Justinian’s Reconquest (535-554 AD)

Get Bonus Episodes: http://www.patreon.com/medievalpodcast It was one of the greatest deeds in the history of the Roman Empire – the glorious but brief restoration of the Western Roman provinces, the capture of Rome, and the series of month-long sieges in order to take back major Italian cities. From 535 to 554 AD, the Byzantines and […]

Medieval! Focus: Emperor Zeno (Part 1)

Welcome to Focus! These episodes are for listeners who want to gain a better understanding of the dynamics of medieval eras by learning about notable characters and places. Today… Emperor Zeno. Get bonus episodes: http://www.patreon.com/medievalpodcast We love hearing from you so let us know what episodes you want to see in this mini-series (medievalpodcast@outlook.com).

(REMADE!) Fall of Rome

Help us make (and remake!) more episodes – http://www.patreon.com/medievalpodcast This episode was reproduced on the 27th of April 2020. No longer will the SPQR flag dominate Europe as the enforcer of peace and civilisation. Rome is about to witness its own gory demise, drawn out over more than two centuries and fraught with barbarian incursions, […]

Titus Livius’ History of Rome Summary [Bk1Ch7]

I haven’t done of these summaries in a long time, so I decided I would read over chapter 7 again and write down a brief overview of the happenings so far. Hopefully this helps you in some way.

The Ancient Roman City Of Ostia

The port city of Ostia, built at the mouth of the River Tiber, was home to between forty and sixty thousand residents during its peak. Attracting merchants, traders, farmers, patricians and builders, Rome’s central naval base proved significant in its overseas operations and enabled it to conduct widespread trade between its many provinces, notably during […]

Roman Coins “Pecunia”

The archaeological find you see above is called an “aureus” and is one of the most valuable and high-quality coins that were issued, minting and distributed during the late Roman Republic and Empire, up until the about the 4th century.

Five (More) Commonly Asked History Questions

1. Did the Romans really control a quarter of the world? No, they didn’t. They conquered the majority of Europe, a slice along the North of Africa and mostly dominated the east. This map shows the extent of the Roman Empire in the year 117AD, at around the height of its landmass and power. It […]

Titus Livius’ History of Rome Summary [Bk1Ch5]

In the fifth chapter of Livy’s work, we see Romulus escape capture, Remus taken for punishment to the King, and the assassination of the treacherous usurper Amulius. Here is my brief summary of chapter 5 of the first books – enjoy 🙂 Romulus and Remus were celebrating the festival of Lupercalia – founded by Evander, […]

Titus Livius’ History of Rome Summary [Bk1Ch4]

It’s getting a little bit more interesting here; we’re almost at the founding of Rome. Here is the brief summary of chapter 4…

Meet the Romans – What did they eat? [Ep2]

The food of Ancient Rome is often called the “most rounded and balanced diet of the ancient world”. And if you know the variety of different meats, vegetables and cheeses they ate, it’s not hard to see why. Although it is debatable whether they were better fed than their surrounding Mediterranean neighbours, we can be […]

Meet the Romans – On the march [Ep1]

During the Imperial Period, the Romans constructed hundreds of thousands of miles of paved and unpaved roads to connect provinces, towns and ports and enable widespread military mobilization within and outside the Empire’s borders.

Titus Livius’ History Of Rome Summary [Bk1Ch3]

In the past few days, I’ve been reading far into Livy’s History of Rome. But as I do not want to clog my blog up with constant summaries, I’m taking it slow. Hope the summary of chapter 3 helps you….

Titus Livius’ History of Rome Summary [Bk1Ch2]

I’ve read a few more chapters of Livy’s great work, the History of Rome. Here is my simple summary of the second chapter of the first book:

How did Caesar cross the Rhine?

In an attempt to intimidate enemy Germanic tribes and gain support and admiration from the Senate back in Rome, Caesar constructed a genius wooden bridge to the cross the Rhine, the greatest border between the Romans and Germans.

What did the Romans even do for us?

Doubtless we all know the Romans – the huge Empire, magnificent buildings and incredible works of literature. But it is often hard to discern how much of Ancient Roman civilisation has been carried on into modern day life, and whether they’ve benefitted us in any great way.

Take a tour of Ancient Rome….

… and much more in the rise of this glorious Empire. This is The Augustus, and today we’ll be talking about the industrialisation of a small Latin community into an thriving urban superpower, and what it was like to live in the “city of marble”.