The Pax Romana Podcast

Through deft social and political maneuvers, seduction and pure survival skills, Agrippina—age 34—has won marriage to the fourth Roman Emperor Claudius, her own uncle. Into the marriage she brought her only son—a twelve year old boy who would grow up to become the great villain known as Nero. Although the emperor Claudius already had a son to succeed him—the eight year old Britannicus—he adopted N...

It is easy to think of Roman emperors as omnipotent rulers who could (and did) whatever struck their fancy. But as we’ve seen so far on this podcast, the truth was far more complex. The senate may not have been in charge anymore, but they still needed managing. The soldiers, especially the praetorians, were a source of power, but had also shown they could topple emperors. In the reign of Claudius,...

Claudius was often ridiculed by his family members, as well as senators. He may not have been as cruel as Caligula, but neither was he sufficiently deferent to the nobility. Claudius, however, carried on as he wished—and ended up creating a sustainable power base with the common people and his former slaves. He won popularity by securing the Roman food supply, and enthusiastically supporting Rome’...

Much of what we’ve talked about on this podcast has been focused on events in Rome, and especially with the major players in what would become Rome’s first imperial dynasty. But during the reign of Claudius, the Roman legions invaded the island of Great Britain, and this monumental event gives us an opportunity to better understand the wrecking ball that was the Roman military. Claudius never had...

The conspiracy to assassinate Caligula was a smashing success. But did the senate really wish to keep the Principate going? Why not go back to the republic? Well, the choice would be made for them; by the Praetorian Guard. For the first of many times, the right to rule the Roman Empire was simply purchased. Primary sources Referenced: Suetonius, Life of Claudius 3, 30. Claudius Coin ('Emperor Rece...

Was the emperor Caligula mad or just bad? No one really knows. But on todays podcasts, we recount some of the worst excesses of Rome’s third emperor. At this point, not only was the republic dead and gone, but it seemed the arrangements put in place by Augustus were also reaching a devastating end. As Caligula’s antics, eccentricities and outright malice created a climate far worse—far more deadly...

Caligula—one of the most infamous names in Roman history. But before he became the cruel and debased monster that history would remember, he began his reign with all signs pointing to a return to the good old days of Augustus. Unlike the previous emperor Tiberius, Caligula was engaged and active—a princeps prepared to fulfill the calling of his office, to be an example of morality and nobility tha...

Tiberius rules Rome—the second man now to serve as princeps—a new autocratic ruler with a lifetime term—an all-powerful guardian to keep the Republic from descending into civil war. But Tiberius seemed a reluctant emperor. He refused titles and honors—undermining his own regime’s propaganda. He lacked patience for senatorial politics—alienating the Roman nobility. And, in the year AD 26, just twel...

Augustus was a tough emperor to follow. When he died in 14 AD, his personal state was passed on to a man who seemed unsure of whether he wanted it—Augustus’ adopted son Tiberius. Tiberius was clearly not Augustus’ first choice—only being adopted after Augustus’ grandchildren conveniently died. And Tiberius would only be in charge a few years before many others in Rome also began to question whethe...

Despite Augustus’ attempt to project his reign as unquestioned and unifying, he in fact faced several forms of rebellion, from culture wars to outright conspiracies. How did the Augustan regime come to an end? Primary Sources Referenced: Ovid, Amores 1.9Tacitus, Annals 1.2-3Buy Professor Elliott's newest book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , published by Princeton U...

Octavian’s new name, Augustus, signified Augustus’ new job; he was now personally responsible to preserve the newly won peace. The gods demanded a Roman representative. The chaos of the late republic was a direct result of impiety: the Romans had grown lax in their worship and committed grievous sins. Rome needed an anointed one—a messiah. How did Augustus convince Romans to place him at the cente...

The victory against Antony at Actium won Octavian sole control over Rome’s empire. No opposition remained, and Octavian was just 33 years old. For the next four and a half decades, Octavian thoroughly reshaped Roman society—from religion, to politics, to the social hierarchy—into an autocratic system centered upon a single semi-divine, all-powerful emperor. How did he unify an empire which had bee...

The battle of Phillipi was over. Tens of thousands of Romans were dead, including Brutus and Cassius—leaders of the last republican faction. The victors in that battle—Mark Antony and Octavian—parted ways. Octavian marched back to Rome, and its furious elites who had been taxed, stolen from and murdered. And Rome's poor were starving. Mark Antony, meanwhile, found his way into the arms of Cleopatr...

Mark Antony, Lepidus and Caesar—and their combined armies—marched into Rome late in the year 43 BC. Thus began a reign of terror and atrocities that ended all hope of restoring the Roman republic. But there was the matter of Caesar’s assassins to contend with, and the triumvirs needed to move before they lost the advantage gained by their sudden alliance and drastic power grab in Rome. Primary Sou...

Everyone gathered for Julius Caesar's funeral—Caesar’s friends, as well as his enemies. It was perhaps the most awkward funeral in history. Everyone just wanted the thing to be over, so the city could move on, and the republic could heal. But that's not what happened. Instead, one man gave a fiery eulogy that turned this sham of a funeral into a raging riot. That arsonist was Mark Antony. Primary...

Caesar's death left a power vacuum that sucked the breath out of Rome. Who of Rome’s surviving elites were most prepared to rally the shell-shocked city? The derelict drunkard Mark Antony held formal power, but would anyone follow him? Caesar’s general Lepidus had an army in the city, but would he have the guts to use it? Then there were the assassins themselves; they held their daggers in their h...

To many in Rome, Caesar was a heroic figure. Caesar’s family, the Julii, were older than the Roman Republic itself. And yet he was a populist through and through—a man who had disregarded many of the norms of his fellow elites. Many Roman senators saw Caesar’s violent politics, excessive honors and increasing popularity as threatening to tear down the Roman Republic, only to replace it with a mona...