Podcast
Masters of Rome
Hosted by Ben Orlando · EN
Did Caesar really find pirates hidden in a maze of a thousand coves? Did Lucius Cornelius Sulla really end his dictatorship with a parade of prostitutes and street performers? In this podcast I tell the story of Ancient Rome through Colleen McCullough's 7-book "Masters of Rome" series. But more than story telling, I compare what was happening 2,000 years ago to what is happening now. I also do some detective work to see how McCullough's fiction connects to actual events in history. Often the truth is more amazing than fiction.
7episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 7: Marius Sells His Soul For Land
Jun 10, 202100:38:51Tap to summarizeWith the war against the Germans over, Marius returns to Rome. He is quickly outmaneuvered by his enemy, causing him to make questionable choices and allegiances that precipitate his downfall.
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Episode 6: Confronting the Bogeyman
May 18, 202101:43:28Tap to summarizeAfter years of chomping at the bit, Marius finally gets his chance to face down the Germans. To help the cause, Sulla and Sertorius become Roman spies and gain valuable information. But will it be enough to defeat the hundreds of thousands of Germans intent on making Italy their new home?
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Episode 5: The Battle of Arausio
May 1, 202101:32:36Tap to summarizeA man steals more gold than exists in the Roman treasury, and Rome suffers one of the greatest military losses in its history.
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Episode 4: Sweet Justice and a Thousand Letters
May 1, 202101:08:43Tap to summarizeMarius plans a defection from his enemy. Tens of thousands of Roman soldiers continue to die at the hands of incompetent Roman generals. But there's hope.
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Episode 3: The Germans Are Coming
Apr 15, 202100:38:42Tap to summarizeAs Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla begin the war in Africa, hundreds of thousands of Germans begin to invade from the north. And the Roman armies cannot stop them.
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Episode 2: Time Through the Eyes of a Roman
Apr 15, 202100:39:59Tap to summarizeWe begin the series with a Gaius Julius Caesar, but not the Gaius Julius Caesar everyone knows. This is the great Caesar's grandfather, and he has a big problem. The future third founder of Rome, Gaius Marius, also has a big problem. So the two come together and strike a deal which changes history and the foundations of the Roman Empire.
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Episode 1: Julius Caesar, Fact vs Fiction
Apr 15, 202100:30:33Tap to summarizeDid Julius Caesar perform extraordinary military feats at the age of 19? Did young Caesar have an affair with an old Bithynian king to secure an enormous fleet of ships? In this episode we look at one of the stories from Colleen Mccullough's Masters of Rome series, and we do some detective work to connect fiction with fact.
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