From the Founding of the City Archives - The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies

The Romans find themselves on the wrong end of Aequian aggression and its not long before we meet Cloelius Gracchus! The post Episode 101 – Talk to the Tree appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies .

!!MILESTONE EPISODE!! We're celebrating our 100th episode! Join us for this very special exploration of the Roman consulship. The post Episode 100 – The Consulship appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies .

It is c. 459 BCE and Rome faces the consequences of the Capitol having been seized and a consul killed in the previous year. The challenges come on two fronts: Tusculum and Antium. The post Episode 99 – Tusculum and Antium appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies .

It’s c. 460 BCE and this hectic year in Roman history continues! In this episode we consider Rome in the wake of the sneak attack on the Capitol by Herdonius’ disaffected Sabines. During the challenges of wrestling control back, the Romans lose one of their own. The consul Publius Valerius Pubicola falls in battle. This […] The post Episode 98 – Cincinnatus, Suffect Consul...

We return to our narrative of Rome's history of its foundation with some surprising Sabines. It's still 460 BCE, which is an indication of just how complicated Rome's history is becoming when we read our sources. Both Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus are very focused on the ongoing conflict between the Roman elites and the emerging claims to power from the plebeians. We wouldn't would to give t...

The conflict between patricians and plebeians continues apace as we explore the political complexities of 460 BCE. Much like a Jane Austen novel, letters and rumours abound in the fair city of Rome… According to the annalist tradition, debate continues to rage about the proposal for clarity around laws and the idea of equality before […] The post Episode 96 – Letters and Rumours...

The complex relationship between the patricians and plebeians is central to our appreciation of the 460s BCE. In this episode we’ll get to consider the complexities first hand with the entrance of Caeso Quinctius (remember this name, he’s going places!). We jump back into the narrative history of c. 461 BCE with our guides of […] The post Episode 95 – Introducing Caeso Quin...

We return to Rome’s narrative from the founding of City. The year c. 462 BCE ends on a high note with the consuls both gathering honours for their military exploits. L. Lucretius Tricipitinus is awarded a triumph for his successes against the Aequii while T. Veturius Geminus scores an ovatio for his part against the […] The post Episode 94 – Flesh Rains Down Upon Thee appeared fi...

Rome emerges from the year of pestilence and moves straight on to divide and conquer. While this seems implausible, we’re still navigating the tricky gaps in our annalist historians – uncertainty is the name of the historical game at this stage. Welcome to c. 462 BCE! The pestilence ensured the death of both consuls of […] The post Episode 93 – Divide and Conquer appeared f...

We’re jumping back into the narrative. The title might be a bit of a giveaway, yes yes, we’ll be talking about … pestilence! But before we get there we need to consider the circumstances. Rome has been having lots of problems with their neighbours, particularly the Aequians and we’ve seen a shift in tactics from […] The post Episode 92 – The Pestilence of 463 BC...

In this episode, we dip in the years c. 466-4 BCE to explore the continuing conflict between Rome, the Aequians, and the Volscians. These years are packed with drama, politics, and virtus! The post Episode 91 – The Furious Romans appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies .

It's a brand new edition of the Partial Historians covering the Early Roman Republic™! And as the title 'A Fabian Abroad' hints, the Fabians are back in the political scene! There's nothing we enjoy more than some controversy in the source material and oooo boy does the narrative get hazy with the return of a Fabian back in the scene. We explore some of the challenges with this situation in order...

What kind of drama could follow the career of uber patrician Appius Claudius? As it turns out, those Romans are really all about battle after battle! We've reached a hazy period in our historiography where the narratives of Livy and Dionysius start to diverge on specifics; some events play out over different years depending on the author. The post Episode 88 – Battle After Battle! appeared f...

We are deep in the conflict between between patricians and plebeians. We jump back into the narrative part way through c. 471 BCE. Our consuls are Titus Quintius Capitolinus Barbartus and Appius Claudius Sabinus and they represent different approaches to political engagement with the plebeians. The post Episode 87 – The Rise and Rise of Appius Claudius appeared first on The Partial Historian...

Our jaunt through the history of ancient Rome continues apace! In this episode we cover c. 472-1 BCE. Dr Radness is reading Livy and Dr G is reading Dionysius of Halicarnassus and the comparisons of our sources is quite something! The main stars are the tribunes Volero and Laertorius. The post Episode 86 – Volero and Laetorius appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History...

When we left you at the end of the last episode, there was some major events afoot - there's nothing like a murder in the city, particularly when the people turning up dead are Romans who hold a public magistracy! In this episode we consider the mystery concerning Gnaeus Genucius and the stories connected with Volero Publilius! The post Episode 85 – Murder and Volero! appeared first on The P...

In this episode, Drs R and G discuss the exploits of the Romans between c. 475-3 BCE. There's plenty to consider: battles, consular successes, and looming ever larger in the narrative the call for agrarian reform which builds on the back of a grain crisis. The post Episode 84 – The Romans Are Manly Men appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies .

After the tragic demise of the Fabii gens, what happens next? The rivalry between Rome and her northern neighbour Veii continues! 'If Only I Had Some Grain' captures the spirit of this episode. We cover the years c. 476 BCE and part of c. 475 BCE. Is this a sign that our narrative is quickening up? Quite possibly! We face two strands of narrative: The developing grain crisis in Rome and the milita...

We return to the history of Rome from the founding of the City and that can only mean one thing - the Fabian family are back front and centre. And, yes, that episode title is a bit of a spoiler! We're talking about the Fabian demise. The post Episode 82 – Fabian Demise appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies .

Rome and the Fabians have developed a whole new military tactic by building a fortress near Veii. This is momentous! It allows Rome to station soldiers outside the City in preparation for battle. This force though is made up largely of Fabians and their supporters which will have implications. The post Episode 80 – The Year 478 BCE appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman His...

In the wake of the horrific Battle of Veii in 480 BCE we head into c. 479 BCE. While we follow Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus predominantly at this time, we also see a little of the Fasti Capitolini creep in. After a little bit of faffing about the consuls Caeso Fabius (cos. III) and Titus Verginius Tricostus Rutilus emerge - were these two just as in favour with the plebeians and the patrici...

The nascent Roman Republic is well under the influence of the Fabii. Marcus Fabius holds the consulship for the second time. He shares the illustrious role with Gnaeus Manlius. The real trouble lies in Roman domestic diplomacy. Herein the Battle of Veii 480 BCE. The post Episode 78 – The Battle of Veii 480 BCE appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies...

We dive back into the history of Rome from the founding of the city and end up right in the challenges of 481 BCE. This means that we're in the hazy early period of the Republic where the conflict between the patricians and plebeians dominates the narratives offered by Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. The post Episode 77 – The Troubles of 481 BCE appeared first on The Partial Historians...

The patrician and plebeian conflict explodes over the redistribution of public land. The Vestal Virgin Oppia finds herself the object of public scrutiny. The post Episode 76 – Plebeian Struggles and the Vestal Oppia appeared first on The Partial Historians - Ancient Roman History with smart ladies .

In the wake of Spurius Cassius' demise, Rome's attention turns inwards. The plebeians and the patrician conflict continues to escalate and the some of the consequences begin to play out with Rome's foreign policy. In c. 483 BCE the conflict between Rome and the Volscii really starts to reflect the internal struggle between the patricians and plebeians in Rome herself. The post Episode 75 – T...