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Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

The post NERO #22 – CONSTANTINE AT THE BRIDGE appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

The post NERO #21 – PROMISCUOUS THONG appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

The post Nero #20 – BEAST OF BURDEN appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

The post Nero #19 – OH NO MENS appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

This is part two of a massive two-and-a-half-hour chat we had recently Edward J. Watts, a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author and editor of several prize-winning books, including THE FINAL PAGAN GENERATION, a great book about HYPATIA, a book out about the collapse of the Roman Republic, MORTAL REPUBLIC, and his latest book is THE ETERNAL DECLINE AND FALL OF ROME.

The post Nero #18 – Eternal Decline Part 2 appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Edward J. Watts is a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author and editor of several prize-winning books, including THE FINAL PAGAN GENERATION, a great book about HYPATIA, a book out about the collapse of the Roman Republic, MORTAL REPUBLIC, and his latest book is THE ETERNAL DECLINE AND FALL OF ROME. This is part one of a massive two-and-a-half-hour chat we had recently.

The post Nero #17 – Eternal Decline Part 1 appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

With Seneca out of the way, Tigellinus brings down the other prefect, Rufus. To strengthen his relationship with Nero, he increases his paranoia about the two men Nero had recently exiled for being threats to his power - Plautus and Sulla. Poppaea, not happy with Nero just divorcing Octavia, makes sure she gets rid of her forever.

The post Nero #16 – Your Filthy Little Mouth appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In the year 61, Nero deals with riots, treason, Stoics and the death of one of his key advisors.

The post Nero #15 – 400 Slaves appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Boudicea wins round one. But Suetonius has bloodshed and destruction on his mind.

The post Nero #14 – Bloodshed And Destruction appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Corbulo finishes round one in Armenia and gets a promotion. Meanwhile in Britain, a certain queen decides to take on the Romans - Boudicea. Exactly why, though, is a bit of a mystery.

The post Nero #13 – Badass Boudicea appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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".

The post Nero #11 – Stephen Dando-Collins appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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

The post Nero #10 – All Manner Of Depravity 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.

The post Claudius #11 – Deviant Behaviour 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.

The post Claudius #1 – The Monster appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Caligula #20 – Hairy Antipasto appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Caligula #19 – Lindsay Powell on Caligula appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

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 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.

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. 

The post Caligula #3 – The Movie (Part 3) appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Caligula Caesar #2 – The Movie (Part 2) appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Caligula Caesar #1 – The Movie (Part 1) appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Tiberius runs amok. Usury runs rampant. Drusus chews the stuffing.

The post Tiberius Caesar #38 – The Crash Of Rome appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We go into more detail about Tiberius’ sex palace than you ever wanted or needed to know. Honestly, you’ll probably regret listening to this episode. Maybe skip this one if you have a sensitive disposition. Who am I kidding? We weeded out the pussies a long time ago. With Sejanus gone, and his betrayal having cut Tiberius to the core, he goes on a massive purge that terrifies Rome for several years.

The post Tiberius Caesar #37 – Secret Orgies appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

With Tiberius safely ensconced in his sex dungeon on Capri, Sejanus goes after more friends of Agrippina, starting with one of Germanicus’ generals, Titius Sabinus. About the same time, Julia The Younger, Augustus’ grand-daughter, finally died, after being in exile for 20 years. And Livia finally died in 29 CE, aged 86. [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #34 – Vale Livia appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Sejanus and Livilla conspire to murder her husband, Drusus, son of Tiberius. At least that’s the story according to Sejanus’ ex-wife Apicata. With Drusus out of the way, Sejanus next plots the demise of Germanicus’ kiddies and widow, Agrippina.    [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #30 – Lucky Longy 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.

