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Syndication

Audio excerpt from The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic by Mike Duncan. Forthcoming Oct. 24, 2017. Pre-order a copy today! 

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Direct download: SBTS_Ch1_Master.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:30am CDT

Available at revolutionspodcast.com, iTunes, or anywhere else fine podcasts can be found.

Direct download: Revolutions_Announcement.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:39am CDT

Next show coming soon!

Direct download: Post_History_of_Rome_Update.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:18am CDT

The history of The History of Rome...Why the Western Empire Fell when it did...Some thoughts on the future...Thank you, goodnight.  

Direct download: 179-_The_End.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:18pm CDT

In the last few years of the Western Empire a series of Emperors came and went. The cycle finally ended in 476 with the exile of Romulus Augustulus. 

Direct download: 178-_Not_With_a_Bang_But_a_Whimper.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:00pm CDT

In 468 the two halves of the Empire combined forces to dislodge the Vandals from North Africa.They failed spectacularly.

Direct download: 177-_The_Burning_Ships.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:54pm CDT

From 461-465 the Western Empire was ruled by Ricimer through a puppet Emperor named Libius Severus. Not everyone in the west was supportive of the new regime. 

Direct download: 176-_The_Quote_Unquote_Emperor.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29pm CDT

From 457-461, Majorian marched around trying to reassert Imperial authority over the provinces while Ricimer remained in Italy. 

Direct download: 175-_Trying_to_Take_It_All_Back.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:35pm CDT

Following the death of Valentinian III there was an Imperial power struggle in the West. In the midst of this struggle, the Vandals sacked Rome in 455 AD. 

Direct download: 174-_The_Sack_of_Rome_Part_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:27pm CDT

In the early 450s a string of deaths changed the political dynamic of Roman world. Between 450 and 455 Galla Placidia, Aelia Pulcheria, Atilla the Hun, Flavius Aetius and Valentinian III would all die- leaving the stage wide open for the next generation of leaders. 

Also, an announcment. 

Direct download: 173-_The_Broken_Bow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:54pm CDT

In 451 Atilla the Hun invaded the West. He was repelled by a coalition of forces lead by the General Aetius. 

Direct download: 172-_Showdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:32pm CDT

After placating Atilla with yet another indemnity, Theodosius II fell from his horse and died in 450, leaving the Eastern throne vacant.

Direct download: 171-_The_Gathering_Storm.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:45pm CDT

In the 440s, the Huns began to direclty attack the Roman Empire. 

Direct download: 170-_Atilla_Cometh.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:52pm CDT

In the 430s the Romans dealt with increasingly agressive and confident barbarian tribes living both inside and outside the traditional borders of the Empire. 

Direct download: 169-_Huns_and_Vandals_and_Goths_Oh_My.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:54pm CDT

In the late 420s AD, the Roman General Flavius Aetius connived and backstabbed his way up the chain of command. 

Direct download: 168-_The_Rise_of_Aetius.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:00pm CDT

The Emperor Honorius died in 423, leading to a brief civil war between the Theodosian dynasty and a self-proclaimed Imperial regime in Ravenna. 

Direct download: 167-_Exploiting_the_Opportunity.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:41pm CDT

Constantius III continued to lead the Western Empire as its defacto Emperor until 421, when he was officially elevated to the rank of Augustus. Unfortunately, this elevation was not recognized by Cosntantinople.

Direct download: 166-_As_Long_As_Shes_Nice_to_Look_At.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:07pm CDT

Between 412 and 415 relations between the Romans and Goths shifted back and forth between alliance and antagonism. 

Direct download: 165-_Reviving_the_Roman_Name.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:45pm CDT

After failing to secure a deal with Honorius, Alaric sacked Rome in August of 410. It was the first time the Eternal City had been sacked in 800 years. 

