202 Decades of Western History: Recent Episodes
Noah
A history podcast covering the past 202 decades of Western History. Each episode will examine one decade of history, from 1 AD to the present day.
Did anything happen during the 150’s? Almost certainly! But the Roman Peace was at its height and the empire was quiet, peaceful, prosperous. Here’s what did happen: a few troubles drew military attention. Antoninus passed legal reforms. Marcus Aurelius waited almost too patiently for his turn to be come Emperor.
This peace allows us to pause and take a survey of literary works of the age. And, while the Christians were still relatively few in number, they have begun to step out of the shadows into the light of the historical record.
Part 1: Setting and Background (01:47)
Part 2: Main Characters (09:44)
Part 3: Novel Works (22:30)
Part 4: The Christians and the Sun (31:12)
Hadrian chose Antoninus as his successor to be a stable bridge before Marcus Aurelius came of age. But Antoninus lived and reigned far longer than anyone expected. For the people of Rome, that was a good thing. His steadiness, his justice, and his fiscal aptitude ensured Italy and the provinces flourished. The Pax Romana reached its golden heights during the reign of Antoninus Pius.
Part 1: Pius (02:14)
Part 2: The Antonine Wall (11:37)
Part 3: Ripples on a Still Pond (16:05)
Part 4: Conservation (23:31)
In the 130's, Hadrian's reign turned from vision to pain. He suffered the loss of two things he held dear: in Egypt, his lover and in Judea, his idealism. His final days were marked by gloom and suffering as he attempted to preserve his legacy for the next generation.
We follow Hadrian as we tours the provinces, visiting more of the empire than any emperor before him.
As he went from place to place, he inspected the defenses, drilled the legions, and granted gifts to the cities. The central theme of his journeys was a new vision for the Empire. Hadrian saw Rome not as a collection of conquered provinces ruled by the Romans, but as an assembly of peoples and provinces, united by a shared culture in a Roman Commonwealth.
Rome reaches its greatest territorial heights as Emperor Trajan does his best Alexander the Great impression.
His conquests took him through Armenia and into Parthia - spurred on by a Parthian civil war. The western half of Parthia including Babylon, Ctesiphon, and all of Mesopotamia were captured. Then, revolts ripped across Cyrenaica, Egypt, Cyprus, and Mesopotamia, tearing all of Trajan's conquests out of his hands
Trajan begins his reign in earnest and shows everyone why he deserved the title Optimus Princeps.
Part 1: Unbowed, Unbroken (04:13)
Part 2: Dacia, Round 2 (16:34)
Part 3: Arabia Petraea (29:18)
Part 4: Trajan in Rome (33:31)
Part 5: Sources, Columns (42:02)
This episode seeks to explain what life was like during the First Century in the Roman Empire. I hope you come away with a sense of Rome's vibrancy and energy that helps to color the background as we move forward with the decades
Here's what we're covering this time:
Metals 04:03
Concrete 06:46
Machinery 08:20
Aqueducts 09:58
Sanitation 17:39
Transportation 20:31
Communication 29:04
Population 37:26
Slavery 39:17
Country Life 46:37
City Life 52:22
In this second of three End of Century episodes, we'll discuss a few listener questions.
These questions will take us from discussing the incentives for expansion, the makeup of the legions, the history of a specific location within the city of Rome, a counterfactual about Roman Britain, and what was going on in other advanced civilizations of the world during the first century.
In this first of three End of Century episodes, we'll review what happened over the past 10 decades and talk about two trends.
The last of the Flavians descended into paranoid persecutions. The Senate had always hated him, but in the late years of his reign his household also grew to hate him. In fear for their lives a plot was hatched and Domitian was assassinated.