The one about the military situation during Tibbo’s reign, Jesus murdering a herd of pigs in cold blood, Rhescuporis and Cotys battle for Thrace, Uppity Softy, Uppity Pussylips and Pappy Sabs – and Camerinus. [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #25 – The Battle For Thrace appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

It’s a very special episode! Cam is joined by hilarious fellow Aussies Dr Fiona Radford and Dr Peta Greenfield from The Partial Historians podcast to discuss the epic question – who wore it best? Augustus or Tiberius? No Ray on this episode due to timezone issues. And racism.    [powerpress]  

The post Tiberius Caesar #22 – Partial Party appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

More stories from the ancient sources about what a nice guy Tibbo was. Most of the time. In the early years. Before he went all sex-dungeon-y. And more stories about how the Senate became increasingly spineless.    [powerpress]  

The post Tiberius Caesar #21 – Nice Guy Tibbo appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In the year 21 CE, Tacfarinas, the African Arminius, is still causing trouble for the poor old Romans. So Tibbo, who is busy, off building his sex dungeon, asks the Senate to deal with it. They, of course, wet themselves, because it means doing some actual work.    [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #20 – Tacco Is Backo appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We’re still looking at stories showing how moderate Tiberius was in the early years – and how the Senate gradually became more and more useless. One great example is the inability to appoint a proconsul of Africa to deal with Tacfarinas, the African Arminius.    [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #19 – The Tacfarinas Conundrum appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We look at some of the controversies that Drusus had to deal with when he was sole consul in the year 21 CE. For example – Caecina Severus made a strong case that the wives of provincial governors should no longer be allowed to accompany their husbands abroad. Nice try, Chachinga! And Annia Rufilla liked using the ultimate […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #18 – The Sensitive Clutorius appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Edward J. Watts is a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author and editor of several prize-winning books, including The Final Pagan Generation, and a great book about Hypatia. He’s got a great new book out about the collapse of the Roman Republic, MORTAL REPUBLIC. Get your copy today! [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #16 – Edward J Watts Interview appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Abandoned by everyone, Piso walks off the stage. Plancina gets a pardon. Tiberius pulls a Trump and says Piso betrayed his trust. And then there’s this how thing about erections and electrocution that we are slightly ashamed about. [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #15 – ‘Pisoff’ appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Meanwhile in Rome, people are just getting news that Germs is ill and they are furious at Tibbo and Livia. Aha! They said. Now we know why he was sent into the middle of nowhere. He has probably been poisoned like his father Drusus was, because they both wanted to restore the Republic! And then […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #13 – “Infected” appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Why did Germanicus go to Egypt? To get to the other side. His real motive, according to Tacitus, was tourism HOWEVER a couple of papyrus fragments discovered in Oxyrynchus in the 20th century, contains a fragment of a speech to the Alexandrians And it confirms that the visit was also an official one and makes […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #12 – Tears for Germanicus appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Problems in the East. It had started back in 15, when the Parthians expelled their king, Vonones. Although I’ve also read 12. Vonones was the eldest son of Phraates iv and had been handed over to Augustus as a hostage in the 20s BCE along with his three brothers. After the assassination of Orodes III […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #10 – Piso Shit appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The other problem Tibbo had in 16 was a belated consequence of the removal of Agrippa Postumus. As soon as he heard of Augustus’ death, Clemens, one of Agrippa’s slaves, had decided to sail to Planasia and engineer Agrippa’s escape to the German armies, where he obviously expected to gain the support of Germanicus and […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #9 – Happy Fish appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Meanwhile, while Germs was off in Germany fighting Germans… Tibbo had major problems to deal with. SILK CLOTHING. CASSIUS DIO:  Tiberius forbade any man to wear silk clothing and also forbade anyone to use golden vessels except for sacred ceremonies. And when some were at a loss to know whether they were also forbidden to […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #8 – The Libo Shuffle appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We are very excited to welcome back to the show our favourite history detective Lindsay Powell, author of several terrific books on Agrippa, Augustus and Germanicus. [powerpress]

