Podcast
The Pax Romana Podcast
Hosted by Professor Colin Elliott · EN
The assassination of Julius Caesar 2,000 years ago unleashed a wild era of Roman emperors, dark conspiracies, intense battles, economic booms and busts and profound religious shifts. Was this truly the Roman Empire's golden age? On the weekly Pax Romana Podcast, Historian Colin Elliott brings gripping stories from Roman history to life. Dive into history starting in episode 1 , or pick your poison from our catalogue: the birth of the empire in the Age of Augustus, Nero's Great Fire, the rise of Christianity, the wisdom and wars of Marcus Aurelius or the military chaos of the third century AD.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Did Ancient Romans Trust Their Own Money? - The Pax Romana Podcast
Apr 2, 202500:15:24Tap to summarizeDid Romans trust their money? Roman officials required legal exchange rates, but not everyone obeyed them--especially when mints adulterated or debased precious metal coinage. Only scant evidence of rebellion survives, but there are hints that show Romans inventing new conventions--some quite elegant. How overt was monetary defiance? Marcus Cornelius Fronto, famed rhetorician and tutor to Emperor Marcus Aurelius, once told the emperor in a letter: “Cleave to the old coinage”. Romans trusted coins when they were reliable, but were skeptical of newly debased coin .
Transcribe →Was the Assassination of Julius Caesar Justified? - The Pax Romana Podcast
Mar 26, 202500:19:29Tap to summarizeOn March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar, appointed dictator for life, was assassinated by senators led by Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius. Caesar’s dictatorship, his military conquests, populist reforms and unprecedented power seemed like the style of monarchy the Republic was meant to guard against. The conspirators against Caesar justified the killing as a constitutional defense against tyranny. Yet, their motives were questionable, and the outcome of the assassinate simply led to more tyranny. So was the assassination of Julius Caesar justified?
Transcribe →Why Did Rome Conquer Gaul? - The Pax Romana Podcast
Mar 18, 202500:17:10Tap to summarizeIn 58 BC, Julius Caesar embarked on a campaign that transformed Gaul—modern France, Belgium, and beyond—into a Roman province . What propelled this conquest? Strategic fears had long haunted Rome, from the Gallic sack of the 390s BC to Germanic pressures across the Rhine. Economic prospects tantalized as well. Yet Caesar’s ambition loomed largest, and his victories reshaped what had been a frontier into the Roman Empire’s heartland.
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