May 15, 2021
In the year 59, Nero decided it was time to get rid of his mother, Agrippina. But how much can we trust the narrative in the ancient sources? They have significant problems. data-episode-id="827790" data-theme="light" data-height="190" data-enable-volume="true"> The...
Apr 30, 2021
Nero likes hanging out under bridges where he could “take his pleasures more freely” and this leads to trouble for Sulla’s great-great-great grandson. But Nero also wants to abolish taxes because he’s a dirty commie. Then the Germans start some shit and find out why...
Apr 17, 2021
Tacitus shares some Salacious Stories from Nero’s Rome in the year 58 CE – mostly about ambitious women. data-episode-id="816012" data-theme="light" data-height="190" data-enable-volume="true"> The Complete Premium Caesar: (Protected...
Mar 26, 2021
There’s a war with Parthia, Rome’s boogeyman since they cut off the head of Crassus in 53 BCE, a hundred years earlier, and Nero sends Corbulo to deal with it. He whips his troops into order and kicks ass, wearing a mankini while his troops’ hands fall off from the...
Mar 13, 2021
Nero starts his own Fight Club. Apart from that, the years of 56 – 58 were pretty good. Nero made some wise decisions (no doubt with the help of Seneca), showing moderation and generosity. He was turning out to be an emperor of the calibre of Augustus....
Feb 24, 2021
This is where the story becomes really weird. Nero, up until now the golden child, suddenly becomes a cold murderer with the murder of Britannicus. data-episode-id="794539" data-theme="light" data-height="190" data-enable-volume="true"> The Complete Premium Caesar:...
Feb 13, 2021
In the first year of his rule, Nero was a big hit. He built a wooden amphitheatre in the Campus Martius, flooded it, and held a naval battle with sea monsters. In his gladiator shows, nobody died, not even criminals. But then… Nero fell in love....
Jan 22, 2021
Nero becomes emperor on the murder of his step-father. He’s 16 or 17 years old. Why didn’t the Senate stop him? It might have something to do with Seneca and Burrus. Seneca wrote him a speech where he promised to be nice. And, indeed, the first five years of his rule...
Jan 16, 2021
This is the story of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Known to us as Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Or just “Nero”. On this episode, we ask – how is it possible that a man tutored and guided by one of the most famous Stoic philosophers, Seneca, would end...
Dec 18, 2020
Agrippina decides the time has come. She has a poison expert released from prison and they prepare a special dish of mushrooms for Claudius’ last meal. But the mushrooms weren’t enough and so they had to finish him off – with a feather. data-episode-id="771460"...
Dec 6, 2020
Claudius builds the world’s biggest tunnel and puts on a huge show to celebrate. But things don’t go to plan. Nero gets married and starts to build his political profile – he is only 16. data-episode-id="766474" data-theme="dark" data-visual="true"...
Dec 6, 2020
Claudius and Agrippina get hitched despite the fact that she was his niece. She immediately starts to get rid of her enemies, reward her supporters, and prepare the ground for the next stage of her plan to make her young son, Nero, the emperor....
Nov 7, 2020
It’s 48 CE. Messalina is dead. So now Claudius needs a new wife. There are several candidates, including Julia Agrippina, the daughter of Germanicus, making her Claudius’ niece. Conveniently, her rich husband had recently died. She is also the mother of a...
Oct 17, 2020
Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo – brother-in-law of Caligula – is sent by Claudius to Germany to deal with some rebellious tribes. But he’s TOO successful, so Claudius calls him home. Messalina decides to get married again – while still married to...
Oct 11, 2020
Messalina starts killing off men who refuse her sexual advances or who just have something she wants. Meanwhile, Claudius keeps being a nice guy and the people feel sorry for him. The Complete Premium Caesar: (Protected...
Sep 18, 2020
The invasion of Brittania continues. When Plautius has them nearly finished, he sends for Claudius who turns up to take credit for the final blow. The Senate granted him tons of honours as a result of his victory. But he’s more interested in explaining to Romans how...
Sep 11, 2020
In 43 Claudius is consul again. Messalina is setting him up with girls to bang while she’s running sex parties in another part of the palace. Then he invades Britain, finishing the job Julius Caesar started nearly a century earlier. The Complete Premium Caesar:...
Sep 5, 2020
While the attempted coup was going on, Claudius had troops in Mauretania under the command of Suetonius Paulinus. One of Paulinus’ officers, Gnaeus Hosidius Geta, chases the Moors over the Atlas Mountains and into the desert – where he has to call on foreign...
Aug 21, 2020
Messalina and Tiberius Claudius Narcissus accuse Appius Silanus, consul in 28 CE, with trying to murder Claudius – because they saw him do it in their dreams. After his hasty execution, Scribonianus and Annius, two of the guys behind the assassination of...
Aug 14, 2020
Claudius was a builder and a visionary. Humble and generous. Okay – maybe he liked gladiatorial contests a little too much. But then there was his wife – Valeria Messallina. Like Livia, Messallina often gets blamed for some of the deaths that occurred...
