The Pax Romana Podcast Dr. Colin Elliott

Here is the first of several episodes on the Roman military. How did the military fuel expansion, secure borders and bolster the emperor's power? How large was the military and what did it cost? What role did soldiers play in both receiving imperial ideology, as well as advancing it?


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paxromanapodcast/support

The Pax Romana may have thrived, but much of its prosperity was born on the backs of million. On this episode, we look at a darker side of the Pax Romana, and the institution of Roman slavery. How did it function--from the brutal realities of capture and sale--to the opportunities for freedom? Roman slavery was of questionable economic benefit, so why did Romans keep this institution around for so long?


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paxromanapodcast/support

Roman society was highly stratified. Rank, wealth, birth and political power--not necessarily merit--determined one's place in the world. The social system was intricated and divided; both masses and elites were subdivided in a variety of ways. And above all was the emperor. He reigned supreme, as not just a ruler, but a patron and father over the entire Roman world.


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paxromanapodcast/support

Scholars tend to think of the Pax Romana as being at the pinnacle of prosperity and its economic and military power. And in a sense that is true, compared to the crisis that followed. But despite the high achievements of the Pax Romana, it remains an open question as to whether highly populated Roman cities were as healthy as we often imagine. In this episode, I discuss the sanitation infrastructure and technology of the Roman Empire: aqueducts, baths and sewers. How much did these improve health in Roman cities?


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paxromanapodcast/support

Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire for 21 years. His legacy, however, is a tangled mess. On the one hand, he left behind impressive architectural marvels, like Hadrian’s Wall; and his epic journeys across land and sea reinforced the notion that he was not just the leader of Rome, but the representative of tens of millions of people across a vast commonwealth. And yet, both his early years and, as we’ll talk about today, his latter years, were strange and shrouded with intrigue and animosity. One senator even cursed Hadrian. But as we’ll see today, amid the mess, Hadrian managed to set up a succession plan that ensured two generations of stability—and place a teenager into the line of succession who would grow up to become Rome’s famed philosopher king: Marcus Aurelius.


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paxromanapodcast/support

Hadrian's Wall served as the Roman frontier in Britain for nearly 300 years. While not an impenetrable barrier, it deterred large-scale raids, allowed for the regulation of trade, and provided a base for Roman military operations when necessary. Hadrian’s Wall is both a symbol of Rome’s final ruinous end, but also of the extent to which the Roman peace was an illusion. Ultimately, the Wall failed to protect the Empire—not only from outside invasions, but as we will continue to show on this podcast—from Rome’s own emperors, and the fatal flaws of arrogance, decadence and unbridled power.
Primary Sources Referenced:
Vindolanda Tablet 291

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paxromanapodcast/support