Real Roman History

By Hugo Prudentius

Real Roman History is a comprehensive, chronological account of Rome from its origins to its end—told with the depth the subject deserves. This is not a highlight reel. Every major figure, every tu

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FAQs about Real Roman History:

How many episodes does Real Roman History have?

The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.

Real Roman History episodes:

March 20, 2026Episode 10: After the Fire
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books VI-VII (trans. B.O. Foster, Loeb Classical Library; trans. Betty Radice, Penguin Classics)
Plutarch, Life of Camillus (trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert, Penguin Classics, Makers of Rome, 1965) — the fullest account of the post-sack career
Cicero, De Re Publica, Book II; De Officiis, Book III — on Ahala, Manlius, and the patrician duty tradition
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995), Chapters 14-15 — essential on the rebuilding and the Licinian-Sextian laws
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005), Chapters 10-11
L. Richardson Jr., A New Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992) — on the Servian Wall (pp. 434-435) and the temple of Concordia
Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile Books, 2015), Chapter 5
On Marcus Manlius Capitolinus: Cornell pp. 326-329; Livy VI.11-20; for the political interpretation see Forsythe pp. 255-260; for the connection to the later populares tradition see Harriet Flower, Roman Republics, Chapter 3
On the manipular reform: Livy VIII.8 gives the best ancient narrative account; Polybius VI.19-26 is the most detailed ancient description of how the system actually worked in practice and is essential reading; for modern assessment see Adrian Goldsworthy, The Complete Roman Army (Thames and Hudson, 2003), Chapter 2; also F.E. Adcock, The Roman Art of War under the Republic (Heffer, 1940)
On tumultus Gallicus and dies nefastus: William Warde Fowler, The Roman Festivals of the Period of the Republic (Macmillan, 1899); Peter Brunt, Italian Manpower 225 BC-AD 14 (Oxford University Press, 1971)
On the Licinian-Sextian laws and Camillus's role: Cornell Chapter 15; Forsythe Chapter 11; Livy VI.35-42
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38min
March 20, 2026Episode 9: Vae Victis: The Gallic Sack of Rome
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books V-VI (trans. B.O. Foster, Loeb Classical Library) — our fullest account
Plutarch, Life of Camillus (trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert, Penguin Classics, Makers of Rome, 1965)
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books XIV-XV — preserves the Greek dating tradition
Polybius, Histories, Book I.6 — important for the 387 BCE date
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995), Chapters 13-14 — essential; pp. 308-322 on the date and historiographical problems
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005), Chapter 10
Barry Cunliffe, The Ancient Celts (Oxford University Press, 1997) — on Gallic culture, warfare, and the carnyx
Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile Books, 2015), Chapter 5
On Quintus Fabius Ambustus and the fetiales: Cornell pp. 314-316; Livy V.35-36
On the civitas sine suffragio granted to Caere: Cornell Chapter 14; the status of the Caerites as a model for later Roman provincial administration
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30min
March 20, 2026Episode 8: Virtue and Its Discontents
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Plutarch, Life of Coriolanus; Life of Camillus (trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert, Penguin Classics, Makers of Rome, 1965) — essential for both figures
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books II-V (trans. B.O. Foster, Loeb Classical Library)
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books VI-XIII — fuller on Coriolanus than Livy
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995), Chapters 11-13
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005), Chapters 7-9
Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile Books, 2015), Chapter 5
Harriet Flower, Roman Republics (Princeton University Press, 2010) — on the civic virtue tradition
On Coriolanus: Cornell pp. 338-340; Forsythe pp. 205-210; for the Alcibiades pairing see Plutarch's introduction to the Life
On Cincinnatus: Cornell pp. 229-234; for the Spurius Maelius episode see Livy IV.13-16 and Dionysius XII.1-4
On the fall of Veii: Cornell pp. 309-322; Forsythe pp. 239-244; on the white horses triumph see Plutarch, Camillus 7
