We’re jumping back into the narrative. The title might be a bit of a giveaway, yes yes, we’ll be talking about … pestilence! But before we get there we need to consider the circumstances.

Rome has been having lots of problems with their neighbours, particularly the Aequians and we’ve seen a shift in tactics from Aequians engaging in guerilla style raiding to seeking out the Romans in pitched battle. To say that Rome has been vexed by this is an understatement. Livy has offered some portents for the times ahead which, in a narrative history of Rome, can’t be good!

The

Livy kinds informs us of some dreadful details about a plague that is sweeping through the countryside. We take you through the grisly details from both Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus.

What

While Romans struggle just to stay alive, the Aequians and the Volscians consolidate their growing friendship of mutual convenience into a straight up alliance. This places Rome in a difficult spot between needing to keep her own allies – the Latins and the Hernicans – appeased as well as the knowledge that their previous irritations have formally combined forces.

…Other

Things

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In exciting news, we got together recently with the amazing and very hilarious gentleman of Totalus Rankium, Rob and Jaime, to discuss all things Augustus! We love their work on the Roman emperors and thought it would be great fun to see how all our different perspectives on Augustus shaped up in conversation.

The results are in!

The controversial politics of Augustus is central to the conversation and we’ll even take a spin on judging Augustus’ career against the categories developed by Totalus Rankium. We really enjoyed this collaboration and stay tuned because we’ll be delving into Tiberius next 🙂

Augustus is always a

The first problem is

63 BCE, 23rd of

• The son of Atia and C. Octavius. As is customary, they name their son after his father: C. Octavius. Suetonius Aug. 7 reports he is also known as Thurinus because of an ancestral connection with the Thurii region.

44 BCE, post the

• His adoption by Gaius Julius Caesar leads to the assumption of a new name. According to Appian BC 3.11, he begins to refer to himself as Caesar, son of Caesar – this is a different formulation than usual for adopted children. While Romans may have been expecting him to become known as C. Julius Caesar Octavianus, with a nod to his birth family, he instead takes a radical approach of renaming himself as though he were Caesar’s legitimate natal son rather than simply his grand-nephew adopted by will.
• Ancient historians tend to refer to him as Octavian for the period between 44-27 BCE. Octavian is a shortened version of Octavianus and it is a useful distinction to prevent confusion regarding which C. Julius Caesar is under discussion.

42 BCE onwards

• Construction begins on the temple to the deified Julius Caesar. This allows our main man to add something a little bit fancy to his name: he’s not just C. Julius Caesar son of Caesar, he is now C. Julius Caesar son of the God (C. Julius Caesar). It’s a bold political move!

27 BCE, 16th of January

• In the wake of the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BCE, and the ostensible restoration of the republic, he accepts the honorific ‘Augustus’, proposed to the senate by Munatius Plancus. He’d been using the military title imperator for some time, but his transformation from humble Octavius to Augustus is something of a zenith. He will be known as Augustus for the rest of his life.

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We’re back and as the title for this episode notes, you’re about to tune into the tale of some furious Romans! It is none other than Dr Rad and Dr G tracing the history of Rome from the founding of the city and ooooh boy are we heading back into that sweet Early Roman Republican narrative.

• Titus Quintius Capitolinus (cos. III)
• Quintus Fabius Vibulanus (cos. II)

• Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis
• Spurius (Servius) Furius Medullinus Fusus

We often talk about Broughton and this is a reference to the two volume set The Magistrates of the Roman Republic which is the result of a collaboration between the scholars Broughton and Patterson.

It’s a good question. A popular sentiment is that the Romans steal gods much like they take the territory of other people. This is not strictly true, but it is often challenging to identify indigenous deities with confidence and the tendency of Rome to adapt others’ divinities to their own purposes means that there’s potential of amalgamations of gods to take into account as well. As a prelude to the action, Dr G explores some of the details Dionysius of Halicarnassus examines for c. 466 BCE – relating to the dedication of a temple to Dius Fidius on the Quirinal Hill.

The Aequians have

Things to listen out

c. 464 BCE is a

These differences

How will Rome fare as the year progresses? Listen in to find out!

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We’re

So how

The

The

The

Spartacus

Join us as we explore all the details including the recent production by the Australian Ballet that Dr Rad had the great fortune to see!

