The Partial Historians

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...

In this episode we tackle the years 413 and 412 BCE. These years come hard on the back of the murder of the patrician Postumius. Rome is facing challenges that seem to be bound up in the spolia in times of war and the broader annalist focus on the idea of the Struggle of the Orders which has been the defining feature of the early republic in Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. To catch up on the...

In this episode, we tackle the years 415 and 414 BCE and the downfall of Postumius, a very wronghead man.   Episode 142 – A Wrongheaded Man Did you remember to RSVP for the war? In 415 BCE, the Romans were gearing up for war with Veii and the Aequians… but neither of their dance partners turned up! It takes two to tango and in this case, neither the people of Veii or the Aequians felt ready...

This may be the best podcast episode you’ve ever heard, and that’s the gospel truth. We’re munching on protein bars and raw chicken as we discuss Disney’s Hercules (1997) with Professor Alastair Blanshard. Statue of Hercules in Shrewsbury – a copy of the Farnese Hercules. Hercules leans wearily on his club, which is covered by his lionskin. Carrying out all these labours is hard work! Courte...

We return to the 410s BCE to explore some classic Conflict of the Orders. This one will end with an evil patrician plan (mwahahaha) to divide and conquer their plebeian foes. Episode 141 – Divide and Conquer Some Unfinished Business The Romans had been engaged in battle with the Aequians when we last checked in on them . Due to some slappy fighting between the military tribunes with consular...

We sit down with Yentl Love to talk all about classical reception in Lil Nas X’s 2021 music video for ‘Call Me By Your Name'. Yentl Love is the famous Queer Classicist and we recommend checking out her blog for accessible analysis of the ancient world. We are thrilled to have Yentl return to the show – you may remember her from the insightful conversation we had about the reception of...

After the kerfuffles of 420 BCE , it’s time for a brand new year or two! In this episode we consider 419 and 418 BCE. These two years are packed with exciting moments as we get to learn about an uprising from below – we're siding with the slaves! We recorded in a new location for this episode. So if you hear a little bit of crowd noise in the background that's all part of the atmosphere of t...

Content warning for this episode: violence, sexual violence, removal of children We sit down to chat with Genn and Jenny, the fabulous cohosts of the Ancient History Fan Girl podcast. They have recently published Women of Myth: From Deer Woman and Mami Wata to Amaterasu and Athena which examines fifty women and femme presenting figures from cultures across the globe. While Women of Myth is the cen...

Another decade is gone and it's time for a Partial Recap! We run through what the ancient sources tell us about this decade. There are some real highs and lows! The Partial Recap 420s BCE If you are keen to for some more detail, you can jump into our narrative episodes at 134 – A Dry Period . A view to the East over the Roman Forum with the Temple of Saturn on the left and the Palatine Hill...