The Tale of Rome

Episode 49 – Manius Curius Dentatus— He died in the year 270 BC, creating an image of perfect ethics, and a behavior that will be missed, even in the times of the Roman Empire.Life and death of Manius Curius Dentatus, a plebeian who solved the Samnite problem, the Pyrrhus problem, and most problems in the south of Italy.Parcial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 49 — Manius Curius Dentatus.It is not easy to hold a sword. To stare into your enemy's eyes — at times, an inch apart. To move form one side to the the other, dodging his blade. To watch his muscles twitch, in the very moment the tip of your sword has made it into his flesh.It is not easy to walk to a battlefield, only to arrive and see the enemy army.It is not easy to stand still, in rows and rows of men — your countrymen.They know — just like you — that they will kill, and perhaps they will be killed, as well.And, in the case of a victory, it is not easy to walk home — to Rome — and to continue your life — as if nothing had happened.It is not easy to caress the cheeks of your children, and be good to your wife, after you had to extinguish the life of another man, who will never get to be good to his wife, and to caress his own children's cheeks.All this — is extremely hard.Even more so — if you do it, for the first time.Because — after all — this is not a video game, where you can log off by pressing a button, simply because they are telling you — dinner's ready, or because the pizza delivery guy is ringing the bell.What exactly did men do, between those two key points?The battle itself, and the continuation of normal life?Well — I think, I have an answer.More than anything, they must have been busy, trying to erase images from their minds, so that — normal life could take its course. At home.And for that — more often than not — men needed stimuli.Alcohol. Women. Gambling. And more fights, to forget the one before.And when those stimuli — get out of hand, my dear listeners — that's when things start to go wrong.According to several sources, some unconfirmed — Roman soldiers looted, raped, and burned civilian property in a city called Aquilonia, right after their commander, Spurius Carvilius Maximus, let them loose.Many a widow in Aquilonia, had to — not only face the reality of now being a widow, but also the fact that some stinking, crude Roman warriors where combing through the city, looking for them.Without as much as washing the blood off heir hands, those legionaries — those vultures, saw no other way of getting rid of the atrocities of war, but by committing new — adrenaline-pumped — atrocities.They were the ones who made it through, and nothing else mattered.The thing that separates humans from beasts — that ability to calm down, to reason, and to discern who is enemy and who is not — all that, was out the window.And, in our Family Saga, the boys who took part of this fight, were no different on that day.Sadly, they fell into the trappings of mad — mass hysteria.And why wouldn't they? The dash though Aquilonia offered so many pleasures of life, and nothing prepared those boys, to — let's say — not to do what everyone else was doing.Even Spurius Attius, now a veteran of the battle of Sentinum, went for it, even though he recently married.But perhaps, that was precisely the factor that got him to do what he did, because his marriage was anything but a happy one.And so, when his commander said, it was time to have some cake, he jumped into the cake.Brothels and common homes, schools and small businesses, nothing was forbidden.Even temples did not offer protection to the women of Aquilonia, and many ran into the tunnels the city had, only to be discovered, followed, and abused, without any civility or remorse.But — with so much cake, this didn't go down well.And by the time the boys made the march home, most of them realized they were ill.Not just ill.This was an infectious disease. A shameful proof of what they had done, down in Aquilonia.

Episode 49 – Manius Curius Dentatus — He died in the year 270 BC, creating an image of perfect ethics, and a behavior that will be missed, even in the times of the Roman Empire. Life and death of Manius Curius Dentatus, a plebeian who solved the Samnite problem, the Pyrrhus problem, and most problems in the south of Italy. Parcial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 49 — Manius Curius Dentatus. It is not easy to hold a sword. To stare into your enemy’s eyes — at times, an inch apart. To move form one side to the the other, dodging his blade. To watch his muscles twitch, in the very moment the tip of your sword has made it into his flesh. It is not easy to walk to a battlefield, only to arrive and see the enemy army. It is not easy to stand still, in rows and rows of men — your countrymen. They know — just like you — that they will kill, and perhaps they will be killed, as well. And, in the case of...

Episode 48 – 300k— “Do you declare, from your heart, to possess a wife?”A census and a wedding. Rome passes 300 thousand inhabitants, and the Samnites are beaten at Aquilonia.Parcial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 48 — 300k.When Lucius Eugenius, Spurius Attius, and young Tatius got a glimpse of the hills surrounding Rome, their spirits went up.All three made the walk home, all the way from the north — and all three were now war veterans.For a Roman — and ordinary Roman — that's no small feat!And so, once they were down with all the military formalities and once they showed up on their home street,, their women, their children, their slaves, they all walked out to welcome them home!The DOMUS — house — Lucius Eugenius managed to build with their work, spanned two homes next to each other, a corral for raw materials, and a workshop, right across the street.Plus, a small garden behind the second house.This was a piece of real estate that Lucius managed to buy right after the Big War, from an impoverished Patrician.And of course, we are not counting that around 50 slaves were now working at the workshop, and a dozen or so were busy tending to the needs of the ever growing family.Life wasn't that bad, after all!And after they all settled back in, and once Lucius sat in his favorite reclining chair — Laurentia, his wife, reminded him in a casual tone:— “In five days we have to walk to the Field of Mars, husband. Town criers have been announcing the event, for days, now…”Lucius sighed.Another census.Everyone hated a census.The tables of the censors, they so-called Tabulae Censoriae in Latin, were piling up in forums already, to be taken to the field, the day of the census. From Equestrians and Senators, down to the last and lowest Roman, if you were in one of those five social levels, designed by long-gone King Tullius Servius, you had to go.Plebe or Patrician, everyone had to be there.— “We'll take Julia this time,” old Lucius said. “And Spurius, too.”— “What about his fiancee?” asked Laurentia.Lucius paused for a second. Good question. Then he replied.— “No. We haven't finished all the arrangements, yet. All this fighting. Let her go with the Furnii. The censors will be liking that — looks more respectful.”In his mind, Lucius cursed the constant wars Rome had, but he knew he couldn't do a thing about them.Besides, WARS were making him rich.Quite rich indeed.And this richness allowed for Spurius to soon-to-be-wedding a girl of the Furnii, a respectable — even though Plebeian— family.The Furnii were also one of the oldest families, according to the annals of ancient Rome.And according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, a man named Gaius Furnius — that's F — U — R — N — I — U — S — came to be a tribune of the plebes, back in the year 445 BC, and that was something Lucius Eugenius respected a lot.And so — in a few week's time, Spurius Attius, the young veteran of the Battle of Sentinum, would take a daughter of the Furnii as his wife.Not bad for the family!All right, my dear listeners.As you can see, today we have two topics.A wedding and a census.And that means, that after our Latin Word of this episode, we'll see how Romans went about having a census, and then — how they organized a wedding in those not-so-high circles of society.The society of ancient Rome.Now, please be aware that both — weddings and censuses — have had their fair share of evolution in the one thousand years of Roman history, which means that I tried my best — to keep these two events, match the times we are living in, right now.Which is the beginning of the third century BC.Oh, and after that, we have the next battle against the Samnites, the battle of Aquilonia, and here goes a little spoiler in the story that follows.Let me explain.Right after the battle of Aquilonia, a plague will break out in Rome — one of the larger ones — and we'll be talking about how a new deity named Aesculapius — adopted from its Greek counterpart named Asclepius, became a world-wide symbol, today — recognized by a serpent bent over a fountain or wrapped around a staff, as if spilling its venom — to be used as an antidote — as a cure.This serpent can be seen almost all over the world, in pharmacies, hospitals, medical centers, Centers for Disease Control, and even as part of the logo of the WHO — World Health Organization.The other spoiler is that we'll soon have the result of our upcoming census, and hey — we'll know just how many people lived in Rome. Those numbers used to be published on plates all over Rome, especially in the Roman Forum.[…]

Episode 48 – 300k — “Do you declare, from your heart, to possess a wife?” A census and a wedding. Rome passes 300 thousand inhabitants, and the Samnites are beaten at Aquilonia. Parcial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 48 — 300k. When Lucius Eugenius, Spurius Attius, and young Tatius got a glimpse of the hills surrounding Rome, their spirits went up. All three made the walk home, all the way from the north — and all three were now war veterans. For a Roman — and ordinary Roman — that’s no small feat! And so, once they were down with all the military formalities and once they showed up on their home street,, their women, their children, their slaves, they all walked out to welcome them home! The DOMUS — house — Lucius Eugenius managed to build with their work, spanned two homes next to each other, a corral for raw materials, and a workshop, right across the street. Plus, a small garden behind the...