Direct download: 164-_The_Sack_of_Rome.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:31pm CDT

Following the death of Eudoxia, the Praetorian Prefect Anthemius took control of the Eastern Empire and ran it wisely for the next decade. Meanwhile in the West, anti-barbarian policies will lead to the invasion of Italy by Alaric.

Direct download: 163-_Theodosiuss_Walls.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24pm CDT

On New Year's Eve 406 a horde of barbarians crossed the lower Rhine into Gaul. Their arrival would have severe consequences for the Western Empire. 

Direct download: 162-_Opening_the_Floodgates.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:24pm CDT

Alaric and his Goths invaded Italy in 402. After they were pushed out, Stilicho moved the seat of the Western Imperial Court to the city of Ravenna. 

Direct download: 161-_The_Swamps_of_Ravenna.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:05pm CDT

In the late 390s, the generals and ministers who dominated Arcadius and Honorius battled with each other for control of the Empire. 

Direct download: 160-_East_vs._West.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:31pm CDT

After winning the Battle of the Frigidus River, Theodosius stood alone as the last sole ruler of the Roman Empire. He would be die just four months later.

Direct download: 159-_The_Divine_Winds.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:53pm CDT

In 392 Valentinian II was found hanged in his bedchamber, paving the way for another Roman Civil War. 

Direct download: 158-_Imperial_Suicide.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:10pm CDT

After defeating the usurper Maximus in 388 AD, Theodosius found himself facing an even greater opponent in Ambrose of Milan.

Direct download: 157-_Only_the_Pentitent_Man_Shall_Pass.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:26pm CDT

From 383-387 the tense quasi-partnership of Maximus, Valentinian II and Theodosius ruled the Roman Empire. During those years Bishop Ambrose and Nicean Christianity pushed themselves to dominance over their Arians rivals.

Direct download: 156-_Jockeying_for_Position.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:49pm CDT

In 383 the General Magnus Maximus rose up in revolt against Gratian. The power sharing agreement that followed Maximus's victory would be negotiated in part by St. Ambrose, the influencial new Bishop of Milan.

Direct download: 155-_The_New_Bishop_of_Milan.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:16pm CDT

Following Adrianople, Theodosius was brought in to salvage the situation. After determining that he could not beat the Goths in battle, the new Emperor was forced to sign a peace with the barbarians that treated them as, gasp, equals. 

Direct download: 154-_The_Gothic_War.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:37pm CDT

Operating with faulty intelligence and desperate to defeat the Goths on his own, Valens forced the disasterous Battle of Adrianople in August 378.

Direct download: 153-_Adrianople.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:48pm CDT

In 375 the Huns exploded into Gothic territory, sending refugees fleeing for the saftey of the Roman Empire.

Direct download: 152-_The_Storm_Before_the_Storm_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:44am CDT

Valens spent the late 360s and early 370s dealing with hostile Goths in the north and hostile Persians in the east. In 375 he would be left to face these threats alone when Valentinian suddenly died.

Direct download: 151-_Bursting_a_Blood_Vessel_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:35pm CDT

in the late 360s and early 370s AD Roman mismanagment of three different regions in the Western Empire led to armed conflict.

Direct download: 150-_The_Perils_of_Mismanagement.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:03pm CDT

In the winter of 367 Britannia was hit from all sides by a coordinated barbarian invasion. It would be more than a year before the Romans were able to reassert control over the island.

Direct download: 149-_The_Great_Conspiracy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:45pm CDT

Shortly after Valentinian and Valens ascended to the throne, one of Julian the Apostate's maternal cousins seized control of Constantinople.

Direct download: 148-_The_Cousins_Cousin.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:41pm CDT

Jovian extracted the Roman legions from the east at a heavy price. He then ruled the Empire for eight months before suddenly dying on his way to Constantinople in early 364.

Direct download: 147-_Capitulation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:32pm CDT

In 363 Julian launched an invasion of Sassanid Persia. He would die in battle just three months later.

Direct download: 146-_The_Spear_of_Destiny.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:30pm CDT

Julian came to power in late 361 and immediately set about trying to turn back the clock on both Church and State.