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28min
March 20, 2026Episode 7: Rome and Its Neighbors, the World of the Early Republic
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books II-V (trans. B.O. Foster, Loeb Classical Library; trans. A. de Selincourt, Penguin Classics)
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books VI-IX
Polybius, Histories, Book VI — on the Roman army and its organization
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995), Chapters 11-12
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005), Chapters 7-8
Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile Books, 2015), Chapter 5
Adrian Goldsworthy, The Complete Roman Army (Thames and Hudson, 2003) — on equipment, camp life, and the citizen levy
Harriet Flower, Roman Republics (Princeton University Press, 2010) — on the civic culture of the early Republic
On the siege of Veii and the introduction of pay: Cornell pp. 309-322; Forsythe pp. 239-244
On the Latin League and the Foedus Cassianum: Cornell Chapter 11; Forsythe Chapter 7
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25min
March 20, 2026Episode 6: From Tables to Equality
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books II–X (trans. B.O. Foster, Loeb Classical Library; trans. A. de Sélincourt and B. Radice, Penguin Classics, Rome and Italy, 1982)
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books V–XI
Cicero, De Re Publica, Book II; De Legibus, Books I–III
Cicero, De Oratore, I.44.195 — on schoolboys memorizing the Twelve Tables
Fragments of the Twelve Tables (Duodecim Tabulae): collected in E.H. Warmington, Remains of Old Latin, Vol. III (Loeb Classical Library, 1938); also Crawford (ed.), Roman Statutes (BICS Supplement 64, 1996)
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995), Chapters 10–12 — essential
Kurt Raaflaub (ed.), Social Struggles in Archaic Rome: New Perspectives on the Conflict of the Orders (Blackwell, 2005)
Richard Mitchell, Patricians and Plebeians: The Origin of the Roman State (Cornell University Press, 1990)
Claude Nicolet, The World of the Citizen in Republican Rome (University of California Press, 1980)
Andrew Lintott, The Constitution of the Roman Republic (Oxford University Press, 1999) — the standard reference on Republican institutions
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005), Chapters 6–8
On the Decemvirate and the Verginia Story
Livy III.33–58 — the primary account; extremely detailed and overtly literary in character
Ogilvie, R.M., A Commentary on Livy, Books 1–5 (Oxford University Press, 1965), pp. 444–506
Cornell, Beginnings, pp. 272–280 on the historicity of the decemviral crisis
On the Twelve Tables
Michael Crawford (ed.), Roman Statutes, Vol. II (BICS Supplement 64, 1996) — the authoritative scholarly edition
Alan Watson, Rome of the XII Tables: Persons and Property (Princeton University Press, 1975)
Theodor Mommsen's discussion in Römisches Staatsrecht (1871–1888) — foundational, though dated
On the Licinian-Sextian Laws
Richard Develin, “The Integration of the Plebeians into the Roman Senatorial Class” (PhD thesis, University of Sydney, 1975)
Cornell, Beginnings, pp. 334–340
The consular list inconsistencies are discussed in Forsythe, Critical History, pp. 284–292
On Debt, Land, and Economic Inequality
Moses Finley, The Ancient Economy (University of California Press, 1973)
Peter Garnsey, Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World (Cambridge University Press, 1988)
W.V. Harris, War and Imperialism in Republican Rome (Oxford University Press, 1979) — on the relationship between warfare and economic disruption
On Women in the Struggle of the Orders
Susan Treggiari, Roman Marriage (Oxford University Press, 1991)
Jane Gardner, Women in Roman Law and Society (Indiana University Press, 1986)
On the Urban Poor and Everyday Life
Nicholas Purcell, “The city of Rome and the plebs urbana,” in CAH IX (Cambridge Ancient History, 2nd ed.)
Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, Rome's Cultural Revolution (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
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39min
March 20, 2026Episode 5: The City Divided
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources:
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Book II, Chapters 23–33 — the core narrative of the First Secession, including the Menenius Agrippa episode
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books VI–VII — gives a more detailed account of the negotiations than Livy; attributes a larger role to Sicinius