Episode 47 – The Battle of Sentinum— And Decius Mus didn't do that, either.The biggest battle of Italy, numerically speaking. The most important one, strategically speaking. We are at the gates of a new era for Rome.Parcial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 47 — The Battle of Sentinum.A long, long, long, time has passed.When I last published our episode 46, I never thought that because of unforeseen circumstances, I would find myself away from this podcast, for so, so long.And — oh boy, has the world changed since then!Nobody could have imagined something called Coronavirus.Nobody could have imagined a world where people have to stay indoors just to stay alive.A world were nations try to out-lie each other, as if a war depended on it.A grave-digger said “they keep bringing me bodies.”“And they keep telling me they are not victims of COVID-19.”The economy stalled.Nobody could imagine a world where supply would come to a standstill.Only to be followed by demand, coming to a standstill, too.Nobody could imagine we would forget about climate change.Instead, we now wish things could get back to how it once was.Cities like Venice were complaining of over-pollution and over-tourism.Now, only dolphins and jellyfish visit its canals.No tourists.We were peeking in air travel.Now we have no space to park airplanes.The US was hitting an all-time low on unemployment.Now, there is an all-time high, since at least the Great Depression.In India, skies went from progress-grey, to shutdown-blue in less than a month.Before, people heaped on railroads.Now people walk between cities.No railroads.Before, schools in China were overcrowded.Now, the Internet is breaking because schools are empty.We canceled the Olympics.For the first time ever, China closed the Forbidden City.The Vatican and Mekka — both still stay empty.And so……here we are.Let's continue.Let us continue this tale. The Tale of Rome.We are in the year 295 BC.The soldiers on both sides couldn't bear it any longer.After two days of staring into each others faces, something just HAD TO GIVE!And then — it happened!And it happened on the third day, in that area of land, between the two armies. Some people call it the no-man's-land, or the dead zone.Someone let a deer loose, right in front of the eyes of both armies. The stag was probably three of four years old, and he was obviously lost.And then, once the stag started to run, someone from the Etruscan side, let another animal loose.A wolf!Right away — the wolf went for the deer, and as he was giving him chase, the Gauls, the Umbrians, and the Etruscans were egging him on.The cheers got louder, and then came the rain.A rain of javelins and spears.The wolf reacted by turning to a side, running smack towards where the Romans stood. Full speed ahead.The deer?Dead, under the weight of two or three javelins — blood oozing from its mouth and the place where the weapons had pierced him to the ground.Meanwhile, the Romans opened their lines, so that the wolf could run through them, and that was exactly what the animal did.The Romans weren't going to kill the wolf!They came from a she-wolf, after all!And while tension grew between the two armies, the Romans were spreading the word.— “Look what those barbarians just did — to that deer,” they said.The beautiful animal was protected by their divinity — the divinity to the goddess Diana!— “They will fall,” the Romans kept saying.They were convinced gods were going to favor their cause.Alright — before we continue with the cinematics of this battle, we need to take a good look into WHY some 100,000 soldiers were camped out not all that far from Rome, and JUST ABOUT to decide who will become the MASTER of Italy.And for THAT, we first need to get back to the Battle of Trifernum, which is where we got stuck last episode.So then, let us go to TRIFERNUM now!We'll jump back two years.To the year 297 BC.We already know the stats of that event, but — just to recap, we had some 20 thousand Romans on one side, and some 25 thousand Samnites on the other side.Quintus Fabius Rullianus and Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus were commanding the Romans, and a man named Gellius Statius was at the helm of the Samnites.Both side were very aware that Publius Decius Mus was on his way, bringing more troops with him, obviously for the Roman side.And obviously we are talking about the son of that Publius Decius Mus who sacrificed himself at the Battle of Vesuvius, back in the year 340 BC.When Rulianus was on his way to the field where the battle would take place, Samnite forces tried to trap him, just like it happened at the Caudine Forks, in the year 321 BC, during the second Samnite War, which — obviously, wasn't called that way, at that time.Instead, people just called it the Great War.Rullianus, far too smart to let his troops walk into trap, simply stopped along the way.Yep.Feeling that the valley was a perfect trap, Rullianus simply refused to enter, and so he ordered everyone to take a break, aware that the forests surrounding the valley were most likely full of Samnites in hiding.He was right.The Samnites, seeing that the ambush didn't work, got nervous and were quickly discovered. They streamed out into the open, and a battle was soon set up.Rullianus accepted the proposed fight, and the Romans prepared accordingly.[…]

Episode 47 – The Battle of Sentinum — And Decius Mus didn’t do that, either. The biggest battle of Italy, numerically speaking. The most important one, strategically speaking. We are at the gates of a new era for Rome. Parcial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 47 — The Battle of Sentinum. A long, long, long, time has passed. When I last published our episode 46, I never thought that because of unforeseen circumstances, I would find myself away from this podcast, for so, so long. And — oh boy, has the world changed since then! Nobody could have imagined something called Coronavirus. Nobody could have imagined a world where people have to stay indoors just to stay alive. A world were nations try to out-lie each other, as if a war depended on it. A grave-digger said “they keep bringing me bodies.” “And they keep telling me they are not victims of COVID-19.” The economy stalled. Nobody could imagine a ...

Episode 46 – The Third Samnite War— That's right, when the Etruscans heard that Corvus was leading the roman troops, they got into their fort and did not want to come out, not even to check on the weather.For the third time, the Samnites. And some say, third time is a charm. And in this case, it was exactly like that. It's the last years of Marcus Valerius Corvus' life.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 46 — The Third Samnite War.Peace reigned supreme in Rome.We are in the year 302 BC, or — as the Roman liked to refer to their years — we are in the year of the consulship of Denter and Paulus.Less than six months ago, peace treaties were ratified by the Senate of Rome, and now — Romans were the masters, of all of Central Italy.And just as we've seen in our last episode, there was no shortage of heroes, either.Take two examples?Fabius Rullianus and Papirius Cursor.Yep. It does happen at times. All of the sudden, it happens that a generation springs up in some places, and — suddenly, a nation finds itself blessed, by a generation of people who simply do stuff better.Better than their parents, and better than their grandparents, at times.It's like a wave — like the waves of the ocean, coming ashore. Every so often, you get a bigger one, a prettier one, and sometimes you can tell by counting the waves in between, but sometimes you can't.Yep. Sometimes, it's almost like magic.It happened in the States, with the baby boomers, and it happened in Argentina, with the incredible soccer generation, that saw people like Maradona, rise and fall.True.Sometimes, a generation like this, changes the destiny of a sport, a view on things, or even a nation, — even for a whole century, only to disappear after that, and never to return.These waves usually leave nostalgia behind, and a strong taste that thing used to be better, before.A legacy, if you will.Alright, before I go all the way off the topic, here is an overview of the stuff we'll be seeing today.For that — I made a short list, of five topics.Have a listen.ONE — The years 302, 301, and 300 BC, from a legislative point of view. Two important laws are coming out in these years, and we wanna be there, and see what they are all about.Their names are — the Lex Valeria, and the Lex Ogulnia.TWO — We are also getting to see Marcus Valerius Corvus again, who — by now — is being addressed as Marcus Valerius Maximus Corvus.[…]In the year 300 BC, Corvus was elected again, to lead the destiny of Rome — but this time as a Consul, and not as a Dictator.His mission this time was to finish the thing with the Aequi, and this was the fifth time, he was elected Consul of Rome.But — that year — Corvus was doing something more than just leading troops, and winning things for Rome.Yep. In the year 300 BC, Corvus decided to give his support to the two laws that we talked about, earlier on.Let me explain.First — Since Corvus was totally in favor of the Lex Ogulnia, he made sure that, the day the law passed, he was present in Rome, standing — right in front of the building that was housing the College of Pontiffs.He also made sure he was there, when the first Plebeian priests joined the ranks of those Pontifex.And second — He himself helped push the Lex Valeria through the red tape, by means of a legal move, known as the provocatio, or the right to stand up for the people of Rome.[…]

Episode 46 – The Third Samnite War — That’s right, when the Etruscans heard that Corvus was leading the roman troops, they got into their fort and did not want to come out, not even to check on the weather. For the third time, the Samnites. And some say, third time is a charm. And in this case, it was exactly like that. It’s the last years of Marcus Valerius Corvus’ life. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 46 — The Third Samnite War. Peace reigned supreme in Rome. We are in the year 302 BC, or — as the Roman liked to refer to their years — we are in the year of the consulship of Denter and Paulus. Less than six months ago, peace treaties were ratified by the Senate of Rome, and now — Romans were the masters, of all of Central Italy. And just as we’ve seen in our last episode, there was no shortage of heroes, either. ...

Episode 45 – Fabius Rullianus and Papirius Cursor— “Fortified camps are to be defended by arms, rather than arms being defended by fortified camps,” Rullianus said.A flashback of an encounter between two heroes of the Samnite Wars. Papirius Cursor and Fabius Rullianus.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 45 — Fabius Rullianus and Papirius Cursor.The Ciminian forest was one of those primitive places — created in the times before gods and humans, and its purpose was to keep Romans and Etruscans apart.There were no roads through it, and even the edges of the forest — the way they looked — they caused utter angst in Rome's population.Nobody ever dared to get tino the Ciminian forest, up until the fourth century before Christ.What's more, when the Roman Senate, explicitly gave orders to Consul Fabius Maximus Rullianus to NOT to enter the confines of the forest, and when he did so — chasing Etruscans, and when he emerged unscathed from the the forest, the Romans — at first — had thoughts about letting him back into the city, for they feared that evil spirits had taken possession of the souls of the Consul, and all his soldiers.At least — this is how our dear Livy told the story.Yup.This forest — partly fossilized, and partly so densely overgrown that sunshine couldn't make it through — was one of the few regions in Italy that still held soft ground between the roots of its trees.It's called permafrost. It's soft ground had low temperatures — so low, that they never get to solidify.And so, the forest kept swallowing beasts, trapped in the soft ground. From wild boars to deers, they got stuck in there, as if it were quicksand, and this area of permafrost sometimes went all the way to the region where the Tiber river met the Apennine hills.To put it briefly, this woodland was the perfect natural border, between Rome and Etruria, for the better part of four centuries.But….We are not here to talk about how Fabius Rullianus crossed that forest, even if it was in direct disobedience of the Roman Senate.Because — after all — this happened in the year 310 BC, and we didn't make it to that year, yet.Which means, we still have the Third Samnite War ahead of us.And — had it NOT been, that the Samnites got such a BAD beating from the Romans — at the Battle of Sutrium, perhaps, Rullianus never had the need to get into that forest, in the first place.This was partly — because the town of Sutrium was literally at the edge of the Ciminian Forest, and when the Etruscans went running into the woodland, the Romans had to — either, loose them, or follow them.So, then…We are here to talk about, the other time, Rullianus disobeyed an order.Just — that time, it wasn't with the Senate of Rome.That time, he ignored orders of a Dictator of Rome.And that Dictator was none less than a man, named Lucius Papirius Cursor.[…]On one hand — they could not counter Papirius, for two reasons.ONE — He was not a Consul — he was a Dictator. He just had the power. Period.AND TWO — Denying him something of this magnitude, or defending someone who had openly disobeyed him, did not look good.Yep, it was a bad precedent to future generations, and the Senate was not willing to publicly weaken the position of a Dictator.But on the other hand, they didn't want to have Rullianus punished. After all, he just managed to beat the Samnites, and thanks to his preemptive actions, Rome could focus on other things, for this whole year.And being able to focus on other things, instead of warfare, meant that Rome could make money.Suddenly, this year looked like a surplus-year, and all thanks to the quick wit of a man, who directly disobeyed his superior, and brought back some 20 thousand slaves to Rome.[…]

