The Partial Historians

This special episode marks a significant moment for the Doctors. Drs R. and G. return to the topic of Vesuvius and the fateful eruption in 79 CE.

In light of additional research, we’ll examine details of the volcanic eruption, consider the rhetoric at play in Pliny the Younger’s letter 6.16 to Tacitus, as well as modern findings from recent work at the sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

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Episode 56: Return to Vesuvius

Curious about the Doctors’ first foray on the topic of Vesuvius? Check out Episode 27

Artwork: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons: Crop of the Pompeii area from the Tabula Peutingeriana, 1-4th century CE. Facsimile edition by Conradi Millieri, 1887/1888.

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Titus Livius, better known to the English-speaking world as Livy, is the figure for consideration in this episode.

The Doctors take a brief detour from their exploration of the History of Rome from the Founding of the City to consider one of our chief historical narrative sources for the Regal period and the Early Republic. Livy’s life, his work, and questions of historiographical interest are all up for the discussion.

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Episode 55: Livy

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The Doctors return, dear listeners, with a special episode on the historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus!

We’ve been considering the history of Rome from the founding of the city and after some epic conflicts and battles around Rome, it seems time to consider in more detail our sources. Dr Greenfield has been reading the Antiquitates Romanae ‘The Roman History’ of Dionysius of Halicarnassus. In this episode, Doctors G and R consider our source material in a little more detail.

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Episode 54: Dionysius of Halicarnassus

Incisione raffigurante Dionigi di Alicarnasso ricavata dal Codice Ambrosiano. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org

In this episode Dr G name drops a couple of sources. If you’re interested in following these babies up, these are the details you’ll need:

Fox, M. 1993. ‘History and Rhetoric in Dionysius of Halicarnassus’ Journal of Roman Studies 83: 31-47

Gabba, E. 1991. Dionysius and The History of Archaic Rome. University of California Press: Berkeley and Los Angeles

Schwartz, E. Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft V.1.934

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Dear Listeners, in this episode the Doctors wade deeper into the murky waters of the Late Republic. As the narratives of Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus continue to diverge, there is word of a truce between Rome and the Latins, yet another dictator, and the infamous battle of Lake Regillus with some surprising divine sightings.

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Episode 53: The Battle of Lake Regillus

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The early Roman republic hits its first major snag. As Rome finds itself friendless after continual aggression throughout Italy, the citizens begin to consider how they can guide the city with decisiveness and clarity. Enter, stage left: the dictator.

Join Doctors R and G as they explore the creation of the Roman dictator and some of the surprising details surrounding the formation of a position that seems to have quite a good deal in common with a rex.

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Episode 52: The Roman Dictator

Artwork: Rome and Latium, including Fidenae given that the poor city comes up a lot in these early narratives! With thanks to wikimedia.

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Well, dear listeners, Publicola has died and Rome has mourned … but wait, is that the Latins seeking an opportunity to kick Rome while she’s down? Quite, quite possibly. In this episode Doctors R and G explore the increasing tension between Rome and her Latin neighbours.

Hear all the details in our latest episode, click to listen or download!

Episode 51: Latin Machinations

The featured map in all its glory:

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Your fearless Doctors take a moment to celebrate reaching lofty heights – our fiftieth episode! In this special episode, the Doctors embark upon a retrospective of one of the outstanding figures in the establishment of the Roman Republic: Publius Valerius Publicola.

Publicola has quite a significant role to play, holding a number of consulships (according to the extant accounts), and he stars in one of Plutarch’s lives. Let the doctors take you through the highs and lows from a biographical perspective.

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Episode 50: Publius Valerius Publicola

An annotated page from Dr Peta’s copy of Plutarch’s Life of Publicola, with gracious thanks to the Loeb Classical Library.

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Hello hello, most excellent and patient listeners! The Doctors return with a brand new, particularly fine, episode delving further into the hostilities between Rome and the Sabine peoples in the early period of the Republic.

Following the action of c. 504 BCE, this episode covers the consulship of Publius Valerius Publicola (cos IV) and Titus Lucretius (cos II) as they battle for the city of Fidenae, the Sabine attack upon Rome, and the crucial differences between an ovation and a triumph.

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Episode 49 – Sabine Conflict in Even More Detail!

Charles Christian Nahl 1871 The Rape of the Sabines: The Invasion

Not historically aligned with the content of this episode, this painting refers to the violent beginnings of the Rome. The lack of matching artwork is a hint at the duration of Roman-Sabine conflict.

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The journey through Rome’s early history is potted with conflict, and you’ll no doubt be little surprised to hear, dear listener, that the Romans continue to jostle with the Sabines for control in wider Italy (and even closer to the City).

Allow the Doctors to take you a winding scrawl of battles, conflicts, and rising personalities, focusing on the years c. 506-5 BCE. We discuss the challenges with the historical narratives of Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, the possibility that Rome may have been taken by Porsenna, and the lingering spectre of the Tarquinii.

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Episode 48 – Sabine Conflict!

Jacques-Louis David 1799. L’intervention des Sabines

Since this painting refers to the first conflict recorded between the Sabines and the Romans, it is not strictly aligned with the chronology of the episode, but there are definitely Sabines and Romans at war, which nicely sums up what is happening in this period!

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As the times fly by, the Romans continue to contend with Lars Porsenna and the consequences of the Tarquinii on the development of the political character of the City.

In this episode, follow the unfurling of narratives from Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus that seem a little too odd to be believed, with dashes of exciting tales of derring-do from the likes of Scaevola and Cloelia.

That’s right, dear listeners, Doctors G and Radness are back with a brand new episode!

Follow this link and right click to download Episode 47!

Episode 47 – Porsenna, Scaevola, and Cloelia

Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1630-40. Clélie passant le Tibre (Cloelia passing the Tiber)

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