The Senate was overjoyed. They seized the moment and appointed one of their own to rule as Princeps: Nerva. This Nerva was a competent if not extraordinary member of the senate. The Senate was overjoyed to have one of their own members ruling the Empire. The army and the Praetorians, though, not so much. A year into his reign, the Praetorians broke into the palace and at the point of sword made demands of Nerva. Soon, after, perhaps at their impetus, Nerva adopted Trajan as his son and thus, his successor. Within 3 months Nerva was dead from illness. He had served as a bridge between the Flavians and whoever came next. Trajan was popular with the army and respected by the senate. Over his successful reign he will become recognized as among the best of Emperors.
Part 1: The Descent of Domitian (04:07)
Part 2: The New Atheists (15:10)
Part 3: The End of the Flavians ( 25:38)
Part 4: From Our Own Ranks (30:34)
Part 5: The Good Emperor (39:28)
In 81 AD, Emperor Titus inaugurated the Colosseum with 100 days of games. Not long afterward, he died of disease. His younger brother, Domitian, was then proclaimed as emperor. Domitian gets a lot of flack from the ancient historians, but the people and the army loved him and he administered the Roman Empire well. [Please submit end-of-century questions to 202decades@gmail.com]
Part 1 - The Days of Titus (03:18)
Part 2 - The Years of Domitian (16:14)
Part 3 - Caledonia (32:43)
Part 4 - Meet the Dacians (40:07)
Part 5 - Another Rhineland Rebellion (46:29)
The 70's saw a new dynasty come to power in Rome: the Flavians. Led by Vespasian, their first order of business was in restoring stability, order, and unity to the empire, after the chaotic Year of the Four Emperors.
Part 1 - The Sack of Jerusalem (01:53)Part 2 - The Revolt of the Batavi (23:49)Part 3 - The Flavian (38:00)Part 4 - Vesuvius (54:10)
The 60's were a tumultuous decade for Rome with multiple rebellions and uprisings, a war with Parthia, a great fire, an emperor more interested in playing the lyre than leading the armies, and after his downfall, four emperors in a single year.Part 1 - The Revolt of Boudicca and the Iceni (3:34)Part 2 - The Conclusion of the War for the Armenian Succession (10:01)Part 3 - Nero and The Great Fire of Rome (25:21)Part 4 - The Great Jewish Revolt (41:59)Part 5 - The Year of the Four Emperors (65:16)
Hop on board as we leave Italy and take a tour of the Roman Provinces during the first century.
Here's our Itinerary:
Gaul
Britannia
Hispania
Mauretania and Africa
Cyrenaica
Egypt
Judea
Syria
Anatolia and Greece
Thrace
Moesia, Pannonia, and Dalmatia
Noricum and Raetia
We at 202 Decade Tours hope you enjoy your journey. Please remember, no flash photography, as it may startle the locals.
Claudius rules and rules well. Everyone is saying it. If only he had as much skill with his wives as he died administering the empire.
When the 50's began, Claudius was married to his fourth wife, Agrippina the Younger. She was ambitious and committed to seeing her son become the heir to the empire. When Claudius, indicated his natural son, Britannicus might be his preference for the succession, Agrippina ended Claudius.
You may have heard of this son of Agrippina - his name was Nero. For the first five years as emperor, Nero took little interest in ruling. That was for the best and those years were long remembered for their good governance. But strains began to appear between Nero and his mother. Eventually, when she crossed him one too many times, he ordered her killed. What goes around, comes around, I guess...
The young emperor faced a challenge from the Parthians in Armenia, that initially, went perfectly.
40 - 49 AD
Caligula's reign of cruelty and debauchery rolled on, as the people and the senate lived in fear of the mad emperor. Naturally, plots against Caligula grew. His cruelty finally came back to bite him and he was assassinated by a member of the Praetorian Guard. While the senate debated on what to do next, the Praetorians were busy exterminating Caligula's family. An exception was made, though, for Caligula's uncle, Claudius. He was found hiding behind a curtain, and instead of killing him, he was proclaimed as emperor. The Guard would need a patron who would be malleable their interests and Claudius, who had a reputation for being meek, bookish, and awkward, fit the script perfectly. He was thrust before the Senate, who were informed that their acclimation of Claudius was highly encouraged.
