Julius Caesar lines his legions up for the first pitched battle of the Gallic Wars. The Helvetii attack and the fighting rages for hours as Caesar commands his troops on foot having dismissed his horse in a show of solidarity with his soldiers. Listen now to find out how Caesar…
Julius Caesar’s army is famed for being a well-oiled machine that had a fanatical devotion to their commander unlike any seen in history. At this point in our story, they are not yet that army. Caesar plans a clever trap for the Helvetii but miscommunications and scouting blunders combine to…
Julius Caesar’s army faces early setbacks against the Helvetii. Soon Caesar finds out the real enemy is within his own camp. Faced with the prospect of his army’s starvation, Caesar must wade into the complex world of inter-tribal politics to find out why his allies aren’t supplying his army with…
Julius Caesar recruits additional legions without permission from the Senate. With his new army he races to confront the Helvetii as they rampage through the territory of tribes allied with Rome. Caesar catches up with them at an opportune moment, and, never being one to miss an opportunity, he seizes…
A massive migration of "barbarians" is headed directly for one of Julius Caesar’s provinces. This is Caesar’s first test as Proconsul. The tribes say they want to pass through Transalpine Gaul but promise not to misbehave. Caesar is having none of it. What’s more, he has spotted an opportunity for…
Julius Caesar sits silently outside of Rome pulling the strings of politics like a spider perched on a web. Clodius wins the Tribuneship and immediately goes after his enemies, namely Cicero. In the ever escalating feud between these two senators, the norms of the Republic are being eroded at an…
Vettius comes forward with another conspiracy that has all of Rome in confusion. Julius Caesar does his best to capitalize on it. Plot twists compound on plot twists to turn this into one of the most confusing conspiracies in ancient Rome. Clodius gains the Tribuneship and immediately gets to work…
Julius Caesar continues his blitzkrieg of legislation as Consul. His enemies can barely keep pace. The Triumvirate reigns supreme… or so it seems. The ground they stand on is not so sure as they think. In the background, the Optimates are priming a clever trap for Caesar. Venmo If you…
Julius Caesar refuses to allow an obstructive Senate led by Cato to stonewall his legislation. Ignoring the Senate altogether, Caesar takes his bills directly to the people. At the first and most important of these votes, chaos breaks out in the Forum and fists (and much smellier substances) start to…
Julius Caesar wins the Consulship in a landslide. Despite this, he is put in a political corner by Cato and the Optimates’ maneuverings ahead of his year in office. Caesar will need to use all of his charm, charisma and political acumen to find a creative solution around that immovable…
Pompey Magnus has been away from Rome for 5 years waging war and reorganizing the Eastern half of the Roman empire. He returns to Rome as perhaps the richest and most accomplished Roman General of all time up to that point in history. Despite this, in Rome he finds nothing…
Julius Caesar sets out for Further Spain to take up his post as Pro-Praetorian Governor. There he is determined to find himself a war in which he can win glory and riches to pay back his debts. Showing early flashes of the brilliance that will make him famous in Gaul,…
Julius Caesar’s Praetorship ends with a scandalous bang. Cross-dressing combines with sacrilege to create a scandal the likes of which Rome has never seen. We introduce you to a new individual whose appetite for personal vendettas is unparalleled in history. While Julius Caesar attempts to extricate himself from the controversy…
Julius Caesar’s year as Praetor gets off to a rocky start. Bedlam at a Forum meeting and false accusations combine to make political life exceedingly difficult. It will take all Caesar’s political acumen to avoid a fall from power and to continue the climb to greatness. Venmo If you enjoyed…
Civil war erupts, brother fights brother as the Roman Senate attempts to put down Catiline’s insurrection once and for all. Catiline and his supporters fight for their lives. Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below! https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3764325529420842984&created=1680471101.0362968&printed=1 Patreon If you want to…
After Cicero’s famous denunciation of Catiline, Catiline flees Rome during the night under the pretext of going into exile. A rebel army continues to grow in Etruria and the Roman Republic’s fate hangs in the balance. Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the…
Welcome to the dark twisted world of Lucius Sergius Catilina, a Populare and shadowy reflection of Julius Caesar. Catiline has the nerve to gamble like Caesar but does he have the skill needed to pull it off? Correction: New Man or Novus Homo meant you were the first in your…
Julius Caesar gambles his entire career on a single election with the odds stacked against him. A deeper dive into the character of Julius Caesar and the state of the Republic during his life. Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below!…
Cato causes a ruckus as Quaestor, reopening old wounds from the days of the Dictator Sulla. In a bizarre trial, Julius Caesar uses an archaic law dating back to the Kings of Rome to prove a political point. Note: The other religious college I mentioned is the Augurs. Correction: At…
Julius Caesar gains a new enemy with his extravagant spending as Aedile. The ghost of Marius raises more controversy as Julius Caesar openly challenges the Optimates and emboldens the Populares. Enter onto the stage Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus. • Corrections: 1. Cicero was from an Equestrian family. 2. I referred to…
Pompey aims to gain an unprecedented command to wage war on the Mediterranean’s pirates. Julius Caesar works to get in the General’s good graces. Correction #1: In this episode I say Julius Caesar visits Transalpine Gaul after his Quaestorship. In fact, he visited Transpadane Gaul which is in the area…
Julius Caesar continues to climb the political ladder even as personal tragedy strikes at home. Nothing is ever apolitical in ancient Rome though, not even funerals. Personal tragedy soon turns to political fuel. Venmo If you enjoyed the episode and want to leave a tip, click the link below! https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3764325529420842984&created=1680471101.0362968&printed=1…
Julius Caesar makes a name for himself in Rome as a womanizer. A view into the women of the Roman Republic and the women in Caesar’s life. Enter onto the stage Marcus Porcius Cato and Servillia. Note #1: Suetonius tells us Caesar drank very little wine and that even his…
Led by the legendary Spartacus, a massive slave revolt seizes Italy. Barbaric measures are taken to return the Republic to its status quo. Enter onto the stage Pompey Magnus and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Note: As best I can tell, academics continue to debate the origins of gladiatorial games. This was…