Life Of Caesar

Agrippina is dead and Nero decides to party. Tacitus disapproves. He doesn’t like Nero’s parties and he doesn’t like his poetry. But then a comet appears, and everyone assumes it means the end of Nero’s reign - so they start looking for a replacement.

The post Nero #12 – Filthy Rabble appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Stephen Dando-Collins is an Australian historical author, who, like me, once sold his soul to the gods of marketing and advertising but has been redeeming himself ever since. His new book is about the great Jewish - Roman war of 66CE, entitled "Conquering Jerusalem".

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We examine the circumstances and theories surrounding the death of Agrippina.

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Tacitus shares some Salacious Stories from Nero's Rome in the year 58 CE - mostly about ambitious women.

The post Nero #7 – Salacious Stories appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Nero #5 – Fight Club appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Nero #4 – Nero The Murderer appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Nero #3 – Nero In Love appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 seemed to go well. His mother, Agrippina, ruled by his side.

The post Nero #2 – Nice Guy Nero appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 up with the reputation as one of history’s worst tyrants?

The post Nero #1 – The Last OG appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Messallina 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.

The post Claudius #15 – A Mushroom & A Feather appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Claudius #14 – Digging Tunnels appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Claudius #13 – Roman Incest appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 young boy called Domitius Ahenobarbus - but who will soon change his name to Nero.

The post Claudius #12 – Lips That Grip appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 Claudius. Surprisingly he isn't too happy about it when he finds out. So she has a date - with a sword.

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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 post Claudius #10 Santa Claudius appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 grant him tons of honours as a result of his victory. But he’s more interested in explaining to Romans how an eclipse works.

The post Claudius #9 Vini Vidi Vici Bitchi appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 post Claudius #8 – Invading Britannia appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 gods to save his legions.

The post Claudius #7 – Mauretania appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Claudius was a builder and a visionary. Humble and generous. 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 early in his reign.

The post Claudius #6 – The Revolt appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Claudius was a builder and a visionary. Humble and generous. 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 early in his reign.

The post Claudius #5 – The Wife appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

When Caligula was assassinated in 41, Claudius hid in a room of the palace called the Hermaeum, and then behind a curtain on a balcony. According to Suetonius, he was discovered by a soldier named Gratus - Gratitude -
who said to his colleagues: "This is a Germanicus; come on, let us choose him for our emperor." But many in the Senate wanted to see him dead and a return to the republic.

The post Claudius #4 – The Good Emperor appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

When Caligula was assassinated in 41, Claudius hid in a room of the palace called the Hermaeum, and then behind a curtain on a balcony. According to Suetonius, he was discovered by a soldier named Gratus - Gratitude -
who said to his colleagues: "This is a Germanicus; come on, let us choose him for our emperor." But many in the Senate wanted to see him dead and a return to the republic.

The post Claudius #3 – The Emperor appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

For most of his life, Claudius was the Rosemary Kennedy of the Caesars. Without the ice pick lobotomy. Hidden from the public. If he wasn’t allowed to participate in Roman affairs, he would look elsewhere. He became a historian, writing a ton of books about his family, the Carthaginians, and about Etruscan history. But he wasn't boring. He was a bit of a womaniser, and loved to watch games in the arena, gambling, eating, drinking. Things only started to turn around for him when became Caligula’s co-consul in 37 - but whether or not this was Caligula's little joke is hard to say.

The post Claudius #2 – The Historian appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The first 50 years of Tiberius Claudius Nero's life was a mixture of wealth, power and cruelty. With symptoms similar to cerebral palsy, the young Claudius was called “a monstrosity of a human being, one that Nature began and never finished" - by his own mother. He was kept out of public life and power by his adoptive grandfather, Augustus, and his successor, Tiberius. He was treated as a fool and a joke by his nephew, Caligula. But after Caligula's assassination, he took power by force, becoming Rome's first true IMPERATOR.

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In this special post-series wrap up episode of Caligula, I'm joined by my fellow Aussie history podcasters, Dr G and Dr R from The Partial Historians.

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On the last morning of his life, Caligula entered the temporary theatre on the Palatine in a good mood. The conspirators attacked him in a narrow corridor, on his way back to the palace during the lunch break between performances. The lead conspirator, the praetorian guard Chaerea, stabbed Caligula in the neck, shouting "hoc age" - TAKE THAT! Then he was set upon by a crowd of assassins. Then they brutally murdered his wife and child. The assassins searched for Claudius to bump him off too - but he couldn't be found.

