We had so much fun presenting our session at the Intelligent Speech Conference this year. Intelligent Speech started back in 2019 and became an online event when… well, you know. The good thing about it being online is that anyone and everyone can present or attend – wherever they are in the world! Even whenever, since all the sessions are recorded.
Rubbing online shoulders with the hosts of shows such as Ancient History Fangirl, History on Fire, and Footnoting History was a real thrill. The theme this year was ‘Contingencies: When History Meets the Back-up Plan’.
Augustus and his many failed attempts to secure an heir sprang immediately to mind, and so ‘An Heiry Question: The Thorny Issue of the Augustan Succession’ was born!
We ran through the many deaths that threw a spanner in the works for the first princeps of Rome, finishing with a counterfactual. What might have happened if ANY of Augustus’ plans had worked? What if he did manage to establish his Julian dynasty?
A slide showing Plan F: Operation Bridesmaid (Tiberius) from our presentation
History could have been very different without those Claudians in the mix!
We are very grateful for the all of the organisation and volunteering that went into staging this conference, as well as to all of the people who attended.
Dr G in her costume for the Intelligent Speech conference!
Be First to Comment