The Partial Historians

The Partial Historians
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The Partial Historians Podcast

Dr Rad and Dr G explore all things ancient Rome. With source analysis, interviews with experts, and looking at how the ancient world appears in popular culture, we take you you through the sources for ancient Rome while having a good laugh along the way. Dr Rad is an expert on Kubrick's Spartacus and Dr G is an expert on the Vestal Virgins.

  1. 13 HR. AGO

    Special Episode - Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979)

    We are in shock that it has taken us this long to cover the cult classic that is Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979). We have Rslaugesen over on Patreon to thank for pointing out this glaring oversight. Special Episode - Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) Once we got started, it was hard for us to stop talking about the Life of Brian. British comedy was a staple of our childhoods and Monty Python was one of our favourites. It was a treat to follow the development of this movie from Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory to a Sliding Doors-style story of Brian Cohen, born in the manger over from Christ.    The cast of Monty Python's Life of Brian in a scene from the film A still from Life of Brian showing Brian's followers admiring his sandal, one of the sacred objects he unwittingly bestows upon them. Courtesy of FM Cinema. Whilst Monty Python were probably trying to make a parody of 1970s Britain rather than a historically accurate portrait of first century CE Judea, we still found this film intriguing. From wolf’s nipples to imperialism, we take you through all the best Roman scenes… and perhaps a few non-Roman scenes as well. Who can resist talking about the Virgin Mandy? Part of the appeal of Life of Brian is the fact that it is not afraid to make fun of the Romans (or anyone) and shows a much less glamorous side of the empire. Quite the contrast to the epics of the 1950s and 1960s. Things to Look Out For: * Far too many ‘reenactments’ of our favourite moments * The Biggus Dickus scene * What Have the Romans Ever Done For Us? Not as much as this scene claims! * The People's Front of Judea in action! * The famous BBC2 interview with John Cleese and Michael Palin * The hilarious parody of the BBC2 interview on Not the Nine O’Clock News * Dr G’s excitement upon spotting the frescoes from the Villa of the Mysteries Comedies don’t always stand the test of time. We can spot some awkward moments in the film, but overall, we think Life of Brian stands the test of time. Forty-five years after it’s release, we would love to know whether you agree! Our Sources * Blanshard, A. J. L., Shahabudin, K. 2011. ‘Satirising Cine-Antiquity - Monty Python’s Life of Brian 1979’ in Classics on Screen: Ancient Greece and Rome on Film (Bristol Classical Press), 172-193. * James G. Crossley (2011) ‘Life of Brian or Life of Jesus? Uses of Critical Biblical Scholarship and Non-Orthodox Views of Jesus in Monty Python’s Life of Brian.’ Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception 1 (1): 93-114. * Cyrino, M. S. 2005. ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’ in Big Screen Rome (Blackwell), 176-193. * Ehrman, B. (2015). Brian and the Apocalyptic Jesus: Parody as a Historical Method. In Jesus and Brian (pp. 141–150). Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. https://doi.org/10.5040/9780567665362.ch-011