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It’s a brand new edition of the Partial Historians covering the Early Roman Republic™! And as the title ‘A Fabian Abroad’ hints, the Fabians are back in the political scene!

• Titus Aemilius Mamercus (cos. II), previously consul in c. 470 BCE
• Quintus Fabius Vibulanus

• Spurius Postumius Albinus Regillensis
• Quintus Servilius Priscus (Structus) (cos II), previously consul in c. 468 BCE

• Titus Quintius Capitolinus
• Lucius Furius / Publius Furius Medullinus Fusus
• Aulus Verginius

There’s nothing we enjoy more than some controversy in the source material and oooo boy does the narrative get hazy with the return of a Fabian back in the scene. We explore some of the challenges with this situation in order to get a better sense of what might be happening in the family history.

The Fabians are not the only blast from the past worth considering in this year, but land reform is back on the agenda. The patricians have a great new plan for land re-distribution. We’ll explore just what the plebeians seem to have thought about this and consider some of the consequences as they play out.

Stay tuned for the appearance of the Roman allies,the Latins and Hernicans!

It’s a good question and there are some issues with our sources about just how Rome is managing their recent conquest of Antium.

Antium is one of theimportant port cities of the Volscii to the south of Rome, so the conquest of this region is bound to have some far reaching implications.

If your suspicion is that things are about to get messy, you’d be right. We’re on hand to sift through the controversies as Aemilius heads out towards Sabine territory and Fabius heads towards the Aequians…

Things to look forward to:

• The challenges Rome faces with her relationship with neighbouring territories continues apace in the following year.
• The increasing divergence in our source material
• General diplomatic mayhem including the possibility of kidnapping!

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What kind of drama could follow the career of uber patrician Appius Claudius? As it turns out, those Romans are really all about battle after battle! We’ve reached a hazy period in our historiography where the narratives of Livy and Dionysius start to diverge on specifics; some events play out over different years depending on the author.

The general consensus amongst historians is that these narratives are a reworking backwards from the period in which they were written. The argument follows that they become less and less reliable the farther back they go. Be that as it may, it is clear that Rome and her neighbours are each struggling to expand and hold the territories. Rome’s position of superiority in the region by the mid-Republic requires some explanation. And that’s where we come in 🙂

Consuls of c. 470 BCE

Lucius Valerius Potitus (cos. II)

Tiberius Aemilius Mamercus

Consuls of c. 469 BCE

Titus Numicus Priscus

Aulus Verginius Caelimontanus

Consuls of c. 468 BCE

Titus Quintius Capitolinus Barbatus (cos. II)

Quintus Servilius Priscus

We pick up the narrative deep in c. 470 BCE with the military exploits of the consuls Lucius Valerius Potitus and Tiberius Aemilius Mamercus. Both have a mission:

Valerius takes on the Aequians;

and Aemilius heads toward Sabine territory.

The most significant event amongst these campaigns is a great storm, considered an omen by the augurs. This disruption effectively puts an end to the Roman’s ambitions against the Aequians for this year.

c. 469 BCE is the consulship of Titus Numicus Priscus and Aulus Verginius Caelimontanus. Both are patricians, though the Numicii are later known as a plebeian family. Details about domestic politics are thin on the ground, but what we can be sure about is Rome’s continuing tussle with the surrounding peoples. There are Volscii incursions into Roman territory, and the consuls sally forth to meet the threat:

Numicius heads south towards Volscian territory;

while Verginius heads east for the Aequians.

The shoreline position of Antium means its a strategic city for Volscian operations. So its not surprising to see the Romans move in closer, taking smaller coastal settlements along the way. It’s clear the Romans mean to take Antium…but not before the end of the year!

c. 468 BCE sees Titus Quintius Capitolinus Barbatus and Quintus Servilius Priscus come into the consulship. Our sources differ on the election of these consuls and the also on the significance of agrarian reform in this year. Did the plebeians turn out for the election of the consuls or not? And if not, why not? Is land reform on the agenda this year or the following year? We consider the details!

Foreign threats continue to dominate proceedings:

Servilius marches against the Sabines;

Quintius takes on the Aequians and the Volscii.

