Emperors of Rome - La Trobe University

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**Emperors of Rome – La Trobe University**

“Great empires are not maintained by timidity.” – Tacitus. A podcast series looking at the rulers of the ancient Roman empire, by Dr Rhiannon Evans, Dr Caillan Davenport and Matt Smith.

Latest Episodes:

Support Emperors of Rome on Patreon! Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

Emperors of Rome is now on Patreon! To find out about perks and give your support head to patreon.com/romepodcast

Anthology of Interest IV Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

Rhiannon Evans, Caillan Davenport, Matt Smith and special guest William Dalrymple share items of Roman interest! You will hear:

- A phoenix in the forum
- The unknown Queens of Rome
- The Roman perception of elephants
- Trade between India and Rome
- The low bar of Roman insults
- The false female centurion
- What Emperors called themselves
- An accurate population of Pompeii
- The false Theodosius
- Sallust and ethnic etymology in North Africa

Episode CCL(250)

Guests:
Associate Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)
Professor Caillan Davenport (Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University))
William Dalrymple (Esteemed author and host of Empire podcast)

Viriathus Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Viriathus was a Lusitanian leader who rose from humble beginnings to become one of Rome’s most formidable enemies. A skilled tactician and master of guerrilla warfare, he led his people in resistance against Roman expansion in Hispania during the second century BCE. Celebrated for his honour and leadership — even by the Romans who fought him — Viriathus’s story is one of resilience, betrayal, and the enduring struggle for freedom against empire.

Episode CCXLIX (249)

Guest: Dr Christopher Gribbin (Adjunct Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Paetus, It Does Not Hurt Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

Arria, and her daughter of the same name, were celebrated in Roman literature for their virtues, piety, and devotion to family. Remembered above all for their willingness to embrace self-sacrifice, their lives and deaths became exemplars of courage and duty, cited by writers like Pliny and Martial as models of Roman virtue.

Episode CCXLVIII (248)

Guest: Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Porcia Aug 30, 2025

Show notes

Being the daughter of Cato and wife of Brutus came with certain expectations from the ancient world. Embody her father’s principles, be a fine, upstanding Roman lady, and put Rome first above all other things. Porcia did this, and was admired for her disposition.

Episode CCXLVII (247)

Guest: Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Laudatio Turiae Aug 22, 2025

Show notes

In times of antiquity, alongside the Via Appia, stood the Laudatio Turiae, a funerary inscription praising the life of an exceptional Roman woman. While we aren’t sure of her actual identity her husband was clearly fond to her, and wanted everyone approaching Rome to know it.

Episode CCXLVI (246)

Guest: Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

False Nero Jul 31, 2025

Show notes

When Nero took his own life in 68CE it was the end of an era for Rome. The Julio-Claudians had ruled for close to 100 years, and with the end of the dynasty there was confusion, civil war, and an outpouring of grief.

Some would exploit this confusion and claim to be the still alive Emperor Nero, with the intention of retaking his empire.

Episode CCXLV (245)

Guest: Assistant Professor Zachary Herz (Legal Historian, Department of Classics, University of Colorado Boulder).

Ludi Apollinares Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

Plague getting your people down? Suffering from a mysterious ailment? Perhaps a festival of Apollo is what you need. A simple festival with games, plays and feastings could be enough to sway Apollo in your favour. Or at least, distract your city for a while.

Episode CCXLIV (244)

Guest:
Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

The House That Crassus and Pompey Built Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

After the death of Crassus his powerful name, his fortune, and his family’s honour survived. In this episode we’ll trace the life of the Crassi yet to come, and how the family comes together with an old rival.

Episode CCXLIII (243)

Part V of Crassus

Guest:

Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Glory and Gold May 30, 2025

Show notes

Crassus had power, he had money, but he still felt something was missing. With an army and a province in the east, he sets off to win the glory he had always been denied Perhaps it lay in Parthia.

Episode CCXLII (242)

Part IV of Crassus

Guest:
Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

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