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)
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35:48
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35:48
Paetus, It Does Not Hurt
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)
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44:36
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44:36
Porcia
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)
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40:24
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40:24
Laudatio Turiae
In times of antiquity, alongside the Via Appia, stood the Laudatio Turiae, a funerary inscription praising the life of an exceptional Roman woman. While we aren’t sure of her actual identity her husband was clearly fond to her, and wanted everyone approaching Rome to know it.
Episode CCXLVI (246)
Guest: Assoc. Professor Rhiannon Evans (Classic and Ancient History, La Trobe University)
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41:18
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41:18
False Nero
When Nero took his own life in 68CE it was the end of an era for Rome. The Julio-Claudians had ruled for close to 100 years, and with the end of the dynasty there was confusion, civil war, and an outpouring of grief.
Some would exploit this confusion and claim to be the still alive Emperor Nero, with the intention of retaking his empire.
Episode CCXLV (245)
Guest: Assistant Professor Zachary Herz (Legal Historian, Department of Classics, University of Colorado Boulder).
“Great empires are not maintained by timidity.” - Tacitus. A podcast series looking at the rulers of the ancient Roman empire, by Dr Rhiannon Evans and Matt Smith.
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