Direct download: 145-_Julian_the_Apostate.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:40pm CDT

Once he was established as a force to be reckoned with in the west, Julian revolted against Constantius II in 360 after the Emperor ordered half the Gallic army redeployed to the eastern frontier.

Direct download: 144-_The_Road_To_Constantinople.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:08pm CDT

After a childhood spent mostly in exile, Juian was elevated to the rank of Caesar in 355. His first assignment was to clear Gaul of Germanic invaders.

Direct download: 143-_Julian_the_Pre-Apostate.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:20pm CDT

After two years of sporadic war, Constantius II defeated the usurper Magnentius in 353. Following his victory the Emperor let his advisors talk him into executing first Gallus in 354 and then Claudius Silvanus in 355.

Direct download: 142-_You_Earned_It.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:34am CDT

Constantius and Constans shared the Empire for a decade until Constans was overthrown by a rebel general named Magnetius in 350 AD.

Direct download: 141-_Blood_and_Water.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:43pm CDT

The three sons of Constantine took control of the Empire following the death of their father and the murder of most of their extended family.

Direct download: 140-_My_Three_Sons.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:28pm CDT

Constantine was baptized on his deathbed after arranging a plan for succession.

Direct download: 139-_Wash_Away_Your_Sins.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:04pm CDT

Live and direct from Old Rome!

Direct download: 138-_The_New_Rome.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:26am CDT

This episode brought to you live and direct from Constantinople! After defeating Licinius, Constantine found his dream of a united Christian Empire foiled by a very disunited Christian Church.

Direct download: 137-_The_Christian_Emperor.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:52am CDT

War between Licinius and Constantine flared up again in 324 AD. This time Constantine would finish the job.

Direct download: 136-_Let_This_Be_Our_Final_Battle_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:33pm CDT

Constantine and Licinius split up the Empire following the death of Maximinus Daia in 313. It did not take long for relations betweent the two Emperors to turn sour.

Direct download: 135-_Brothers_in_Name_Only.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:53pm CDT

In 313 AD, Maximinus Daia and Licinus fought for control of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Direct download: 134-_And_Then_There_Were_Two.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:13pm CDT

On October 28, 312 AD Constantine and Maxentius fought a battle at Rome's doorstep for control of the Western Empire.

Direct download: 133-_The_Milvian_Bridge.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:25pm CDT

Prior to the Battle of the Milvian Bridge Constantine experienced visions and dreams that promised him victory if he embraced Christianity.

Direct download: 132-_In_This_Sign.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:50pm CDT

With the Tetrarchy in shambles, Diocletian will be called out of retirement in 308 AD to help broker a settlement. But the new new order will prove as bad as the old new order.

Direct download: 131-_The_New_Game_in_Town.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:45pm CDT

Less than two years after Diocletian's abdication, the Tetrarchy was left in shambles following the power plays of Constantine and Maxentius.

Direct download: 130-_Lost_in_Transition.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:59pm CDT

In 305 AD, Diocletian and Maximian voluntarily abdicated the throne, handing power over to Galerius and Constantius.

Direct download: 129-_Abdication.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:22pm CDT

In 303 AD Diocletian initiated the last and greatest of the Christian persecutions.

Direct download: 128-_The_Great_Persecution.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:52pm CDT

Rome's economy was in disarray when Diocletian came to power and he initiated major overhauls to get the system running again.

Direct download: 127-_Commanding_The_Economy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:56pm CDT

Over the course of his reign Diocletian overhauled the government, transforming it into a centralized bureaucracy run by career civil servants.

Direct download: 126-_All_The_Kings_Men.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:47pm CDT

Over the course of his reign Diocletian instituted a number of reforms to the military structure that helped transform the legions into a new kind of army.

