The Pax Romana Podcast

Professor Colin Elliott•paxromanapodcast.com

The assassination of Julius Caesar 2,000 years ago unleashed a wild era of Roman emperors, dark conspiracies, intense battles, economic booms and busts and profound religious shifts. Was this truly the Roman Empire's golden age? On the weekly Pax Romana Podcast, Historian Colin Elliott brings gripping stories from Roman history to life. Dive into history starting in episode 1 , or pick your poison from our catalogue: the birth of the empire in the Age of Augustus, Nero's Great Fire, the rise of Christianity, the wisdom and wars of Marcus Aurelius or the military chaos of the third century AD.

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Episodes

An Age of Conspiracies - The Pax Romana Podcast 10

Tiberius rules Rome—the second man now to serve as princeps—a new autocratic ruler with a lifetime term—an all-powerful guardian to keep the Republic from descending into civil war. But Tiberius seemed a reluctant emperor. He refused titles and honors—undermining his own regime’s propaganda. He lacked patience for senatorial politics—alienating the Roman nobility. And, in the year AD 26, just twelve years into his reign, he abandoned Rome forever. The imperial capital was rudderless. And into th...

Sep 19, 2023•21 min•Ep. 10

Tiberius Takes Over - The Pax Romana Podcast 9

Augustus was a tough emperor to follow. When he died in 14 AD, his personal state was passed on to a man who seemed unsure of whether he wanted it—Augustus’ adopted son Tiberius. Tiberius was clearly not Augustus’ first choice—only being adopted after Augustus’ grandchildren conveniently died. And Tiberius would only be in charge a few years before many others in Rome also began to question whether this new emperor was up to the job. Primary Sources Referenced: Tacitus Annals 1.4Tacitus Annals 4...

Sep 15, 2023•24 min•Ep. 9

The End of the Age of Augustus - The Pax Romana Podcast 8

Despite Augustus’ attempt to project his reign as unquestioned and unifying, he in fact faced several forms of rebellion, from culture wars to outright conspiracies. How did the Augustan regime come to an end? Primary Sources Referenced: Ovid, Amores 1.9Tacitus, Annals 1.2-3Buy Professor Elliott's newest book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , published by Princeton University Press....

Sep 12, 2023•26 min•Ep. 8

The Roman Messiah - The Pax Romana Podcast 7

Octavian’s new name, Augustus, signified Augustus’ new job; he was now personally responsible to preserve the newly won peace. The gods demanded a Roman representative. The chaos of the late republic was a direct result of impiety: the Romans had grown lax in their worship and committed grievous sins. Rome needed an anointed one—a messiah. How did Augustus convince Romans to place him at the center of a major religious reformation? Primary Sources Referenced Kneeling Parthian Denarius (RIC 287)....

Sep 08, 2023•26 min•Ep. 7

A Republic in Name Only - The Pax Romana Podcast 6

The victory against Antony at Actium won Octavian sole control over Rome’s empire. No opposition remained, and Octavian was just 33 years old. For the next four and a half decades, Octavian thoroughly reshaped Roman society—from religion, to politics, to the social hierarchy—into an autocratic system centered upon a single semi-divine, all-powerful emperor. How did he unify an empire which had been torn apart by factionalism, political purges, violence and civil war? Find out on this episode of ...

Sep 05, 2023•28 min•Ep. 6

Cleopatra: Mistress of the East - The Pax Romana Podcast 5

The battle of Phillipi was over. Tens of thousands of Romans were dead, including Brutus and Cassius—leaders of the last republican faction. The victors in that battle—Mark Antony and Octavian—parted ways. Octavian marched back to Rome, and its furious elites who had been taxed, stolen from and murdered. And Rome's poor were starving. Mark Antony, meanwhile, found his way into the arms of Cleopatra, and a tragic romance that changed history forever. Primary Sources Referenced: Plutarch, Life of ...

Sep 01, 2023•29 min•Ep. 5

The Terror of the Triumvirate - The Pax Romana Podcast 4

Mark Antony, Lepidus and Caesar—and their combined armies—marched into Rome late in the year 43 BC. Thus began a reign of terror and atrocities that ended all hope of restoring the Roman republic. But there was the matter of Caesar’s assassins to contend with, and the triumvirs needed to move before they lost the advantage gained by their sudden alliance and drastic power grab in Rome. Primary Sources Referenced: Appian, Civil Wars 4.2.7 Plutarch, Life of Antony 19 Plutarch, Life of Antony 24 Pl...

Aug 29, 2023•16 min•Ep. 4

Death at a Funeral - The Pax Romana Podcast 3

Everyone gathered for Julius Caesar's funeral—Caesar’s friends, as well as his enemies. It was perhaps the most awkward funeral in history. Everyone just wanted the thing to be over, so the city could move on, and the republic could heal. But that's not what happened. Instead, one man gave a fiery eulogy that turned this sham of a funeral into a raging riot. That arsonist was Mark Antony. Primary Sources Referenced: Plutarch, Life of Antony 14-15 Suetonius, Life of Caesar 88 Cicero, Second Phili...

Aug 25, 2023•20 min•Ep. 3

Rome's Great Reset - The Pax Romana Podcast 2

Caesar's death left a power vacuum that sucked the breath out of Rome. Who of Rome’s surviving elites were most prepared to rally the shell-shocked city? The derelict drunkard Mark Antony held formal power, but would anyone follow him? Caesar’s general Lepidus had an army in the city, but would he have the guts to use it? Then there were the assassins themselves; they held their daggers in their hands as they marched through the city, but could they really expect to revive the republic after suc...

Aug 22, 2023•19 min•Ep. 2

Caesar is Dead - The Pax Romana Podcast 1

To many in Rome, Caesar was a heroic figure. Caesar’s family, the Julii, were older than the Roman Republic itself. And yet he was a populist through and through—a man who had disregarded many of the norms of his fellow elites. Many Roman senators saw Caesar’s violent politics, excessive honors and increasing popularity as threatening to tear down the Roman Republic, only to replace it with a monarchy. Rome had not had a king for almost 500 years, and many senators would stop at nothing—even mur...

Aug 18, 2023•21 min•Ep. 1

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