Cicero, De Re Publica, Book II.56–63; De Legibus, Book III — discusses the tribunate and its constitutional role
Plutarch, Life of Coriolanus — overlapping events; the most vivid literary treatment of patrician-plebeian tensions in the immediate post-Secession years
Appian, Civil Wars, Book I — later perspective; useful background on debt and agrarian crisis as a recurring structural problem
Secondary Sources:
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995), Chapters 10–11 — essential treatment of the Secession and the creation of the tribunate
Kurt Raaflaub (ed.), Social Struggles in Archaic Rome: New Perspectives on the Conflict of the Orders (Blackwell, 2005) — key collection; the essays by Raaflaub, Cornell, and Richard Mitchell debate the origins of the plebs and the historicity of the Secession in detail
Andrew Lintott, The Constitution of the Roman Republic (Oxford University Press, 1999), Chapters 7–8 — the fullest modern treatment of the tribunate and its powers
Claude Nicolet, The World of the Citizen in Republican Rome (University of California Press, 1980) — on the social context of the early Republic
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005), Chapters 6–7
On the Tribunate Specifically:
David Stockton, The Gracchi (Oxford University Press, 1979), Chapter 1 — superb background on tribunician power and its evolution across the Republic
Robert A. Bauman, Lawyers in Roman Republican Politics (Beck, 1983) — on the legal dimensions of tribunician intercessio
On the Menenius Agrippa Fable:
Robert Ogilvie, A Commentary on Livy, Books 1–5 (Oxford University Press, 1965), pp. 311–316 — discusses the Greek parallels and the fable's literary origins
G.E.R. Lloyd, Methods and Problems in Greek Science (Cambridge University Press, 1991), Chapter 11 — on the body politic metaphor in ancient thought
On Debt and Nexum:
Moses Finley, The Ancient Economy (University of California Press, 1973) — foundational
Peter Garnsey, Famine and Food Supply in the Graeco-Roman World (Cambridge University Press, 1988)
Cornell, Beginnings, pp. 280–283, 333–336
On Women in the Early Republic:
Susan Treggiari, Roman Marriage (Oxford University Press, 1991)
Jane Gardner, Women in Roman Law and Society (Indiana University Press, 1986)
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46min
March 20, 2026Episode 4: The Fall of the Monarchy
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books 1.56–2.14 — The principal narrative for the fall of the monarchy and the early Republic, including the Gabii stratagem, Lucretia, Brutus, Silva Arsia, Lars Porsena, and Lake Regillus.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books 4–5 — Parallel account, often preserving variant traditions; particularly useful on the Porsena episode.
Plutarch, Life of Publicola — The primary character study of Valerius Publicola, one of the Republic's founders. Essential for the political atmosphere of 509–504 BCE.
Pliny the Elder, Natural History, 34.139 — The passage preserving the alternative tradition that Porsena captured Rome.
Fasti Consulares — The consular list, the institutional record that attests Brutus and Collatinus as the Republic's first consuls.
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995) — The essential treatment, including careful analysis of the Porsena problem and the historicity of Lake Regillus.
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005) — Particularly skeptical and useful on the Brutus tradition and the legendary elements of the early Republic.
Andrew Drummond, in Cambridge Ancient History Vol. VII.2, Chapter 4 — 'Rome in the Fifth Century' — The standard scholarly treatment of the transition from monarchy to Republic.
Emma Dench, Romulus' Asylum (Oxford University Press, 2005) — Illuminating on how Rome constructed its foundational myths, including the Lucretia narrative.
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31min
March 20, 2026Episode 3: The Etruscan Kings
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Books 1.34–60 — The principal narrative source for the Etruscan kings, written in the Augustan period.
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books 3–4 — A parallel account, often more detailed than Livy, with a Greek rhetorical perspective.
Tabula Claudiana (ILS 212) — The bronze tablet from Lyon preserving Claudius's speech identifying Servius Tullius with Mastarna.
Cicero, De Re Publica, Book 2 — A philosophical dialogue that includes a substantial account of the kings and the transition to Republic.
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995) — The essential scholarly treatment of the regal period and early Republic. Cornell's careful handling of the sources is the standard for the field.
