Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: New Books Network

Episode: Caillan Davenport, "Behind Caesar's Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors"

Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher

Guest: Professor Caillan Davenport

Release Date: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

This engaging episode spotlights Professor Caillan Davenport’s work Behind Caesar's Back: Rumor, Gossip, and the Making of the Roman Emperors (Yale UP, 2026), a groundbreaking look at how everyday talk—rumor and gossip—shaped the perceptions and realities of Roman imperial power. Dr. Miranda Melcher and Prof. Davenport explore the surprising historical recoverability of popular discourse in ancient Rome, analyzing how informal communication became a crucial element of both politics and society.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Motivation for the Book

• Davenport’s Interest: His fascination began early with Roman history and depictions of the Emperors like “I, Claudius.” However, he grew critical of how recurring tropes and salacious stories repeated in emperor biographies failed to analyze what those stories revealed about popular attitudes and the concept of “the emperor” itself.
  • "I found some dissatisfaction with the way in which people were writing biographies of Roman emperors ... the same types of stories kept on coming up again and again, no matter who the emperor was." (01:29, Davenport)

2. Defining Rumor vs. Gossip

• Rumor: Enacted when people lack complete or trustworthy information—makes sense of uncertainty, often shaped by preexisting biases.
  • "Rumors are sense-making... when the information that we do get is not trusted ... They actually conform to our own prejudices and preconceptions." (02:57, Davenport)
• Gossip: Evaluative character talk—judges behaviors, bodies, appearances, often seen as frivolous but revealing societal standards.
  • "Gossip, on the other hand, is what we call evaluative character talk ... The way in which we gossip actually tells us about our own social mores." (02:57, Davenport)

3. Why Rumor & Gossip Mattered in Rome

• Both are key to understanding how Romans thought, especially during moments of crisis or uncertainty (war, succession, taxes).
• Rumor and gossip were not trivial—they functioned as accessible forms of political engagement, especially with the Emperor becoming the focus of political power.
  • "People talking about the Emperor and what he might do is a form of politics because the emperor is making the laws ... What people said about him was, therefore, political communication." (07:07, Davenport)

4. How We Know: Excavating Roman Gossip

• No time machine: Evidence comes from written records that preserve traces of orality:
  • Letters: Manuscripts and papyri from places like Egypt
  • Graffiti: Public wall writings, often conversational in tone
  • Sermons: Christian period, reflect current affairs
  • Historians/Biographers: E.g. Suetonius’ anecdotes, Tacitus' recollections, Ammianus Marcellinus’ firsthand accounts
• Historians must sift for "nuggets" of popular chatter within elite texts.
  • "I've worked hard to try and excavate nuggets of orality from [historians] ... to make a case for being able to excavate oral discourse, rumor and gossip from the ancient Roman Empire." (09:32, Davenport)

5. Mechanisms of Rumor and Official Communication

• Official News: Travelled via messengers on the cursus publicus (imperial postal system), by sea, read aloud publicly, then posted in central places.
• Rumor: Travelled through the same networks—ships, travellers, letter chains—but with "black spots" and delays. Literacy rates meant news and rumors both spread orally.
  • "You might not hear about an Emperor's deposition until 100 days later ... Rumor tended to flow the same way." (13:15, Davenport)

6. Content of the Rumors: Violence, Taxes, and Sex

• Violence: Persistent fears the emperor could unleash force or commit atrocities, even in remote areas, rooted in mythic and religious traditions associating rulers with godlike power and caprice.
  • “The idea that the Roman emperor can use force, violence, and that he can do so at his whim is so prevalent in the rumours.” (17:42, Davenport)
• Escalation to Protest: Rumors led to collective anxiety and sometimes open protest or even violent mass reprisals from emperors, e.g., Caracalla’s massacre in Alexandria.
  • “When people spread rumors, they come together as a community ... we do see protests, particularly in major cities…” (20:39, Davenport)
• Sexual Politics & Appearance: Concerns about imperial lineage made the emperor’s (and his family’s) sexuality a hot topic, as did physical appearance—subject to interpretation as signs of character and fitness for rule.
  • “There is this sense of we want to laugh at physical imperfections ... what people looked like was thought to reveal their character as well.” (23:00, Davenport)