To everyone's surprise, Emperor Claudius turned out to be a pretty decent ruler. He eliminated the harsh trials, taxes, and customs imposed by Caligula. He enriched the city with public works, and he set about expanding the empire.
His most significant contribution to history was the Roman conquest of Britain. In 43 AD, four legions crossed from Gaul to Britain and defeated a powerful Celtic tribe there. Before delivering the killing blow, Claudius arrived, so he could be seen leading the assault. The center of resistance quickly fell, and Claudius soon left to celebrate his triumph back in Rome.
The work of conquering Britain had just begun, though. Roman armies fanned out across the country and subdued the countryside. Occupation began in a small sliver of the southeast, but by the end of this decade, Rome controlled almost a third of the island. It would go on to become a thoroughly Roman place for the next 3 centuries.
Tune in to hear why the conquest of Britain went so differently from the conquest of Germania.
30 - 39 AD
Sejanus is doing what now? Still isolated on his island retreat, Emperor Tiberius finally became aware of the duplicity of Sejanus and began to craft his downfall. Sejanus was taken unaware, accused, convicted, strangled, and thrown down the Gemonian Stairs. Free of Sejanus, Tiberius was now left alone with his paranoia. In 37 AD, on his estate near Naples, Tiberius died, perhaps with the help of a pillow applied to the face by Gaius.
Gaius was the son of Germanicus, who the people of Rome still remembered with admiration. As a young boy, Gaius had grown up in the military camps of his father and had been given the nickname he is remembered by today - Caligula.
Finally rid of the old bore Tiberius, the people and the senate were giddy to have Caligula in charge. And at first, he met their expectations, throwing lavish feasts, festivals, and games. But the partying would have to end at some point, right? And Caligula's dark, twisted comments were just jokes, right? Wrong and wrong. The partying would continue and Caligula's cruelty would soon become apparent to all of the Roman Empire.
Across the Mediterranean, a Jewish man from Galilee was crucified outside Jerusalem under orders from the Roman official. This turned out to be a big deal. That man's following would go on to spread among the Jews, across the Roman world, and beyond.
20-29 AD
Tiberius got off to a rough start with the senate and the people of Rome. The senate had grown accustomed to being led by the master statesman, Augustus. Tiberius couldn't fill those shoes and there was a mismatch of expectations between him and the senate. The events involving the death of Germanicus at the end of the last decade only made the people of Rome hate him, too. They believed Tiberius had played a part in the death of their hero. Alongside these stresses, his family only made matters worse, jockeying and positioning themselves to use him to gain power.
These stresses caused Tiberius to withdraw further and further from the clamor of Rome. He first retreated to an estate south of the city and then permanently relocated to the island of Capri, where he could get some peace.
His go between while away from the city was the leader of the Praetorian guard, Lucius Sejanus. Sejanus carefully twisted and censored the information that reached Tiberius, leading to his own interests being advanced and his enemy's thwarted. He continually rose in power and many supporters. Tune in to see how high this upstart can rise.
North of Egypt and south of Syria lay the region of Judea. The recent history of Judea had been tumultuous and by this decade the region was divided between local and Roman rule. The populace was divided as well, between the Jews, the Roman occupation, and Hellenized Greeks or Syrians. The Jews themselves were split into several competing sects. Out of this chaos a man named Yohanan stepped onto the historical stage. He became renowned for preaching a baptism of repentance. He gathered a huge following who came out to be baptized by him in the wilderness. But in the heated political climate of first century Judea, gathering a following was likely to bring you into conflict with the authorities.
10 - 19 AD
Augustus and the Roman People react in shock to the horrors of the Disaster of the Teutoburg Forest. The heir to the empire, Tiberius, races to the Rhine lands to fortify the area and prevent an invasion of Gaul. He engages in small cautious incursions back into Germania, to keep Arminius' coalition from trying anything. Soon though, Tiberius returns to Rome. The old Augustus can feel his days ending and his power and authority is extended to Tiberius. On the 19th of August, Augustus breathes his last. After his funeral, the senate declares that Augustus, like Julius Caesar before him, was not merely a mortal man, but a god that had walked among them.
