Life Of Caesar

By Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

History

What's Life Of Caesar about?

A long-form podcast about the lives of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

4.5

375375 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Life Of Caesar episodes:

12.09.2023
Galba #1 – Republic Schmublic
In our last episode, we finished on June 9, 68. Nero was 30 years and six months old. He had ruled for 13 years and 8 months. On June 10, 68, while he was still in Spain, The Senate declared...
12.06.2022
Nero #47 – THE END
News of Galba’s betrayal makes its way to Nero who is shocked into action. He sends troops to stop Galba - but they switch sides and join the conspiracy. Nero goes into hiding with the intent of running away to...
11.18.2022
Nero #46 – The Last Straw
Nero celebrates two official triumphs. Not for military victories, but for singing. It’s the last straw. A new rebellion is formed, lead by Vindex and Galba.
11.01.2022
Nero #45 – Grand Slam
Nero didn’t visit Athens or Sparta while in Greece because he was scared of religious and political retribution. Besides, he was too busy trying to become the periodonikes, the Grand Slam champion of all of the Games. But things weren’t...
10.22.2022
Nero #44 – Horny Dolphins
The year is 67 CE. Nero is still on his 14 month tour of Greece. He dropped into the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and tickled the Omphalos.
09.30.2022
Nero #43 – To the Deuce!
It’s 67 CE. Before he sets out for his World Tour of Greece, Nero first needs to insult the Senate, then he needs to deal with a new conspiracy, this one involving Corbulo. While Greece, he becomes unhappy with Vespasian...
09.17.2022
Nero #42 – Dude Looks Like A Lady
Nero gets, not one, but TWO new wives. One of them is a dude.
08.29.2022
Nero #41 – The Stuff of Genius
Nero’s first attempt at building a single property that covered his estates on the Palatine Hill and the Esquiline Hill was The Domus Transitoria, the House of Passage. It burned down in the Great Fire. He replaced it with the...
08.20.2022
Nero #40 – The Golden House
Nero built his Domus Aurea between 64-68 and, in doing so, revolutionised Roman architecture. He also built a massive statue of himself, because, hey, why not?
08.12.2022
Nero #39 – Closing His Janus
Nero was a lover, not a fighter. Not a great leader of armies. He thought of himself as an artist. He wanted to be on stage, not on horseback. He was very proud that he closed his Janus.
07.22.2022
Nero #38 – A Woman Woo’d
If you want to marry a woman, remember to kill her husband first
06.19.2022
Nero #37 – “Spare your ears”
The Stoics Thrasea and Soranus go on trial. And we run out of Tacitus.
06.11.2022
Nero #36 – Two Options
When you’ve been up to no good, and you get caught out, you have two options. Nero, like Ray, is a Number 2 kind of guy. In this episode, he goes after two significant Stoics, Thrasea Paetus and Barea Soranus,...
05.23.2022
Nero #35 – A Monotony Of Disaster
A family commits suicide together to escape Nero’s prosecution, while others just get stabbed to death. But Tacitus’ explanations for Nero’s behaviour still leave us scratching our heads.
05.13.2022
Nero #34 – A Reckless Spirit
Nero launches a series of attacks that result in the demise of certain members of the Roman elite. But why these particular people? And why now? We tease apart Tacitus to try to work out what’s really going on.
04.28.2022
Nero #33 – Michael Tremblay On Stoicism (part 2)
This is the second and final part of our interview with philosopher Michael Tremblay, talking about Seneca and stoicism.
04.15.2022
Nero #32 – Michael Tremblay On Stoicism (part 1)
With the recent demise on our show of Nero's favourite Stoic, Seneca, we wanted to go balls deep on Stoicism. To help us out, our guest Michael Tremblay, who has a PhD in philosophy, where he studied Stoic ethics and...
03.31.2022
Nero #31 – Wife Kicker
In the year 66, Nero gets taken on a wild goose chase, performs some lovely poetry and harp concerts… oh yeah, and he kicks his wife to death.
03.18.2022
Nero #30 – High Praise
This episode is brought to you by - legal weed! The Pisonian Conspiracy is over. Rewards are handed out to those who remained loyal. The Senate wants to make Nero a living god.
03.01.2022
Nero #29 – Seneca Falls
Next on the chopping block is Seneca, Nero’s old tutor and adviser and leading Stoic. Historians seem to think he wasn’t directly involved in the conspiracy - but he probably knew about it.
02.19.2022
Nero #28 – Piso Falls
Nero hunts down the main conspirators. Some of them are captured, while others help execute their own colleagues without betraying their allegiance to the cause. Piso is urged to mount the rostra in the Forum and make a case to...
02.08.2022
Nero #27 – A Betrayal Betrayed
The plot against Nero continues to gather momentum but is finally betrayed by a freedman, a day before shit was about to go down.
01.23.2022
Nero #26 – The Circus Games (take 3)
When one of the praetorian prefects joins the conspirators, they decide it's time to act. But they can't agree on a plan. It takes a woman to move things along.
01.22.2022
Nero #26 – The Circus Games (take 2)