Episode 45 – Fabius Rullianus and Papirius Cursor — “Fortified camps are to be defended by arms, rather than arms being defended by fortified camps,” Rullianus said. A flashback of an encounter between two heroes of the Samnite Wars. Papirius Cursor and Fabius Rullianus. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 45 — Fabius Rullianus and Papirius Cursor. The Ciminian forest was one of those primitive places — created in the times before gods and humans, and its purpose was to keep Romans and Etruscans apart. There were no roads through it, and even the edges of the forest — the way they looked — they caused utter angst in Rome’s population. Nobody ever dared to get tino the Ciminian forest, up until the fourth century before Christ. What’s more, when the Roman Senate, explicitly gave orders to Consul Fabius Maximus Rullianus to NOT to e...

Episode 44 – Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus— In order to really appreciate the beauty of a beach, one should not be swimming in the sea, neck-deep in the water.Second installment of our Biography episodes. This time, we tackle Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus.Partial TranscriptPlutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus — two names we heard along this podcast, again and again.This — undoubtedly means, that — as faithful learners of Ancient Rome, we often depend on these two characters, in the same way we depend on what Virgil and Titus Livius wrote, which we've seen in our episode 40.We depend on Plutarch for how he described those early beginnings of Rome. We also depend on him for his masterpiece, called “Parallel Lives” and the way he portrayed Romans and Greeks who lived in his times and the times before him.We'll talk about Parallel Lives a lot more, in this episode.We also depend on Dionysius of Halicarnassus for the way he wrote, and his unique point of view, just to name two of his powers. But — perhaps, his biggest power was his world famous sobriety when writing about Rome. His refreshing view of men and their faults.Well — that's also something we'll see today, further down the line.But first, I want to list a few of the biggest differences that come to mind, between these two giants and the other two guys we had in Episode 40 — Livy and Virgil.Here we go.ONE — By reading their works, it is easy to infer that both Livy and Virgil were more — should I say — lost, when it came to writing.Even though this is my opinion, I believe that Livy and Virgil sailed the oceans of their imaginations, without guidelines on where they would find themselves after dark, almost as if it didn't really matter if they were even able to drop anchors, at the end of each chapter.Plutarch and Dionysius — on the other hand, seemed to know the direction of their vessels very well. It almost feels like they knew the winds, the currents, and even the depth of the waters they were sailing through.At the end of each paragraph, they already knew the next port of call, and they knew the weather patterns that would allow them to get there.In writer's terms — to me, Livy and Virgil were much more like “pantsers” — writing by the seat of their pants, while Plutarch and Dionysius were much more like “plotters.”For those not familiar with these two terms — pantsers versus plotters, here is a side-note.Pantsers start writing a novel — usually without much of a plan, and let their imaginations fly, and take them were they may take them. They develop story plots on the fly, and add sub-plots to their main story as they go.Plotters do the opposite. They lay out the plot, the sub-plots, and even the changes that story characters go through, before starting chapter one. After that, they write it all down.In general, we consider that most writers fall into one of these two categories, but the truth is, that we all have parts of both sides.[…]And now, without any further ado, here are TEN pairs of Greek and Roman lives, in no particular order.ONE — Theseus and Romulus — mythical founders of Athens and Rome, respectively.TWO — Lycurgus and Numa PompiliusTHREE — Themistocles and Camillus. Yep — that Marcus Furius Camillus!FOUR — Pericles and Fabius MaximusFIVE — Alcibiades and Gaius Marcius CoriolanusSIX — Aristides and Cato the ElderSEVEN — Pyrrhus and Gaius Marius — How fitting is that!EIGHT — Lysander and SullaNINE — Demosthenes and CiceroAnd finally — TEN — Alexander the Great and Julius CaesarMy personal opinion? What an honor for Julius Caesar![…]

Episode 43 – The Appian Way – Part Two— The wheelbarrow as we know it, made its appearance in Europe around the tenth century, at the height of the Dark Ages.Part Two of the Appian Way. Tools, laws, and lists of other Roman roads, used at the time.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 43 — The Appian Way – Part Two.— “One more step, to your left!”The boy, holding the heavy groma, and some 40 paces away from the surveyor, didn't hear the order.And so — he didn't move.— “To the left, I told you,” the surveyor yelled.The boy, now startled, jumped to his left. The poor apprentice couldn't get a single word, because of the strong gale blowing east from the sea.— “A single step, I told you!” The surveyor was running out of time and patience. “What a stulte, this boy,” he muttered to himself.Stulte was the word for “slow” in Latin, especially when someone was — sort of, slow to understand things.In plain English, it would also mean dumb, or dim-witted.So when the boy tried to get back to where he thought the man wanted him to stay, he tripped on a rock.As he tried to avoid the fall, he held on to the groma, and its ferrous tip bent into an awkward angle.And to make matters worse, one of the handles of the groma broke off, as the apprentice tried to hold on to it.The main pole hit the ground, and so did the boy.Like that, the groma was useless.[…]Miles and miles of swamps, infested with cattails, frogs, mosquitoes and the ocasional corpses of animals and men, that just couldn't make it through the land.Here, I would like to add two things.One one hand, the Appian Way wasn't built in all its length in the year 312 BC. That year, it only got to Capua.And later on — in the year 291 BC, to be more precise, the road would reach the locality of Venusia. We are still some 20 years away from that.And then — another 10 years later, the Appian Way would finally reach Tarentum.By that time, we will be dealing with a whole new topic.The upcoming wars against Pyrrhus of Epirus.And then — after that, the Appian Way will go all the way to the heel of Italy. That is Brundisium.And after that, the road will make a giant U-turn, and snake its way to the other end of Italy. The point where the continent is at its nearest with the island of Sicily.Centuries later, under the reign of Emperor Trajan, the Appian Way will become a true masterpiece for its times.OK, and on the other hand, I need to make a short list of Roman roads — or ways, rather, that ALREADY existed before the construction of the Appian Way.[…]

Episode 44 – Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus — In order to really appreciate the beauty of a beach, one should not be swimming in the sea, neck-deep in the water. Second installment of our Biography episodes. This time, we tackle Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Partial Transcript Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus — two names we heard along this podcast, again and again. This — undoubtedly means, that — as faithful learners of Ancient Rome, we often depend on these two characters, in the same way we depend on what Virgil and Titus Livius wrote, which we’ve seen in our episode 40. We depend on Plutarch for how he described those early beginnings of Rome. We also depend on him for his masterpiece, called “Parallel Lives” and the way he portrayed Romans and Greeks who lived in his times and the times before him. We’ll talk about Parallel Lives a lot more, in this episode. We also depend...

Episode 43 – The Appian Way – Part Two — The wheelbarrow as we know it, made its appearance in Europe around the tenth century, at the height of the Dark Ages. Part Two of the Appian Way. Tools, laws, and lists of other Roman roads, used at the time. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 43 — The Appian Way – Part Two. — “One more step, to your left!” The boy, holding the heavy groma, and some 40 paces away from the surveyor, didn’t hear the order. And so — he didn’t move. — “To the left, I told you,” the surveyor yelled. The boy, now startled, jumped to his left. The poor apprentice couldn’t get a single word, because of the strong gale blowing east from the sea. — “A single step, I told you!” The surveyor was running out of time and patience. “What a stulte, this boy,” he muttered to himself. Stulte was the w...