The post Caligula #24 – Hoc Age appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The final conspiracy against Caligula involved Cassius Chaerea, an officer of the Praetorian Guard; Callistus, Caligula's wealthy freedman adviser; and the senator Lucius Annius Vinicianus. Over the next three episodes, we'll explore whether or not the conspiracy was about getting rid of Caligula because he was batshit crazy - or because they wanted to restore the Republic.

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Caligula got back to Rome around May 40 but stayed outside of the city until he could celebrate his ovation on his 28th birthday, 31 August. In the meantime he met with delegations from various parts of the world, including Philo's delegation from Alexandria, and Herod Antipas and his wife, Herodias, from Judaea. Conspiracies against him are everywhere.

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Ray recently interviewed Lindsay Powell about Caligula. I asked Ray for show notes. This is what he gave me.

"We talked of keeping the sources in context, considering the times they lived it and agenda. He went deep. Then his analysis of the events in the German border and the coast of Britain. And his apparent fickleness, which in a ruler, effects everyone but also how people like Suetonius probably used that."

See? That's what I have to work with.

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Many historians claim that Caligula’s demand to be treated as a living god is a sure sign of madness. And yet - JESUS claimed the same thing and nobody calls HIM insane. Why does he get special treatment? On this episode, we drill down into the evidence for the claim about Caligula.

The post Caligula #18 – Living God appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Caligula plans his invasion of Britain. It would have been the first time any Roman solider had been there since Julius Caesar. What motivated his plans? Was he even serious? It's often portrayed as a stupid stunt. But we discover there may be more to it. How did it fit into his German campaign and the conspiracies against him? And how does it factor into Claudius' later invasion?

The post Caligula #17 – Brittanicus Germanicus appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Sometime around the year 40, Caligula executed Ptolemy, the king of Africa Proconsularis and Roman ally. It's usually portrayed as evidence of his insanity and greed - but perhaps there is an alternative explanation.

The post Caligula #16 – Bless The Rains appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Caligula suspects a grand conspiracy against his person and the sword falls on a variety of people - including the commander in Gaul, his two surviving sisters and his best friend / lover, Lepidus.

The post Caligula #15 – The Conspiracy appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Caligula built a 3-mile long bridge over the Bay of Naples. Why? So he could ride over it to prove someone wrong. Then he marries his third and last wife, Caesonia. Then he fires two consuls for not celebrating his birthday and starts a general purge of governors who are called back to Rome and, in some cases, charged with majestas. There's conspiracy in the air.

The post Caligula #14 – The Great Purge appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In 39 CE, Caligula walked into the Senate and tore them all a new one. The gloves came off. The nice guy act was over. He criticized them for enabling Sejanus' persecution of his family and for criticizing Tiberius when in fact they urged him on. Then he reinstated majestas. The Senate responded by thanking him and singing his praises.

The post Caligula #13 – No More Mr Nice Guy appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

My inaugural guest is Dr Nathan Brooks PhD from CQUniversity. He's a forensic psychologist with a background in researching psychopaths. He (and a couple of colleagues) have a new book that came out just after mine, called "Corporate Psychopaths". It's an academic book looking at many of the same issues as mine. It was great to speak to him last week and find that we agreed on everything, from the size and importance of the problem, to the causes and the cures.

The post The Psychopath Epidemic 01 – Corporate Psychopathy appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

From his sickbed he named his favorite sister, Drusilla, to inherit the imperial “property and the throne”. But when he recovered, he decided to rid himself of some enemies, real or imagined, including Gemellus, Macro and Silanus, his former father-in-law.

The post Caligula #12 – The Divine Drusilla appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

From his sickbed he named his favorite sister, Drusilla, to inherit the imperial “property and the throne”. But when he recovered, he decided to rid himself of some enemies, real or imagined, including Gemellus, Macro and Silanus, his former father-in-law.

The post Caligula #11 – Paranoia appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Caligula's absolute favourite thing in the world, apart from spending money, is screwing. And seriously, who can blame him. It's good to be the king. And, like Ray, he was happy to be a power bottom. He liked horse racing, and was fond of poisoning other team's horses and riders. He liked actors, and was fond of beating people up who interrupted performances in the theatre. I wish we could do that to people who write moronic iTunes reviews. And then, a few months after he became Emperor, Caligula fell seriously ill. It would be the turning point of his reign.

The post Caligula #10 – “Anal Maintenance” appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The Nemi ships were two pleasure barges, one larger than the other, built under Caligula at Lake Nemi. Although there were several attempts to recover them from the 15th century onwards, it wasn't until 1929 that Mussolini ordered the whole of Lake Nemi would be drained and they were recovered and housed in a museum. And then the Americans decided to drop bombs on them, and they were destroyed, lost forever.

