Episode III.18 – The Second Punic War IV: The Deadlock Years
The Second Punic War spreads into Greece, Sicily, Africa and Spain. The Illyrian Wars and the Macedonian Wars break out. Fabius and Marcellus are not alone among the men who come forward to serve Rome in this moment of need. Publius Cornelius Scipio dies fighting deep in Carthaginian territory in Spain. His son, who will […]
Episode III.17 – The Second Punic War III: To the Defeat at Cannae
Hannibal and his army enter Italy. A series of terrible defeats follow for Rome: Trebia, Trasimene, Cannae, to name just a few. By 216 BC, Roman resilience will undergo its greatest test ever. A few great men will shepherd Rome through this gauntlet: Fabius Maximus, Marcellus, Publius Cornelius Scipio and his son, who will someday […]
Episode III.16 – The Second Punic War II: The War Begins
Hannibal sacks the Roman-allied city of Saguntum. Rome and Carthage officially declare war. The Gauls rebel in northern Italy. Hannibal marches eastward to glory or defeat.
Episode III.15 – The Second Punic War I: A Violent Interlude
This episode covers the fragile peace after the First Punic War, focusing on Carthage’s internal rebellions, Hamilcar Barca’s campaigns in Spain, and Rome’s expansion in northern Italy. It introduces key figures like Hamilcar, young Hannibal, Fabius Maximus, and Marcus Claudius Marcellus, and explains how political, military, and social changes set the stage for the Second […]
Episode III.14 – The First Punic War III – To the Peace of Catullus
Rome fights on until Carthage must beg for peace. Hamilcar Barca and Catullus.
Episode III.13 – The First Punic War II: To the Invasion of Africa
Rome and Carthage come face-to-face for the first time. Carthage sees the war in terms of profit and loss. Rome sees only the matter of honor. The Romans dare to build a fleet to cross the ocean that belongs to their enemy and to bring the war to Carthage.
Episode III.12 – The First Punic War I: Prelude to War
Hiero of Syracuse is the unknowing third-wheel in an increasingly vicious relationship between two superpowers. By 264 BC, he is already lost in the background as Rome and Carthage finally square off to decide, not just who controls the Mediterranean, but who owns the future. Every man thinks of Rome at least once per day […]
Episode III.11 – Carthage
A look at the great counterpart of the Roman Republic: Carthage. How the Phoenicians colonized the Western Mediterranean and what little else we can learn about this ancient culture that was destroyed completely by the Romans by the end of the Punic Wars. A meditation on child-sacrifice in ancient cultures.
Episode III.10 – The Conquest of Italy
The Romans expand beyond their central Italian limits. In the 4th and 3rd century BC, they conquer their enemies and allies in central and southern Italy. They are led by consuls like Publius Decius Mus, who sacrificed his own life to give Rome victory. But every Roman soldier shows himself to be both valiant and […]
Episode III.09 – The Early Roman Republic
The stories of three heroes of the early Roman Republic: Coriolanus, Cincinnatus and Camillus. The struggle between the social classes is known as the Conflict of Orders.
Episode III.08 – Introduction to the Roman Republic
In the eighth episode of the Roman series of the Western Traditions Podcast, we embark on a journey back to 509 BC when the Roman Republic was born from the ashes of monarchy. Discover how the Senate, patricians, and consuls shaped the nascent Republic amid a tumultuous landscape of political intrigue and warfare. We delve […]
Episode III.07 – The Roman Kingdom
The seven kings of Rome. Numa Pompilius succeeds Romulus. The line of kings ends with Tarquinius Superbus. Some background on Roman institutions, practices and vocabulary.
Episode III.06 – The Foundation of Rome
The story of Romulus and Remus. With the capture of the Sabine women, Rome expands territorially and biologically. The birth of the glory of Rome.
Episode III.05 – Roman Mythology II: Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Our souls are deathless, but nothing retains its own form. Thus speaks Pythagoras in this long and winding tale that combines ancient myth and history. Through a Roman lens, we read of Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Hercules, Ulysses and more, coming right down to the advent of the Roman Empire.
Episode III.04 – Roman Mythology I: Roman Religion
The gods through the eyes of the earliest Romans. The Indo-European religious inheritance. Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Minerva. The precision and discipline of Roman religious practice. The ties to early Christianity.
Episode III.03 – The Aeneid
Virgil writes of Aeneas and the Trojan origins of Rome. The tale is both distinctively Roman and notably Greek. Heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles are recalled, as are monsters such as Scylla and Cerberus. The relationship between Roman mythology and Greek myths.
Episode III.02 – Introduction to the Roman Origins Unit
The Proto-Indo-European diaspora pours into Italy in the Second Millennium BC. Meet the Etruscans, the original nemeses of the Romans. SOURCES:
Episode III.01 – Introduction to the Roman Empire Series
They say that every man thinks about the Roman Empire at least once a day. But does the Roman Empire still exist? Are there still Roman emperors?