The Partial Historians

Dr Radness travelled to Melbourne recently and met with the fantastic and erudite Dr Rhiannon Evans from La Trobe. Dr Evans is one of the famous voices on the Emperors of Rome podcast. In this special episode, Dr Rad and Dr Evans explore barbarians! *Special Episode* – Barbarians with Dr Rhiannon Evans Tune in to learn more about how the Romans thought about the peoples they came into contac...

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… Episode 96 – Letters and Rumours According to the annalist tradition, debate continues to rage about the proposal for clarity around laws and the idea of equality before the law. This leads...

Episode 95 – Introducing Caeso Quinctius 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 moment, Livy and Dion...

Episode 94 – Flesh Rains Down Upon Thee 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 Volscii. As for the title of this ep...

We return to the fray with the most excellent Rob and Jaime to tackle Dr Radness' favourite emperor. How will Tiberius fare against the criteria of Totalus Rankium? We're about to find out! How great is Tiberius? Tune in to find out! How are we judging Tiberius? Oooo better not to ask me, Dr G, author of this post, because I'm too much of an Augustan fan-girl to answer this question. Okay, okay, h...

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 c. 463 BCE so it's only after a series of interreges that we stumble into...

We are super excited to announce that we sat down recently with Stephen Guerra, the host of the History of the Papacy Podcast to talk all about the classic 1951 sword-and-sandals film Quo Vadis. This is a three way conversation with a variety of perspectives to enjoy. Stephen offers insights into the representation of Christianity. Dr Rad offers an intimate understanding of Rome in Hollywood cinem...

We're very excited to bring you a special episode where we sit down with Cam from The Life of Caesar podcast! We're talking about Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti filius Augustus or ‘Tibbo' as he's affectionately known. As you know, Tiberius holds a special place in Dr Rad's heart. The Life of the Caesars duo are in the midst of examining his life and career, so it seemed like a great chance to...

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 Aequians engaging in guerilla style raiding to seeking out the Romans in pitched...

In exciting news, we got together recently with the amazing and very hilarious gentleman of Totalus Rankium , Rob and Jaime, to discuss all things Augustus! We love their work on the Roman emperors and thought it would be great fun to see how all our different perspectives on Augustus shaped up in conversation. The results are in! Enjoy a sparring match of words that goes in all directions. We exp...

We're back and as the title for this episode notes, you're about to tune into the tale of some furious Romans! It is none other than Dr Rad and Dr G tracing the history of Rome from the founding of the city and ooooh boy are we heading back into that sweet Early Roman Republican narrative. The Big Names c. 465 BCE Titus Quintius Capitolinus (cos. III) Quintus Fabius Vibulanus (cos. II) c. 464 BCE...

We're turning 90 and it's time for a special episode on the reception of Spartacus! What better way to do this than to examine the history of Spartacus, the ballet. Dr Rad is our expert on the ground on all things Spartacus and reception. Dr G brings a wild curiosity and a small knowledge of ballet. So how does a famous freedom fighter like Spartacus end up with his own ballet? We consider the maj...

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! The main players Consuls for c. 467 BCE Titus Aemilius Mamercus (cos. II), previously consul in c. 470 BCE Quintus Fabius Vibulanus Consuls for c. 466 BCE Spurius Postumius Albinus Regillensis Quintus Servilius Priscus (...

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 general consensus amongst historians is that these narr...

Appius Who? We are deep in the conflict between between patricians and plebeians. One of the important consequences of the current struggles seems to be an increase in the number of tribunes. Dates for these kinds of things are very hazy indeed and there's good reason to think that our sources, Dionysius and Livy, are both invested in offering a coherent narrative for why things are the way they a...

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. Our Starring Players Lucius Pinarius Mamercinus Rufus and Publius Furius Medullinus Fusus, the consuls of c. 472 B...

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. This is especially the case when the person turning up dead is a Roman magistrate! In this episode we consider what happens to Gnaeus Genucius and Volero Publius. Murder Most Foul: Gnaeus Genucius Gnaeus Genucius, tribune of the plebs for the year c. 473 BCE, is in a stous...

The early Republic of Rome is full of strife and tension. As we inch deeper into the history, there are neighbourly struggles and internal political discord on the rise. Rome is still mourning the loss of the Fabian gens. The Fabians were almost completely destroyed by the forces of Veii and her northern allies, the Tyrrhenians (think, Etruscans!). Just as Rome was devastated by the loss of the Fa...

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! In this episode we face two strands of narrative: The developing grain crisis...

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. So where were we in the history? We step back into the narrative with a little bit of orientation. Who does Rome really know about in the region and just how mu...

Would any Ancient Roman podcast hosted by two women be complete without a very special episode on one of the most famous women in the City's history, Livia Drusilla? Obviously not and here we are 🙂 We're taking a detour from our usual primary source focus to start with the depiction of Livia in the seminal I , Claudius BBC series (1976). As we get further into the topic we move backwards through...

Rome and Veii Rome and Veii are central to the politics and military activity of c. 478 BCE. 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 . Livy and Di...

The history of Rome from the founding of the City continues and, if the title is a hint, the fabulous Fabians are at the forefront of the narrative! 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 t...

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 politics starts with some agitation from Titus Pontificus (aka Tiberius Pontificius) the tribune of the plebs who seeks some mov...

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. How consulships are chosen seems to be getting a little more complicated. There are tussles o...