The post Caligula #9 – The Ships of Nemi appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

According to Suetonius, Caligula was quite proud of his "adiatrepsia" - shamelessness. He lived in habitual incest with all his sisters and was especially fond of Drusilla. He made her divorce her first husband and marry his friend and lover Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. In 37 he interrupted the wedding of Livia Orestilla so he could marry her himself - and then kicked her to the curb 24 hours later. Then he made Lollia Paulina divorce her husband and marry him - but he tired of her in six months. Then he married Caesonia, "a woman of reckless extravagance and wantonness". Six months into his rule, Caligula fell seriously ill.  While he was sick in bed, Macro and Silanus apparently prepared for the worst. They started the wheels in motion for Gemellus to be declared the successor.

The post Caligula #8 – Shamelessness appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

One of the other first things Caligula did when he took power was to release Herod Agrippa from jail - King Herod from the New Testament. The grandson of Herod the Great. Which all gives me an excuse to talk about The Maccabean Revolt and a short history on Judaean politics from 169 BCE to Caligula. 

The post Caligula #6 – The Maccabees appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

By all accounts, Caligula was extremely popular with the people, as his father, Germanicus, had been. Suetonius reports that Caligula was “the emperor most earnestly desired”. When he entered Rome, the celebrations are said to have gone on for almost three months, and more than 160,000 animals were sacrificed—and eaten. 

The post Caligula #5 – Caligula’s Popularity appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We all think we know something of the story of Caligula. We have a picture of him as a destructive monster, an insane sadist. But truth is rarely that simple. Let's take a look at the sources and their individual biases. And let's keep in mind that Caligula was Rome's first true emperor. 

The post Caligula #4 – Monster or Misunderstood? appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We continue and finish our live commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Picking up where we left off last week, Caligula is fisting the married couple and he doesn't even remove his ring. A dark and stormy night leads to night terrors, a super hot threesome between Caligula, his sister and Helen Mirren, a gratuitous but welcome sultry Italian lesbian scene, spinning plates, a Helen Mirren does Madonna dance scene, some torture, a horse in a bed, death, crazy, an orgy on a fake ship, and we close with brains being bashed out on the stairs. It's one helluva film. 

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We continue our live commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Picking up where we left off last week, still in Tiberius’ sex palace on Capri, with a lady holding a writhing legless lizard that she is apparently about to place inside her woo-hoo. Around the 18 minute mark of the film. This episode sees the death of Tiberius, the arrest of Macro, a bukake scene, Helen Mirren dancing and doing it doggy style, a possibly historically-inaccurate giant head mower, and Caligula providing a young couple with a wedding present to remember.

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To kick off our Caligula series, we are doing a commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Written by Gore Vidal, directed by Tinto Brass, produced by Bob Guccione, starring Malcolm McDowell, Hellen Mirren, Peter O’Toole, John Gielgud, Teresa Ann Savoy, fucking, sucking, anal fisting, disembowelling, beheading, and more dicks and pussies than you can count. It’s truly a masterpiece that you need to give a second chance.

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In March 37 CE, aged seventy-seven years, four months, and nine days, of which time he had been emperor twenty-two years, seven months, and seven days, Tiberius Caesar Divi Augusti filius Augustus fell ill and died.

OR DID HE?

The post Tiberius Caesar #40 – I’M NOT DEAD YET appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

When Ray’s away, the Cam doth play.

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It’s the year 24 CE. Sejanus is trying to convince Tiberius that the sky is falling. His advice: sweep the leg. [powerpress]  

The post Tiberius Caesar #31 – Sweep The Leg appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In 21 there was a revolt by a number of Gallic tribes under the leadership of Julius Florus and Julius Sacrovir.  And in 28, there was another revolt. This time by the Germanic Frisii tribe – all because their cows weren’t large enough.  [powerpress]  

The post Tiberius Caesar #26 – Florus, Sacrovir & the Frisii appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Listen to me read the INTRODUCTION to my new book THE PSYCHOPATH ECONOMY. And you only have until 20 March to pre-order your copy! 

The post The Psychopath Economy – Introduction appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Claudius, son of Drusus and Antonia Minor, grandson of Livia and Mark Antony, was born in 10 BCE. He’s so disabled, his mother refers to him as a monster and uses him as a synonym for stupidity.   [powerpress]  

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I just launched my second and last Kickstarter campaign for the Jesus film! Check it out, promote it, support it, lick it, rub yourself all over it!