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005) — A more skeptical assessment, particularly useful on the historiographical problems.
Larissa Bonfante, ed., Etruscan Life and Afterlife (Wayne State University Press, 1986) — The standard introduction to Etruscan culture and its relationship to Rome.
F. Coarelli, Rome and Environs (University of California Press, 2007) — Indispensable for the physical remains, including the François Tomb frescoes and the Capitoline substructure.
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45min
March 20, 2026Episode 2: The Latin and Sabine Kings
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Book I, Chapters 4–35 (trans. B.O. Foster, Loeb Classical Library; trans. A. de Sélincourt, Penguin Classics, The Early History of Rome, 1960)
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books I–III
Plutarch, Life of Romulus; Life of Numa
Cicero, De Re Publica, Book II.12–33 — Cicero's survey of the first four kings
Ovid, Fasti, Books I–VI — on the Roman calendar and its religious associations
Festus, De Verborum Significatu — valuable for archaic religious institutions
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome (Routledge, 1995), Chapters 5–9 — essential on the regal period
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005), Chapters 4–5
Robert Ogilvie, A Commentary on Livy, Books 1–5 (Oxford University Press, 1965) — detailed commentary on the primary text
Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile Books, 2015), Chapter 3
On Roman Religion and Numa's Institutions
John Scheid, An Introduction to Roman Religion (Indiana University Press, 2003)
Mary Beard, John North, and Simon Price, Religions of Rome, Vol. I (Cambridge University Press, 1998) — the standard scholarly survey
Georg Wissowa, Religion und Kultus der Römer (Munich, 1912) — foundational, though dated
On the Vestal Virgins
Ariadne Staples, From Good Goddess to Vestal Virgins: Sex and Category in Roman Religion (Routledge, 1998)
Robin Lorsch Wildfang, Rome's Vestal Virgins (Routledge, 2006)
On the Horatii and Curiatii
Livy I.23–26 — the primary account
The story's historicity is discussed in Cornell, Beginnings, pp. 116–118, and Ogilvie, Commentary, pp. 107–116
On Just War
W.V. Harris, War and Imperialism in Republican Rome (Oxford University Press, 1979) — essential on Roman warfare and its ideology
Coleman Phillipson, The International Law and Custom of Ancient Greece and Rome, Vol. II (Macmillan, 1911) — dated but thorough on ius fetiale
On Ostia
Russell Meiggs, Roman Ostia (Oxford University Press, 2nd ed., 1973) — the standard work; dates the earliest significant archaeological evidence to the 4th century BCE
Fausto Zevi (ed.), Ostia, 2 vols. (Banco di Roma, 1996)
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42min
March 20, 2026Episode 1: In the Beginning
SOURCE NOTESPrimary Sources
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, Book I (trans. B.O. Foster, Loeb Classical Library, 1919; also R.M. Ogilvie, Penguin, 1960)
Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities, Books I–II (trans. E. Cary, Loeb Classical Library, 1937)
Plutarch, Life of Romulus (trans. B. Perrin, Loeb Classical Library, 1914)
Ovid, Fasti, Book IV (on the founding date)
Secondary Sources
T.J. Cornell, The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (Routledge, 1995) — the essential modern scholarly treatment
Andrea Carandini, Rome: Day One (Princeton University Press, 2011) — argues for more historical kernel in the myth
Gary Forsythe, A Critical History of Early Rome (University of California Press, 2005) — more skeptical approach
Massimo Pallottino, The Etruscans (Penguin, 1975)
Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (Profile Books, 2015) — accessible modern survey
On the Archaeological Evidence
Carandini's excavations on the Palatine from the 1980s onward
The Forum cemetery evidence: archaic burials indicate pre-urban use of the Forum valley
Pietro Romanelli and subsequent work on Palatine hut remains
On Early Iron Age Latium and Everyday Life
Christopher Smith, Early Rome and Latium (Oxford University Press, 1996)
Graeme Barker and Tom Rasmussen, The Etruscans (Blackwell, 1998) — comparative context for Iron Age central Italy
Walter Scheidel, Debating Roman Demography (Brill, 2001) — on mortality and population
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24min

FAQs about Real Roman History:

How many episodes does Real Roman History have?

The podcast currently has 20 episodes available.