As a fellow listener to THoR, I must nerdily call out that they were a kingdom first before they were a republic.
Most refreshing for me was a podcast focused on facts without rambling. Loved listening this over about 2 years, will probably revisit again in the future!
Jim, you beat me to the punch! I hope you're doing well. You're right about the "without rambling." It was a very well-written/produced podcast, not a 3hrs stream-of-consciousness kinda thing. Have you listened to or read Duncans "Storm Before the Storm"? I think it might be an audiobook, not a podcast. "The Fall of Civilizations" is a good pod as well!
History ain't even history: Emperor Tiberius is out on his pleasure Island, cavorting with the world's elite, and engaging in the most egregious sexual debauchery. AND, d'you know what I heard... LOL
(The historian has two resources always at the ready: official court documents, and court gossip., nothing besides. Now pick your errors!)
I listened to, and really liked, Mr. Duncan's original podcast, "The Storm Before the Storm", which dealt particularly with the republican crises preceding J. Caesar's rise to imperium. Which is a period of Roman history of which I cannot get enough. This includes Rome's conflict with Carthage, the sordid victory, Scipio Aemilianus; Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (JFK/RFK?) and the land question; the power struggle between Optimates and Populares, eventuating in Marius v. Sulla: Tyrant v. Dictator, conditioning Romans for the Principate.
If you want a book, I highly recommend going to Archive.org and reading (Theodor) Mommsen's "History of Rome." Namely, his treatment of Carthage and the Gracchi brothers, particularly Tiberius. Mommsen is currently my favorite writer on Rome, by far. Another book that comes to mind is actually James Frazier's "Golden Bough" too. Lots of interesting stuff in there, including an old Italian priesthood run by escaped slaves who've successfully challenged and killed the last priest in single, mortal combat.
I should note that Rome emerges from the mists of time and the Tiber as a kingdom, not a republic. According to legend, the Romans overthrew the last of their seven kings, Tarquin Superbus ('the Proud') for raping the 'chaste' Lucretia. These kings may even have been Etruscan or Greek. Roman kingship itself may have evolved out of a religious/ritual institution, with little overt political power. Eventually, like FDR, the king said "No, I think I'd like to stay for life, thanks!"
Lastly, I wanted to point out that you commit the Great Class Elision (GCE). Rome eventually found itself separated into socio-political orders, Patricians and Plebeians. And it is a mistake to believe that the power-saturated and status-hungry aristocracy was representative of everyone in Rome. By the time of Empire, the Aristocracy had accrued so much power and wealth that the ruling class (–from the word for 'spear'–) was living its own existence, with its own servus ('slave') economy ('service economy', for the dull). The gross importation of slaves after 2nd Punic War seems to have destabilized the republic past repair. Also the Punic wars devastated the old (honorable?) aristocracy, reducing entire gens, and leaving the moneyed aristocracy and upstarts in charge. So the reign of money had been in effect for a long time before Emperors began killing mothers and brothers and sacrificing lovers.
"Storm Before the Storm," may have been an audiobook, but I thought the podcast I listened to supported the book, so it may have just been "The History of Rome." lol
Patrick, so interesting!! Sab has been also listening to this podcast for a few years!!
As a fellow listener to THoR, I must nerdily call out that they were a kingdom first before they were a republic.
Most refreshing for me was a podcast focused on facts without rambling. Loved listening this over about 2 years, will probably revisit again in the future!
Jim, you beat me to the punch! I hope you're doing well. You're right about the "without rambling." It was a very well-written/produced podcast, not a 3hrs stream-of-consciousness kinda thing. Have you listened to or read Duncans "Storm Before the Storm"? I think it might be an audiobook, not a podcast. "The Fall of Civilizations" is a good pod as well!
History ain't even history: Emperor Tiberius is out on his pleasure Island, cavorting with the world's elite, and engaging in the most egregious sexual debauchery. AND, d'you know what I heard... LOL
(The historian has two resources always at the ready: official court documents, and court gossip., nothing besides. Now pick your errors!)
I listened to, and really liked, Mr. Duncan's original podcast, "The Storm Before the Storm", which dealt particularly with the republican crises preceding J. Caesar's rise to imperium. Which is a period of Roman history of which I cannot get enough. This includes Rome's conflict with Carthage, the sordid victory, Scipio Aemilianus; Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (JFK/RFK?) and the land question; the power struggle between Optimates and Populares, eventuating in Marius v. Sulla: Tyrant v. Dictator, conditioning Romans for the Principate.
If you want a book, I highly recommend going to Archive.org and reading (Theodor) Mommsen's "History of Rome." Namely, his treatment of Carthage and the Gracchi brothers, particularly Tiberius. Mommsen is currently my favorite writer on Rome, by far. Another book that comes to mind is actually James Frazier's "Golden Bough" too. Lots of interesting stuff in there, including an old Italian priesthood run by escaped slaves who've successfully challenged and killed the last priest in single, mortal combat.
I should note that Rome emerges from the mists of time and the Tiber as a kingdom, not a republic. According to legend, the Romans overthrew the last of their seven kings, Tarquin Superbus ('the Proud') for raping the 'chaste' Lucretia. These kings may even have been Etruscan or Greek. Roman kingship itself may have evolved out of a religious/ritual institution, with little overt political power. Eventually, like FDR, the king said "No, I think I'd like to stay for life, thanks!"
Lastly, I wanted to point out that you commit the Great Class Elision (GCE). Rome eventually found itself separated into socio-political orders, Patricians and Plebeians. And it is a mistake to believe that the power-saturated and status-hungry aristocracy was representative of everyone in Rome. By the time of Empire, the Aristocracy had accrued so much power and wealth that the ruling class (–from the word for 'spear'–) was living its own existence, with its own servus ('slave') economy ('service economy', for the dull). The gross importation of slaves after 2nd Punic War seems to have destabilized the republic past repair. Also the Punic wars devastated the old (honorable?) aristocracy, reducing entire gens, and leaving the moneyed aristocracy and upstarts in charge. So the reign of money had been in effect for a long time before Emperors began killing mothers and brothers and sacrificing lovers.
"Storm Before the Storm," may have been an audiobook, but I thought the podcast I listened to supported the book, so it may have just been "The History of Rome." lol