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To Germanicus, Piso’s appointment will have been clear proof that Tiberius still did not trust him. To some extent it followed the pattern whereby a tried and trusted man was sent to watch over a young and inexperienced prince. But Germanicus was neither so young nor by any means so inexperienced as Gaius Caesar had […]

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A special philosophy episode. Nothing at all to do with Augustus or Rome. No Ray. Just me and a special guest – Dr. Richard Carrier, who has a M.Phil. and a Ph.D. Ancient History from Columbia University.  Talking about FREE WILL. Now most of you know that I’m as passionate about philosophy as I am […]

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A quick hello from our hotel room in Durham, North Carolina.

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Hey folks, I’m trying to gauge interest in a 2018 tour of Europe. I’ve had a bunch of people email me over the last six months asking for details – well, here they are. It’s hard to come up with exact dates or costs until we have a much better idea of how many people […]

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Our Kickstarter campaign went live today, so please jump on over there, and support us if you can. And, if you can’t, but still want to support us, Tweet it, Facebook it, Reddit it. Thanks!

The post Inventing The Messiah appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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Octavian fights in Illyricum (Croatia) where he reportedly is a brave and daring leader of men (cough cough bullshit). When he gets back to Rome, he and Agrippa start MAKING ROME GREAT AGAIN. They don’t build a wall – but they do build a few aqueducts and sewers. And they did get Mexico to pay for them […]

The post Augustus Caesar #30 – Making Rome Great Again appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Thanks to everyone who nominated us for a Podcast Award! We made the official “Society & Culture” nomination list! Now we need you to go and vote for us. You can vote for us once a day. Vote early, vote often! If we win, there will be a very special event, kind of like the […]

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Our guest today is Lindsay Powell, history detective, and the guy who wrote the book about everyone’s favourite right-hand man, Agrippa!

The post Augustus Caesar #25 – Lindsay Powell appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Back when we were in Vegas in January, we recorded an interview with author Steve Saylor about his latest Gordianus book “THE WRATH OF THE FURIES“. Unfortunately, we had some technical issues during the recording. We’ve done our best to salvage it but… well… it’s a little…. weird.

The post Augustus Caesar #20 – Steven Saylor appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Today we are joined by the one and only Robert Harris – author of many bestsellers, including FATHERLAND and his CICERO trilogy. The final chapter of the Cicero trilogy, DICTATOR, is available now. You can buy it as an audiobook from Audible. Get your free copy today by using our signup page!

The post Augustus Caesar #08 – Robert Harris appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Shit gets real in this episode! Two of Mark Antony’s legions desert to Octavian and Antony finally confronts one of Caesar’s assassins with force – Decimus Brutus. There’s some ABBA and Public Enemy but at the end of this episode, we get serious (for once) and talk for a little while about the recent Paris attacks.

The post Augustus Caesar #05 – Another Civil War Begins appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

On the 19th August, 14 CE, 767 years after the founding of Rome, nearly exactly 2001 years ago, the first Emperor of Rome, Augustus, finally died, at 75 years of age. His great-uncle and adoptive father, Julius Caesar, the most brilliant and successful general in Rome’s history, had been assassinated aged 56 after being the […]

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THIS IS THE END. SERIOUSLY THIS TIME. WE MEAN IT. We cover the events of March 18 – 20, 44 BCE. Brutus & Cassius invite the plebeians up to the Capitoline Hill and give another speech. The Senate votes to give Caesar a public funeral, to be held in the Forum on 18 March, and to a public reading of this will. Both are really, really bad ideas. They are probably thinking “hey we’ve killed the […]

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Okay so… we screwed up. We thought Episode #46 was going to be our last episode but it looks like it might take another couple to finish this part of the story properly. We tried to start the Augustus story but he doesn’t turn up for another week or so in the timeline. And it just didn’t […]

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The REAL very last episode! Date: 15 March, 44 BCE. Location: Rome, Italy. Event: The assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome, brutally stabbed to death by his closest friends and colleagues, including people he had recently forgiven and promoted, including one who he made an heir in his will.

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The very last episode! Date: 15 March, 44 BCE. Location: Rome, Italy. Event: The assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome, brutally stabbed to death by sixty of his closest friends and colleagues, including people he had recently forgiven and promoted, including one who he made an heir in his will.

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Our second last episode! Probably. We talk about the main conspirators and their possible motivations. Decimus Junius Brutus. Galba. Trebonius. Basilus. Cassius. And, of course, Marcus Junius Brutus.