Episode 42 – The Appian Way— And more than once, it happened that clients would get the wrong door, and walk into the school, before they realized, there were no girls there, but young students instead.The Roman road that would make Rome the undisputed powerhouse of Italy. And the life of Appius Claudius, the maker of that road.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 42 — The Appian Way.No other road, path, or route of communication has changed the history of the western world as much as the Appian Way, today also known as the Old Appian Way.Natural passage points, or itineraries, that people used by land — such as the Silk Road, the Amber Road, and their maritime counterparts — such as the Strait of Gibraltar — they all can claim their own importance, and yes, they did their fair share, to alter history in their own ways.As another example, we have the pathway between the locality of Marathon and Athens, which was traveled by a Greek soldier in record time, so that he could pass the news, that the Persians had been defeated. Of course, the mere concept of this distance proved of so much importance in our western world, that today we have an Olympic sport, bearing the name and the distance, of that very pathway.Marathon!But — all these are not proper routes — properly designed, planned, traced out, and set up.The Silk Road was never marked along the whole way. Yes, there were milestone points, and there were knots where people just had to pass through, but those were mostly dictated by nature, or by a government. Not by a designer.And the Silk Road has never been methodically curated, kept up, and renovated, not by any stretch of the imagination. It served its purpose, sure. But the purpose was very different.So, when we talk about a road, a cobbled road — and, to make it more specific, a Roman road, this road — the one we are talking about today, truly changed the course of the history of Rome.Not only because it was the first of its kind, but also because until today, it still remains being the most famous one. And that's just one of the reasons.So, today we are dedicating our entire episode to the reasons behind this road.And to why a Roman Censor, named Appius Claudius, a man of Sabine origin, was pushing so hard through the political system, to get this road done.And — last but not least, we also wanna learn that this man wouldn't be stopped from building this road, even as total blindness set in, during the last 15-or-so years of his illustrious life.So much so, that we will know him as Appius Claudius, the Blind.And since we will be talking of this man, we should not forget the other masterpiece of his, the just as famous Aqua Appia — in other words, the first aqueduct that brought clean water to Rome, from the mountains.Yes — it was a subterranean waterway, but the merit still stands.But before we go talk about Appius Claudius, and the Appian Way, or the Aqua Appia, I want to tell you guys about the dilemma I had to face this week.When it was time to pick a celebrity phrase, to put it as some kind of GRAND SUBTITLE, for the Appian Way, I found out I had way too many choices.Too many strategists, generals, writers, historians — past and present, had their say about the Appian Way, and so — it really wasn't easy to make a choice.So…In the end, I picked what a certain Publius Papinius Statius said about the Appian Way, around the year 69 after the birth of Christ.It was the year when this man — Statius, moved from Neapolis to Rome, and this is what he said:APPIA LONGARUM — TERITUR REGINA VIARUM[…]How many times did Romans have to march from Rome to Capua, during the last — say, 10 years?Yep. I didn't count, but for sure — many, many times.It becomes clear — almost immediately, that — rather sooner than later, someone would show up, and say, hey — we can't keep dragging ourselves through the swamps that lay between Rome and the south.— Let's do something about it!And this man, was Roman Censor Appius Claudius.And yes — this was not a matter of “if” the road was going to be built some day. It was a matter “when.”Besides, those swamps along the Italian coast were a breeding ground for disease.Those swamps, called the Paudine Swamps, also known as the Pontine Marshes, were very characteristic of the region, where rivers were often short, and had not enough drag to make it through the lowlands, west of the Apennines.That created large areas of marches. Breeding grounds for mosquitoes.[…]

Episode 42 – The Appian Way — And more than once, it happened that clients would get the wrong door, and walk into the school, before they realized, there were no girls there, but young students instead. The Roman road that would make Rome the undisputed powerhouse of Italy. And the life of Appius Claudius, the maker of that road. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 42 — The Appian Way. No other road, path, or route of communication has changed the history of the western world as much as the Appian Way, today also known as the Old Appian Way. Natural passage points, or itineraries, that people used by land — such as the Silk Road, the Amber Road, and their maritime counterparts — such as the Strait of Gibraltar — they all can claim their own importance, and yes, they did their fair share, to alter history in their own ways. ...

Episode 41 – The End of the Great War— In the end, Gaius Pontius saw that his old father — Herennius Pontius, had been right all along. Samnia now had a deadly enemy called Rome, and all Romans could think of, was vengeance.The end of the Second Samnite War, from the fall of Apulia, to the inspection of Samnia, by Consul Publius Sempronius.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Sanya, in the south of China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome. Episode 41 — The End of the Great War.We are in the year 435 of the Founding of the City. By our accounts, that is the year 319 BC.Early morning. It's the first day of the year.Not the first day of the Julian Calendar — that would come centuries later — but, the first day of the Calendar, as it was set by Romulus, and Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome.And the business of this first day of the year, was to elect the two new Consuls for the year.Serious business.Senators old and young, were hurrying to the building of the Curia, for — two really important decisions, depended on today's vote.On one hand, somebody would have to deal with the consequences of what happened at the Caudine Forks.And, on the other hand, there was a law that was going to — either pass, or not pass.And that law, had nothing to do with war, or the humiliating defeat at the Caudine Forks.That law, if passed, would take away one certain power from Consuls, and would give it to the new guys in town.The Censors.That's right — if today's law passed, Censors would become the ones, who would have the power to remove someone from the Senate, and there was a myriad of reasons why this could happen.So, anyways.Before we get into the nitty-gritty of what was going on, I would like to read a short list of six items, on how a Senator's day went on, when it was time to pass new laws, welcome new Senators into the house, and other (smaller) business at hand.ONE — Before the start of any important session, Senators would go to the Augurs, or Oracles, and see if the day in question, was actually good for passing new laws, or any other business.At that time, there were four guys with sufficient authority in all of Rome, to decide whether the day was auspicious or not.We'll talk more about this further down the line.TWO — Before any voting, there were speeches. Always. Even if the voting was as trivial as the naming of a street, a speech was to be had.THREE — Sometimes these speeches went really long. And I mean, long![…]A huge army from Tarentum showed up on the horizon, just as Romans and Samnites were about to get running into each other's throats.Their trumpets stopped everyone, and the Tarentines announced that this battle was being ordered, canceled.That's right! Canceled! And the Tarentines even said that whoever made a move to attack the other side, the army of Tarentum would immediately join the other side, and make the aggressors lose the whole fight.Right away, the Romans called up their oracle, and checked on their sacred chicken.The chicken said — well, they didn't say a thing — the oracle said, the gods were totally in favor of a frontal, brutal, battle, and that Rome was not to be afraid of the new arrival.And so — they made their battle formations, and started to walk forward.[…]

Episode 41 – The End of the Great War — In the end, Gaius Pontius saw that his old father — Herennius Pontius, had been right all along. Samnia now had a deadly enemy called Rome, and all Romans could think of, was vengeance. The end of the Second Samnite War, from the fall of Apulia, to the inspection of Samnia, by Consul Publius Sempronius. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Sanya, in the south of China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome. Episode 41 — The End of the Great War. We are in the year 435 of the Founding of the City. By our accounts, that is the year 319 BC. Early morning. It’s the first day of the year. Not the first day of the Julian Calendar — that would come centuries later — but, the first day of the Calendar, as it was set by Romulus, and Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome. And the business of this first day of the year, was to elect the ...

Episode 40 – Livy and Virgil— Instead, people die the day nobody ever talks about them, or even thinks about them.A biography episode in The Tale of Rome. We compare and contrast two giants of their time. Livy and Virgil.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 40 — Livy and Virgil.Virgil and Livy — Livy and Virgil. At the end of the day, the order of these two names doesn't really matter. However — I felt like sharing why I chose to name this episode, the way I did.Our podcast started with a story where a guy named Aeneas was fleeing from a city called Troy. This was obviously brought to us by Virgil.Still — I decided to put Livy's name first, on the cover of the episode.And no — the reason is NOT their looks. I can promise you that. This is not a beauty contest!But, after I picked the two pictures that would illustrate this episode's cover, I ended up having Livy — full front, and Virgil, seen from a side.So…Had I placed Virgil on the left side of the cover, he would be facing away from Livy. Not nice!And since we — and when I say “we,” I mean the vast majority of readers in the western world — since we usually write from left to right, the title ended up being “Livy and Virgil,” because — well… Livy was on the left, and Virgil was on the right.All right, that's sorted out!And now, let's start this story, and let's start it this way…We are in the year 18 AD — AD, as in ANNO DOMINI, or “after the birth of Christ.”A ship was arriving in Rome's port. And I am not talking about the port of Ostia, the one built by the fourth king of Rome — Ancus Marcius.I am talking about another port — a few hundred miles south.Portus Julius.[…]SIX — While Livy would sometimes write up to 20 pages a day, Virgil had days where not even a single sentence was created.Furthermore, if it wasn't that Virgil's death wish was deliberately disobeyed, today we would not have his works. Nothing.That's right. The whole Aeneid would have been burned. That was the wish of Virgil, on his deathbed. And what's even more curious, Virgil never considered his Aeneid as a complete work of art.On a personal note, that's understandable. Artists are often like that.[…]

Episode 40 – Livy and Virgil — Instead, people die the day nobody ever talks about them, or even thinks about them. A biography episode in The Tale of Rome. We compare and contrast two giants of their time. Livy and Virgil. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 40 — Livy and Virgil. Virgil and Livy — Livy and Virgil. At the end of the day, the order of these two names doesn’t really matter. However — I felt like sharing why I chose to name this episode, the way I did. Our podcast started with a story where a guy named Aeneas was fleeing from a city called Troy. This was obviously brought to us by Virgil. Still — I decided to put Livy’s name first, on the cover of the episode. And no — the reason is NOT their looks. I can promise you that. This is not a beauty contest! But, after I picked the two pictures that ...

