We love it when we get to chat with some of our podcast friends, and this week we got to catch up with the hilarious Liv Albert from ‘Let’s talk about myths, baby!’ to talk about relationships between gods and mortals. Please be warned, this episode does contain references to sexual assault. Special Episode – Gods and Mortals with Liv Albert The lo…

We sit down with Casie Vogel, VP Publisher at Ulysses Press to talk about the process of bringing an ancient Roman history book into the world and some of the cheeky details about the past that Casie learnt along the way. To celebrate the publication of ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ this special episode is even in video form! You can also…

We are thrilled to release the final cheeky preview from our new book, Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire. The final chapter from our ‘With a Rebel Yell’ bonus material is entitled ‘Last Man Standing: Masada’. This bonus episode is coming out on the very same day that our book officially hits the shelves. Huzzah! The Final Cheeky Preview – Last …

Our new book ‘Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire’ has nearly landed! Pre-order your copy via Ulysses Press! It’s happening – the Romans enter the fourth century! In this episode, we compare and contrast the ancient source accounts for the year that was 399 BCE. Rome and Veii are still locked in a siege, with Roman forces outside the gates of the…

Welcome to another cheeky preview from our new book, Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire. This chapter is a bit of a contrast to our first one on Spartacus. We turn from a rebel from the lowest ranks of society to one from the elite. We are journeying from the Roman Republic to the mid-Empire. Aaaaand we are travelling from Italy to the provinces…

The fifth century BCE in Rome is the century that saw the idea of the republic flourish and falter only to flourish again. The plebeians rose up to fight for their rights and to enjoy the fruits of their hard work on the battlefield. The patricians held on to their prestige and power with a vice-like grip and Rome began to expand their influence in…

We are in shock that it has taken us this long to cover the cult classic that is Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). We have Rslaugesen over on Patreon to thank for pointing out this glaring oversight. Special Episode – Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979) Once we got started, it was hard for us to stop talking about the Life of Brian. British come…

The 400s BCE have been a rollercoaster for Rome. It certainly seems to have been a decade of big changes, both in terms of foreign policy and on the domestic front. Join us for the highlights for the last decade of the fifth century BCE! The Partial Recap – 400s BCE Want to hear the full story? Head to Episode 144: Where in the World is Carventum? …

We are SO excited to share a snippet of our new book with you! That’s right, we have a whole section entitled ‘With a Rebel Yell’ that will be bonus digital content on the Ulysses Press website and so we thought, why not read it as well? Today, we kick it all off with the section on the rebellious gladiator, SPARTACUS. Ah, this is where it all bega…

We jump into the year 400 BCE which has more excitement than you may have anticipated. Could this be the year we have evidence for a plebeian break-through into the important magisterial position of military tribune with consular power? Episode 153 – The Plebeians Push into Power Now, as always with this period of Rome’s early republican history, w…

In our latest special episode, we welcomed the talented LJ Trafford to the show to discuss her latest book, Ancient Rome’s Worst Emperors (2023). Special Episode – Ancient Rome’s Worst Emperors You may very well have encountered some of LJ’s wonderful earlier works, including her historical novel series: The Four Emperors. These books cover a turbu…

Whilst 401 BCE was a tense year inside ancient Rome, we can assure you that there will be a plebeian win to close the year. Victory at last! Episode 152 – Victory at Last! Surrounded by Enemies The Romans were facing war with several enemies, thanks to Capena and the Falerii joining their conflict with Veii. And they weren’t going to take the loss …

Neil returns to discuss more about some of the major sites of interest in the regal period of Rome. We recommend his podcast Ancient History Hound to you. You can also find out more details about Neil’s work at his website: The Ancient Blogger. Special Episode – Exploring Place in Regal Rome with Neil, The Ancient Blogger – Part 2! When Life Gives …

We jump into the year of 402 BCE and Rome and Veii are tooth and nail in siege mode. In addition to this, Rome is rapidly approaching the end of the 5th century BCE, a date that is meaningful for historians and scholars but less significant for the Romans who understood the years through the names of the magistrates more than being overly intereste…

It is not often that we get to say that there is a new translation of a classical text that has taken the world by storm. But that was exactly what happened when Professor Stephanie McCarter released her 2022 translation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. We were honoured that Professor McCarter agreed to talk to us about the mysterious Ovid and her process …

It is 403 BCE and we’re about to be blinded by some rhetorical fireworks. The situation between Rome and Veii is getting more serious. Episode 150 – Rhetorical Fireworks We’ve Got Chills, They’re Speechifying! As the Romans prepare for a long siege, the suggestion was casually made that the soldiers will need to remain in winter quarters. The Roman…

We are thrilled to sit down with Neil, The Ancient Blogger and host of the Ancient History Hound podcast to explore space and place in the Roman regal period. Neil, or ancientblogger as he’s more commonly known, studied ancient history at degree level and then completed an MA in Classical Civilisation. Though he has a full time job he spends most o…

