Emperors of Rome - La Trobe University

Latest Episodes:

Episode CXXIII - Here Comes the Sun (Elagabalus I) Aug 01, 2019

Show notes

Macrinus has made a treaty with the Parthians and at long last, the two mighty empires are at peace. It likely won’t last, but at this point it matters little: now he can finally get down to the business of ruling the empire.

Guest:
Dr Caillan Davenport (Senior Lecturer, Roman History, Macquarie University/Humboldt Research Fellow, Goethe University, Frankfurt)

Episode CXXII - Purple by Merit Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

With the murder of Caracalla one of the most unlikely men steps into power. Macrinus is unassuming, of the wrong position, and the wrong class. He’d argue he’s the best man for the job, but very few in Rome would agree with him.

Guest:
Dr Caillan Davenport (Senior Lecturer, Roman History, Macquarie University)

Episode CXXI - Assassination Jun 25, 2019

Show notes

Assassination was a regular occurrence in the right Roman circles, and the gossip around the senate floor must have frequently turned to who's knifing who. An emperor would need to keep the senate, the army, and the people on side, or risk a well-placed dagger.

Guest:
Dr Rhiannon Evans (Senior Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Episode CXX - Adultery Jun 12, 2019

Show notes

By modern standards the Romans had some fairly unusual ideas, which could be putting it mildly when it comes to the subject of adultery. For the most part the Romans were lack lax in repercussions, unless of course you were embarrassing a man of high status.

Guest:
Dr Rhiannon Evans (Senior Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Episode CXIX - Fragments of Early Roman Literature May 29, 2019

Show notes

While we are lucky that much Roman literature from the late republic and the imperial period comes down to us complete or almost complete, most of the historical and poetic works from the mid-republic have been lost and only survive in fragments.

Guest:
Dr Hannah Čulík-Baird (Assistant Professor, Classical Studies, Boston University)

Episode CXVIII - The Roman Calendar Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

The Roman calendar was important to the civic management of Rome - it told when to plant and harvest crops, when to celebrate festivals and when to go to war. The calendar designed by the Romans is used today, more or less unchanged for 2000 years - including paying homage to both Julius Caesar and Augustus.

Guest:
Dr Rhiannon Evans (Senior Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Episode CXVII – Disgraced Human Nature (Caracalla V) Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

The historian Edward Gibbon perhaps summed up Caracalla quite succinctly, when he used this phrase to describe his demise while answering a call of nature on the side of the road: "Such was the end of a monster whose life disgraced human nature, and whose reign accused the patience of the Romans."

Guest:
Dr Caillan Davenport (Senior Lecturer, Roman History, Macquarie University)

Episode CXVI - Red Wedding (Caracalla IV) Apr 01, 2019

Show notes

The Roman Empire had engaged in Parthian wars for generations, stretching back, off and on, to the days of Pompey the Great.

Caracalla makes his foray into this arena, but as always, he’s going to do things a little differently. He shall have a wedding. Or a hanging. Either way he’s going to have a lot of fun.

Guest:
Dr Caillan Davenport (Senior Lecturer, Roman History, Macquarie University)

Episode CXV - Ausonian Beast (Caracalla III) Mar 18, 2019

Show notes

After unleashing his unique brand of rule on the people of Rome, Caracalla becomes the problem of the provinces. After 212 he’ll spend the rest of his reign either at war or on tour, making the beast of Italy a problem for all Romans to deal with.

Guest:
Dr Caillan Davenport (Senior Lecturer, Roman History, Macquarie University)

Episode CXIV - Mutilating Rome (Caracalla II) Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

Now that Caracalla is the sole emperor of the Roman empire he’s able to act as he wishes. While he does little to please anyone outside the military, it’s his economic and social reforms that will affect the empire for years to come.

Guest:
Dr Caillan Davenport (Senior Lecturer, Roman History, Macquarie University)