Legions in the field use the death of Augustus to bargain for better pay and benefits. To the legions on the Rhine, Tiberius sends his adopted son and biological nephew, Germanicus. This Germanicus gains the loyalty and admiration of the army but doesn't stick to Tiberius' script. Over the course of three campaigns, Germanicus makes extensive raids into Germania and puts the coalition of German tribes under Arminius back on the defensive. There are some close calls, but he emerges from the campaigns having restored the confidence of Rome and having recovered 2 of the 3 golden legionary standards lost at the Teutoburg.
As the heir to the empire, surely Germanicus would achieve even greater things. But that's not what happened. Tune in to find out the fate of Germanicus, the hero of the Roman people.
1-9 AD
Augustus still rules Rome as Princeps. As an old man, he had had the chance to see his most of his great projects through from start to finish. However, three eluded him: improving the morality (and fertility) of the upper classes, finding an adequate successor, and shoring up the boundaries of the empire.
His moral legislation was hated universally and failed to improve even his own daughter's morals.
His search for a successor was interrupted repeatedly by the death of each candidate on his list, until he had to settle, begrudgingly, on his son-in-law, Tiberius.
His work to secure the frontiers of the empire seemed to be going more smoothly. He cleaned up the borders in the Balkans, in Anatolia, and in Spain. When it came to conquering Germania, that wild region across the Rhine from Gaul, things went well at first. For two decades, the process of integration was going about as well as could be hoped in such a remote and decentralized region. But in 6 AD, when several legions had to be pulled away from the Rhine and from Germania, a German named Arminius built a confederation of tribes and seized the opportunity to rid his country from Roman rule.
Pompey and Crassus and Caesar. Antony and Lepidus and Octavian. Two triumvirates were made; the first in secret, the second in the open. Each aimed to bend the Roman state to their will. Each fell apart, and their fall brought civil war.
The civil wars which Sulla had ended began again with Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon and his march on Rome. Pompey fled, resisted, and then was defeated and fled again. Pompey had escaped to Egypt, and was slain; Caesar had followed, and began an affair with Cleopatra. Caesar cleaned up resistance to his rule and then began to rule as Dictator in Perpetuity.
A group of senators could see that unless they acted, Caesar marked the end of the Republic. They gathered conspirators and on the Ides of March they slew Caesar in front of the senate. Always such with tyrants. Their actions marked not the end of civil war, but the beginning of a new round of 13 more years of conflict.
After Caesar's death Antony and Octavian became the two most powerful men in Rome. They divided the Roman Republic between themselves with Octavian controlling much of the west, and Antony controlling the East. Antony went to Alexandria and married Cleopatra and increasingly seemed to be steering his side of the Republic away from the rest. Octavian carefully convinced the senate that Antony had been seduced by the crafty Cleopatra and war on her and her kingdom was declared.
Antony and Octavian met at the Battle of Actium. Octavian's victory ensured the continued unity and Rome-centric nature of the Empire. Antony and Cleopatra retreated to Egypt but they didn't last long. Octavian conquered Egypt, integrating the province and seizing its wealth.
Octavian now stood alone on top of the Roman World. Unlike Caesar, Octavian was careful in his accrual of power. He slowly and tactfully increased his power. While he was lauded as Augustus, he would instead rule for 41 years as Princeps, "First Citizen". Octavian subtly transformed the wreckage that was the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
Hannibal led his army in the legendary crossing of the Alps and defeated army after army sent to stop him by Rome. But no one was able to recover better from a loss than the Romans and they survived and withstood Hannibal's campaigns for years. After clearing the Carthaginians out of Iberia, Scipio lead a Roman army to Africa, to stop the Carthaginians on their home turf. Ultimately failing in his attempt to destroy the Romans, Hannibal had to be recalled home. Scipio Africanus earned his name and defeated Hannibal on his home turf, leading to the surrender of Carthage.
