The Doctors pursue the different elements coming to the fore in the 490s BCE by looking at a little more detail at the development of the position of aedile, and the significance of the fetiale priests in matters relating to war, peace, and oaths.
And no episode looking at this period would be complete without more on the developing career of Coriolanus!
Hear it all here:
Episode 63 – Aediles, Fetiales, and Coriolanus
Thomas Lawrence 1798 ‘John Philip Kemble as Coriolanus in “Coriolanus” by William Shakespeare
Dear Doctors:
I’ve had the time, and the good fortune, to enjoy both episodes on the events and the personalities at the time of Coriolanus. Brava! for bringing this obscure period to life in your inimitable ways. Listeners may be glad to know that if you eventually reach the last century of the Roman Republic these same issues of class struggle and national identity will surface again in the Social War of the 80s and the militarization of Roman politics.
May I offer a suggestion? Your are both interested in Rome on stage, and Rome on film, as evidenced by recent podcasts on the films “Trumbo” and “Hail Caesar!” Why not integrate that interest by mentioning plays and films (e.g.) about Coriolanus. The fairly recent big screen production of the Shakespeare play set in modern times (it stars, inter alia, Ralph Fiennes, Gerald Butler, and Vanessa Redgrave) would be a case in point.
At any rate, keep up the great work. I hope I live long enough to see what you do with the end of the Republic. I’ll leave the Empire to another generation of listeners!!!
All best wishes,
Henry MacAdam
Dear Henry,
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement! At the risk of ensuring our project ends not with the fall of Rome itself, but our own mortal decline (I know, I know), we’ll have a look into some productions of the major players as we go along. We haven’t quite finished up with Coriolanus yet, but I (Dr G) for one am quite interested in the intersections between our Roman luminaries and the work of the Bard.
Best wishes,
The Partial Historians