    1h 43m

  2. SEP 5

    The Partial Recap - 400s BCE

    The 400s BCE have been a rollercoaster for Rome. It certainly seems to have been a decade of big changes, both in terms of foreign policy and on the domestic front. Join us for the highlights for the last decade of the fifth century BCE! The Partial Recap - 400s BCE Want to hear the full story? Head to Episode 144: Where in the World is Carventum? to start at 410 BCE. Sound Credits Our music was composed by Bettina Joy de Guzman. Transcript Dr Rad - Welcome to the Partial Recap for the 400s BCE!Dr G - I’m Dr GDr Rad: and I’m Dr RadDr G: and this is our highlights edition of the 400s in Rome. We’ll take you through from 409 to 400 in an epitome of our normal episodes.Dr Rad: Perfect for those mornings when you don’t want some lengthy rhetoric with your coffee - but please be warned - the Roman world is a violent one.Dr G: Get ready for a recappuccino. 409 BCE * In 409 BCE, the consuls were Cnaeus Cornelius Cossus and Lucius Furius Medullinus. * The plebeians were SO upset that they could not elect their champion, Menenius, as military tribune with consular power * Capitalising on that, the tribune of the plebs started applying some pressure. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE SITUATION, PEOPLE OR WE GIVE UP. * There were a staggering number of tribunes from the legendary Icilii family this year, and the plebs did always take them especially seriously. #heroesoftheunderrrepresented * Finally, THREE plebs were elected the quaestorship instead. * This cheered them up immensely as it was the FIRST TIME a pleb had been chosen for this office! Amazeballs. * The patricians naturally fell apart immediately. When they allowed plebs to be elected to the quaestorship, they didn’t really think it would happen! It was too ridiculous! A pleb in office? A pleb chosen over a patrician? This was a worrying sign that the world was ending. * To make matters worse, the Icilii started pushing for elections for military tribunes with consular power in 408. We see what you are SCHEMING, you troublesome tribunes! You want a pleb to hold imperium! Don’t make us SICK. * As the patricians and plebeians battled it out once more for consuls vs military tribunes, the Aequians and the Volscians started attacking the territory of Roman allies. * The consuls attempted to hold a levy to raise an army, but the Icilii refused to let the levy proceed until they got what they wanted - elections for military tribunes! * As the patricians and plebeians entered yet another staring contest, news arrived that the citadel of Carventum had been lost to the enemy. * Still, the tribunes refused to allow the levy to proceed - military success be damned! * This was not a popular move - but it WORKED * The patricians were forced to agree that there would be no consuls in 408 - BUT only on the condition that none of the current tribunes of the plebs could serve again OR be elected as military tribune. They couldn’t kill the Icilli, but they could kill their career prospects! * With all that unpleasantness behind them, the Romans could now march off to Carventum and win back that citadel.

    27 min

  3. AUG 29

    A Cheeky Preview - With a Rebel Yell: Spartacus

    We are SO excited to share a snippet of our new book with you! That's right, we have a whole section entitled 'With a Rebel Yell' that will be bonus digital content on the Ulysses Press website and so we thought, why not read it as well? Today, we kick it all off with the section on the rebellious gladiator, SPARTACUS. Ah, this is where it all began for Dr Rad, and here we are at another beginning, and he's still her plus one. Sneak Peek from the Bonus Digital Chapter of Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire Hopefully this gives you a good idea of what you can expect from Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire. Are you based in Australia? You can pre-order our book from the wonderful Abbey's bookstore and they'll even deliver it to you for a modest fee. Keen to read the whole bonus chapter? You can it find online here. As always, we would like to thank Bettina Joy de Guzman for our wonderful music.

    26 min

  4. AUG 22

    The Plebeians Push into Power

    We jump into the year 400 BCE which has more excitement than you may have anticipated. Could this be the year we have evidence for a plebeian break-through into the important magisterial position of military tribune with consular power? Episode 153 - The Plebeians Push into Power Now, as always with this period of Rome’s early republican history, we need to keep into mind that the extant records are sketchy and we’re relying on writers living centuries in the future for their interpretation of whatever information they could scrounge together. And yet, if we look at the names that are put forward for the top job in 400 BCE, we notice some folk we’ve never heard of before - not just individuals, but extended family groups (gens), which is worth considering in more depth. You know we can’t resist a good thorny mystery when it comes to the evidence! What is the senate and how did it work? The entry of Calvus into the position of military tribune with consular power is a bit of a cat amongst the pigeons. But it might be Livy’s details about Calvus’ position as a member of the senate that makes this even more intriguing. We consider what the structure of the very early senate might have been (largely in the absence of strong evidence from the period in question). Where did the senate come from? How did it emerge as a feature of the republic? What might make sense given the senate is later understood as an advisory body? Was there a third socio-political class in the early republic? We explore some potential scenarios. Things to listen our for * Our transition into nineteenth century German scholars * The difference between segregation and what was happening in the early republic * Discussion of the abuse of power by the powerful * The character of our plebeian hero Calvus * The tribune of soldiers * The fragmentary writer Licinius Macer * Updates on the state of play in Sicily and their conflict with Carthage * Igor taking a short break???? Our Players for 400 BCE Military Tribunes with Consular Power * Publius Licinius P. f. P. n. Calvus Esquilinus (NOT a patrician?????) * Publius Manlius M. f. Cn. n. Vulso (Pat) * Lucius Titinius L. f. M’. n. Pansa Saccus (Not a patrician?????) * Publius Maelius Sp. f. C. n. Capitolinus (Not a patrician?????) * Spurius Furius L. f. Sp. n. Medullinus (Pat) * Lucius Publilius L. f. Voler. n. Philo Vulscus (Not a patrician?????) Our Sources * Dr Rad reads Livy * Dr G reads Diodorus Siculus; and Fasti Capitolini. * Bradley, G. 2020. Early Rome to 290 BC (Edinburgh University Press). Broughton, T. R. S., Patterson, M. L. 1951. The Magistrates of the Roman Republic Volume 1: 509 B.C. – 100 B.C. (The American Philological Association) * Cornell, T. J. 1995. The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC) (Taylor & Francis) Forsythe, G. 2006. A Critical History of Early Rome: From Prehistory to the First Punic War(University of California Press)...