When one of the praetorian prefects joins the conspirators, they decide it's time to act. But they can't agree on a plan. It takes a woman to move things along.
01.21.2022
Nero #26 – The Circus Games
When one of the praetorian prefects joins the conspirators, they decide it's time to act. But they can't agree on a plan. It takes a woman to move things along.
01.05.2022
Nero #25 – Effeminate Vice
We’re talking about the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65. Who started it and why? Theories involve an angry poet and an angry gay man seeking revenge.
12.25.2021
NERO #24 – The Pisonian Conspiracy
Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.
11.29.2021
NERO #23 – The Great Fire Of Rome
Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.
11.17.2021
NERO #22 – CONSTANTINE AT THE BRIDGE
Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.
11.11.2021
NERO #21 – PROMISCUOUS THONG
Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.
10.27.2021
Nero #20 – BEAST OF BURDEN
Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.
09.25.2021
Nero #19 – OH NO MENS
Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.
09.16.2021
Nero #18 – Eternal Decline Part 2
This is part two of a massive two-and-a-half-hour chat we had recently Edward J. Watts, a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author and editor of several prize-winning books, including THE FINAL PAGAN GENERATION, a...
09.04.2021
Nero #17 – Eternal Decline Part 1
Edward J. Watts is a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author and editor of several prize-winning books, including THE FINAL PAGAN GENERATION, a great book about HYPATIA, a book out about the collapse of...
08.13.2021
Nero #16 – Your Filthy Little Mouth
With Seneca out of the way, Tigellinus brings down the other prefect, Rufus. To strengthen his relationship with Nero, he increases his paranoia about the two men Nero had recently exiled for being threats to his power - Plautus and...
07.30.2021
Nero #15 – 400 Slaves
In the year 61, Nero deals with riots, treason, Stoics and the death of one of his key advisors.
07.30.2021
Nero #14 – Bloodshed And Destruction
Boudicea wins round one. But Suetonius has bloodshed and destruction on his mind.
07.10.2021
Nero #13 – Badass Boudicea
Corbulo finishes round one in Armenia and gets a promotion. Meanwhile in Britain, a certain queen decides to take on the Romans - Boudicea. Exactly why, though, is a bit of a mystery.
06.25.2021
Nero #12 – Filthy Rabble
Agrippina is dead and Nero decides to party. Tacitus disapproves. He doesn’t like Nero’s parties and he doesn’t like his poetry. But then a comet appears, and everyone assumes it means the end of Nero’s reign - so they start...
06.07.2021
Nero #11 – Stephen Dando-Collins
Stephen Dando-Collins is an Australian historical author, who, like me, once sold his soul to the gods of marketing and advertising but has been redeeming himself ever since. His new book is about the great Jewish - Roman war of...
05.29.2021
Nero #10 – All Manner Of Depravity
We examine the circumstances and theories surrounding the death of Agrippina.
05.15.2021
Nero #9 – When In Rome
Nero likes hanging out under bridges where he could “take his pleasures more freely” and this leads to trouble for Sulla’s great-great-great grandson. But Nero also wants to abolish taxes because he’s a dirty commie. Then the Germans start some...
04.30.2021
Nero #8 – “Abominations And Wickedness”
Nero likes hanging out under bridges where he could “take his pleasures more freely” and this leads to trouble for Sulla’s great-great-great grandson. But Nero also wants to abolish taxes because he’s a dirty commie. Then the Germans start some...
04.16.2021
Nero #7 – Salacious Stories
Tacitus shares some Salacious Stories from Nero's Rome in the year 58 CE - mostly about ambitious women.
03.26.2021
Nero #6 – ARMenia
There’s a war with Parthia, Rome’s boogeyman since they cut off the head of Crassus in 53 BCE, a hundred years earlier, and Nero sends Corbulo to deal with it. He whips his troops into order and kicks ass, wearing...
03.13.2021
Nero #5 – Fight Club
Nero starts his own Fight Club. Apart from that, the years of 56 - 58 were pretty good. Nero made some wise decisions (no doubt with the help of Seneca), showing moderation and generosity. He was turning out to be...
02.24.2021
Nero #4 – Nero The Murderer
This is where the story becomes really weird. Nero, up until now the golden child, suddenly becomes a cold murderer with the murder of Britannicus.
02.13.2021
Nero #3 – Nero In Love
In the first year of his rule, Nero was a big hit. He built a wooden amphitheatre in the Campus Martius, flooded it, and held a naval battle with sea monsters. In his gladiator shows, nobody died, not even criminals....
01.22.2021
Nero #2 – Nice Guy Nero
Nero becomes emperor on the murder of his step-father. He’s 16 or 17 years old. Why didn’t the Senate stop him? It might have something to do with Seneca and Burrus. Seneca wrote him a speech where he promised to...
01.15.2021
Nero #1 – The Last OG
This is the story of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Known to us as Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Or just “Nero”. On this episode, we ask - how is it possible that a man tutored and guided by one of the...