Who is Servius Romanus you might ask? Well, in this episode we’re about to find out. But when we tell you it’ll be brief – we are telling only the truth! On the back of the putative introduction of pay for Roman soldiers in 406 BCE (a much disputed idea in scholarship), Rome is facing challenges from their neighbours. These challenges are coming fr…

It is not often that we are fortunate enough to get to chat to one of our amazing guests a second time, but sometimes the gods are just that kind. We sat down to speak to the one and only Dr Victoria Austen about Augustus’ mausoleum. Special Episode – Augustus’ Mausoleum Dr Victoria Austen holds a MA and PhD from King’s College London. She has lect…

Money, money, money! We’re in 406 BCE and although its well before ABBA’s pop hit, let’s this be a small hint of things to come. Rome finds itself in a bit of a tricky situation. Not only are they navigating the fallout of their conflict with the Volscians, but with the long running tensions with Veii seem to be coming to a head. Episode 148 – It’s…

This is a very exciting special episode all about the Roman military. We were incredibly fortunate to speak to an expert in the field about the Roman army in the early and middle republic. Special Episode – The Early Roman Military with Dr Bret Devereaux Dr Bret Devereaux is a historian specialising in the ancient world and military history. He hol…

Back in 409 BCE, the Romans had captured the fortifications of Verrugo from their Volscian foe. Unfortunately, in this episode we must discuss the bloody fall of Verrugo. Episode 147 – The Fall of Verrugo The Romans had seized Verrugo after Carventum was retaken by the Aequians, allies of the Volscians. Verrugo was located in Volscian territory to …

In this episode, the people of Antium start provoking the Aequians and the Volscians into war with Rome by calling them COWARDS. How else could they respond but to say, “Nobody calls me chicken!” Episode 146 – Nobody Calls Me Chicken! With the Antiates, Volscians and Aequians ganged up against them, the Romans decide it’s time for a dictator! Not a…

It’s here! We delve into the wonderful world of Roman names. How do we understand who’s who? How did the Romans understand who was who? We’re here to consider the complexities of Roman naming conventions. Special Episode – Roman Naming Conventions We look into some of the key elements of the Roman naming conventions of the Republic and the Early Im…

We’ve all been waiting for YEARS for this… more power to the plebs! Yes, you heard us correctly. For once, the patricians will not get exactly what they want. Episode 145 – Power to the Plebs Icilii, Icilii, Icilii It is 409 BCE and another exciting year in the conflict of the orders (allegedly). The plebeians were enraged when elections were held …

What a confusing decade the 410s have been. It’s definitely time for a Partial Recap! We run through what the ancient sources tell us about this decade. The Partial Recap – The 410s BCE Want to get all the details? Jump in at Episode 140: The Commonwealth of Slaves. Sound Credits Our music was composed by Bettina Joy de Guzman. Transcript Dr Rad – …

Carventum enters the annalistic narrative of Rome and raises some questions. But in order to get there, we need to consider what Rome faces in 411 BCE. And it seems that the Roman elite are having a run on consuls recently, which, if we follow Livy, means that the plebeians continue to be locked out of the highest magistracy… Episode 144 – Where in…

In this special episode we sit down with Dr Emma Southon to discuss her brand new book A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women. This is the Roman antidote to all those fabulous reimagining of Greek myth by delving into the very real and very fascinating lives of some of the women who lived under the Romans. Special Episode – A History of the Roma…

In this episode we tackle the years 413 and 412 BCE. These years come hard on the back of the murder of the patrician Postumius. Rome is facing challenges that seem to be bound up in the spolia in times of war and the broader annalist focus on the idea of the Struggle of the Orders which has been the defining feature of the early republic in Livy a…

In this episode, we tackle the years 415 and 414 BCE and the downfall of Postumius, a very wronghead man. Episode 142 – A Wrongheaded Man Did you remember to RSVP for the war? In 415 BCE, the Romans were gearing up for war with Veii and the Aequians… but neither of their dance partners turned up! It takes two to tango and in this case, neither the …

This may be the best podcast episode you’ve ever heard, and that’s the gospel truth. We’re munching on protein bars and raw chicken as we discuss Disney’s Hercules (1997) with Professor Alastair Blanshard. Statue of Hercules in Shrewsbury – a copy of the Farnese Hercules. Hercules leans wearily on his club, which is covered by his lionskin. Carryin…

We return to the 410s BCE to explore some classic Conflict of the Orders. This one will end with an evil patrician plan (mwahahaha) to divide and conquer their plebeian foes. Episode 141 – Divide and Conquer Some Unfinished Business The Romans had been engaged in battle with the Aequians when we last checked in on them. Due to some slappy fighting …

We sit down with Yentl Love to talk all about classical reception in Lil Nas X’s 2021 music video for ‘Call Me By Your Name’. Yentl Love is the famous Queer Classicist and we recommend checking out her blog for accessible analysis of the ancient world. We are thrilled to have Yentl return to the show – you may remember her from the insightful conve…