— From this point of view, I can hardly wait until we get to the Emperors!Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 39 — State of the Union – 320 BC.This is our third episode of the State of the Union, and as I said in our episode 13, at this time we already have many of the styles, and other standards set, for this type of episodes.Slowly, but surely, these episodes — every 13th episode, will become tradition in this podcast.Alright. We find ourselves in the year 320 BC. just after the shameful defeat at the already famous Caudine Forks.So during this episode, we're going to divide our time into three sections, as follows:ONE — let's see what happened to those troops on their way to Rome, and what were the next events before closing that year.TWO — we're going to give our typical eagle flight around the world of Rome, just as we did in our episodes 13 and 26.AND THREE — let's do a quick review of the people who ruled Rome's fates, between the years 390 and 320 BC. just like we did last time.And as always, during this episode we won't have our segment of the Latin Word of the Week, so that's going to be left for our next REGULAR episode.Let's start now![…]He says that Alexander gave his ring to Perdicas, a bodyguard of his, nominating him as a successor, by doing so.Anyway, Perdicas did never try to get the throne, and instead, he said that the heir should be Roxanne's son, if he was born male. He also said, that the baby would have Crateros, Leonnatus, Antipater, and himself, as guardians, until the boy would grow up, and then govern by himself.Obviously, that plan was rejected. Perdicas was killed two years later.The unity of Macedonia collapsed, and 40 years of war erupted among the successors. These successors were now known, as the Diadochi. And at the end of that period, four clear blocks emerged. And for a time being, these blocks maintained some stability:Egypt belonged to the Ptolemy's.Mesopotamia became part of the upcoming Seleucid Empire.Anatolia went to Lysimachus.And finally, Macedonia went to Antigonus.

— From this point of view, I can hardly wait until we get to the Emperors! Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 39 — State of the Union – 320 BC. This is our third episode of the State of the Union, and as I said in our episode 13, at this time we already have many of the styles, and other standards set, for this type of episodes. Slowly, but surely, these episodes — every 13th episode, will become tradition in this podcast. Alright. We find ourselves in the year 320 BC. just after the shameful defeat at the already famous Caudine Forks. So during this episode, we’re going to divide our time into three sections, as follows: ONE — let’s see what happened to those troops on their way to Rome, and what were the next events before closing that year. TWO — we’re going to give our typical eagle flight around the world of Rome...

Episode 38 – The First Gladiators— The Romans are a people who do NOT know how to remain quiet after a defeat.Part two of the Roman defeat, at the Caudine Forks. Also, a tribute to those very first gladiators of Rome.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 38 — The First Gladiators.If last episode's thing was closure — or loss, then today's episode thing is SHAME.Yep — SHAME.Last episode we had closures.The Latin War. Decius Mus. Villages and peoples of Italy.Marcus, the Gladiator. And his mother, Aeliana, who died less than a month after Marcia.In this episode, the topics are shame and humiliation, and we'll see why.In Rome, news arrived that the troops got caught at the Caudine Forks.No-one knew exactly, how many were caught, and all the details of the event, but this was more than enough for an emergency session at the Senate of Rome.And even before that EMERGENCY SESSION went into gear, the Senators dispatched orders. A new army would be raised, because they didn't know what exactly happened.For all intents and purposes, the army could be dead by now. All of them.Less than a week later, however, fresher — and more reliable news broke.And that's when the entire city felt the humiliation of the event.Unbearable shame.50,000 Roman soldiers surrendered — without ever drawing a single sword, to a guy called Gaius Pontius.[…]Well, to make a long story short, our old Marcus, knew that his next fight might as well be his last one.And because of that, he invited his nephew, to watch him die.—”Spurius,” Marcus said,  as they walked past markets and shops, “Rome will soon be the master of this whole region. Not just Capua, but the whole south of Italy. And I don't want to be alive, by the time that happens.”—”What are you trying to tell me,” Spurius asked.—”In seven days I get to face Croccus,” Marcus said.— “Croccus — The lion killer?”— “That's right.”[…]

Episode 38 – The First Gladiators — The Romans are a people who do NOT know how to remain quiet after a defeat. Part two of the Roman defeat, at the Caudine Forks. Also, a tribute to those very first gladiators of Rome. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 38 — The First Gladiators. If last episode’s thing was closure — or loss, then today’s episode thing is SHAME. Yep — SHAME. Last episode we had closures. The Latin War. Decius Mus. Villages and peoples of Italy. Marcus, the Gladiator. And his mother, Aeliana, who died less than a month after Marcia. In this episode, the topics are shame and humiliation, and we’ll see why. In Rome, news arrived that the troops got caught at the Caudine Forks. No-one knew exactly, how many were caught, and all the details of the event, but this was more...

— Aeliana's body was placed on the left side of her husband Lucius' body.Everything was going fine for the Romans, until they walked into a canyon, and got trapped. The most humiliating defeat for 50,000 Roman soldiers, at the Caudine Forks.Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 37 — The Caudine Forks.During our last episode, we saw the end of many things. Many, many, things.The end of Publius Decius Mus, for he sacrificed himself on the battlefield.The end of Titus Manlius Torcuatus, in the books of Livy, for Livy banned him from his books, after the sacrifice of his own son.The end of the war against the Latins. The end of many peoples of Italy, such as the Sidicines, the Auruncians, the Volsci, and the Campanians, as free people. Yes, some lived on — under the strict yoke of Rome.It was also the end of the Latin League.And, yes — I was also the end of a respected Senator from Tusculum. Latin landowner and aristocrat Annius saw the end of his life, when he rolled down the stairs, at the very Roman Senate.We also saw the end of the Athenian resistance against King Philip II of Macedon, who just married yet another wife — a girl named Cleopatra of Macedon.I think, she was like, his sixth or seventh wife.And finally, I sadly announce that today we have yet another loss — this time from Ostia.In an event that happened all too often in Rome, and in cities built by Romans, the three-story insulae, where our good old slave lived, burst into flames, on a moonless night.Our slave had no time of getting down the stairs from his third floor, and while people were trying to get themselves to safety, a woman slipped on the stairs and — grabbing her husband, she dragged them both to their death.The fire devoured the entire block by the port of Ostia.[…]Well, before the Romans entered the valley through the narrow pass, the Consuls sent troops ahead, to go see if something was amiss.The soldiers returned saying that everything seemed just fine, and that the valley was completely empty.But when the Roman troops began to march through the gorge, the Triarii, the most veteran soldiers, began to sense that something, was wrong indeed.It was just too calm, and they didn't like it at all.And just when the last regiment of the Romans passed through the canyon, and just when the first part of the forces reached the exit of the canyon, they found it blocked with rocks and logs.Noticing they were trapped, they quickly began to walk back, but by then, the first entrance was blocked, too.Samnites were standing there, watching the Romans from above.

— Aeliana’s body was placed on the left side of her husband Lucius’ body. Everything was going fine for the Romans, until they walked into a canyon, and got trapped. The most humiliating defeat for 50,000 Roman soldiers, at the Caudine Forks. Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 37 — The Caudine Forks. During our last episode, we saw the end of many things. Many, many, things. The end of Publius Decius Mus, for he sacrificed himself on the battlefield. The end of Titus Manlius Torcuatus, in the books of Livy, for Livy banned him from his books, after the sacrifice of his own son. The end of the war against the Latins. The end of many peoples of Italy, such as the Sidicines, the Auruncians, the Volsci, and the Campanians, as free people. Yes, some lived on — under the strict yoke of Rome. It was also the end of the Latin League. And, yes — I ...

Episode 36 – Death by the Volcano— For thinking that the enemy sent his Triarii too early, the Latins ended up sending their own ones too early, and that cost them the battle.Latins against Romans, on the slopes of Italy's most famous volcano. And in this battle, we see the death of Publius Decius Mus — the same guy who earned the renowned Grass Crown, years earlier.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 36 — Death by the Volcano.— “You snake!”— “You are the snake!”— “Coward!”— “I'll show you who's the coward!”— “I dare you!”When Decius he wanted to step forward, his heart beating like a drum, he hit the dry, hard floor next to the bed. With an insult, the Consul was now really awake from his sleep.The dream was gone.And in that dream, the volcano was talking to Decius.The volcano was taunting him, all the while spewing fire serpents, and eating up the entire Roman army.— “One of the two will die before sundown,” he heard the volcano say.A bit later, he told Manlius Torquatus about the dream.[…]ONE — Just as the trumpets sounded, and as was customary in the Roman legion, the oracles of the army threw food at the sacred hens, and they confirmed what everyone feared.A whole Roman flank, and one of the consuls of Rome, would end up dying.TWO — Decius Mus rode out on the left side of the Roman army, and Torquatus on the right side.In other words, Decius was on the slope of the volcano, and Torquatus on the side to the sea, being that they were facing in a south-southeast direction.THREE — Latins began to tighten the ranks on both sides, but during the first clash neither of the two side gave up a single yard.One of the flanks of Torquatus was deployed about a hundred meters behind, due to some irregularities of the terrain, while the troops of Decius were face to face with the Latins.FOUR — the Sidicines, who, fearing a night attack, did not get a lot of sleep, were the first to fall.This allowed Torquatus to create a wider row, while maintaining the depth of his Phalanx.But to Decius, this was neither an advantage nor a disadvantage, and his troops began to break for two reasons. The end of the row was in difficulty with the slope of the volcano, and the cavalry of the Latins threatened to break the row of the Hastati, a lot sooner than they both anticipated.[…]

Episode 36 – Death by the Volcano — For thinking that the enemy sent his Triarii too early, the Latins ended up sending their own ones too early, and that cost them the battle. Latins against Romans, on the slopes of Italy’s most famous volcano. And in this battle, we see the death of Publius Decius Mus — the same guy who earned the renowned Grass Crown, years earlier. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 36 — Death by the Volcano. — “You snake!” — “You are the snake!” — “Coward!” — “I’ll show you who’s the coward!” — “I dare you!” When Decius he wanted to step forward, his heart beating like a drum, he hit the dry, hard floor next to the bed. With an insult, the Consul was now really awake from his sleep. The dream was gone. And in that dream, the volcano was talking to Decius. The volcano was tau...