The post Julius Caesar #45 – The Conspiracy, Part II appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Enter Octavius! He’s only 18 years old in 44 BCE. And he isn’t JC’s sister’s son, as Ray mistakenly says in the opening to the show, he’s JC’s sister’s grandson, her daughter’s son.  That’s why I’m here folks. Fact checkin’ Ray’s white hairy ass. We go into detail about Octo’s lineage which is actually pretty interesting. We […]

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Well we have FINALLY hit the milestone of 2000 likes on our Facebook page! And to celebrate, I put together something a little special for you. Have you ever wanted to have a quiet private conversation with Ray Harris? Would you like to be able to lie alone in the dark, with your earbuds in, and […]

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As we near the end of our little tale, Caesar is being granted unprecedented honours, including being declared a GOD and the SAVIOUR of Rome. We also talk a little about the SON OF GOD – Caesarion. 

The post Julius Caesar #43 – The Divine Julius appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

It’s the beginning of 44 BCE. Caesar is 56. He’s planning to leave in three months to campaign against the Dacians and the Parthians. The Senate and the People bestow upon him unprecedented honours. Yet he remains polite, lenient and generous, even to his slaves. But was it enough to stop his “friends” and “former enemies” from […]

The post Julius Caesar #42 – The Conspiracy, Part I appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Four years of bloody Civil War, with 100,000 Romans dead, all comes down to this place, this day, this battle – The Battle of Munda. Julius Caesar uses his big balls to take on Pompey’s brat sons and his old mate Labienus. According to Plutarch, Caesar later said “In the past I fought for victory – […]

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Caesar realises that he has to go to Spain in person to deal with Pompey’s two brat sons – Cnaeus and Sextus – and his old bottom bitch Labienus. It quickly turns into a bloody and brutal affair – people are getting slaughtered, beheaded, crucified – and that’s just the people that Ray works with!

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As dictator, Julius Caesar initiates a sweeping range of political and social reforms that even his enemies have to concede make a lot of sense, including a colonisation program, reforming the grain dole, building a great library, and reforming the calendar.

The post Julius Caesar #39 – Caesar’s Reforms appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Even while the Greatest Party Ever™ is going on, Caesar is getting down to the business of changing the way Rome works – forever. He’s rewarding his supporters with positions in the Senate, forgiving more of his enemies, creating new settlements in far off lands.. And we talk about lesbians.

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Well we are back with episode 37 and we’re also back to one hour episodes (more or less). Even though we recorded 3.5 hours today, we’re going to cut them up into three episodes. Listen to the show for an explanation. On this episode, we see Julius Caesar return to Rome after the battle of […]

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Nearly three hours of mayhem sees Caesar sail to Africa to finish off Metellus Scipio, Labienus, Cato and the rest of the Pompeians.

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Caesar leaves Cleopatra and Alexandria behind to return to Rome. But before he can deal with Rome, he has to pay some debts, borrow some funds and deal with our old mate Pharnaces, son of Mithridates of Pontus. Meanwhile back in Italy, Mark Antony is getting drunk, Cicero is worried that no-one loves him and […]

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Father forgive us, we have sinned! It’s been nearly 4 weeks since our last episode (Ray took his family to Disney World!) but we’re back with 3 1/4 hours of madcap history! We follow Caesar as he puts on his Sherlock cap and follows Pompey to Egypt, only to discover he is three days too late. […]

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Whew. Another 2.5 hours of mayhem! In this episode, Caesar and Pompey finally face off in the battle to determine the fate of Western civilization. Two men enter – one man leaves! It’s August in 48BCE. Caesar withdraws from Dyrrachium. He arrives at Gomphi who close their doors to him – so he lays siege […]

The post Julius Caesar #33 – The Battle Of Pharsalus appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Julius Caesar resigns his dictatorship after a mere 11 days in Rome and chases Pompey to Greece! Bibulus blockades half of fleet so Caesar spends a few months trying to secure food supplies. Caesar keeps trying to open negotiations with Pompey but gets nowhere (as usual)! It all comes to a head at Dyrrachium – […]

The post Julius Caesar #32 – Caesar Goes To Greece appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

This. Show. Is. Insane. 2.5 hours. A crazy opening courtesy of Jessica Robles. More songs than ever. Caesar lays siege to Massalia (modern Marseilles). Then he heads to Ilerda (modern Lleida) in Spain. Did it rain? Yes. A lot. He fights against Pompey’s legions. His takes care of a mutiny from one of his legions. […]

The post Julius Caesar #31 – The Rain In Spain appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Julius Caesar tries to block Pompey’s departure from Italy but fails. So he heads to Rome for the first time in 9 years. Cicero laments that Pompey is going to destroy Italy and wants to become a tyrant and that Caesar’s clemency is turning the people against the Senate – and Pompey.