 

Direct download: 125-_The_Best_Defence_is_a_Good_Defence.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:08pm CDT

In the mid-to-late 290s the Imperial Tetrarchy was at war on multiple fronts. In the west Constantius undertook the reconquest of Britain, while in the east, Galerius fought a newly hostile Sassanid Empire.

Direct download: 124-_The_Tetrarchs_at_War.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:08pm CDT

In 293 AD Diocletian and Maximian invited Constantius and Galerius to share in their Imperial burdens, forming what we today call the Tetrarchy.

Direct download: 123-_The_Tetrarchy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:52pm CDT

Immediatly after becoming the undisputed Emperor in 285, Diocletian elevated Maximian to serve as his Imperial colleague.

Direct download: 122-_Jupiter_and_Hercules.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:31pm CDT

The Crisis of the Third Century finally ended with the mini dynasty of Carus and his two sons. In 284 Diocletian rose to power, ushering in a new age in Roman history.

Direct download: 121-_Phase_Three_Complete.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:15pm CDT

After Aurelian's death, an old Senator named Marcus Cluadius Tacitus briefly reigned before the throne fell to Probus, who ruled from 276-282.

Direct download: 120-_Interregnum.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:48pm CDT

Aurelian defeated the breakaway western provinces and reunified the Empire in 274 AD. The next year he was assassinated by officers who had been tricked into committing murder.

Direct download: 119-_Resitutor_Orbis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:13pm CDT

In 272 Aurelian finally managed to bring the east back under Roman control by defeating Queen Zenobia of Palmyra.

Direct download: 118-_The_Palmyrene_Wars.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:12pm CDT

Aurelian became Emperor in 270 and immediatly faced an invasion of Italy by the Juthungi. After succesfully driving the Germans off, Aurelian turned his attention to building a new wall circuit around Rome to protect the capital in the future.

Direct download: 117-_Aurelians_Walls.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:28pm CDT

Claudius Gothicus became Emperor in 268 and promptly lead the legions to victories against the Goths and the Alamanni. Unfortunately he died before he was able to reunify the Empire.

Direct download: 116-_Here_Come_the_Illyrians.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am CDT

The near simultaneous deaths of Gallienus, Odenathus and Postumus upset the political equilibrium in the late 260s AD.

Direct download: 115-_Phase_Two_Complete.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:22pm CDT

The 260s AD were bad for the Romans, but they could have been a whole lot worse had not Gallienus, Postumus and Odenathus each done their part to defend their respective corners of the Empire.

 

Direct download: 114-_The_Nadir_of_Our_Fortunes.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:04pm CDT

Direct download: 113-_Three_Empires.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:24am CDT

Valerian and his son Gallienus did their best to hold the Empire together through the 250s AD, but after Valerian was captured by the Sassanids things quickly spiraled out of control.

Direct download: 112-_Captured_Alive.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:38pm CDT

After the Battle of Abrittus, Trebonianus Gallus was proclaimed Emperor. After reigning for two years he was ousted by Aemilianus, who lasted less than a month on the throne before being ousted by Valerian.

Direct download: 111-_Phase_One_Complete_3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:32pm CDT

In 249 AD Decius ousted Philip the Arab and ascended to the Imperial throne. Two years later though, Decius was dead after leading the legions to a massive defeat at the hands of the Goths.

 

Direct download: 110-_A_Gothic_Horror.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:38pm CDT

Gordian III died in 244 AD and was succeeded by his Praetorian Prefect Philip the Arab. While Philip dealt with internal revolts and external invasion, he found time to celebrate Rome's 1000th birthday in 248 AD.

Direct download: 109-_The_New_Millenium.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:04pm CDT

By August of 238, the other five men who had claimed a share of the purple were dead, leaving 13-year-old Gordian III as the last man standing.

Direct download: 108-_Gordians_Knot.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:38pm CDT

In 238, a revolt in Africa sparked a revolution in Rome that would eventually lead to six different men claiming the title of Augustus.