— Alcetas, Arymbas, Aeacides, and Pyrrhus.  Great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and son.Alexander I of Epirus crosses the sea and comes to Italy, to help Greek cities there. He later dies in a battle against the very people people he came to rescue.Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 35 — Alexander of Epirus.Last week we left off with five open topics, which we will cover in this episode.They are — as follows:ONE — Our weekly report from Ostia, brought by our loyal slave, who spends entire days on the docks and markets of the port of Rome. This way we get to know what is going on in Greece, since we are in the times of Alexander the Great, and events are too important, to just let them “hang in there” until our episode of the State of the Union.TWO — The tactics of the Phalanx, at the time of the Roman King Servius Tullius. As a side note — at the time of Romulus, Romans fought using a system of just one strong leader, leading his equally strong warriors into hand-to-hand fights. No Phalanxes there, whatsoever.THREE — The continuation of the situation between Rome and the Latins, after the Roman Senate rejected what they asked from Rome.FOUR — The continuation of our family saga, now that we know the whereabouts of Marcus, Falvius, and Spurion, the son of Spurious.AND FIVE — The part where Alexander of Epirus, the uncle of two famous nephews, arrives in Italy, does his thing, and ends up dying in Italy.But before we start, I want to give a very cordial, heartfelt, and long overdue THANK YOU to two gentlemen who praised my show on another podcast, named History by Hollywood.So.  I want to really thank Martin and Andrew, for the uplifting message I received from them about a month ago — see? It's been a month!My thank you is really overdue.But hey — better late then never — and I also thank them for mentioning this show, on their show. And of course — if you like HISTORY, here is a tip. Go to History by Hollywood.com and check it out. [...]

— Alcetas, Arymbas, Aeacides, and Pyrrhus. Great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and son. Alexander I of Epirus crosses the sea and comes to Italy, to help Greek cities there. He later dies in a battle against the very people people he came to rescue. Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 35 — Alexander of Epirus. Last week we left off with five open topics, which we will cover in this episode. They are — as follows: ONE — Our weekly report from Ostia, brought by our loyal slave, who spends entire days on the docks and markets of the port of Rome. This way we get to know what is going on in Greece, since we are in the times of Alexander the Great, and events are too important, to just let them “hang in there” until our episode of the State of the Union. TWO — The tactics of the Phalanx, at the time of the Roman King Servius Tullius. As a side ...

Rome and the Latins ready up for war. Romans begins to change battle tactics, gradually abandoning the Phalanx system. And in Greece, Alexander is 16 years old, by now.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 34 — From Crete to Campania.If the ship is to be saved, every man must do his duty,While the ship is still unscathed.The efforts are futile when the ship sinks.So, as for Athens, my proposals are ready.We must make complete preparations for the war.Athens, at least, must do his duty.This was part of the oratory of the Athenian Demosthenes, during his speech in what we now know, as the third Philippic, in the year 341 BC.And it wasn't strange to compare cities to ships, in those days, I think.Now, in the year 340 BC, Demosthenes continued to incite Athenians, against the father of Alexander the Great, King Philip the Second.Alright. We are in the year of the consulship of Titus Manlius Torcuatus and Publius Decius Mus.Yes, I'm talking about the same Publius Mus, who won the Grass Crown, a few years earlier.And now, first let's go to our new segment — News from Ostia.This will soon become a custom in our podcast — at least for a couple of decades, so let's see what our slave has learned from merchants, and other people who roamed the streets and docks of Ostia.[…]Latins, who sought equality, ended up getting even less equality from Rome.But we will also see that Rome was not that unfair, at the time of distributing punishments and rewards, because when war ended, Rome began to judge the actions of the Latins, town by town.◆ Those who joined Rome will become Roman citizens with full rights, including the right to vote.◆ Those who started out against Rome, but then put themselves on the side of Rome, would get basic rights, that is, the right to trade, and the right to inter-marry, but not the right to vote.◆ Finally, those who fought up to the last drop of blood, were simply wiped off the map, and sold as slaves, or as gladiators.[…]

Rome and the Latins ready up for war. Romans begins to change battle tactics, gradually abandoning the Phalanx system. And in Greece, Alexander is 16 years old, by now. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 34 — From Crete to Campania. If the ship is to be saved, every man must do his duty, While the ship is still unscathed. The efforts are futile when the ship sinks. So, as for Athens, my proposals are ready. We must make complete preparations for the war. Athens, at least, must do his duty. This was part of the oratory of the Athenian Demosthenes, during his speech in what we now know, as the third Philippic, in the year 341 BC. And it wasn’t strange to compare cities to ships, in those days, I think. Now, in the year 340 BC, Demosthenes continued to incite Athenians, against the father of Alexander the ...

Latins and Romans speak the same language, and worship the same gods. But after the first Samnite War, the Latins felt they were stronger than Rome. And they started to hatch plans, and gather allies. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 33 — Latins and Romans. In those days, news did not travel to Rome — or any other city, they way they do today. News travelled with the travelers of the time, and of these, the three best known were merchants, soldiers, and prisoners of war. And I dare to say — in that exact order. And as we are now entering a pivotal time in the history of Greece, Persia, and Macedonia, we are going to send one of our slaves, down to Ostia. That's right, we'll get him a place to live, near the port, if possible on the street that goes along the docks.  His place will consist of a simple room, on a third floor — the worst, in one of the newly built so-called “islands.”  Romans called their buildings islands, or in Latin — INSULAE.  They were horrible to live in, and at this time, the tallest ones were three floors high. I should also mention that these buildings were not exactly fireproof. And, on a side note, this road near the house where our slave will reside, will probably have a milestone somewhere close, too. Romans used milestones everywhere, letting travelers know what road they were on, who built the road, and even the name of the local curator for any particular piece of the road.  Travelers would sometimes also get to know how far they were from the nearest rest stop, and the total distance from Rome. Well — anyways. That employee of ours will have to spend some time in Ostia, and his job will be to simply hang around the docks, and get news, for us. This means, he will wake up at the earliest hour, get down from his third floor — staircases had no railings at that time, and direct himself to the small square that lay between the forum of Ostia, the marketplace, and the street that leads to the docks.  There, he will try to see if anything worth letting us know, happened during the night. A fire. A murder. Perhaps someone important might have arrived during the night, on his way to Rome. Anything. Our slave will then have his brief breakfast. A round loaf of bread, and some olive oil. Not bad, actually. In winter it might be stew, with lettuce or cabbage. He will hang around the docks until the evening hours, and he'll be on the lookout for news that ships bring. More precisely, of what is going on between Alexander the Great, and the Persian Empire. And since these next few years, we expect big changes — our slave will be busy. And this means, that at the beginning of each episode, or somewhere in the middle, we'll have a short segment about “NEWS FROM OSTIA” just like we have our “Latin Word of the Week.” I think this way, we can keep track of both Rome, and Alexander the Great, for the while being. [...] When peace was signed between the Samnites and the Romans in the year 341 BC, the Samnites immediately went to attack of their favorite victims: the Sidicines. These, seeing what Campania did a few years earlier, sent a delegation to Rome to do the same as Capua.  Submit to the authority of Rome, and force the Samnites to find someone else to bully. But, when this delegation arrived in Rome, the senators told them that by seeing that hostilities between the two peoples were already in full march, it was too late to ask for such a favor. The truth was, that Rome did not see much interest in the lands the Sidicines occupied, and the Romans allowed the Samnites to continue bullying them. That's when the Sidicines went to ask the Campanians for help. These, still angry about the Samnites,

Latins and Romans speak the same language, and worship the same gods. But after the first Samnite War, the Latins felt they were stronger than Rome. And they started to hatch plans, and gather allies. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 33 — Latins and Romans. In those days, news did not travel to Rome — or any other city, they way they do today. News travelled with the travelers of the time, and of these, the three best known were merchants, soldiers, and prisoners of war. And I dare to say — in that exact order. And as we are now entering a pivotal time in the history of Greece, Persia, and Macedonia, we are going to send one of our slaves, down to Ostia. That’s right, we’ll get him a place to live, near the port, if possible on the street that goes along the docks. His place will consist of a simple room, on a third floor — the worst, i...

He was a Consul of Rome at the age of 23. He would be Consul five more times, and dictator twice. And he lived to be 100. This is our small tribute.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 32 — Marcus Valerius Corvus.The year 342 was hotter than others, and the legionaries garrisoned in Campania felt it firsthand.Unlike the inhabitants of Capua, and other cities, in the soft and fertile plains of Campania, Roman soldiers lived with the hard life of a legion, as their job — given to them by means of their oath, was to protect the people, and to defend Roman territory, and not necessarily in that order. And that was what the soldiers were doing — day in, day out. Left there, to garrison the southern fringes of this new Roman land, they all fulfilled their duties, but inside they all wanted to be in Rome.Yep.Further north.Where it's not so hot, by Mercury!That's right. While some of them left for Rome, where they would get a triumphal march, this group of soldiers from both Valerius and Cossus, were practically left all alone there, right outside of Capua.Entertainment was nil. Contact with the locals was almost non-existent.And so, very soon, these soldiers decided it was not fair that the people of Capua, a bunch of weaklings who could not even defend themselves from the Samnites, were having all the fun, while they — hard-working legionaries had to babysit them.And, worse, they were not getting any of the fun.In less than a storm needs to gather, and build up some dark clouds, the ringleaders of the two halves — the guys left by Valerius, and the guys left by Cossus, began to hatch a plan.A plan of rebellion.[…]The Gaul almost fell right there, but he soon got back on his feet.The black crow just wouldn't go away!An then, one second later, the animal made another attack, and this time he tried to get his beak into one of the eyes of the Gaul. Valerius did not waste any time, and he crouched down, pulled his sword, and he placed the short sword between two ribs of the giant.The huge warrior now had to worry about the crow, watch his eyes, and he had to fend off the boy.Bleeding from his stomach, the Gaul ran towards the boy, but again, the raven began to flutter both wings in the face of the barbarian.That's when Valerius saw the opening for the second hit. Another move, and Valerius had his sword half inside the giant's abdomen, while the raven was still trying to gauge one eye out.There was no need for a third hit. The giant fell to his knees, and Valerius let his sword stay there, deep in the giant's body.And when the giant fell — face down, the tip of Valerius' sword came out of the giant's back.Three long seconds of silence, and then the Romans began to scream.