The post Julius Caesar #30 – Run Away, Pompey appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Another massive two hour show! In this episode, Julius Caesar advances on Rome. Pompey and the Senate run for the hills. Cicero doesn’t know what to do or who to trust. Caesar keeps begging Pompey to meet with him so they can work out a deal – but Pompey refuses. Caesar shows mercy towards his […]

The post Julius Caesar #29 – The Pardon Of Corfinium appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We go into excruciating detail about the political machinations between Caesar and his enemies in Rome that lead up to the fateful day (10 or 11 January 49 BCE) when Caesar declares “The Die Is Cast” and crosses the Rubicon river that marks the boundary between Gaul and Italy, taking the 13th legion with him.

The post Julius Caesar #28 – The Die Is Cast… Bitches appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We jump back to 54 BCE and talk about what’s been happening in Rome while Caesar has been stomping on Gaul. Massive political corruption. Pompey is made sole Consul. Laws are deliberately passed that make it impossible for Caesar to return to Rome without facing near-certain exile and ruin. After this episode, it’s hard to […]

The post Julius Caesar #27 – Meanwhile Back In Rome… appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

For those of you who haven’t subscribed to our new Life Of Alexander series yet, here’s a free taste test, our Xmas gift to you. It’s the first episode! If you have already subscribed and already heard it, please indulge us…. and listen again!

The post Alexander Free Xmas Taste Test appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

You’d think that after they got their ass smacked HARD (and not in the good way) at Alesia, the rest of Gaul would have just crumbled – but not so. A few tribes still thought they could bring Julius Caesar down and so he spent his winter of 52/51 BCE taking on the Bellovaci, the […]

The post Julius Caesar #26 – Gaul Is Conquered appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Hey folks! We’re very excited to announce our brand new kick-ass history series – THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT. It’s going to be our wildest and best series yet! This is the guy that both Napoleon and Caesar admired and studied, so it only makes sense for us to tell his story next in […]

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Well…. This is where it all comes together. Arguably the greatest military victory in history. Julius Caesar lays siege to the walled city of Alesia, the stronghold of Vercingetorix, who sends for reinforcements. When they arrive, Caesar is massively outnumbered… He claims 5 to 1. Historian say it was probably more like 3 to 1. […]

The post Julius Caesar #25 – The Siege of Alesia appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

A mammoth 2 and a half hour episode! Vercingetorix continues to make trouble for Julius Caesar. Now almost all of the Gallic tribes are his allies. Yet he still avoids a frontal assault and uses a combination of brilliant tactics and treachery to keep Caesar busy. Caesar lays siege to the walled cities of Avaricum […]

The post Julius Caesar #24 – The Sieges of Avaricum & Gergovia appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Jamie Jeffers joins us to chat about Caesar and ye olde Britannia! JJ is the host of the excellent British History Podcast. He is not a huge fan of Caesar or the Romans, but he does have a deep knowledge of ancient British history that he shares with us.

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #11 – Jamie Jeffers appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Caesar spends this episode chasing Ambiorix of the Eburones to revenge the deaths of Sabinus, Cotta and their legion at Atuatuca. We also talk in depth about Caesar’s leadership style and why he was so loved by his troops. We also answer important questions like “what is a yew tree?”, “why does an elk have […]

The post Julius Caesar #22 – The Annhilation Of The Eburones appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Here’s the show you’ve all been waiting for! Mike Duncan, much beloved host of The History Of Rome and Revolutions podcasts, joins us to talk about Julius Caesar. What more could you ask for? The (un)holy trinity of history podcasters right here for your audio pleasure.  

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #9 – Mike Duncan appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Our guest on this VIP episode is Tom Holland, author of the excellent book RUBICON. Follow Tom on Twitter, buy a copy of Rubicon by clicking the image below and check out the rest of his books!  

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #8 – Tom Holland appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The Romans had a term – vastatio. It meant “laying waste”. Total destruction. That’s what Caesar decided to do to the Gallic tribes that had the temerity to rebel against his control of their lands.  