Direct download: 107-_The_Year_of_the_Six_Emperors.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:49pm CDT

After bungling a campaign in the east, Alexander headed to the Rhine where he was assassinated by Maximinius Thrax in 235 AD.

Direct download: 106-_Barbarian_at_the_Gate.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:50pm CDT

Alexander was only 13 when he ascended to the throne in 222. With the help of his mother and a few key advisers, he managed to avoid being the kind of disaster that previous teenage Emperors had been.

 

Direct download: 105-_The_Last_Princeps.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:11pm CDT

Elagabalus became Emperor in 218 AD at the tender age of 14. His short reign was defined by a scandalous private life and an obsession with the eastern sun god El-Gabal. 

Direct download: 104-_Here_Comes_the_Sun.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:05pm CDT

Carcalla was killed by his Praetorian Prefect Macrinus in 217 AD. Macrinus then spent a troubled year as Emperor before the House of Severus came back to challenge his rule.

Direct download: 103-_The_Equestrian.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:27pm CDT

Septimius Severus died in 211 while campaigning in Britain. He left the Empire to his sons, but their mutual hatred for one another meant that one of them was going to wind up dead.

Direct download: 102-_The_Common_Enemy_of_Mankind.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:09pm CDT

After defeating Clodius Albinus, Septimius Severus turned over daily administration of the Empire to his Praetorian Prefect Gaius Plautianus, while the Emperor himself went looking for further military vicotries in Parthia.

 

Direct download: 101-_And_All_Was_of_Little_Value.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:01pm CDT


Septimius Severus became the undisputed Emperor of Rome after defeating Pescennius Niger in 194 and Clodius Albinus in 197.
Direct download: 100-_Black_and_White_and_Severus_All_Over.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:35pm CDT

After buying the Imperial throne, Didius Julianus only remained in power for 66 days before being ousted by Septimius Severus.
Direct download: 099-_What_Evil_Have_I_Done_.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:46pm CDT

After Commodus was assassinated, Pertinax reigned for 86 days. He was murdered by the Praetorian Guard in March 193 and the Imperial throne was auctioned off the highest bidder.
Direct download: 098-_Purchasing_Power.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:57pm CDT

Commodus went off the deep end around 190 AD and was finally killed by his inner circle in 192.

Direct download: 097-_The_Fall_of_Hercules.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:52pm CDT

The reign of Commodus turned on a botched assassination attempt orchestrated by his sister in 182 AD.
Direct download: 096-_The_Most_Aptly_Named_Emperor.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:54pm CDT

Marcus elevated Commodus to the position of co-Emperor and then died a few years later while campaigning in the north.
Direct download: 095-_The_Beginning_of_the_End.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:02am CDT

In 175 Avidius Cassius led a brief revolt in the east that forced Marcus to postpone his final triumph along the Danube. 
Direct download: 094-_Revolt_and_Meditations.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:31pm CDT

The Romans fought a series of campaigns against a coalition of German tribes from 167-175. They were on the verge of total victory when news arrived of a rebellion in the east.

Direct download: 093-_The_Marcomannic_Wars.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:17pm CDT

After some initial setbacks, Marcus sent Lucius east to deal with a suddenly critical war with Parthia in 162.


Direct download: 092-_The_Parthian_War.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:59pm CDT

Marcus Aurelius was destined to become Emperor, but his insistence that Lucius Verus share the honor came as a surprise to everyone.

 
Direct download: 091-_Marcus_and_Lucius_and_the_Parthians.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:58pm CDT

Big question-time blowout!
Direct download: 090-_The_Hundredth_Episode_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:52pm CDT

Direct download: 28-_Taking_Stock.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm CDT

Welcome to The History of Rome, a weekly series tracing the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Today we will hear the mythical origin story of Rome and compare it with modern historical and archaeological evidence. How much truth is wrapped up in the legend? We end this week with the death of Remus and the founding of Rome.

Direct download: 01-_In_the_Beginning.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:47pm CDT