He was a Consul of Rome at the age of 23. He would be Consul five more times, and dictator twice. And he lived to be 100. This is our small tribute. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 32 — Marcus Valerius Corvus. The year 342 was hotter than others, and the legionaries garrisoned in Campania felt it firsthand. Unlike the inhabitants of Capua, and other cities, in the soft and fertile plains of Campania, Roman soldiers lived with the hard life of a legion, as their job — given to them by means of their oath, was to protect the people, and to defend Roman territory, and not necessarily in that order. And that was what the soldiers were doing — day in, day out. Left there, to garrison the southern fringes of this new Roman land, they all fulfilled their duties, but inside they all wanted to be in Rome. Yep. Further north. ...

Mount Gaurus. Saticula. Suessula. And the awesome story of Publius Decius Mus, who singlehandedly saved a bunch of soldiers from certain death. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 31 — The Grass Crown. We are in the year 343 BC. Or — if you prefer, the year 411 since the creation of Rome.  It was also known as the year 166, if you would rather count from the founding of the Republic. But if we want to count years the way Romans did, then we are in the year of the Consulships of Aulus Cornelius Cossus and Marcus Valerius Corvus — that is, the year 343 BC. And here, we just made a roundabout with years, and numbers, and dates, and we're still in the year 343 BC. Saticula, Campania. High summer – an hour before dawn. When young Lucius finally saw the troops running towards the camp, and when he saw that – in fact, the Tribune was at their head, his heart went into overdrive. He ran up the staircase of the tower, trying to see if his brother was among them, but it was still too dark. Only silhouettes in the dark. At that moment Marcus joined in. — "Did you see Publius?" — "Not yet! But they are running. Maybe the Samnites are behind them. Sound the alarm," Lucius replied. — "Open the gates!" When Decius and the boys ran through the gate, and when the gates safely closed behind them, the entire legion burst into screams of joy. After they did a recount, everyone realized that Publius Decius Mus, the Military Tribune of Aulus Cornelius Cossus, had not lost one single man, and even the Centurion of the legion came down to meet Decius, still trying to understand how everyone made it alive, from there. [...] When Corvus ordered his soldiers to march to Suessula, Cornelius Cossus was still two days away, so Valerius Corvus had only one option left. The Romans were going to march so lightly that everything – and I mean, everything that was not absolutely essential, was to be left behind. And, it turns out, that this decision of his, had consequences that not even Corvus himself imagined, because, when the Romans arrived in the vicinity of Suessula, and once they set up their military camp, the building materials were so scarce that the camp ended up being physically much smaller, than a typical Roman camp. Samnites spies, seeing the size of the Roman camp, informed their chiefs that the Roman unit was not a whole legion — perhaps a third of a Legion, and all decisions the Samnites made from that point on, were based on that mistaken idea. [...]

Mount Gaurus. Saticula. Suessula. And the awesome story of Publius Decius Mus, who singlehandedly saved a bunch of soldiers from certain death. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 31 — The Grass Crown. We are in the year 343 BC. Or — if you prefer, the year 411 since the creation of Rome. It was also known as the year 166, if you would rather count from the founding of the Republic. But if we want to count years the way Romans did, then we are in the year of the Consulships of Aulus Cornelius Cossus and Marcus Valerius Corvus — that is, the year 343 BC. And here, we just made a roundabout with years, and numbers, and dates, and we’re still in the year 343 BC. Saticula, Campania. High summer – an hour before dawn. When young Lucius finally saw the troops running towards the camp, and when he saw that – in fact, the Tribune was at their head, his heart went into overdrive. He ran up the staircase ...

Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 30 — The Samnite Mountains.The famous Roman poet Virgil would sometimes write three sentences in a whole day, and then he would delete them, not happy with his work. This is what one day, he wrote in his famous work, known as “The Aeneid.”

Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 30 — The Samnite Mountains. The famous Roman poet Virgil would sometimes write three sentences in a whole day, and then he would delete them, not happy with his work. This is what one day, he wrote in his famous work, known as “The Aeneid.”

Finally, Plebeians have a Consul of their own. And just about in the right moment, because the Samnites are knocking on Rome's doors. We also see the passing of Marcus Furius Camillus. Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 29 — The First Plebeian Consul.We are in the year 368 BC.A young man of high stature, named Lucius Sextus Lateranus, dismounted from his horse in front of the Senate building. Three big parchments of paper were rolled under his shoulder.Lucius Sextus Lateranus was a Tribune of the Plebes.In other words, he was automatically an enemy of 100% of Rome's Patricians, and nothing that was in his possession was welcome in the Senate.

Finally, Plebeians have a Consul of their own. And just about in the right moment, because the Samnites are knocking on Rome’s doors. We also see the passing of Marcus Furius Camillus. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 29 — The First Plebeian Consul. We are in the year 368 BC. A young man of high stature, named Lucius Sextus Lateranus, dismounted from his horse in front of the Senate building. Three big parchments of paper were rolled under his shoulder. Lucius Sextus Lateranus was a Tribune of the Plebes. In other words, he was automatically an enemy of 100% of Rome’s Patricians, and nothing that was in his possession was welcome in the Senate.

The second start of Rome, after the ashes. Marcus Furius Camillus and Marcus Manlius Capitolinus are the two undisputed heroes of Rome, but one of them will end up a villain. We will also see a miracle at Aeliana's home.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 28 — The Tarpeian Rock.Last week we saw the end of our trilogy of Rome's darkest hour, so far.The attack, the siege, and the plunder of Rome.We saw how the Gauls finally left Rome, and how Camillus became the person who truly led the city's destiny.And here, I think it's a good time to tell you guys, what Livy wrote on the front page of his sixth book, that gigantic work he did, called Ab Urbe Condita, or “From the Founding of the City” in English.I am reading this from the first page, Book 6:The transactions of the Romans, from the creation of the city of Rome to the capture of it, first under Kings, then under Consuls and Dictators, Decenvirs and Tribunes with consular powers, their wars abroad, their dissensions at home, all of this, I have exposed in five books.Themes and events were obscured, both because of their great antiquity, as if they were objects that from their great distance I can hardly perceive, as well as because in those times the use of the letters, the only faithful guardian of the memory of events, was inconsiderate and rare.Moreover, what was contained in the remarks of the Pontifex, and other public and private records, was all lost during the fires that our city had to endure.Henceforth, from this second origin of the city, which was born from its own ashes, this time healthier and more vigorous, the achievements of Rome — within Rome and abroad, will be narrated with more clarity and authenticity.OMG.I believe that even Livy himself must have smiled the day he wrote that.[…]And this is where Manlius saw an opportunity.Although Manlius came from a family of Patricians himself, he began to help Plebeians. He first began by telling them that the treatment that Plebeians were getting for not being able to repay their loans on time, was not fair, and then he began to create agitations along the streets of Rome.On one occasion, in the year 387 BC, a Centurion was being arrested for this same cause, and as people started to gather protesting, Manlius showed up at the scene, and paid the debt of the Centurion, out of his own pocket.The government of Rome decided that Manlius was creating too much mess in the city, and they arrested him the day after that. But then the people of Rome made an even bigger protest, and the Senators of Rome had no other choice, than to let Manlius go free.Manlius even sold some of his properties, with the purpose of helping people in situations like that. But the Patricians saw this whole thing with twisted eyes, because during the agitations that Manlius created among the Plebes, he began to mention that Rome didn't really need a Senate.Well — that was a crime![…]

The second start of Rome, after the ashes. Marcus Furius Camillus and Marcus Manlius Capitolinus are the two undisputed heroes of Rome, but one of them will end up a villain. We will also see a miracle at Aeliana’s home. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 28 — The Tarpeian Rock. Last week we saw the end of our trilogy of Rome’s darkest hour, so far. The attack, the siege, and the plunder of Rome. We saw how the Gauls finally left Rome, and how Camillus became the person who truly led the city’s destiny. And here, I think it’s a good time to tell you guys, what Livy wrote on the front page of his sixth book, that gigantic work he did, called Ab Urbe Condita, or “From the Founding of the City” in English. I am reading this from the first page, Book 6: The transactions of the Romans, from the creation of the city of...