7. Rumors about Succession and Impostors

• These stories (e.g., about “dead” emperors returning) cluster in periods of uncertainty, not equally frequent. The shift to a more volatile system saw fewer “impostor” stories, as usurpation became more routine.
  • “There are clusters of these sort of stories ... when Nero, the last of Julio Cordian dies. It's sort of like what's happening, what's happening now?” (28:19, Davenport)

8. Imperial Reaction to Rumor

• Range of Strategies: From dignified silence to engagement (e.g., Augustus, Claudius’ public defenses).
  • “Augustus really sets the tone ... he actually answers [pamphlet slanders] and circulates his own. ... Claudius ... gave a speech addressing gossip that he was particularly stupid.” (32:33, Davenport)
• Legislation: Building restrictions to keep gossip away from palace walls; Constantine solicited reports on provincial opinion.
• Emperors feared rumor’s power—sometimes retaliated violently, further feeding cycles of rumor and fear.

9. Continuity and Change Across Rome’s History

• Despite changes in regime, religion, and era, the rumor/gossip networks remained crucial.
• Continuities: Methods of dissemination, conceptualization of the ruler, the public’s role in judgment persisted.
• Changes: Christianization introduced new topics (heresy, Christian morality), new roles for bishops as imperial critics.
  • “There are clear continuities there, but there are some changes as well. ... So this sort of led to increasing punishment as well.” (35:41, Davenport)

10. Author’s Next Project

• Davenport is embarking on a comparative study of monarchy across ancient Mediterranean states, moving from the Bronze Age to the medieval period, to explore why monarchy predominated.
  • “We often think of the Roman Republic or Athenian democracy as the shining achievements ... but in their own time, they were really quite strange forms of government ... I sort of want to trace a thread about why monarchy remains so predominant...” (40:37, Davenport)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Political Engagement through Talk:
  "The fact that people are gathering in cities, in the streets, in amphitheaters, in horse raising arenas and talking about these things, they are passing judgment on the Emperor and his decisions." — Davenport (07:07)

• Rumor, Prejudice, and Politics:
  “Rumors... don’t just come out of nowhere. They actually conform to our own prejudices and preconceptions.” — Davenport (02:57)

• Violence and Imagination:
  “The idea that the emperor could punish his people, that he would do so violently... is surprisingly prevalent.” — Davenport (17:42)

• Gossip as Societal Mirror:
  “There is enjoyment in swapping gossip... but they actually evaluate people as we do it.” — Davenport (02:57)

• Rumor into Protest:
  “When people spread rumors, they come together as a community... And so we do see protests, particularly in major cities.” — Davenport (20:39)

• Rumor’s Power Recognized:
  "Emperors cared what people said ... Augustus really sets the tone for this ... Claudius is known to have given a speech addressing gossip..." — Davenport (32:33)

Key Timestamps

• 00:05 – Host introduction, book context
• 01:29 – Davenport's background and motivation
• 02:57 – Rumor vs. gossip: definitions and importance
• 07:07 – Political significance of popular talk
• 09:32 – Methodology: how to recover Roman gossip
• 13:15 – Mechanisms of rumor/news transmission
• 17:42 – Content: rumors of violence, imperial fears
• 20:39 – Mass protest, rumors as political action
• 23:00 – Gossip about sex, appearance, and character
• 28:19 – Rumors of succession, impostor-emperors
• 32:33 – How emperors reacted to and managed reputation
• 35:41 – Continuity and change: pagan vs. Christian rumor
• 40:37 – Davenport’s next project: broader history of monarchy

Tone & Language

The episode is conversational, scholarly, and accessible, blending clear exposition with historical storytelling. Davenport’s explanations are vivid, rich in anecdote and evidence, offering listeners not only facts but a sense of the intrigue and human texture of the ancient world.

Summary

For listeners curious about how societies govern power, manage uncertainty, and craft political realities, Behind Caesar's Back—and this episode—illuminate the deep importance of rumor and gossip as tools of sense-making, social control, and political engagement. Far from trivial, these ancient conversations shaped the destiny of empires, and echo in the way information shapes societies even today.