The post Tiberius Caesar #7 – Lindsay Powell, Germanicus appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Germs got a FULL triumph and a triumphal arch, which was erected the following year only 150 yards from the arch erected by Augustus to celebrate the return of the standards from Parthia.   This suggests Tibbo wanted people to think about the campaign as about retrieving a lost standard – not as an attempt to […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #6 – Pulling Out appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

After witnessing the Varus killing fields, They were furious and wanted revenge against Arminius and the Cherusci. Maybe Germs had calculated this? Or maybe it was an accident? With the Bructeri out of reach Germanicus set out in pursuit of Arminius, who skillfully led him deeper into the pathless forests. I feel like I’ve seen […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #5 – Lèse-majesté appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Remember Arminius, the leader of the Cherusci tribe of Germans? The complete bad-ass who took down Quinctilius Varus at the Varian Disaster  aka the Clades Variana aka The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest ? Well around 14 he’s having some issues with his father-in-law, Segestes. He was always suggesting things. Every night he was all […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #4 – The Return of Herman appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Poor Tiberius has to live up to Augustus! He’s already rich. He’s inherited Augustus’ fortune. He could just retire, get a nice little house by the beach, with a pool, some pretty girls, Netflix and chill for the rest of his life. Why should he deal with all of the stress of running the show?? Where’s the upside? […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #3 – The Troops Are Revolting appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

As you might recall from our last series, Tiberius came from several impressive families. He was, of course, the adopted son of Augustus, and therefore a Caesar. He was also a Claudian via his father. The Claudians were one of the most prominent patrician houses at Rome. The gens traced its origin to the earliest […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #2 – The Confirmation appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

And so it was that in the year 767 Ab Urb Condita, 14 AD if you’re a Christian, or 14 CE if you’re secular Or, if you were living in Rome at the time, you would called it the year of the consulship of Sextus Pompeius and Sextus Appuleius Caesar Augustus died. What would happen to Rome […]

The post Tiberius Caesar #1 – Killing Aggy P appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Augustus is feeling pretty chipper so he and Livia join Tiberius on his trip to the east. It’ll be the princeps’ last trip. Meanwhile Augustus asked people to just leave him the fuck alone. In 12 CE Germanicus read a speech out in the Senate where he said the princeps wanted senators to stop formally greeting […]

The post Augustus Caesar #100 – AESAR appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Before the news of Varus’ defeat had reached Rome, one of Augustus’ main concerns in 9 CE was how unpopular his legislation encouraging marriage and raising of children was.  Click on the banner and use the coupon code LOC to get 25% off your first three months! It’s a new law, which is an extension to […]

The post Augustus Caesar #99 – Papa Don’t Preach appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The downfall of Ovid and the rise of Arminius. Another person who got caught up in all this was the poet Ovid. He of the Ars Amatoria, in Engligh, the Arse of Love. Remember him from ten episodes back? The one who wrote beautiful poems about love and seduction and rape? Well he’s told to […]

The post Augustus Caesar #97 – ARMINIUS appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The downfall of Julia’s surviving children, Agrippa Postumus and Julia the Younger. Click on the banner and use the coupon code LOC to get 25% off your first three months! * The food shortages lasted for several months. * Including Augustus’s birthday, so he refused permission for public feats to be held to celebrate. * […]

The post Augustus Caesar #96 – The Grandkids appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* While all this is going on with the Dalmatians, there are problems in other provinces as well. * We hear of campaigning going on in….. Africa. * And also this is the period when Herod’s son Archelaus is so unpopular in Judaea that he’s stripped of his throne and forced into retirement, and Judaea […]

The post Augustus Caesar #95 – Thumbs appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* Apparently this kind of pride was enough for Augustus to decide they had to go. * Bodacious must have seen it coming, because he built up his forces to prepare. * Which of course the Romans noticed, so they thought he was even more of a threat. * The Romans had a large army […]

The post Augustus Caesar #94 – The Great Illyrian Revolt appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