    55 min

  5. AUG 8

    Ancient Rome's Worst Emperors with LJ Trafford

    In our latest special episode, we welcomed the talented LJ Trafford to the show to discuss her latest book, Ancient Rome’s Worst Emperors (2023). Special Episode - Ancient Rome's Worst Emperors You may very well have encountered some of LJ’s wonderful earlier works, including her historical novel series: The Four Emperors. These books cover a turbulent time in the early imperial period with Nero’s fall from power (and life) in 68 CE and the subsequent chaos that followed in the year 69.  She has also published nonfiction works on ancient Rome including How to Survive in Ancient Rome (2020) and Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Rome (2021). And just in case that didn’t keep her busy, LJ is a contributor to The History Girls blog, writing about all sorts of fascinating subjects involving the ancient world from Pliny the Elder’s concerns about the dangers of sponges to handy tips to avoid assassination as a Roman emperor. Our conversation allowed us to talk about the qualities that define ‘good’ and ‘bad’ emperors. And yes, Augustus and Tiberius were mentioned, but we kept it civil! LJ then took us through some of the characters who qualified as one of the WORST emperors, including Caligula, Didius Julianus, Silbannacus, and Petronius Maximus. Image of Caligula, courtesy of Carole Raddato on Flickr. Things to Look Out For: * Cat armies * Shadow emperors * Tips on shaking up your next meeting * Drunken late-night shopping (Roman style) You will definitely want to grab a copy of LJ’s book to hear about all the other terrible emperors of Rome after this episode. You should be able to pick up a copy at your local independent bookstore, as well as the usual corporate giants.   Sound Credits Our music was composed by Bettina Joy de Guzman. Automated Transcript Dr Rad 0:15Music. Welcome to the partial historians. Dr G 0:18We explore all the details of ancient Rome, Dr Rad 0:23everything from political scandals, the love affairs, the battled wage and when citizens turn against each other. I'm Dr Rad and Dr G 0:33I'm Dr G, we consider Rome as the Romans saw it, by reading different authors from the ancient past and comparing their stories. Dr Rad 0:44Join us as we trace the journey of Rome from the founding of the city. Dr G 0:55Hello and welcome to a brand new episode of the partial historians I am Dr G Dr Rad 1:03and I am Dr Rad, Dr G 1:05and we are thrilled today to be sitting down and chatting with LJ Trafford. Now you may have heard of this author before. LJ Trafford studied ancient history at the University of Reading and is famous for her historical novel series the four emperors. These books cover a turbulent time in the early imperial period with Nero's fall from power and from life in 68 CE and the subsequent chaos that followed in the year 69 LJ is also a contributor to the history girls blog, writing about all sorts of fascinating subjects involving the ancient world,

    1h 6m

  6. JUL 11

    Victory at Last!

