The March of History: Julius Caesar

The March of History goes back in time to Italy in the spring of 49 BC, where Marcus Tullius Cicero still sits around his country villas agonizing over what action he should take in this civil war. Cicero's natural loyalty lies with Pompey and the Optimates who he feels have the moral right on their side. And yet, Cicero is furious with Pompey for his failures around the Rubicon crossing and his a...

The Siege of Massilia reaches its dramatic climax as Caesar’s legions build new and innovative siegeworks to overcome the defiant Massiliotes. At last, Julius Caesar arrives on the scene and quickly gets hit with a flurry of news items. In his absence, Rome has appointed Caesar as Dictator. On a more ominous note, the veteran Ninth Legion has instigated a mutiny among Caesar’s army in Placentia. A...

The forces of Julius Caesar put the Greek city-state of Massilia under siege. Massilia is equipped with mighty defenses and its people are determined to resist the Roman war machine. To overcome these defenses, the legions will need to utilize all their ancient engineering skills to build truly incredible siege-works. For months this siege is waged on land and sea as the Romans build ever more com...

Gaius Scribonius Curio marches against the approaching Numidian army. Finding success, he presses his luck and pursues his foe… only to be led into a trap. With the Numidians surrounding them, Curio and his army are forced to make a desperate last stand. Meanwhile, the rest of the army is now eager to flee Africa. But the available ships do not have room for everyone, and soon chaos breaks out as...

As Caesar wrestles the Spains under his control, Gaius Scribonius Curio leads two legions and 500 cavalry on an invasion of the Roman province of Africa (modern Tunisia). At 34 years old, Curio is young and inexperienced yet talented, dynamic and full of confidence. Arrayed against him are the combined forces of the Roman senator Publius Attius Varrus and the King of Numidia, Juba. Time will tell...

Julius Caesar rushes Further Spain in an attempt to bring the province under his control and consolidate his power in Spain. Meanwhile, in the Illyrian theatre of war (the modern Balkans), Caesar's subordinates, Gaius Antonius and Publius Cornelius Dolabella, suffer crushing defeats. Even defeats can have honor though, and so, 1,000 men from the town of Opitergium decide to set an example in this...

When Pompeian soldiers and officers start to mingle with Caesar's army in an attempt to bring about a peace, Petreius decides to renew the war in brutal fashion. After a game of cat and mouse, Julius Caesar finally corners the Pompeians and receives their surrender. With both Roman armies listening, Caesar then launches into one of his greatest speeches and one of his most ostentatious displays of...

With their position growing worse by the day, Afranius and Petreius decide to make a run for it and attempt to march to Celtiberia where they expect to find support. For Julius Caesar, everything depends on stopping them from reaching a set of mountains/hills at which point they will be out of his reach and the war will become protracted. And so the race begins, with both armies rushing to reach t...

When monsoon rains hit Northeastern Spain, the Sicoris River floods, obliterating both of Julius Caesar's bridges. Now stranded in a narrow strip of land between two flooded rivers, Caesar soon runs out of food and his troops begin to starve. Finding himself in an increasingly desperate situation, Caesar must find a way to regain access to the Eastern bank of the river or else the war will be lost...

Julius Caesar arrives in Spain, the picture of confidence. Even having to borrow money from his officers to pay his soldiers doesn't seem to dampen his self-belief, or the belief of his followers. Taking command of the Spanish campaign, he quickly begins trying to outmaneuver Afranius and Petreius. Caesar's luck abandons him though, when his veteran army panics and the Ninth Legion finds itself tr...

Julius Caesar’s rapid march toward Spain is stalled by the defiant city of Massilia (modern Marseille). Ahenobarbus unexpectedly resurfaces and re-enters the Roman Civil War. We set the stage for Julius Caesar’s campaign in Spain. Caesar’s legate Fabius, sent ahead to start the war while Caesar organizes the siege of Massilia, soon finds himself in peril -  without Caesar around to save him.   Buy...

Sitting in his country villa, Cicero struggles to choose a side; Julius Caesar or Pompey and the Optimates. From his vantage, neither option looks appealing. Meanwhile, Julius Caesar makes his much anticipated (and dreaded) return to Rome after a 10 year absence from his mother city. There, Caesar soon finds himself butting heads with a troublesome Tribune of the Plebs over the fate of the Roman t...