There is a growing sense in our sources that the Aequians and the Volsci are banding together to fend off Roman aggression and this requires some special tactics from Quintius.

Listen in to find out all the details!

Battle After Battle

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We are deep in the conflict between between patricians and plebeians. One of the important consequences of the current struggles seems to be an increase in the number of tribunes. Dates for these kinds of things are very hazy indeed and there’s good reason to think that our sources, Dionysius and Livy, are both invested in offering a coherent narrative for why things are the way they appear to be by the late Republic.

With those sorts of caveats in mind, there appears to be five tribunes according to Livy: Gnaeus Siccius, Lucius Numitorius, Marcus Duellius, Spurius Icilius, and Lucius Mecilius!

We jump back into the narrative part way through c. 471 BCE. Our consuls are Titus Quintius Capitolinus Barbartus and Appius Claudius Sabinus and they represent different approaches to political engagement with the plebeians.

Quintius is moderate in his outlook while Appius Claudius is staunchly in favour of tradition. This has evident implications which we’ll explore in detail! Quintius leads forces against the Aequians in the east and Appius leads his forces against the Volscians in the south east. We explore just how differently things go for the two consuls in the field. This discussion includes:

c. 470 BCE kicks off with new consuls, Lucius Valerius Potitus (consul for the second time) and Tiberius Aemilius Mamercus consul. Both these consuls come with a bit of history to bring to the table and this makes things much more intriguing.

It’s at this point that our sources start to reveal something of their agendas. We tousle with the potential holes in Dionysius’ account about the rationale for people’s actions.

It will come as no surprise that agrarian reform is back on the table! The tribunes are interested in seeing the audit of the public land, first proposed in 486 BCE, take place. With new impetus with new consuls, the idea of reform is taken up by the Senate.

Notable speakers in the senate on the issue of land reform include:

We delve into the details of their arguments and explore the most intriguing consequence of them, which is the tribunes levelling a number of charges against Appius Claudius. You’ll want to listen closely to learn just how things go from there: The Rise and Rise of Appius Claudius

https://partialhistorians.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Episode-87-The-Rise-and-Rise-of-Appius-Claudius.mp3

For this episode, Dr G is reading Dionysius of Halicarnassus Roman Antiquities 9.50-54 and Dr Radness is reading Livy 2.57-61.

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Our jaunt through the history of ancient Rome continues apace! In this episode we cover c. 472-1 BCE. Dr Radness is reading Livy and Dr G is reading Dionysius of Halicarnassus and the comparisons of our sources is quite something! The main stars are the tribunes Volero and Laertorius.

Dr G gets excited about disease running rampant in Rome and connections with the Vestal Virgins, particularly Urbinia. The pestilence seems to be attacking pregnant women leading to widespread fear. This leads to a discussion of the vagaries of pontifical investigations into the Vestal college. But it is significant that Livy doesn’t mention it and the pestilence seems to be something of a narrative device for Dionysius…

Volero experiences a political rise in fortune becoming tribune of the plebs. And boy does he go for it! We delve into the differences between the comitia curiata and the comitia tributa because Volero starts to push for changes to the voting system for tribunes. This proposal garners quite a lot of tribunician support. But it will come as no surprise that this move doesn’t sit well with the patricians.

While the patricians stall proceedings, Volero is chosen tribune for a second time. The upshot of this is that the tribunes need to push for changes to the voting system under the highly traditional patrician Appius Claudius. Fortunately, perhaps for the plebeians, Titus Quinctius, is more amenable to their plight.

Dr Radness gets political as Gaius Laetorius takes a highly critical stance against Appius Claudius in Livy’s account. Unfortunately he also seems to trail off while in the middle of his invective! With threats of violence and death on the table, the scene is set for some great clashes. Appius criticises the plebeians. Laertorius hits back with some great counter-points. It isn’t long before the situation descends into public violence.

Learn all about how this plays out here: Volero and Laetorius

https://partialhistorians.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Episode-86-Volero-and-Laetorius.mp3

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When we left you at the end of the last episode, there was some major events afoot. There’s nothing like a murder in the city. This is especially the case when the person turning up dead is a Roman magistrate! In this episode we consider what happens to Gnaeus Genucius and Volero Publius.