    Whilst 401 BCE was a tense year inside ancient Rome, we can assure you that there will be a plebeian win to close the year. Victory at last! Episode 152 - Victory at Last! Surrounded by Enemies The Romans were facing war with several enemies, thanks to Capena and the Falerii joining their conflict with Veii. And they weren’t going to take the loss of Anxur lying down. This calls for the mother of all levies! The magistrates had to try and enlist any man they could get their hands on, young or old. Rome needed to make sure all her bases were covered at home and abroad. The catch was that a larger army required an increase in funding. Rome was apparently paying soldiers now, right? The military tribunes with consular power came up with a genius plan – a war-tax! What form did this tax take? Crops? Bronze? Your first-born child? The only thing we can rule out is coinage, as the Romans were not using that yet.   Regardless of the mode of payment, the people were distinctly displeased by this new policy. They were already having to work extra hard with so many men serving in the army. And of course, the tribunes of the plebs were NOT HAVING IT. This was a total scam. Rome Just Can't Get Enough With the people all riled up over these issues, the elections for the tribunes of the plebs fell flat. Not enough men were elected to fill the positions. The patricians saw an opportunity to try to weasel their way into the office, but they didn’t get away with that. However, they did manage to convince the newly elected tribunes to co-opt some colleagues that had been given the patrician stamp of approval. This was in direct conflict with the Trebonian Law of 448 BCE, which was meant to prevent anyone being co-opted. As luck would have it, one of the descendants of the original Trebonius who had championed this law was serving as tribune in 401, and he vigorously protested this violation. The people were furious about these signs of corruption and the three tribunes who had colluded with the patricians knew they needed to come up with a distraction. Why not turn everyone’s attention to Sergius and Verginius? They had made such a mess of things in 402 BCE. They were the perfect scapegoats. Conflict of the Orders? Tensions remained high throughout 401 BCE as Sergius and Verginius were put on trial, the tribunes fought the war-tax and the men on the frontlines weren’t getting paid. Somewhere in this strange mixture of collusion and conflict between the patricians and plebeians, something momentous was brewing… Dr G and Dr Rad are celebrating the election of the first military tribune with consular power. Touchdown! Publius Licinius Calvus became the FIRST official plebeian to be elected as military tribune with consular power, set to serve in 400 BCE. Victory at last, Licinius, victory at last.   We're excited - can you tell? If you want to know why he was the chosen one, you’ll need to tune in next time! The suspense…. Need to catch up on Sergius and Verginius’ epic bitch fight? Listen to our previous episode on 402 BCE. Things to Look Out For: * Clever use of diversions * Laws being broken * SO MANY potential anachronisms

    49 min

  7. JUN 27

    Special Episode - Exploring Place in Regal Rome with Neil, The Ancient Blogger - Part 2

    Neil returns to discuss more about some of the major sites of interest in the regal period of Rome. We recommend his podcast Ancient History Hound to you. You can also find out more details about Neil's work at his website: The Ancient Blogger. Special Episode - Exploring Place in Regal Rome with Neil, The Ancient Blogger - Part 2! When Life Gives You Lemons? It's time to take a tour of Rome's most infamous subterranean chamber, the Tullianum, aka the Carcer. * What did Livy know about the place? And what that might tell us about the site in its earliest history? * Does the archaeological structure make sense with the historiographical timeline? * Possible connections to Tullius Hostilius or Servius Tullius? Other potential etymological possibilities? The Essential Precursor to Rome’s Success? Of course, we're talking about the Cloaca Maxima! Water, human waste, rats, and methane - is the Cloaca Maxima just a little more dangerous than generally thought? We take a tour with Neil to find out. The Circus Maximus - Older is Better? There aren't many flat places in Rome, so the natural valley that is home of the Circus Maximus marks it out as special. The natural contours shape the space and set the scene for how the Romans then adapted that space into an early sporting arena. Major sporting events included horse racing (in various configurations) and boxing, though in a very different style than you’d see today. It wasn't just about the sports though - it was also about being seen. Social standing takes on a new meaning when only some people get chairs. Why Does Rome Need Ostia? Well, a harbour can be a great asset to a developing city! Neil takes us through some of the important details associated with the site of Ostia, as the location of the early castrum, and the engineering modifications of the salt lagoons. Horrea (storehouses) at Ostia Antica. Photograph by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra via Flickr. Sound Credits Our theme music was composed by the amazing Bettina Joy de Guzman Automated Transcript Lightly edited for Latin terminology and to support our wonderful Australian accents! Dr G 0:15Welcome to The Partial Historians. We explore all the details of ancient Rome. Dr Rad 0:23Everything from political scandals, the love affairs, the battles wage, and when citizens turn against each other. I'm Dr. Rad. Dr G 0:33And I'm Dr. G. We consider Rome as the Romans saw it by reading different authors from the ancient past and comparing their stories. Dr Rad 0:44Join us as we trace the journey of Rome from the founding of this city. Dr G 0:57Hello, and welcome to this very special episode of The Partial Historians. I am Dr. G. Dr Rad 1:06And I am Dr. Rad. Dr G 1:08And we are really, really excited to welcome back, Neil, for what is part two of our extravaganza exploration of regal Rome in terms of its layout and what's going on with like, the landscape and things like this. So as you know,