Now with total control of the Western Mediterranean, the Romans turned to the East. Over the course of four wars, they expanded their control over the Greeks integrating their territory and then their culture, into their growing empire.
The expansion of this empire led to massive influxes of wealth, helping the elites in Rome to grow massively rich. The growing divide between rich and poor lead many Romans into destitution. Against the conservative Optimates, other politicians, called Populares, began to clamor for land redistribution and help for the poor. The Optimates violently resisted reforms and force began to be used in place of law. The ingredients for civil unrest were in the pot and with Marius and Sulla, they would boil over into open civil war.
When we talk about Western Civilization, if such a thing ever really existed, Ancient Rome is at its core. First as the thing itself, then as a memory, then as mimicry, and finally as a model - the idea of the lost Roman world haunts all the history of the West.
This episode begins with the Roman Kingdom founded by the fratricidal hands of Romulus. We watch as the small city of Rome throws off its kings, becomes a Republic, and slowly grows to dominate central Italy. It wasn't all growth, though; Rome was nearly destroyed several times, by the Etruscans, the Gauls, and the Samnites. But Rome's persistent and austere spirit saw them overcome all of their neighbors and expand to be a dominant power on the peninsula. A larger sphere of influence meant Rome bumped up against more powerful enemies, though. The Romans repelled the elite Hellenic army under Pyrrhus of Epirus, only to step into an existential series of wars with Carthage. Prologue Part 4.1 ends with the conclusion of the first Punic war.
Prologue Part 4.2 will pick back up with Rome's second war against Carthage.
Alexander the Great's Empire hangs together by a thread. His only heir is his unborn son; already his generals have begun to carve up the Empire for themselves. This is the stage for the wars of the Diadochi, to settle who would be the true successor to Alexander's greatness.
Into this world, a relative of Alexander named Pyrrhus was born. While his role in the wars of the Diadochi would only be peripheral, he serves as a bridge between the Hellenic World and the Rise of Rome.
In 280 BC, Pyrrhus brought an army from Greece over to Italy to put an end to the barbarian Romans for good. As you may have guessed from the future 600+ years of Roman history, he wasn't quite successful.
This episode explores the story of the Greeks from the Greek Dark Ages to the Golden Age of Greece, with particular focus on Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Macedon.
Although disunited, the Greeks resisted conquest by an outside giant. Realizing their strength, they turned on each other in cycle after cycle of violence, even as their arts and culture reached new heights of beauty. But the destruction and bloodshed took their toll, and their strength was sapped. Still, their envy and hubris kept peace and unity from taking hold. Only when the peripheral Macedonians brought them to heel could they unite and channel their strength. Then in a historical instant the Hellenic world expanded in an explosion across much of the known world.
Ever since then, the western world has been captivated by the art, history, culture, and philosophy of the Hellenes.
This episode dives into the ancient world, focusing on the Near East, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Bronze Age Collapse, and what Homer got right.
You'll meet the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Hittites, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Phoenicians, Israelites, Babylonians, and Persians.
This is the second of four prologue episodes to set the stage before the decades narrative begins in 1 AD.
From the first Homo sapiens to the Sumerians, this episode sprints through 200,000 years of prehistory.
It covers the Neanderthals, denisovans, drowned land masses, mesolithic hunter-gatherers, the first farmers, indo-europeans, the Green Sahara, the unification of Egypt, and the first writing.
This is the first of four prologue episodes to set the stage before the decades narrative begins in 1 AD.
Hello and welcome to the 202 Decades of Western History.
This is a new podcast that will cover one decade of history each episode, starting from 1 AD.
In this introduction, I'll convincingly and eloquently persuade you to keep listening to this podcast. You'll find out why the format is one decade per episode, how our perception of the passage of time is warped, and we'll set a few parameters around the huge task of covering the past 202 decades of western history.