The end of our trilogy of the sack of Rome. Brennus is history, and Rome is saved. We also get the best of news from Aeliana and Lucius.Partial TranscriptLast week we saw Brennus and Quintus Sulpicius holding meetings to decide the fate of Rome. Both sides were exhausted, both sides had dead piling up on a daily basis, and both sides had an ego larger than the Seven Hills of Rome, combined…But here, one of the two sides had a slight advantage, and that advantage was the hope that Camillus would arrive with his troops, any time now.In the meantime, I want you to imagine the city of Rome.The Circus Maximus, which still only possessed some disposable wooden grades, had become a temporary morgue, and the stench coming from the place, let everyone know where the Gauls decided to pile up and and burn their dead warriors.To make matters worse, that year had an extremely temperate winter — as if goddess Cloacina, goddess of Rome's sewers, had decided to clog the drains of the city.And it was as if Poena, goddess of punishment, and Tempesta, goddess of the storms, had decided to work hand in hand, and between the two of them, they decided to not to unleash a single winter storm during that year.A storm would at least help get rid of some of the deadly particles, flying in the air. Yes, the Gauls got the shorter end of the straw, that year.From the cattle market, just south of the city bridge, all the way to the Porta Capena, in the southeastern corner of Rome, everything was burning, melting, and otherwise getting spoiled.This was the Rome, that Marcus Furius Camillus was about to save, according to the version the Romans described.[…]But Rome…Rome had no cure.That's right, after the citizen grabbed and seized bricks and rocks, and after they built their new homes, Rome was beyond any fixing.Streets went in zig-zag, they crossed each other in angles that defied any logic, and even sidewalks were of different width as you would walk along one same street, depending on the whim of the homeowner that just built that sidewalk.[…]

The end of our trilogy of the sack of Rome. Brennus is history, and Rome is saved. We also get the best of news from Aeliana and Lucius. Partial Transcript Last week we saw Brennus and Quintus Sulpicius holding meetings to decide the fate of Rome. Both sides were exhausted, both sides had dead piling up on a daily basis, and both sides had an ego larger than the Seven Hills of Rome, combined… But here, one of the two sides had a slight advantage, and that advantage was the hope that Camillus would arrive with his troops, any time now. In the meantime, I want you to imagine the city of Rome. The Circus Maximus, which still only possessed some disposable wooden grades, had become a temporary morgue, and the stench coming from the place, let everyone know where the Gauls decided to pile up and and burn their dead warriors. To make matters worse, that year had an extremely temperate winter — as if goddess Cloacina, god...

The Gauls entered Rome. But where's Lucius? Also, we list the lands that lay around Rome, and see how they're doing. Finally, a sprint through the men who ruled Rome since the kings are gone. Consuls and Tribunes.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 26 — State of the Union – 390 BC.Last week we saw how the Gauls of Brennus arrived at the gates of Rome — gates that no one bothered to even close…This week we're on our episode 26, which means two things:◆ ONE – We are going through our second STATE OF THE UNION episode, which this time finds us in the year 390 BC,◆ AND TWO – We're at 26 episodes, which is roughly half a year of accrued value. One year – 52 weeks; Half a year – 26. Right?Alright. This episode, since it's going to be a little longer, is going to be split in three main parts.First, we'll see what was going on in Rome itself.From there we'll go to see the world around Rome, taking out usual eagle's flight, just like last time.And just like last time, we'll do that in a clockwise fashion.Northern Italy first, then Dalmatia, Macedonia, Greece, Asia minor, Syria and the future Palestine, Egypt, Carthage and North Africa. From there to the Iberian Peninsula, the Gauls, and then back to Rome, seeing if there is anything worth mentioning in the Mediterranean islands: Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. If any region did not go through any real major changes, then that region will not be mentioned in our eagle's flight, and a good example of this would be Germania and the Netherlands, where there hasn't been any big changes, this time around.Last, we'll see a brief list of the rulers of Rome — from our last State of the Union, to this State of the Union.That means, we'll see a list of Consuls, Decemvirs, and Military Tribunes who managed the destinies of Rome during these last 119 years. Not all of them, but the ones that really mattered.Alright. Shall we?[…]◆ 495 BC. Appius Claudius Sabinus, along with Publius Servilius Priscus. That was when Plebeians withdrew from Rome, and walked to the Mount Sacro, protesting for the differences between Patrician and Plebes.◆ 494 BC.Valerius Maximus was erected Dictator. Reason: The conflict of the Orders.◆ 488 BC.Gaius Julius Julus. All right — let me say that again… Gaius Julius Julus — not Julius!He was consul when the Volsci attacked Rome under the command of Coriolanus, the guy whose mom convinced him to stop the attack.[…]

The Gauls entered Rome. But where’s Lucius? Also, we list the lands that lay around Rome, and see how they’re doing. Finally, a sprint through the men who ruled Rome since the kings are gone. Consuls and Tribunes. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 26 — State of the Union – 390 BC. Last week we saw how the Gauls of Brennus arrived at the gates of Rome — gates that no one bothered to even close… This week we’re on our episode 26, which means two things: ◆ ONE – We are going through our second STATE OF THE UNION episode, which this time finds us in the year 390 BC, ◆ AND TWO – We’re at 26 episodes, which is roughly half a year of accrued value. One year – 52 weeks; Half a year – 26. Right? Alright. This episode, since it’s going to be a little longer, is going to be split in three main parts. First, we’ll ...

The Senons attack and sack the city, all the while Marcus Furius Camillus is banned from Rome.Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 25 — Here come the Gauls.Last week we saw how Marcus Furius Camillus was exiled from Rome, after having conquered Veii, and after having doubled Rome's landmass.As for Veii, the city became a ghost town. The peasants around Veii — who were initially not disturbed by Rome, were quickly absorbed by a few patrician senators, who took their farms, livelihood, and anything else they had left.In fact, most of Rome's new lands fell into the hands of a really small group of Patricians, and Rome felt like the king of the heap.But — as the saying goes, the higher you fly, the harder you fall, and this was no exception to the rule.[...]And then, something that wasn't supposed to happen, happened.One of the Roman ambassadors, to be more exact, Quintus Ambustus put a sword in the guts of a Gaul. The Gaul turned out to be one of Brennus' own counselors.I can imagine blood swelling out of his guys' chest like a Roman fountain, until the tall, thick guy finally collapsed on the floor.Dead.Everyone stopped for an instant, and Brennus himself jumped back.After a pause that must have felt like a whole century, Brennus withdrew from the Hall, and all his Gauls followed suit.People still did not understand what exactly happened, but the only thing everyone understood, was that the chief of the Gauls was more furious than a caged lion, in a city that had its lion games banned, by imperial decree.Immediately, the three brothers left the Senate, and embarked on their way back to Rome, at full speed. The diplomatic mission failed, and the brothers — as ambassadors, they were supposed to be totally neutral, failed as well.A day later, envoys of Brennus arrived at the gates of Rome, and they were immediately escorted to the Senate of Rome.[...]

The Senons attack and sack the city, all the while Marcus Furius Camillus is banned from Rome. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 25 — Here come the Gauls. Last week we saw how Marcus Furius Camillus was exiled from Rome, after having conquered Veii, and after having doubled Rome’s landmass. As for Veii, the city became a ghost town. The peasants around Veii — who were initially not disturbed by Rome, were quickly absorbed by a few patrician senators, who took their farms, livelihood, and anything else they had left. In fact, most of Rome's new lands fell into the hands of a really small group of Patricians, and Rome felt like the king of the heap. But — as the saying goes, the higher you fly, the harder you fall, and this was no exception to the rule. [...] And then, something that wasn’t supposed to happen, happened. One of the Roman ambassadors, to be more exact, Qui...

Five times appointed Dictator of Rome. Four times Military Tribune. Three triumphs along the streets of Rome. So then, why was he kicked out of the city?Partial TranscriptHello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast.The Tale of Rome, Episode 24 — Marcus Furius Camillus.“Father.”Even though Lucius' voice was firm and audible, old Marcus did not move a single muscle, in his bed. Lucius tried again, placing a hand on the old man's shoulder. Very gently, for he feared to cause him pain with his touch.“Father Marcus!”Slightly, Marcus opened his eyes, and a smile showed on his face.“Did you beat them, boy?”“Yes, Father,” said Lucius, proudly. “We destroyed them, Father. And I got you this.”Lucius raised a few scrolls at the height of his father's eyes, so that he could see them. Without waiting for the old man to ask, Lucius explained that the parchments were blueprints of machines to stretch leather and animal hides, such as they had never seen them before.The Etruscans, it turned out, were much more technologically advanced than the Romans, and part of the loot was of immense value to Roman scientists and engineers.From how to build arches with three center points, all the way to how to improve their sewers systems. From how to deal with leaking water in pipes, to how to hoist ship sails with the strength of a single man, almost everything in Veii was entirely new to the engineers of Rome of those times.“Father!  This machine can even stretch reindeer leather,” said Lucius, excited. “We'll have soooo much work,” the young man figured.“Ah, the reindeer,” said old Marcus. “There won't be reindeer in a few more years, son. You'll see… “And the old man was right.In less than two generations the climate slowly began to return to temperatures like those that reigned in Rome, before.Reindeer, alpine lions, and the long winters, they all began to disappear from Rome.Never again, did the river Tiber freeze over.It should add here, that alpine lions were the flowers that we know today as the Edelweiss, and I'm not talking about the African felines. Lions, as such, had been gone from Italy — and from almost all of Europe, for more than a thousand years now, and the flowers, named Leontopodium Alpinum, or Alpine lions, were now also vanishing from the vicinity of Rome.“Tell me, son. With all that science, how did you guys manage to get into Veii?”[…]Disgusted with the teacher's stupid idea, Camillus ordered him tied up on the spot, and then tortured with wooden sticks under his fingernails, and other parts, that I don't even want to mention here.After that, Camillus went to Falerii, and told the citizens what just happened, and Camillus returned all the innocent children unharmed, and he also gave them the sneaky, stupid teacher.The people of Falerii were so grateful for Camillus for his attitude, that they immediately cancelled all plans of war, and submitted to Rome, without any conditions whatsoever.Personal comment: I don't even want to imagine what that teacher went through, after Camillus was gone.[…]