The Partial Historians

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 most preeminent Etruscan city to the sout...

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. For our next instalment, we tell you the t...

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 the local region. At least that’s what our ancien...

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. Once we got started, it was hard for us to stop talking about the Life of Brian . British comedy was a staple of our childhoods and Monty Python was one of our favourites. It was a treat to follow...

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? to start at 410 BCE. Sound Credits Our music...

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 began for Dr Rad, and here we are at another beg...

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, we need to keep into mind that the extant rec...

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 turbulent time in the early imperial period wit...

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 of Anxur lying down. This calls for the moth...

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 You Lemons? It's time to take a tour...

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 interested in the base ten system. Episode 151 – Fact...

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 of translation. Stephanie McCarter is currently a...

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 Romans were not used to being in the field this l...

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 of his time creating content on  Instagram, X, YouT...

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 from many directions, so it’s no doubt a relie...

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 lectured in the Classics at the University of Wi...

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 All About the Money, Honey! There’s a disti...

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 holds a PhD in ancient history from the U...

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 the south of Rome. This had seemed like a hu...

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 all of the military tribunes were terribly ha...

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 Imperial period. This includes the praenomen (...

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 for consuls instead of military tribun...

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 – Welcome to the Partial Recap for the...

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 the World is Carventum? 411 BCE &#821...

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 Roman Empire in 21 Women with Dr Emma Southon We...