  8. JUN 13

    Factional Foibles

    We jump into the year of 402 BCE and Rome and Veii are tooth and nail in siege mode. In addition to this, Rome is rapidly approaching the end of the 5th century BCE, a date that is meaningful for historians and scholars but less significant for the Romans who understood the years through the names of the magistrates more than being overly interested in the base ten system. Episode 151 - Factional Foibles Watch your back! Rome’s siege of Veii continues so there’s good reason to see six military tribunes with consular power in the role this year. But it may be the case that Rome’s military preoccupation with Veii is about to become costly. Just ask the Rome’s new garrison at Anxur in Volscian territory… Siege Developments Now you’d be forgiven for thinking a siege is not the most exciting form of warfare. And if it was just Rome versus Veii, it may indeed have remained a boring affair. But sometime in this year, it seems that Veil’s northern neighbours have realised that Veii falling to Rome might be terrible for them. Enter the Capenantes and Falscians and cue siege chaos! How will the situation be resolved? Tune in to find out. Map of Veii including cities to the north Capena (Capenantes) and Falerii (Falsicans). Things to Listen Out For * The joys of Cornettos * Skipping through the daisies * A hideous sandwich situation * Consideration of the extent of the powers of the tribunes of the plebs * A potted introduction to the 3rd century CE writer Dio Cassius * Some details about the archaeological record between Veii and Rome during this period * A new record with the Partial Pick! * A very late background contribution from one of our star podcats :) Our Players for 402 BCE Military Tribunes with Consular Power * Gaius Servilius P. f. Q. n. Ahala (Pat) * Quintus Servilius Q. f. P. n. Fidenas (Pat) * Lucius Verginius L. f. Opetr. N. Tricostus Esquilinus (Pat) * Quintus Sulpicius Ser. f. Ser. n. Camerinus Cornutus (Pat) * Aulus Manlius A. f. Cn. n. Vulso Capitolinus (Pat) * Maelius Sergius L. f. L. n. Fidenas (Pat) Our Sources * Dr Rad reads Livy 5.8.1 * Dr G reads Diodorus Siculus 14.38.1; Fragmentvm de Praenominibus; Fasti Capitolini; Dio Cassius Book 6.23ish * Arizza, M., Rossi, D. 2022. ‘The territory between Veii and Rome in the Archaic period: Rural structures as territorial markers of cultural frontiers’ Frontière.s, Revue d’archèologie, histoire et histoire de l’art Volume 6: 49-62. https://journals.openedition.org/frontieres/1297 * Bradley, G. 2020. Early Rome to 290 BC (Edinburgh University Press). Broughton, T. R. S., Patterson, M. L. 1951. The Magistrates of the Roman Republic Volume 1: 509 B.C. – 100 B.C. (The American Philological Association) * Cornell, T. J. 1995. The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC) (Taylor & Francis) Forsythe, G. 2006. a href="https://www.google.com.

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About

Dr Rad and Dr G explore all things ancient Rome. With source analysis, interviews with experts, and looking at how the ancient world appears in popular culture, we take you you through the sources for ancient Rome while having a good laugh along the way. Dr Rad is an expert on Kubrick's Spartacus and Dr G is an expert on the Vestal Virgins.

Information

  • Creator
    The Partial Historians
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2024
  • Episodes
    171
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Partial Historians
  • Show Website
    The Partial Historians

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