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A journey through the myths and history of Ancient Greece and Rome for all the family.
Episodes
Friday Oct 02, 2015
Friday Oct 02, 2015
It is the turn of Carthage to get a good sacking and this time the perpetrators are so efficient that they had the whole concept named after them! Worse than that, the ancient city is lost to the Empire as it is occupied by the barbarians.
Thursday Sep 17, 2015
Thursday Sep 03, 2015
Thursday Sep 03, 2015
The fall-out from Adrianople is severe and long lasting; too much for a teenager. Fortunately Gratian has a plan.
Sunday Aug 16, 2015
Sunday Aug 16, 2015
Sunday Aug 09, 2015
Sunday Aug 09, 2015
Julian the Apostate. Julian the Hero or Julian the over-rated chancer? Brave or stupid? I know what I think!
Thursday Jul 23, 2015
Thursday Jul 23, 2015
The three surviving sons of Constantine the Great take over stewardship of the Roman Empire. Only one of them shows any semblance of being a chip off the old block!
Monday Jul 13, 2015
Monday Jul 13, 2015
Constantine the Great is one of the few people in history who genuinely changed the world. His achievements are many and varied but he also had a dark side!
Sunday Jun 28, 2015
Sunday Jun 28, 2015
Christianity and the Roman Empire are inextricably linked. Before Constantine, though, the relationship had been a bit rocky.In this chapter we look at the early interactions between the Empire and the Christians.
Thursday May 28, 2015
Thursday May 28, 2015
The Tetrarchy was a lovely idea. It worked so very well when Diocletian was in charge. When he was gone, though, self interest trumped duty. Civil wars ensued: lots of them.
Thursday May 14, 2015
Thursday May 14, 2015
The Tetrarchy: one man's attempt to create an entirely new, entirely workable system. It worked...until he was gone.
Monday May 04, 2015
Monday May 04, 2015
I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it. All feedback very gratefully received.
Friday May 01, 2015
Friday May 01, 2015
Diocletian shows the Empire how it's done. At last, the crisis is over.
Friday Apr 17, 2015
Friday Apr 17, 2015
Stupidity reigns in a resurgent Empire. Senior officers in the army, seemingly not content with the dramatic improvement, proceed to shoot Rome in the foot... twice!
Friday Apr 03, 2015
Thursday Mar 19, 2015
Thursday Mar 19, 2015
Gallienus tries and tries until the army have had enough of him. The man who follows him then has some instant success!
Thursday Mar 05, 2015
Thursday Mar 05, 2015
If you thought Decius's fate was bad then wait until you hear what happens to Valerian. Gallienus battles on against overwhelming odds after his father is removed from the equation.
Friday Feb 20, 2015
Friday Feb 20, 2015
The Goths arrive in Roman territory and cause havoc. Decius takes them on in battle. The result is complete disaster.
Thursday Feb 05, 2015
Thursday Feb 05, 2015
Incursions by barbarian tribes had been a constant but manageable irritation to the Romans before the current crisis. Some new ones, though, are about to get a whole lot more troublesome.
Thursday Jan 22, 2015
Thursday Jan 22, 2015
The Sassanids recognise that the Empire is in chaos and take the opportunity to attack. Gordian III travels east to see the finale but then bad things happen.
Thursday Jan 08, 2015
Monday Dec 29, 2014
Monday Dec 29, 2014
From the History Collage show on historypodcasters.com, a look at the four Julias who helped rule the Empire during the Severan years.
Thursday Dec 25, 2014
Thursday Dec 25, 2014
It's time to celebrate the great literary achievements of the Romans. And, by the way, Merry Christmas to you all.
Thursday Dec 11, 2014
Thursday Dec 11, 2014
Alexander Severus was a very nice young man. His mother was politically astute and determined that her son would be an excellent emperor. If only the times had been different.
Wednesday Nov 26, 2014
Wednesday Nov 26, 2014
Marcus Aurelius had a son who ruined the good work of the dynasty. Septimius Severus had TWO sons. They were no better!
Thursday Nov 13, 2014
Thursday Nov 13, 2014
Lucius Septimius Severus was energetic, capable and focussed on running a fair and stable empire. Unfortunately he was also rather too keen on warfare and totally incapable of managing his highly dysfunctional family!