The post Julius Caesar #21 – VASTATIO appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Our guest on this VIP episode is Dr Rhiannon Evans from Latrobe University in Melbourne! She joined us to talk about the meaning of latin terms like natio (tribe) and babarus (barbarians), which, she says, don’t have the same implication today as they had back in ancient Rome, and to deliberate on the reliability of Caesar’s Commentaries. […]

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #7 – Dr Rhiannon Evans appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

After he returned from Britain in 54BCE, Julius Caesar learned that his mother and daughter had both died. As his daughter was happily married to Pompey, this is a not only a huge personal blow to both of them (she died during childbirth and the child didn’t survive), but it also does damage to the […]

The post Julius Caesar #20 – Caesar Grows A Beard appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Dr Arthur Keaveney is the author of “Sulla: The Last Republican” as well as being Reader Emeritus in Ancient History at the University of Kent. He was nice enough to join Ray and Cam for a chat recently about one of our favourite dictators – Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix. PULLA SULLA!  

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #6 – Dr Arthur Keaveney appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again. That was the motto of Julius Caesar. Well… try once more, anyway. After the huge reception he got in Rome after the first invasion of Britain in 54BCE, Caesar decides to try again in 55BCE. And this time he’s taking a LOT of boats. But […]

The post Julius Caesar #19 – Invading Britain AGAIN appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Our VIP guest on Consul #5 is again Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze who joins us to finish our discussion (from Consul #4) about Rome’s #1 enemy in the 1st Century BCE – Mithridates VI of Pontus. Alex is an Associate Professor of History at Louisiana State University. Here’s his short bio: Born in the Soviet Kazakhstan, Dr. Mikaberidze […]

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #5 – Mikaberidze Does Mithridates (PT2) appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

With his control over Gaul cemented and the triumvirate’s hold on Rome secure, Caesar decides it is finally time to set foot on the mythical land of tin.  

The post Julius Caesar #18 – Invading Britain appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Our VIP guest on Consul #4 (and #5) is Dr. Alexander Mikaberidze who joins us to talk about Rome’s #1 enemy in the 1st Century BCE – Mithridates VI of Pontus. Alex is an Associate Professor of History at Louisiana State University. Here’s his short bio: Born in the Soviet Kazakhstan, Dr. Mikaberidze grew up […]

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #4 – Mikaberidze Does Mithridates (PT1) appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Prof. Bob Packett is known and loved as the Godfather of history podcasting. His “History According To Bob” series was the first of its kind (AFAIK) and he has been enlightening the world about a vast range of historical subjects for the last decade. We were honoured to have him join us today for a […]

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #3 – Prof. Bob Packett appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Our second guest on the Consul series is Jamie Redfern, history podcaster! You might know Jamie from his acclaimed “The History Of” podcasts, including “The History of Alexander”, “The History of Hannibal” or “The History of the Arab Spring”, among others. He’s also a Latin tutor! He is NOT – repeat NOT – this guy: […]

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #2 – Jamie Redfern appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

It’s now 56 BCE. Caesar has his new 5 year extension to his Proconsulship of Gaul. He returns to find the Gallic tribes planning a rebellion. Then more Germanic tribes cross the Rhine so Caesar decides to cross it himself! Meanwhile he is trying to plan his invasion of Britain. If you want to see […]

The post Julius Caesar #17 – Caesar Crosses The Rhine appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The first episode of our Consul series is finally here! This is where we interview VIP guests about Caesar and ancient Rome. We are very excited to bring you this series as a value-add to the main show. And our first guest is Dr. Tom Stevenson (bio), Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at […]

The post Julius Caesar – CONSUL #1 – Dr. Tom Stevenson, UQ appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

OMFG. This episode is soooo unbelievably meta that Cameron was actually scared of it for days. We start off in 57BC with the final stages of Caesar’s campaign against the Atuatuci in Gaul. Then we go back in time and explain what’s been happening in Rome during the two years Caesar has been away. Rome has […]

The post Julius Caesar #16 – Clodius v Cicero appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In 57 BCE, during the Winter break in campaigning, Caesar got word that the Belgae (Belgian) tribes to the north were joining forces to attack Caesar, worried that he was coming after them after he’d finished with Gaul. According to Caesar’s Commentaries, they amassed a force of nearly 300,000 warriors. Caesar had a mere 40,000 […]

The post Julius Caesar #15 – The Destruction Of The Belgae appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Ariovistus was a leader of the Suebi and other allied Germanic peoples in the second quarter of the 1st century BC. He and his followers took part in a war in Gaul, assisting the Arverni and Sequani to defeat their rivals the Aedui, after which they settled in large numbers in conquered Gallic territory in […]

