Emperors of Rome

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Rhiannon Evans, Caillan Davenport, Matt Smith and special guest William Dalrymple share items of Roman interest! You will hear:

- A phoenix in the forum

- The unknown Queens of Rome

- The Roman perception of elephants

- Trade between India and Rome

- The low bar of Roman insults

- The false female centurion

- What Emperors called themselves

- An accurate population of Pompeii

- The false Theodosius

- Sallust and ethnic etymology in North Africa

Episode CCL (250)

Guests:

Associate Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Professor Caillan Davenport (Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University))

William Dalrymple (Esteemed author and host of Empire podcast)

Viriathus was a Lusitanian leader who rose from humble beginnings to become one of Rome’s most formidable enemies. A skilled tactician and master of guerrilla warfare, he led his people in resistance against Roman expansion in Hispania during the second century BCE. Celebrated for his honour and leadership — even by the Romans who fought him — Viriathus’s story is one of resilience, betrayal, and the enduring struggle for freedom against empire.

Episode CCXLIX (249)

Guest: Dr Christopher Gribbin (Adjunct Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Arria, and her daughter of the same name, were celebrated in Roman literature for their virtues, piety, and devotion to family. Remembered above all for their willingness to embrace self-sacrifice, their lives and deaths became exemplars of courage and duty, cited by writers like Pliny and Martial as models of Roman virtue.

Episode CCXLVIII (248)

Guest: Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)

Being the daughter of Cato and wife of Brutus came with certain expectations from the ancient world. Embody her father’s principles, be a fine, upstanding Roman lady, and put Rome first above all other things. Porcia did this, and was admired for her disposition.

Episode CCXLVII (247)

Guest: Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)