And overnight, Tibbo goes from being invisible to being the Number Two man in Rome again! * WHO DOES NUMBER TWO WORK FOR * Oh he knows. * Now all of Aug’s successors are either Livia’s sons or her grandsons. * This would lead to rumours that she had organised the deaths of Caius and […]

The post Augustus Caesar #93 – Bodacious appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* By the time news of Caius’ death had reached Rome it was some time in late March, 4 CE. * Aug mourned but also hurried to plan for the future. * Of course, he didn’t have many options left. * Julia and Agrippa had one son left – Agrippa Postumus. * Or Aggy P […]

The post Augustus Caesar #92 – The James Brown Shuffle appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* Keep in mind that by the standards of the day, jokes about deformities were pretty mild. * Remember those speeches Cicero gave about Mark Antony? The Phillipics? * Here’s just one example: * Let us speak rather of his meaner descriptions of worthlessness. You, with those jaws of yours, and those sides of yours, […]

The post Augustus Caesar #91 – All By Myself appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Augustus stayed in Rome more now, no longer going out on long tours of the provinces, probably because he’s in his sixties, probably because he doesn’t have someone like Agrippa to leave in charge while he’s away. * On his birthday in 2 CE, he wrote an interesting letter to Caius Ninth day before the […]

The post Augustus Caesar #90 – The Trouser Defense appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* It’s the year 1 BCE * Caius Caesar, biological son of Agrippa and Julia, adopted son of Augustus, is 19 years old. * And what do you get for the 19 year old who has everything? * A military command. * In a distant land. * There was a power struggle going on in […]

The post Augustus Caesar #89 – Days of our Lives appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* 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 – Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Books from […]

The post Augustus Caesar #88 – Ab Urbe Condita Libri appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* 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 Popolo, which was once part […]

The post Augustus Caesar #87 – Killing Lions appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* 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 the games for the […]

The post Augustus Caesar #86 – The Genius Of Augustus appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* 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 […]

The post Augustus Caesar #85 – Ovid & Julia appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

* 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 […]

The post Augustus Caesar #84 – Herod’s Pig appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 he was tired. OH POOR YOU. He wanted to live a […]

The post Augustus Caesar #83 – Tiberius Quits (fixed) appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Tiberius is riding high, the last man standing – until he starts to be overshadowed by Gaius and Lucius Caesar, Augustus’ adopted sons. It is declared that both will become Consul when they are 20 years old. Meanwhile Tiberius is sent away to Parthia. Cam is coming to the US! Check out events in LA, […]

The post Augustus Caesar #82 – The Rise Of Gaius and Lucius appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Livia is the Melania Trump of Rome. Julia falls pregnant to Tiberius but the baby is stillborn, which is the beginning of the end for them. Tiberius crosses the Rhine in case the Germanic tribes think the death of Drusus means they are free. To make him feel special, Tiberius is given the first triumph […]

The post Augustus Caesar #81 – Tiberius’ Triumph appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We’re back after a short break. To be fair, this episode started off pretty simple. But quickly it went to some pretty dark places. We’re sorry. You might want to listen to this alone, in a dark room, with a shower handy. Don’t forget to check out our new series The Renaissance Times and book […]

The post Augustus Caesar #80 – Slave Children Pets appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

10 BCE – Drusus barely escapes from Germany. Augustus celebrates his 52nd birthday. Octavia dies. Antonia gives birth to Tiberius Claudius Drusus – the future emperor Claudius. 9 BCE – Drusus becomes consul. Then he goes back to Germany where he is warned by a giant woman to return home or die. So he returns […]

The post Augustus Caesar #79 – Drusus Breaks A Leg appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In 12 BCE, Drusus completed a census in the three Gauls. The other thing Drusus was responsible for during this period was getting ready to cross the Rhine. Around the winter of 13-12 BCE, there was another raid by German warriors into the Roman provinces. It was repulsed by Drusus and then in the spring […]

