Podcast
Augustus Caesar #71 – Drusus Goes Up The Aenus
Augustus goes back to Gaul and brings his stepsons, Drusus and Tiberius, to help conquer the hilltop tribes in the Swiss Alps. HOW TO LISTEN If you're seeing…
Augustus Caesar #70 – Fight For Your Right To Party
In 17 BCE Augustus decided to throw a huge party, The Secular Games, which was held only once every 110 years. Somehow this gets us talking about sex,…
Augustus Caesar #69 – The Lamprey
There’s a story about how Augustus dined one night with an old friend, Vedius Pollio, an equestrian known for his wealth, love of luxury, cruelty – and his…
Augustus Caesar #68 – Mr Nice Guy
Augustus was a pretty approachable guy (like us!). We tell some stories about how he made himself readily available to everyone from Senators to the general public. And…
Augustus Caesar #67 – Julia The Elder
Julia the Elder, the only legitimate biological child of Augustus (which makes her the daughter of the son of god), was definitely hot stuff. She had what you…
Augustus Caesar #66 – Consilium Principis
In this episode, we're dealing with events around 18 BCE: The most important innovation Aug created around this time was his new small council, the consilium principis (advisers…
Augustus Caesar #65 – Arsen Nisanyan
A quick break from the Augustus story and the usual frivolity to have one of our long-time listeners on to tell us his incredible story. Arsen Nisanyan has…
Augustus Caesar #64 – The Cunning Plan
Augustus returns to Rome and he comes up with a cunning plan. He also fires the entire Senate. And Cam finds out who Vanna White is. HOW TO…
Augustus Caesar #63 – The Princeps Live
When we started this show, we never thought we'd see the day when the Princeps himself would appear on the show as a guest. I guess we've made…
Augustus Caesar #62 – Virgil & The Aeneid Part 3
Aeneas reflects Augustus in many ways – they both place duty and piety before their own comfort and interests. Both have to endure great hardships and struggles for…
Augustus Caesar #61 – Virgil & The Aeneid Part 2
It would be a mistake to see Virgil’s poetry as purely political propaganda. It was a matter of self-respect for Augustus to allow artists to do their art.…
Augustus Caesar #60 – Virgil & The Aeneid Part 1
"I sing of arms and the man". Get ready for that classical education you missed out on because your parents couldn't afford to send you to a real…
Augustus Caesar #59 – The Last Triumph
Augustus does a deal with the Parthian King Phraates IV to return the standards and prisoners from their previous encounters with Crassus and Antony. And Lucius Cornelius Balbus…
Augustus Caesar #58 – It's All Greek To Me
While Augustus is out in the provinces, he tends to give his speeches in Greek rather than Latin, to show how much he respects their regional cultures. He…
Augustus Caesar #57 – Herod The Great
One of the client rulers who is best known during these years is Herod The Great. He was brutal, but the Romans didn't mind, as long he paid…
Augustus Caesar #56 – Let It All Hang Out
For the people in the provinces, Augustus was just the latest in a long line of foreign rulers, like the Greeks and the Persians before him. For Augustus,…
Augustus Caesar #55 – Augustus Goes To Sicily
In the year 22 BCE, Augustus went to Sicily, Rome’s oldest overseas province. But the people aren't prepared to let him go that easily. They start burning shit…
Augustus Caesar #54 – Gary Arndt
Gary Arndt has been everywhere. Which is why his blog is called Everything Everywhere. Since 2007 he's been travelling nearly non-stop, taking photos – and has been named…
Augustus Caesar #53 – The CrackDown
The Primus Affair continues. Shortly after, there's another scandal – the Fannius Caepio conspiracy. It's time for Augustus to crack down. HOW TO LISTEN If you're seeing this…
Augustus Caesar #52 – The Primus Affair
The people try to convince Augustus to become dictator. He refuses. Then the proconsul of Macedonia, Marcus Primus, is brought up on serious charges of ruining the reputation…