The Turning Wheel Podcast

Andrew Perlot

The Turning Wheel covers the pivot points of human history, and the fascinating questions that underlie our civilization. Our special emphases are when civilizations made big shifts, without anyone really realizing it. Humans may fight these changes, but they often lose. From Marcus Aurelius's rule during the twilight years of the Pax Romana to city planning errors in the 20th century shaping how we live today, we cover a lot of ground. Support the podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurningWheel

Episodes

  1. E1.13 Q&A For Kingdom of Iron and Rust

    06/30/2019

    E1.13 Q&A For Kingdom of Iron and Rust

    We talk Marcus's notebook, his stereotyped wife, what would have happened if he'd killed Commodus, and whether or not he was a manipulated dupe.

    20 min
  2. E1.12 Why The Romans Didn't Notice Their Decline

    06/17/2019

    E1.12 Why The Romans Didn't Notice Their Decline

    div data-reddit-rtjson= "{"entityMap":{},"blocks":[{"key":"72uae","text":"Romans of the late empire were well aware that their borders had become porous, that fewer soldiers stood ready to drive out the increasingly bold barbarian tribes, that there was less tax revenue to fund everything, and that they seemed to end every generation a bit worse off than they'd been at the beginning of it.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"56huu","text":"That is to say that the Romans were very aware of the symptoms of their own decline, but for the most part, they were clueless about the real causes underlying it. ","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"cbb83","text":"Modern historians have attempted to fill this gap, with one academic counting 210 varied and somewhat overlapping hypotheses published by historians to explain what really happened. ","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"98s1k","text":"Some say taxes were too low, others that they were too high. Some blame too mu

    50 min
  3. E1.11 Commodus the Antithesis

    06/07/2019

    E1.11 Commodus the Antithesis

    Roman history fans know two things about Commodus: First, he was a horribly corrupt, psychopathic emperor. Second, he reigned at the end of the Pax Romana, and helped start Rome's slow decline towards eventual dissolution.  The Roman senator and historian Cassius Dio, who knew Commodus and his father, Marcus Aurelius, personally, tells us that with the ascention of Commodus that, "our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust, as affairs did for the Romans of that day." And enough other sources have spoken of Commodus's misrule and cruelty to leave of thinking that he was probably right. But can we be certain he was correct with his conclusions?  We know for certain that he probably made one choice, albeit for the wrong reasons, which probably contributed to to the Empire's longevity. And of his misdeeds? Just how impactful were they? Today we're going to examine the life of Commodus. It's likely that he was indeed a bit of a psychopath, but what's more doubtful is if any of his actions really contributed to Rome's fall and the end of the Pax Romana.  Find out why in this episode.

    25 min
  4. E1.10 Finishing What He Started

    06/04/2019

    E1.10 Finishing What He Started

    Marcus Aurelius decides that he's going to crush that Germanic and Sarmatian tribes once and for all, even if it costs him his life.

    21 min
  5. E1.8 Why Marcus Aurelius Didn't Murder Commodus

    05/22/2019

    E1.8 Why Marcus Aurelius Didn't Murder Commodus

    Why a great emperor let an immoral tyrant take his throne.

    30 min
  6. E1.7 Biting The Hand That Feeds Him

    05/13/2019

    E1.7 Biting The Hand That Feeds Him

    The one man with the experience, position, and breeding to challenge Marcus Aurelius's claim to the throne decides to take a crack at him, and the Roman Empire is plunged into civil war.

    27 min
  7. E1.6 Barbarians of the Frozen North

    05/06/2019

    E1.6 Barbarians of the Frozen North

    With the Roman Empire on its knees, Marcus Aurelius must raise and personally lead an army against the combined might of Germania and Sarmatia. Plague, famine, and economic ruin might have something to say about that.

    27 min
  8. E1.5 Plagues Forevermore

    04/30/2019

    E1.5 Plagues Forevermore

    The Roman Empire's first mass epidemic brings a dramatic close to the pax Romona, and Marcus Aurelius struggles to keep everything together, turning ever more to Stoic philosophy to get him through.

    17 min
  9. E1.4 What Stands in the Way, Becomes the Way.

    04/26/2019

    E1.4 What Stands in the Way, Becomes the Way.

    After a talking snake cons their governor into a military disaster, the Romans rush to respond to the military crisis with Parthia as the conflict escalate to a full-scale war.

    18 min
  10. E1.3 Never Let Yourself Be Hadrian

    04/16/2019

    E1.3 Never Let Yourself Be Hadrian

    Hadrian's bad example taught Marcus how to avoid being a tyrant. Marcus's philosophy, Stoicism, and the example of his adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, showed him the right path. This episode discusses how a Stoic makes hard decisions.

    28 min
  11. E1.2 The 700 Year Stalemate, Round Four

    04/05/2019

    E1.2 The 700 Year Stalemate, Round Four

    The Parthians launch a surprise attack on Rome, routing the eastern legions and capturing Parthia. We cover the long history of Rome's entanglement with Parthia, and Crassus's disastrous invasion during the late republican period.

    19 min
  12. E1.1 Kingdom of Iron and Rust

    04/05/2019

    E1.1 Kingdom of Iron and Rust

    The young philosopher Marcus Aurelius agreed to become ruler of the Roman empire, but he's not happy about it. We discuss why he was so reluctant to be imbued with unlimited wealth and power, and some of the unusual steps he took to keep himself humble, including giving up sole rule.

    22 min
  • 12 Episodes

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

The Turning Wheel covers the pivot points of human history, and the fascinating questions that underlie our civilization. Our special emphases are when civilizations made big shifts, without anyone really realizing it. Humans may fight these changes, but they often lose. From Marcus Aurelius's rule during the twilight years of the Pax Romana to city planning errors in the 20th century shaping how we live today, we cover a lot of ground. Support the podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/TheTurningWheel

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