What's Life Of Caesar about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Life Of Caesar episodes:

Galba #1 – Republic Schmublic

Nero #47 – THE END

Nero #46 – The Last Straw

Nero #45 – Grand Slam

Nero #44 – Horny Dolphins

Nero #43 – To the Deuce!

Nero #42 – Dude Looks Like A Lady

Nero #41 – The Stuff of Genius

Nero #40 – The Golden House

Nero #39 – Closing His Janus

Nero #38 – A Woman Woo’d

Nero #37 – “Spare your ears”

Nero #36 – Two Options

Nero #35 – A Monotony Of Disaster

Nero #34 – A Reckless Spirit

Nero #33 – Michael Tremblay On Stoicism (part 2)

Nero #32 – Michael Tremblay On Stoicism (part 1)

Nero #31 – Wife Kicker

Nero #30 – High Praise

Nero #29 – Seneca Falls

Nero #28 – Piso Falls

Nero #27 – A Betrayal Betrayed

Nero #26 – The Circus Games (take 3)

Nero #26 – The Circus Games (take 2)

Nero #26 – The Circus Games

Nero #25 – Effeminate Vice

NERO #24 – The Pisonian Conspiracy

NERO #23 – The Great Fire Of Rome

NERO #22 – CONSTANTINE AT THE BRIDGE

NERO #21 – PROMISCUOUS THONG

Nero #20 – BEAST OF BURDEN

Nero #19 – OH NO MENS

Nero #18 – Eternal Decline Part 2

Nero #17 – Eternal Decline Part 1

Nero #16 – Your Filthy Little Mouth

Nero #15 – 400 Slaves

Nero #14 – Bloodshed And Destruction

Nero #13 – Badass Boudicea

Nero #12 – Filthy Rabble

Nero #11 – Stephen Dando-Collins

Nero #10 – All Manner Of Depravity

Nero #9 – When In Rome

Nero #8 – “Abominations And Wickedness”

Nero #7 – Salacious Stories

Nero #6 – ARMenia

Nero #5 – Fight Club

Nero #4 – Nero The Murderer

Nero #3 – Nero In Love

Nero #2 – Nice Guy Nero

Nero #1 – The Last OG