Autocrat- A Roman History Podcast

Quintus Smyrnaeus may have been the least favourite child according to Autocrat lore, but he did give us a new source called the Posthomerica- a.k.a. the Fall of Troy- which takes us all the way to the end of the Trojan War! Our first two books of the Posthomerica see two different attempts by outside armies to rescue Troy- and they both go the same way... Sources for this episode: Quintus Smyrnae...

It's finally the end of the Iliad! But before we wrap up, we still have time for a few questions. For instance, are all Achilles' funeral games either problematic or rigged? Will Cassie pointing out errors in the script lead to an increasingly irate Vince? And will the Jingle-Jangler make a cameo? All that to come on the final part of the Iliad! Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. T...

It's been a long time in the making, but we finally get the fight between Achilles and Hector. Tune in for Priam and Hecabe trying to make their son see reason, a surprise cameo from Eddie Redmayne and how not to be respectful to your enemy's corpse... Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd.

A shorter episode today discussing book XXI of the Iliad! Achilles goes round murdering people like there's no tomorrow, and one of the rivers he keeps flinging people into objects to this. Not only that, but we get more partisanship from the gods and an honouring of a grisly promise. Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd. Aut...

Patroclus is dead and Achilles is feeling seriously unhappy about it. And the Trojan army is going to know about it. But along the way, join us to give a sulking Odysseus a video game controller as a distraction and watch two grown men negotiate over a woman! Yay... Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd. Author unknown, Wikipe...

We're sorry. Sources for this episode: Apollonius of Rhodes (1972), The Voyage of Argo. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd. The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2018), Linus (online) (Accessed 31/03/2025). The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2021), Lake Avernus summary (online) (Accessed 31/03/2025). Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus: The Library (Volume I). London:...

The United States of America may only have been founded in the 18th century, but the influences on it stretch all the way back to the days of the Roman Empire and, before that, the Roman Republic. We sat down with Jerry Landry from the Presidencies of the United States podcast to talk about the Senate, cities called Carthage, Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, and more! Sources and quick references...

We've had Hector going ballistic on the opposing side- well, now it's Achilles' turn. He's not quite in the war itself yet, but we see him terrify the Trojans with just his appearance and Thetis getting Hephaestus to make new armour for mummy's special boy... Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd.

You guessed it from the title- today is going to be a great day for Patroclus where nothing bad happens. He does get to do a grim version of fishing and wreak havoc among the Trojan lines before the Nothing Bad happens to him, though. Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd. Jarrett, C., BBC Science Focus (date unknown), What is...

A lot of spears getting thrown and a lot of fighting in this instalment of the Iliad. Not only that, but Zeus is preventing the other gods from taking action in the battle. But don't worry, Hera has a plan! A plan to distract Zeus. A very... hinted at... plan. Sources for this episode: The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2025), Scythian (online) (Accessed c.08/02/2025). Homer (1965), The Ili...

It's Valentine's Day! Let's look at some of the romantic stories in Greek mythology and... oh. Well, at least Ovid gave up a prototype version of Romeo and Juliet to work with. That's right, it's the story of Pyramus and Thisbe! Sources for this episode: Boccaccio, G. (1963), Concerning Famous Women. Translated by G. A. Guarino. Rutgers, The State University. Chaucer, G. (1889)...

We continue to watch the gods meddle in human affairs as Zeus sends confusing omens and turns Hector into a boulder throwing maniac. Oh, and yet more people getting injured in ways that make the hosts shudder. Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antiphus (online) (Accessed 19/01/202...

Expect random acts of violence, petty squabbles and a chariot race with a twist as we journey through Books IX and X of the Iliad. Oh, and we give Odysseus more of a verbal beating that he doesn't deserve... Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd. Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Ilus (online) (Accessed 19/01/2025)...

Covering Books VI through VIII of the Iliad today, we learn that it's dangerous to be a charioteer to Hector, as you might end up with a spear in a very tender area... We also see a pause from war as Hector has a quiet moment with his wife and son, and Odysseus gets his ego shattered. Sources for this episode: Homer (1965), The Iliad. Translated by E. V. Rieu. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd....

As the tenth year of the Trojan War continues, Diomedes starts cutting through the Trojans like a knife through butter. Aside from a possible cameo from a primary source author himself, Diomedes is about to show the world how cool he is- including taking on the God of War himself... Also, get ready for a cameo from the heiress presumptive who has been recording our jingles! Sources for this episod...

We've finally started one of the famous works of the ancient world! In this instalment, Achilles and Agamemnon have a falling out because of a slave girl, Aphrodite proves herself the worst and the war is nearly settled right there and then after a siege of nine years... Sources for this episode: Homer (2021), The Iliad & The Odyssey. Translated by S. Butler. Oviedo: Entreacacias, S. L. Frazer...

The Autocrat team is on a bit of a break before we get into the Iliad in episode 59 next week. However, we didn't want to leave you starved of content! This week includes a bit of an update on scheduling, plus some fun moments from the podcast's history- including some never seen before... Let us know if you want to see more bloopers, and we might include some on a Patreon someday!

A quick update welcoming you to 2025- or the 2778th year of Rome- and a primer on what you can expect for the year ahead. For any ancient Romans listening, feel free to ignore this until your New Year in March. Sources for this episode: Blakemore, E., National Geographic (2023), The new year once started in March- here's why (online) (Accessed 31/12/2024). The Editors, Encylopedia Britannica (2024...

Agamemnon is a family man. It's just a shame that family is also the answer to who needs to be put up on an altar. As the Greeks are loitering at Aulis before setting off for Troy, we watch the goddess Artemis announce that Iphigenia needs to sacrificed in order to placate her anger... Sources for this episode:  Antoninus Liberalis (1992), The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis. Translated by F....

Christmas and the Anno Domini system of counting years are very intertwined. So, what better way to celebrate than to talk to someone going through every year of the AD calendar one at a time? We sat down with Dan from Augustus History, the creator of Yearly Histories, to talk about the challenges and the joys of such an endeavour.

Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. These are the three goddesses now fighting over an apple. And, strange as it sounds, it's this dispute that will lead to three naked goddesses standing in front of an unsuspecting mortal called Paris... Sources for this episode: Brooks, F. (1896), Greek Lyric Poets. London: David Nutt. Euripides (1967), The Bacchae and Other Plays. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd. Fraz...

Content warning: Peleus is a terrible person, so expect a mild reference to some implied nastiness. Peleus is one of those people who gets things he doesn't deserve. Despite all that terrible behaviour we outlined in episode 55, he gets to marry a goddess! However, it's at the wedding that the seeds of something dreadful will be sown... Sources for this episode: Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus:...

In the quiet before the storm of the Trojan War and its immediate causes, we introduce two major characters today. The first is Odysseus, great-grandson of Hermes and creator of oaths that blow up in his face. The second is Achilles- descendant of Zeus and an ancient Greek example of play dress-up to run away from your problems. Sources for this episode: Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus: The Libr...

Content warning: the title should tell you everything you need to know here. The descendants of Tantalus are violent, and they don't mess about. Tantalus is usually known for being the originator of the word tantalising. But how bad can his story really be? In this episode, Vince tells a progressively more horrified Cassie about the messed-up lives of his descendants- including Agamemnon and Menel...

Meet the most beautiful woman in the world- who may have hatched from an egg. She's got suitors lining up to marry her which poses a problem for her stepfather Tyndareus. Maybe Odysseus will have a short term solution that will only cause problems later? Sources for this episode: Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus: The Library (Volume II). London: William Heinemann. Graves, R. (1981), Greek Myths:...