The post Augustus Caesar #78 – Drusus Goes Deep appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

A very special episode. Over the last 12 months, there’s been a ton of articles in the media comparing Donald Trump to Julius Caesar. A recent Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar in New York depicted Caesar as Donald Trump. We decided that as WE are the world’s leading experts on Caesar, we […]

The post Augustus Caesar #77 – Trump v Caesar appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The loss of Agrippa was a huge blow, but Tiberius and Drusus stepped up. However, now Augustus’ daughter Julia was now single again. Who could he find to marry her? Also – what kind of board games did they play in Rome? [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #76 – Immortal Glory appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Augustus buries Agrippa. After the funeral, attention turned to the matter of Agrippa’s will and the disbursement of his enormous estate. Work began on the Ara Pacis Augustae, a temple dedicated to the Augustan peace, that featured the Princeps, his family and Agrippa. We have Mussolini to thank for it being excavated and reconstructed in […]

The post Augustus Caesar #75 – The Wind Beneath My Wings appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Agrippa returned to Rome in 13, stayed a few months, long enough to knock Julia up again, then left to deal with some military problems in Illyricum. On his way back to Rome he fell ill – and died. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #74 – Agrippa Dies appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

When Lepidus finally died in 13 BCE, Augustus finally accepted the title of Pontifex Maximus, the chief priest of Rome. It gave him the responsibility for the entire Roman state cult. Only emperors would hold that role until Rome fell and the pope took the title In the 15th century, when the Renaissance stirred up […]

The post Augustus Caesar #73 – Pope Augustus appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Augustus brought better roads, wine and a taste for the nicer things in life to the Gauls. He also brought other aspects of Roman culture, like their religions, their amphitheatres, and he banned human sacrifices. But one of his appointees took advantage of the new Roman calendar. For that, he is the first recipient of […]

The post Augustus Caesar #72 – #DBAC appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Augustus goes back to Gaul and brings his stepsons, Drusus and Tiberius, to help conquer the hilltop tribes in the Swiss Alps. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #71 – Drusus Goes Up The Aenus appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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, animal sacrifices, holy trinities, Barabbas and Leviticus. Don’t ask me. I just work here.  [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #70 – Fight For Your Right To Party appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 pet lampreys.  [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #69 – The Lamprey appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 yet they weren’t trying to assassinate him, which says a lot about his popularity by 18BCE. But he was concerned that the elite weren’t getting married and having […]

The post Augustus Caesar #68 – Mr Nice Guy appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 might politely call “a reputation”. We don’t know much about Julia’s childhood or early teenage years. But by her late teens she had become a popular figure in […]

The post Augustus Caesar #67 – Julia The Elder appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 to the princeps). Another thing he did to reduce the numbers of the Senate was to raise the amount of wealth you had to have from 400,000 sesterces […]

The post Augustus Caesar #66 – Consilium Principis appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.    [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #64 – The Cunning Plan appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 many years before final victory is won and the greater community can enjoy peace and prosperity. Sometimes they needed to do dreadful things for the greater good and […]

The post Augustus Caesar #62 – Virgil & The Aeneid Part 3 appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.  He genuinely wanted to be admired for what he did for Rome – not for what he could do to you. His victory and the peace it […]

The post Augustus Caesar #61 – Virgil & The Aeneid Part 2 appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 gets a triumph – the last one awarded to a private citizen (eg who wasn’t a member of the Emperor’s family) – for five and a half centuries. […]

The post Augustus Caesar #59 – The Last Triumph appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 also treats them fairly magnanimously – except when he doesn’t. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #58 – It’s All Greek To Me appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 his respects and kept his people under control. He built the Second Temple in Jerusalem but it didn’t buy him much love from his main constituency – the […]