The post Julius Caesar #14 – Ariovistus And The Battle of Vosges appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Another enlightening episode of the “myth-busting” podcast! Don’t take our word for it – this is what the official iTunes Podcast Twitter account said! Check it ooooout. And yes, that’s Sammy Hagar BELOW us, just where he belongs (below David Lee Roth). Thanks to James O. Boggs and his iTunes Podcast team for the love and […]

The post Julius Caesar #13 – The Massacre Of The Helvetii appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In this episode, Caesar takes up his proconsular role in Gaul. We talk a little about his preparations, his legions, his COMMENTARIES, about the size and scope of his territory and the nature of the Gauls themselves  

The post Julius Caesar #12 – Caesar Goes To Gaul appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

It’s the last months of Caesar’s consulship and the first triumvirate and he doesn’t muck about. He delivers for himself and his friends and crushes his enemies.

The post Julius Caesar #11 – Caesar Mounts The Heads appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Hey folks! We’re very excited to announce our brand new kick-ass history series – THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT. It’s going to be our wildest and best series yet! This is the guy that both Napoleon and Caesar admired and studied, so it only makes sense for us to tell his story next in […]

The post Announcing The New Series! appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The year is now 60 B.C.E. Caesar *finally* achieves his goal of becoming Consul. He forms the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus. His co-consul, Bibulus, gets a bucket of poo tipped over him and goes home (true!). All this and more on today’s episode of the Julius Caesar. In 1898 the ancient Etruscan town […]

The post Julius Caesar #10 – The First Triumvirate appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

  On the ninth amazing episode of the greatest podcast ever dedicated to Julius Caesar, we start off with Caesar taking up his position in Hispania, Pompey being awarded his third triumph, Caesar having to choose between getting his first triumph and throwing his hat into the ring for the first time in the consular elections. […]

The post Julius Caesar #9 – Consul appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

  On this episode, Caesar picks the wrong horse, fights off accusations that he’s in league with Catiline, and then finds out his wife Pompeia is up to no good with a man in drag during the feast of the Good Goddess. In the end, he gets out of Rome and takes up his position […]

The post Julius Caesar #8 – Caesar Goes To Spain appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Lucius Sergius Catilina, known in English as Catiline, was a Roman Senator of the 1st century BCE who is best known for the Second Catilinarian Conspiracy, a supposed attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic, and in particular the power of the aristocratic Senate. Caesar played a significant role in this episode – and it might […]

The post Julius Caesar #7 – The Catilinarian Conspiracy appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In this week’s episode of The Julius Caesar Podcast, you will learn about bomb threats, how saying the word for love could destroy the world and… Caesar remarries, this time to Pompeia, grandchild on her mother’s side of Sulla and on her father’s side of the latter’s consular colleague in 88 BC, Quintus Pompeius Rufus. The bride […]

The post Julius Caesar # 6 – Amor Vincit Omnia appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In episode #5, we are still hovering around the year 70 BCE and, as such, there isn’t much to say about Caesar himself, as not a lot is known about this period of this life. However, we do know a lot about one of his closest friends, colleague and eventual rival – Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, […]

The post Julius Caesar #5 – The Rise Of Pompey appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We pick up from where we left off in episode #3, when Caesar was released by the pirates and then went back and crucified the lot of them. On this episode we talk about what happened next – Caesar becomes a priest and military tribune during the era known as the Third Servile War – […]

The post Julius Caesar #4 – I AM SPARTACUS appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Welcome back to the podcast! Our first for 2014! In this merry adventure, we find out what happens to Julius Caesar after Sulla runs him out of Rome for refusing to divorce his wife; how he makes peace with Sulla; his first military experience; why he became known as  the “Queen of Bithynia”; and – […]

The post Julius Caesar #3 – Caesar And the Pirates appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In this episode we explore what we know about Caesar’s early years and examine what was going on in Rome the 100 years before Julius Caesar’s rise to power – especially the role of Marius and Sulla.

The post Julius Caesar #2 – Caesar’s Early Years appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Welcome to our first episode! Think of this as a general introduction to Julius Caesar. We discuss a lot of myths and misconceptions that people might have about the man. Once again we sincerely want to thank everyone who has been leaving reviews on iTunes, Facebook and Twitter. The best reviews win one of our coffee mugs!

The post Julius Caesar #1 – An Introduction To Caesar appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

This is a brief introduction to the Julius Caesar podcast series recorded in 2017, four years after the show started.

We’re still in production in 2024, having covered all of the dictators / Emperors from Julius Caesar through to the Year of the Four Emperors.

The post Julius Caesar #00 – An Introduction To The Show appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.