Autocrat- A Roman History Podcast

Vince and Cassie
  • 4.0 (7)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A relaxed journey through Roman history and mythology, hopefully with plenty of tangents, sidebars and interesting distractions along the way. Our goal- even if it ends up being unrealised- is to journey from the Theogony all the way to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and beyond. This show is just for fun, and we hope you have fun with it too!

  1. 106- Numa and the Nymph

    2D AGO

    106- Numa and the Nymph

    The second king of Rome may be dead, but his story isn't quite. Today, we scrape together the crumbs of evidence our primary and secondary sources give us concerning Egeria. Is she a nymph? A goddess? Is she Numa's second wife or his lover? And what's the deal with her maybe turning into a spring? Let the defence and prosecution assemble! Time period: 716- 627 BCE Relevant individuals: Numa Pompilius, Egeria Sources for this episode: TBA

    7 min
  2. Edict- The Imperial Year Count

    5D AGO ·  BONUS

    Edict- The Imperial Year Count

    In the spirit of having fun with the show, here's another Imperial Edict sorting out the year count for the empire. 2026 is now also Year IV/V... Sources for this episode: TBA

    4 min
  3. 105- Religious Reshuffle

    MAY 10

    105- Religious Reshuffle

    Numa Pompilius' rule is a lot less exciting than that of Romulus in terms of warfare. Instead, we get a whole lot of religious restructuring, instilling piety into the rabble that is Roman society, and a mysterious burial with sacred texts the later Republic will never address again... That and calendar administration. Time period: 716- 672 BCE Relevant individuals: Numa Pompilius Sources for this episode: Cassius Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History in Nine Volumes. Volume II. Translated by E. Cary. London, United Kingdom and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Marks, A. and Tingay, G. (date unknown), Romans. London: Usborne Publishing.M's Chronicle of the Roman Republic (TBA).Plutarch (1938), Plutarch's Lives (Volume I). London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. and E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Via Sacra (online) (Accessed 27/10/2025).

    17 min
  4. 104- An Interregnum and a Divine Acclamation

    APR 12

    104- An Interregnum and a Divine Acclamation

    Between 716 and 715 BCE, Rome undergoes what becomes known as an interregnum- an inter regnum, or period between kings. Senators take five-day turns ruling the country, and then one year into it, Numa Pompilius becomes elected king! However, our Sabine protagonist just refuses to become monarch until all sorts of hoops have been jumped through... Sources for this episode: Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Plutarch (1938), Plutarch's Lives (Volume I). London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. and E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc.Sextus Aurelius Victor (TBA).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Olympiad (online) (Accessed 27/10/2025).

    11 min
  5. 103- The Silent Tomb?

    APR 5

    103- The Silent Tomb?

    It's 5th July, 716 BCE. Campus Martius. One way or another, King Romulus of Rome disappears. But how? Did he become a god? Did the Senate do him in? Was there an uprising by the people? Let's pick our way through the different versions of events... Sources for this episode: Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Ovid (1968), The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Pliny's Natural History (TBA).Plutarch (1938), Plutarch's Lives (Volume I). London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. and E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc.Sextus Aurelius Victor (TBA).Wiseman, T. P. (1983), The Wife and Children of Romulus. The Classical Quarterly 33(2): 445-452.Author unknown, NASA (date unknown), Solar eclipses of historical interest (online) (Accessed 27/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), List of solar eclipses in antiquities (online) (Accessed 27/10/2025).

    13 min
  6. 102- Playing Whack-a-City

    MAR 29

    102- Playing Whack-a-City

    We march through the years from 752 to 716 BCE, polishing off the remaining thirty-six years of Romulus' rule. Along the way, we'll watch Rome hit a bunch of opponents until they stay down one after another and Romulus take on some tyrannical airs the Senate don't like. Also, is it Dionysus of Halicarnassus- or is it John? Sources for this episode: Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.M’s Chronicle of the Roman Republic (TBA).Pliny’s Natural History (TBA)Plutarch (1938), Plutarch's Lives (Volume I). London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. and E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc.

    14 min
  7. 101- Boy Meets Girl, Boy Steals Girl

    MAR 15

    101- Boy Meets Girl, Boy Steals Girl

    Romulus may have founded a city and invited a bunch of criminals who need asylum in, but there's still a problem to overcome. Namely, there are no women in Rome. Well, nothing a good old-fashioned bit of mass kidnapping, brutal warfare and Stockholm syndrome can't overcome! Let's watch Vince decide he can't spell the word 'the' and Cassie decide she can't pronounce... things. FYI: plea is a word derived from Anglo-French and area from Latin according to Etymology Online. Just in case anyone listened to the episode and thought they could do with that information. Sources for this episode: Appian (1972), Appian's Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Eutropius (1760), Eutropius: Epitome of the Roman History.London: Printed for W. Johnston et al.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Plutarch (1938), Plutarch's Lives (Volume I). London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. and E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc.Sextus Aurelius Victor (TBA).Author unknown, Google Maps (date unknown) (online) (Accessed 26/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Curia (online) (Accessed 26/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Lucumo (online) (Accessed 26/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Timeline of Roman history (online) (Accessed 26/10/2025). Sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

    23 min
  8. Bonus XX- In Other News: China in 753 BCE

    MAR 8 ·  BONUS

    Bonus XX- In Other News: China in 753 BCE

    Let's take a look at what's going on in China at the time Rome is founded! Today, we give a bit of context for Chinese mythology and history starting in the 27th century BCE and skipping through the Xia and Shang dynasties all the way up until the mess that is the Zhou in 753 BCE. Along the way, we get so many opportunities to mess up the pronunciation of Zhou! Shoe? Joe? Shou? Take your pick! Also, binary numbers. Sources for this episode: TBA

    9 min
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About

A relaxed journey through Roman history and mythology, hopefully with plenty of tangents, sidebars and interesting distractions along the way. Our goal- even if it ends up being unrealised- is to journey from the Theogony all the way to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and beyond. This show is just for fun, and we hope you have fun with it too!

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