Feb 22, 2018
* Claudius was encouraged to take up writing history by the man who himself wrote one of the greatest histories during Aug’s reign – Titus Livius, aka Livy. * He was a local aristocrat from Northern Italy and never sought a career in public life. * His history...
Feb 15, 2018
* Caius and Lucius presided over games including one where 260 lions were killed in the Circus Maximus which was built by the first Etruscan king of Rome Lucius Tarquinius Priscus. * BTW if you go to Rome today, you can see The Obelisco Flaminio, now in the Piazza del...
Feb 10, 2018
* Caius and Lucius seem unaffected by Julia’s exile. * She probably hadn’t had much to do with their upbringing for quite a while. * She was too busy having drunken orgies. * Both of them were adults and were assuming more of a public role. * They presided over the...
Jan 10, 2018
* In 2 BCE, Aug turned 60 and was made consul for the 13th time. * Lucius Caesar turned 15 and became a man. * He was made an augur and joined his brother as a leader of the youth. * He was also permitted to attend the Senate and marked down to be Consul in 4 CE. * On...
Jan 7, 2018
* Augustus is left all alone to run the empire. * In 5 BCE he becomes consul for the 12th time – 18 years since the last time he held the post. * As consul, he led out his oldest adopted son, Caius, on the day he first donned his toga virilis. * Not long...
Dec 31, 2017
Sorry folks. I messed up the first file. Here’s the correct episode. Tiberius suddenly declared he wanted to withdraw from public life. Something happened. Behind the closed doors of the imperial court, there must have been an argument, and Tiberius lost it. He said...