96 AD: Recent Episodes
Ben Pennell
Every second Sunday there will be a new episode about Rome around the crucial year of 96 AD, the year in which the Emperor Domitian was assassinated, and a new dynasty would bring the Roman Empire to its greatest extent.
I will cover Roman history from roughly 68 through 117 AD. We will cover in depth the reigns of the Flavian emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. Then, we will cover the reigns of Nerva, Trajan and perhaps venture into Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius.
To come talk with me about the podcast, make suggestions and anything else, go over to the subreddit that I've made for the podcast: https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/.
66 BC - 70 AD
In this episode I discuss the history of Roman Jerusalem and the events that took us from Pompey's initial conquests to the revolt that sparked Nero's fateful appointment of Vespasian to the east.
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/
December 20th 69 AD - January 1st 70 AD
In this episode, we discuss the early reign of the first Flavian Emperor: Vespasian. His proxy army, led by Antonius Primus, took Rome without his permission, and the situation in the capital becomes a disaster. Over the next two weeks, the capital will stabilize itself, especially when Mucianus, Vespasian's number two, enters the city.
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/
27 BC - 284 AD
In this episode I tackle the trends in the rates of deifications of Roman Emperors in the Roman Empire.
https://www.reddit.com/r/96ad
27 BC - 284 AD
In this episode, I summarize the history of the Roman Empire up to the ascension of Diocletian, with a focus on the Emperors. This episode will set up the requisite knowledge on the basics of Roman Imperial History alongside setting up the figures of the Emperors for a full discussion of Imperial Deification in the next episode
https://www.reddit.com/r/96ad
17 - 19 AD
In this episode, I discuss whether or not the governor of Syria poisoned the heir to the Emperor Tiberius, Germanicus. We consult an inscribed account of the trial and compare it with later literary sources.
14-67 CE
This is the first of many episodes about the life and times of Lucius Verginius Rufus, the bizarre biography project I've suddenly taken on. Today, we talk about his life from his birth in 14/15 CE until his fateful posting to Germania Superior in the 60s CE.
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/
240 BC
In this episode I will tackle the origins and staples of Roman Comedy and its role in the festival tradition of Rome.
September - December 69 AD
This episode delves deeply into Tacitus' account (Histories books 2 and 3) of the war fought between Vespasian and Vitellius in late 69 AD. We read this source to understand the chronology of the war but also to learn about how Romans conducted their war, and understand the characters and how they interacted with the conflict
https://www.reddit.com/r/96ad
July 69 AD - December 69 AD
This episode is a biography of the early years of the Emperor Vespasian, his unwillingness to revolt, what stirred him to start that revolt, and the war he fought to become Emperor
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/
In this episode I run through the excessive reign of Vitellius. I discuss how he rules in the most opulent and cruel manner, and attribute to him the title of "the first random Emperor'. The label of Random is quite superficial, but it helps to appreciate that nobody, even himself, really thought he would or should be Emperor, until the moment he was.
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD
January - April 69 AD
This episode is a biography of the seventh Emperor of Rome, Marcus Salvius Otho. Otho will usurp the throne from Galba but will be usurped himself within only 95 days. Otho's story is exciting for this brevity but also for his complete change of character throughout his life. After all, he started as Nero's best friend and ended up as the diginified Emperor who sacrificed himself to end the civil war.
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/
In this episode I tackle the concept of legitimacy. Specifically, I will discuss how Emperors will either artificially connect themselves to or distance themselves from previous reigns to boost their perceived right to rule
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/
66 AD to January 69 AD.
We tackle the final days of the Emperor Nero, and the causes of the revolts that started all over the Empire. A new Emperor was created in Spain, and just as quickly as he is put on the throne, Galba gets himself overthrown. This is the start of the year of the four Emperors.
https://www.reddit.com/r/96AD/
This is the first aside - a short episode to fill in the time while I work on the next narrative episode. In this episode, I cover the basic ideas I have about what makes bad emperors who they are: bad and fun.
This episode I discuss the thirteen important political entities in the Roman Empire at end of Nero's reign, and the onset of the year of the Four Emperors. I am setting up the next few episodes that will tackle that dramatic story
In this episode I will chronologically cover the reigns of the Julio-Claudian emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and nero
In this episode I tackle the End of the Roman republic, why it happened, why it was Caesar that ended it. I delve into my personal model that describes why the Republic Ended
In this episode I will cover the history of Rome from 100 BC to 49 BC. I aimed to cover the history of Rome up to 44 BC but only managed to get to 49 BC. My focus is to discuss the civil wars of Marius and Sulla, and the path that led to Julius Caesar's civil wars
We will explore the history of Rome from 189 BC to 100 BC. We will focus on the politics and social struggles taking place in the city of Rome and the prominent figures who spearheaded badly needed reforms.
I will cover, in general, the history of Rome up to 189 BC. This will be done in only 22 minutes, and will be focused on the military expansion that the Romans fought abroad, and the social issues back home in Rome.
Let's start off the podcast with an explanation of how it will be presented, and a justification of its existence