to award him. This led him to re-evaluate who his enemy truly was, and make an alliance with the recently defeated Mark Antony. Part IV of ‘The...

  
• 03.21.2022

  Episode CLXXXIV - The Siege of Mutina

  As Antony heads north he finds the city of Mutina defended by Decimus Brutus. Antony lays siege, but he doesn’t count on a young Octavian leading the army to confront him. Part III of ‘The Liberator’s War’ Guest: Dr Rhiannon Evans (Associate...

  
• 02.26.2022

  Episode CLXXXIII - Philippics

  As the power struggle in Rome continued and generals waged their war on the battlefield, Cicero took to the floors of the senate, confronting Antony with the greatest weapon in his arsenal: the spoken word. He called his speeches the...

  
• 02.08.2022

  Episode CLXXXII - The Empty Throne

  Caesar’s death created a power vacuum in the city of Rome. While Antony struggled against the senate to make a deal and assert his dominance, Octavian’s imminent arrival presented a rival he couldn’t anticipate. Part I of ‘The Liberator’s War’ Guest: Dr...

  
• 01.27.2022

  Episode CLXXXI - Crucifixion

  Crucifixion was a Roman practise or torture and execution that proved a popular punishment for slaves and enemies of Rome When crucified an individual was nailed to a cross or a piece of wood and left in the elements to...

  
• 01.12.2022

  Episode CLXXX - The Fort

  The Roman fort functioned as a base of operations for the army, a defensive and functional structure that could protect both the frontier of the Roman Empire and the supply lines. Guest: Dr Adrian Goldsworthy (historian and author, whose most recent...

  
• 12.16.2021

  Episode CLXXIX - Q and A VII

  For the seventh time, listeners provide questions and Rhiannon and Matt answer! In this episode: - What happened to the original sources - Did the Romans have dogs, and how did they use them? - What types of jobs did...

  
• 12.07.2021

  Episode CLXXVIII - Witches in Roman Literature

  Romans had the reality of witches, those who made the brews and prepared the curses, but also the witches of fiction. In their poems and stories, a witch took on a horrific persona, one that skews much more closely to...

  
• 11.15.2021

  Episode CLXXVII - Witches in the Roman World

  Romans had the reality of witches, those who made the brews and prepared the curses, but also the witches of fiction. In their poems and stories, a witch took on a horrific persona, one that skews much more closely to...

  
• 10.31.2021

  Episode CLXXVI – The Apology of Apuleius

  When Apuleius married his friend’s mother, little did he realise that it would lead to a charge of sorcery, with a raft of seemingly innocent actions from buying a mirror to writing bad poetry bought up in front of the...

  
• 10.09.2021

  Episode CLXXV - The Murder of Pedanius Secundus

  When Pedanius Secunus was murdered by his slave the law was precise - every slave in his household, every man, woman and child, would be crucified as punishment. The law that allowed this was the Senatus Consultum Silanianum, It existed...

  
• 09.22.2021

  Episode CLXXIV - Boudicca

  In 60CE Rome came close to losing the province of Britannia in an uprising led by the warrior queen Boudicca, who united the tribes in the area, destroyed several Roman settlements and defeated part of a Roman legion. She has become...

  
• 09.10.2021

  Episode CLXXIII - Arminius

  There were few enemies of the Romans who had as much success as Arminius. One of the Germani who fought at their side, he was able to unite the disparate tribes, lure three Roman legions into a trap, and defeat...