Julius Caesar pursues Pompey to the port city of Brundisium. There, the two face off in the first great engineering contest of the civil war as Caesar attempts to blockade the port and Pompey works to slow Caesar’s progress until his fleet can arrive. There is also a special segment at the end of the episode regarding the Gladiator films so make sure to listen all the way through or you will miss...

Julius Caesar makes the greatest gamble of his life and crosses the Rubicon to march on his political enemies. The civil war has begun. The unprepared Pompey and the Optimates are thunderstruck by Caesar's swift advance. Most Romans fear Caesar will behave like Sulla or Marius. Caesar has other plans. He soon unveils his clemency to the world in dramatic fashion.   Website www.themarchofhistory.co...

With Caesar’s conquest of Gaul complete, focus now turns to his much anticipated return to Rome. Caesar envisions the triumphant return of a conquering hero. The Optimates envision a criminal being dragged before a court controlled and guarded by the armed soldiers of Pompey. With both sides claiming to want peace yet refusing to back down, an ancient arms race begins.   Website www.themarchofhist...

The final year of the Gallic Wars; Vercingetorix meets his fate. What is the significance of Alesia for Julius Caesar and what is the legacy of his conquest of Gaul?   Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below! https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3764325529420842984&created=1680471101.0362968&printed=1     Patreon If you...

Alesia is Julius Caesar’s greatest battle and one of the most famous battles in history. Caesar has now surrounded Alesia with two rings of ramparts, towers, traps and ditches. But with a massive Gallic relief army bearing down upon them, Caesar and his army find themselves surrounded. Fighting now on two fronts and heavily outnumbered, the Romans will be pushed to their breaking point.   YouTube...

Alesia is Julius Caesar’s greatest battle and one of the most famous battles in history. With Vercingetorix and his men held up in the hilltop town of Alesia, Julius Caesar and the Romans start a monumental project of fortifications to wall Vercingetorix in.   YouTube exploring the battlefield of Alesia: https://youtu.be/oeqVc9rG7Ik?si=86V1Mpec3Ok-XkNg     Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Ven...

Julius Caesar’s Gallic allies are defecting at an alarming rate. Soon he is surrounded in enemy territory and cut off from his provinces which are under attack. As Caesar and his army march to the rescue of Transalpine Gaul weighed down by their baggage train, Vercingetorix smells an opportunity.   Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, clic...

With allies wavering in loyalty Julius Caesar fears being surrounded at Gergovia. But before he can begin a strategic retreat he must win some sort of face saving victory. The result, is the Battle of Gergovia, Caesar’s single biggest defeat in the Gallic Wars.   Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below! https://venmo.com/...

Julius Caesar takes the fight to Vercingetorix’s homeland. Meanwhile elements of one of Rome’s Gallic allies, the Aedui, try to push their tribe into joining Vercingetorix’s rebellion.   Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below! https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3764325529420842984&created=1680471101.0362968&printed=1...

Julius Caesar finally finds a worthy rival in Gaul in the form of a young charismatic nobleman by the name of Vercingetorix. With Caesar distracted by the anarchy in Rome, Vercingetorix seizes his chance to rouse all of Gaul into rebellion. Caught off guard, Caesar needs to find a way to reunite with his army and take back the initiative.    Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoy...

Cato cracks down on corruption sans underwear. Clodius and Milo’s gang war reaches its climax on the Via Appia. Rome erupts into utter chaos as violent mobs swarm the streets.   Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below! https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3764325529420842984&created=1680471101.0362968&printed=1     Patr...

Crassus and the Romans begin a long, bloody retreat from the battle of Carrhae with Surena and the Parthians in hot pursuit. When Surena finally catches up to Crassus, the result is so theatrical it could only exist in ancient history.   Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below! https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3764325529420...

Crassus invades the Parthian Empire! Ignoring an endless stream of bad omens he marches his army over the Euphrates River and into Mesopotamia. The Parthians are no helpless foe and soon Crassus finds himself marching further and further into the desert where the Parthians have a surprise waiting for him.   Website www.themarchofhistory.com     Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a...