The Ancients28 Sep 2023

Roman Emperors with Mary Beard

When examining the role of the Emperor within the Roman Empire, it is often easier to focus on the individual rather than the role itself. With contrasting personalities such as Marcus Aurelius and Caligula occupying the position, it becomes challenging to identify commonalities among Roman emperors. But when you examine the role itself and the responsibilities involved - it might be easier to find commonalities between the individuals than first believed.

In this episode, Tristan welcomes Professor Dame Mary Beard to the podcast to delve into the enthralling world, and immense responsibilities of the Roman Emperor. By exploring those at the pinnacle of Roman society, they unveil the realities of life for those at the top and how intricate dynamics influenced everything from the Senate to the justice system and dinner parties. Investigating the expectations of everyday citizens regarding the Emperor, and looking at whether this relationship was genuinely beneficial for both parties - what can we learn about the Roman Emperors, and are they more similar than history leads us to believe?

You can order Mary's book HERE.

The Ancients has been nominated in the History category at the Signal Awards! Help us win Gold by casting your vote here!

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code ANCIENTS. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(661)

The Gospels: Are They Historical?

How much can we really know about the historical Jesus? The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have shaped Christianity for nearly 2,000 years, but they were written decades after the events they...

27 Sep 1h 3min

Maya Hieroglyphs Decoded

Forget everything you thought you knew about the ancient Maya. Cracking their mysterious hieroglyphs didn't just reveal boring calendars, it exposed a cutthroat, Game of Thrones-style world of rival s...

24 Sep 48min

Human Sacrifice in Ancient Britain

WARNING: This episode contains descriptions of graphic violence from the start.When we picture human sacrifice in ancient Britain, the iconic, flaming Wicker Man often comes to mind. But how much of t...

20 Sep 1h 1min

Ice Age America: The Clovis Culture

Before the mammoths disappeared, people hunted them across Ice Age America. Armed with distinctive stone spear points, the mysterious Clovis culture left behind traces of a world filled with giant bea...

17 Sep 57min

The First Punic War

How did the Romans ambush a massive Carthaginian fleet from behind a Sicilian island to win one of history's fiercest sea battles? For over 20 years, Rome and Carthage fought a brutal war for supremac...

13 Sep 1h 1min

Iron Age Ireland

How much of Iron Age Ireland is myth, and how much is archaeological reality? At the monumental Hill of Tara, sacred kings ruled over a landscape steeped in ancient ritual and ancestral memory.Tristan...

10 Sep 52min

Human Origins: Did We Begin in Africa?

The story of human origins is often imagined as a simple journey from Africa, but is the truth actually much messier? Tristan Hughes and leading palaeoanthropologist Prof. Chris Stringer dismantle the...

6 Sep 58min

Egypt's Lost Cities

What happens when an entire city disappears? Beneath the sands and wetlands of Egypt lie the remains of forgotten cities that once stood at the heart of one of the ancient world’s greatest civilisatio...

3 Sep 59min