The Turning Wheel Podcast

E1.13 Q&A For Kingdom of Iron and Rust

We talk Marcus's notebook, his stereotyped wife, what would have happened if he'd killed Commodus, and whether or not he was a manipulated dupe.

E1.12 Why The Romans Didn't Notice Their Decline

E1.11 Commodus the Antithesis

Roman history fans know two things about Commodus: First, he was a horribly corrupt, psychopathic emperor. Second, he reigned at the end of the Pax Romana, and helped start Rome's slow decline towards eventual dissolution. The Roman senator and historian Cassius Dio, who knew Commodus and his father, Marcus Aurelius, personally, tells us that with the ascention of Commodus that, "our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust, as affairs did for the Romans of that day." ...

E1.10 Finishing What He Started

Marcus Aurelius decides that he's going to crush that Germanic and Sarmatian tribes once and for all, even if it costs him his life.

E1.8 Why Marcus Aurelius Didn't Murder Commodus

Why a great emperor let an immoral tyrant take his throne.

E1.7 Biting The Hand That Feeds Him

The one man with the experience, position, and breeding to challenge Marcus Aurelius's claim to the throne decides to take a crack at him, and the Roman Empire is plunged into civil war.

E1.6 Barbarians of the Frozen North

With the Roman Empire on its knees, Marcus Aurelius must raise and personally lead an army against the combined might of Germania and Sarmatia. Plague, famine, and economic ruin might have something to say about that.

E1.5 Plagues Forevermore

The Roman Empire's first mass epidemic brings a dramatic close to the pax Romona, and Marcus Aurelius struggles to keep everything together, turning ever more to Stoic philosophy to get him through.

E1.4 What Stands in the Way, Becomes the Way.

After a talking snake cons their governor into a military disaster, the Romans rush to respond to the military crisis with Parthia as the conflict escalate to a full-scale war.

E1.3 Never Let Yourself Be Hadrian

Hadrian's bad example taught Marcus how to avoid being a tyrant. Marcus's philosophy, Stoicism, and the example of his adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, showed him the right path. This episode discusses how a Stoic makes hard decisions.

E1.2 The 700 Year Stalemate, Round Four

The Parthians launch a surprise attack on Rome, routing the eastern legions and capturing Parthia. We cover the long history of Rome's entanglement with Parthia, and Crassus's disastrous invasion during the late republican period.

E1.1 Kingdom of Iron and Rust

The young philosopher Marcus Aurelius agreed to become ruler of the Roman empire, but he's not happy about it. We discuss why he was so reluctant to be imbued with unlimited wealth and power, and some of the unusual steps he took to keep himself humble, including giving up sole rule.