Gnaeus Genucius, tribune of the plebs for the year c. 473 BCE, is in a stoush with the consuls Lucius Aemilius Mamercus and Vopiscus Julius. But the problems don’t stop there. The tensions carry over from the previous year. Genucius levels charges against the consuls of c. 474 BCE: Lucius Furius Medullinus Fusus and Aulus Manlius Vulso. He argues that they should be charged because they did not carry out the measures agreed to in c. 486 BCE.

But after bringing the consuls to trial … Genucius TURNS UP DEAD!

To unravel this mystery we’ll consider:

• the role of the tribune of the plebs;
• the sacrosanctitas of this magistracy;
• what our disparate sources (clues!) have to say about the patricians’ role in this sordid affair;
• and some of the key consequences of this significant political moment.

A violent response to the patricians overreach after the death of Genucius is perhaps unsurprising, but it does come from an interesting quarter. We follow the rise to prominence of the centurion Volero Publius (aka Volero Publilius). Things start innocently enough. He turns up to enlist for the military campaigns. But things go awry when he discovers that he’s been listed as a common soldier.

This is not the story about why Volero appears to have been demoted between one campaigning season and another. Rather, it is the story of how his response reveals the knife’s edge of tension between the ruling elite and the general citizen body.

The unfolding tension on the streets of Rome provides pivotal space for considering a number of issues:

• the background of the lictors;
• the consequences when Roman citizens reject the legitimacy of the violence meted out to Volero on the orders of the consuls;
• the dangers of street politics for the consuls.

Here it all here:

Episode 85 – Murder and Volero!

“A lictor is sent to arrest Publilius Volero, from: The Comic History of Rome by Gilbert Abbott à Beckett. Bradbury, Evans & Co, London, c. 1850.” – Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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The early Republic of Rome is full of strife and tension. As we inch deeper into the history, there are neighbourly struggles and internal political discord on the rise.

Rome is still mourning the loss of the Fabian gens. The Fabians were almost completely destroyed by the forces of Veii and her northern allies, the Tyrrhenians (think, Etruscans!). Just as Rome was devastated by the loss of the Fabians, the Sabines have take solace in Roman defeat. Rome now faces war on ‘two fronts’…

The consuls for this year are Publius Valerius Publicola, son of Publius Valerius Publicola (cos, suff. 509, cos. 508, 507, and 504) and Gaius Nautius Rutilus.

The Sabines are given short shrift in both our major narrative sources for different reasons which means there’s lots to discuss. Important details include: military strategy, camp organisation, and the narrative purpose of these kinds of stories.

Our sources take in details relating not only to the Sabines, but also the forces of Veii (their camps are very close!). Some particular highlights include:

• the possible redemption of Spurius Servilius Structus Ahala (cos. c. 476 BCE), now legate under Valerius;
• the triumph awarded to Valerius as a result of this campaign;
• and Nautius’ campaign with the Roman allies, the Latins and the Hernucians to help attack the Volscians and Aequians.

In the background of all this military activity is the continuing grain crisis…

A new year means new consuls: Lucius Furius Medullinus Fusus and Aulus (Gnaeus/Gaius?) Manlius Vulso (also the namesake of this episode) are the consuls of c. 474 BCE.

Manlius is sent out against Veii because the northern campaign really isn’t over. But it doesn’t take long for the situation to turn in Rome’s favour. Hints of what’s to come:

• a truce;
• an ovation;
• and a return to domestic politics!

We turn our attention to the Gnaeus Genucius, tribune of the plebs, whose exploits cover both the years of c. 474/3 BCE depending on our source material.

We’ve never ripped through years this quickly, which must be a sign of some kind! The consuls for c. 473 BCE are Lucius Aemlius Mamercus (cos. III) and Vopiscus Julius Iullus (though there are name discrepancies to consider here as well!).

Genucius makes some very political moves regarding the agrarian reform that has been playing out in the background since c. 486 BCE! But how do Genucius’ moves go down? Listen in to find out:

Episode 84 – The Romans are Manly Men

Wenceslas Hollar, Unknown date (author lived 1607-1677), Roman soldiers – Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library,
Wenceslas Hollar Digital Collection. Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

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