After the kerfuffles of 420 BCE, it’s time for a brand new year or two! In this episode we consider 419 and 418 BCE. These two years are packed with exciting moments as we get to learn about an uprising from below – we’re siding with the slaves! We recorded in a new location for this episode. So if you hear a little bit of crowd noise in the backgr…

Content warning for this episode: violence, sexual violence, removal of children We sit down to chat with Genn and Jenny, the fabulous cohosts of the Ancient History Fan Girl podcast. They have recently published Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena which examines fifty women and femme presenting figures from culture…

Another decade is gone and it’s time for a Partial Recap! We run through what the ancient sources tell us about this decade. There are some real highs and lows! The Partial Recap 420s BCE If you are keen to for some more detail, you can jump into our narrative episodes at 134 – A Dry Period. A view to the East over the Roman Forum with the Temple o…

The Partial Historians are back in the 420s BCE and we are wrapping up the decade with some first-class DRAMA! At the centre of it all are the trials of Sempronius and Postumia. The only question is, can you handle it? Episode 139 – The Trials of Sempronius and Postumia Fake Elections The year began with some classic conflict between the patricians…

This episode we return to the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’ with a classic sword and sandal epic, Quo Vadis (1951). This film is available through many streaming platforms and we highly recommend revisiting it. In Part Two of two episodes on Quo Vadis, we delve into our analysis of the film. If you have not listened to Part One, you might want to check…

This episode, we are dealing with 422 and 421 BCE. The previous year had been a very dramatic for Rome. They seem to have come perilously close to a disastrous military defeat. Luckily, they had the four horsemen on their side… “The Four Horsemen” is our affectionate name for the group of cavalry commanders who dismounted and led the Roman army on …

This episode we return to the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’ with a classic sword and sandal epic, Quo Vadis (1951). This film is available through many streaming platforms and we highly recommend revisiting it. In Part One of two episodes on Quo Vadis, we examine the context for the film and the plot. Quo Vadis (1951) helped to ignite Hollywood’s passi…

Welcome to 423 BCE and your introduction to the one and only Sextus Tempanius! You may not know his name just yet, but we’re pretty sure you’ll be as impressed with him as we are. Suffice it to say, 423 BCE is one of the more interesting and dramatic years of the decade. After a confusing tangent about the Samnites and Capua brought to us courtesy …

In this episode we dig into the details (or lack thereof!) of 425 and 425 BCE. Good news for the plebeians is that when there’s not much going on in Rome, they get a chance to just live life a little! Episode 136 – How the Plebeians Got Their Groove Back What’s in a tribune? What’s the deal with military tribunes with consular power? We consider th…

The Robe (1953) is a cinematic classic of Golden Age Hollywood. With its mix of ancient Rome and early Christianity, it was a winner with audiences around the globe. In this special episode, we tap into Dr Rad’s expertise in reception in film and come to grips with the power of The Robe! Special Episode – The Robe A Challenging Context It was trick…

What do you get when Mamercus Aemilius Mamercinus and Aulus Cornelius Cossus return in our source material? The continuation of a beautiful bromance. After an unfortunate amount of disease and destruction in our last episode, we return to Rome for some classic political and military action. The Romans are ready to put a year of horrible drought beh…

We recap the confusing details of the 430s BCE. Be careful – there’s a lot of dictators about! This is a short, sharp, scripted overview of all the big events that defined the 430s BCE. If you’re inspired to delve into more details, all the episodes from this decade can be found in our Foundation of Rome series starting with Episode 127: The Assass…

On the 1st March 2013, something momentous happened. We published our first episode of the Partial Historians podcast! Clearly, this is an event akin to Hannibal crossing the Alps or the expulsion of the kings. Well, perhaps not quite. But it certainly changed our lives forever in ways that we could not imagine. Therefore, we decided to mark the oc…

Prepare yourself, dear listener, for a drought or two! After spending several episodes on individual years, we are speeding ahead in our latest episode. We are covering not one, not two, but THREE years in a single instalment. Join us as we tackle 430, 429 and 428 BCE. Episode 134 – A Dry Period Financial Affairs The Romans enjoy a remarkably peace…

It’s around 431 BCE and Rome is busy contending with her neighbours in pretty much every direction. Turns out that it’s not easy trying to establish yourself as an independent state! It might just be time for a dictator. Enter: Aulus Postumius Tubertus. Episode 133 – Postumius Tubertus, Dictator Rome is taking the need to put troops on the field se…

We were thrilled to sit down and talk with Assistant Professor Katharine Huemoeller about her research into the representation of enslaved women during slave revolts in ancient Rome. This conversation reveals plenty of food for thought about the representation of women in the ancient world as well as exploring the way women go on to be represented …

We leave behind the outraged censors of 434 BCE and move forward into some troubled domestic times for Rome. The solution? Fashion, darling. White togas are out, so we suggest you find something appropriate to wear for this one. Episode 132 – The White Album Problems Plague the Romans 433 BCE begins like many other years: irate tribunes, obstinate …