Friday Oct 31, 2014
Friday Oct 31, 2014
In the year 193AD five men separately lay claim to the top job in Rome. After the best candidate is treacherously let down by the Praetorian Guard, the next man buys the throne from them. The Praetorians, though, are about to discover that their luck has run out!
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Poor Marcus Aurelius. Having spent most of his reign fighting the barbarians he dies when the job is just about complete... and his primary legacy is his unhinged son!
Friday Oct 03, 2014
Tuesday Sep 16, 2014
Tuesday Sep 16, 2014
"Don't waste time wondering what a good man is: be one." Marcus Aurelius's thoughts on how to live virtuously have stood the test of time.
Tuesday Sep 02, 2014
Tuesday Sep 02, 2014
Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus bring their very different approaches to being emperors. It is surprisingly successful partnership. And then one of them dies!
Tuesday Sep 02, 2014
Tuesday Aug 19, 2014
Tuesday Aug 19, 2014
The Golden Age of Rome! Hadrian ensures that the Empire will in safe hands for another forty years.
Tuesday Jul 22, 2014
Tuesday Jul 22, 2014
Trajan's successor could not be more different from the great man. In his own way, though, he turns out to be just as impressive.
Tuesday Jul 22, 2014
Tuesday Jul 22, 2014
The Myths and History of Greece and Rome has achieved a million downloads. Thanks to everyone for listening!
Wednesday Jul 09, 2014
Wednesday Jun 25, 2014
Wednesday Jun 25, 2014
There is nothing worse than a micromanager, even if his intentions are good... except an increasingly paranoid micromanager.
Tuesday Jun 10, 2014
Tuesday Jun 10, 2014
Vespasian and his son get to grips with running a huge Empire. Meanwhile Mount Vesuvius gets to grips with the Bay of Naples and a couple of towns which are now very famous indeed.
Tuesday May 13, 2014
Tuesday May 13, 2014
In 69AD four different men held the highest office in the Roman world... and they weren't sharing!!
Tuesday Apr 29, 2014
Tuesday Apr 29, 2014
Power is dangerous in the hands of the very young. The sixteen year-old Nero is given absolute power. Oh dear!
Tuesday Apr 15, 2014
Tuesday Apr 15, 2014
Things get a bit weird as the most unlikely candidate becomes emperor. The strangeness continues as he does a surprisingly good job. Shame about the wife, though!
Tuesday Apr 01, 2014
Tuesday Apr 01, 2014
The seamless transition is exactly that: seamless! The personal foibles of Augustus's successors, though, make for interesting times!
Tuesday Mar 18, 2014
Tuesday Mar 18, 2014
The succession has been on Augustus's mind from early in his tenure as emperor. Death, misfortune and exile intervene repeatedly as he has to modify his thinking over and over again.
Tuesday Mar 04, 2014
Tuesday Mar 04, 2014
Octavian's political skills dovetail beautifully with the practical and organisation skills of Marcus Agrippa. Bye bye Republic; hello Emperor Augustus Caesar!
Tuesday Feb 18, 2014
Tuesday Feb 18, 2014
Who will come out on top? Will it be Caesar's right hand man or Caesar's adopted heir? And what part will the Eastern Queen play?
Tuesday Feb 04, 2014
Tuesday Feb 04, 2014
They're all there: Et tu Brute; I came, I saw I, conquered, etc etc. Julius Caesar rises like a supernova and then disappears with a bang.
Tuesday Jan 21, 2014
Tuesday Jan 21, 2014
The very foundations of the Republic are shaken by three more men: one in particular!
Tuesday Jan 07, 2014
Tuesday Jan 07, 2014
The Republic worked when Rome was small and manageable. The conquest of vast tracts of territory, glorious though it was, brought with it hidden dangers. Great men rose and the Republic was too constraining... so they broke it!
Tuesday Dec 24, 2013
Tuesday Dec 24, 2013
The Romans come up against their most formidable opponent yet. The Carthaginian general, Hannibal Barca proves to be more than a thorn in their side for many years. Being Romans, though, they learn and adapt and eventually destroy the ancient empire of Carthage.
Tuesday Dec 10, 2013
Tuesday Dec 10, 2013
The Roman Republic is founded but its early years are still the stuff of legend. Only after the Gauls sack Rome are we really able to talk about Roman history.