The post Augustus Caesar #57 – Herod The Great appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 down and breaking the furniture, until he pays them attention – and sends Agrippa home. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #55 – Augustus Goes To Sicily appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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  Travel Photographer of the Year three times. He joined us on Skype from an undisclosed location recently to discuss Caesar-related travel destinations. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #54 – Gary Arndt appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

The Primus Affair continues. Shortly after, there’s another scandal – the Fannius Caepio conspiracy. It’s time for Augustus to crack down. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #53 – The CrackDown appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 of Rome. He blames his actions – on Augustus! [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #52 – The Primus Affair appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

In 23 BCE Augustus fell very sick with man flu once again. It was so bad, everyone thought he was going to die. When he miraculously recovered, he decided he’d had enough of the stress of being consul – and he resigned. This time – for good. Which caused some problems. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #50 – Imperium appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

When Augustus finally returns to Rome late in 24, he travels along newly restored roads that he had mostly paid for himself. They were adorned with statues of him. But how much did those statues, and those that survive today, actually resemble his true likeness? Also, Marcellus and Tiberius, the young guns, are being prepped […]

The post Augustus Caesar #49 – Covered With Spots appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

We’re back! First show of 2017! On his way back from Spain, Augustus falls deathly ill with man flu, which forces him to think about his future. It doesn’t stop him from becoming consul for the 10th time where his new colleague is a guy with an unfortunate name that leads us into some dark […]

The post Augustus Caesar #48 – Man Flu appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

It’s in Spain where we first see the new cautious Augustus. Instead of taking crazy risks, like he sometimes did when he was younger, now that he’s 38, his favourite slogans are now: “festina lente” or “make haste slowly.” This doesn’t mean he isn’t fully aware of his own mortality. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #47 – Festina Lente appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Augustus needed to decide on the size and shape of the army. How many soldiers would he need to maintain the borders and to expand them when desired? And now that the civil war is over, what kind of new discipline is needed? [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #46 – Milites appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Before Augustus leaves Rome, the gates of the Temple of Janus were re-opened, which means the peace is officially over. He’s going to war, to restore Roman order to his regions. But these are good old fashioned wars against foreign tribes. They aren’t civil wars. And Rome loved a good old war against barbarians. [powerpress]

The post Augustus Caesar #45 – Augustus Goes To Spain appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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The post Augustus Caesar #32 – Donations of Alexandria appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

Octavius changes his name to Gaius Julius Caesar – but we call him Octavian so as not to confuse him with the other guy. He makes his way to Rome to meet with Mark Antony  and get his cash – but it’s not going to plan. So he goes to visit Cicero near Naples, who also […]

The post Augustus Caesar #02 – Going Rome 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 […]

The post Julius Caesar #48 – The Aftermath, Part II appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 […]

The post Julius Caesar #47 – The Aftermath, Part I appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Julius Caesar #46 (Take 2) – The Ides Of March! appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Julius Caesar #46 – The Ides Of March! appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 […]

The post Julius Caesar #44 – Enter Octavius appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 […]

The post Julius Caesar – 2000 Likes Special Edition appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 – […]

The post Julius Caesar #41 – The War Is Over appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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!

The post Julius Caesar #40 – The Spanish Campaign 46 BCE appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

The post Julius Caesar #38 – It’s Business Time appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 […]

The post Julius Caesar #37 – Caesar’s Four Triumphs appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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

The post Julius Caesar #36 – AFRICA appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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 […]

The post Julius Caesar #35 – VENI VIDI VICI appeared first on Life Of The Caesars.

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.

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.

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 […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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: […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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.

Hey! Thanks for becoming a Life Of Caesar Consul! The good news is – you’re quick on the ol’ uptake. The bad news is – we haven’t actually recorded any yet! But we’ve got a couple of doozies coming up in the new month, so stick this feed into iTunes (or whatever) and you’ll see […]

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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 […]

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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.

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 […]

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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, […]

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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 – […]

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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 – […]

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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.

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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!

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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.