We rate the Roman kings according the hallowed criteria defined by the Rex Factor podcast. This is going to be epic!
Category: News
We are thrilled to announce the publication of our first book! Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome is an consideration of the history that the Romans and Greeks told about the early days before the republic. There’s plenty of stories, didacticism, and some very suggestive myths.
We’re celebrating ten years of The Partial Historians podcast with our top ten moments from Roman history so far!
We discuss the very interesting life and times of Julia the Elder, Augustus’ only surviving child with Zaza from the Eurotrash podcast.
This week we were delighted to sit down and chat to one of the most gracious hosts in all of podcast land, Tristan Hughes. Tristan is a historian and podcaster who hosts ‘The Ancients’ on the History Hit network. His show covers a fascinating array of topics. In the latest episode we told him all about the Roman kings and our new book Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome. In this episode, we provide a…
It’s been a huge year and we’re thrilled to announce our forthcoming book ‘Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome’ which will be released in 2023!
In a special interview we explore the foundation of ancient Rome and consider how it compares with ancient Greek foundation narratives.
We were interviewed by Classical Wisdom and the Coffee & Cocktails Podcast! Tune in for Pompeii and Roman sexual practices!
Did you know we’ve been podcasting for 9 years? When we added it up, we were shocked as well because we have just as much fun today as when we started.
We’re giving one lucky fan the chance to win an eco-friendly cotton tote-bag with that celebrates Spurius Furius!
The Women of Early Rome are a fascinating bunch of characters. In this special event, we trace their representation in the ancient sources.
Join us for the the worldwide premiere of a very special new episode of the podcast.
Yes, you will see us on screen!
Yes, we’ll be discussing the women of early Rome!
We are very excited to announce that we have TWO new products available in our Gumroad store. In collaboration with artist Bridget Clarke, we have created printable artwork and teacher resources all about our favourite gal, Agrippina the Younger. In the classroom This project started when we noticed that there are some marked differences in the representation of Agrippina the Younger between the ancient historical accounts and the archaeological sources. We wanted to be able…
In our latest article for Bad Ancient, we explore the claim that “Livia’s ultimate goal was ensuring her son Tiberius succeeded Augustus.”
We have been very fortunate regarding the pandemic Down Under, and many restrictions have recently been lifted. This means that all sorts of entertainment is now on offer again, including the smash musical Hamilton. Dr Rad was lucky enough to attend a recent show at the Lyric Theatre. Controversies in American History For those less acquainted with American history, Alexander Hamilton was born around 1755, and in spite of having an inauspicious start in life,…
At the beginning of this year, we finally got to see The Gladiators vs Spartacus in print. It took a lot of determination and hard work on behalf of Henry MacAdam, as well as co-authors Cooper and Dr Rad, to bring this story to light, so we are delighted to be able to share one of the early reviews with you all. The author of these reviews, Brian Hannan, is a true film buff, with…
‘The Rise and Fall of Agrippina’ poster is a fabulous addition for the Roman history-lover or the high school teacher – just print and enjoy!
It is sometimes claimed that Julius Caesar was the first emperor of Rome. While this was not the case, defining who was the first emperor of Rome is no easy task.
** The Gladiators – The Story of a Lost Hollywood Epic **
Yul Brynner’s film The Gladiators never made it to the big screen, but the story behind its failure is an epic in itself.
Dr Rad’s latest work on this is out now and we’re super excited!
2020 has been quite a year. In our Christmas video we reflect upon the year that was and the connections to the ancient world.
The race to bring Spartacus to the big screen is an epic tale of 1950s Hollywood. Dr Rad explores the rival productions and the intrigue.
We had the great pleasure of presenting a paper at the inaugural Australian Educational Podcasting Conference held online on November 19, 2020. Gretchen McCulloch, the co-host of Lingthusiasm, and New York Times best-selling author of Because Internet was the key note speaker. She set the tone for a fantastic set of conversations about public academics, sound pedagogical practices for bringing expert knowledge to wide audiences. It was an absolute pleasure to catch up with Rhiannon…
Six – The Musical Warning – this article contains spoilers. We take History seriously at the Partial Historians, in the sense that we believe it is important, illuminating and meaningful. Our lives revolve around it and we have dedicated many years to studying it. However, we don’t think that History and a sense of humour, joy and fun are incompatible with any of this. It was therefore an utter delight to attend a performance of…
For our 90th episode, Dr G and I decided to record a special episode on the Australian Ballet’s production of Spartacus. We were honoured when we were contacted and asked if we could produce an article for Classicum based on this podcast. The finished product has just been published, and so the Partial Historians has finally made it into print. We have talked about Spartacus in so many ways over the years, from film to…
Seeing Natalie Haynes Troy Story lecture tonight inspired a little writing and gentle encouragements to read A Thousand Ships 🙂
This is a short blog post designed to accompany the release of the recent History by Hollywood podcast episode that features Dr Rad, which you can listen to HERE. Before the Blacklist In the mid-1920s, a young man from Grand Junction moved to L.A. with his family. For nearly a decade, he struggled to contribute to the family coffers, working in a bakery and dabbling in low-level criminal activities. This decade made him particularly aware of…
We had the great pleasure to talk about podcasting the classics in San Diego in early January. It was the sesquicentennial meeting of the Society for Classical Studies (formerly known as the American Philological Association) and the conference is held jointly with the Archaeological Institute of America. The AIA/SCS conference is a large gathering of academics, postgraduates, and teachers, with not only talks but a range of special events. This year the key note speaker…
We are turning 90, which seems like a good time to take a break and go to the ballet. The Doctors are talking about Spartacus in tights this episode. The ballet version of Spartacus’ life is especially interesting as the production emerged from the other side of the Cold War. Everybody Loves Spartacus – especially the Soviets! The history of the slave revolt was reconsidered a number of times during the turbulent early 20th century…
The gods have been smiling on us for the past year or two. As we have learnt more about the podcasting and popular history game, momentum has been building. One of the highlights has been our collaborations with TED-Ed. Dr G and I have been fortunate enough to contribute to a few projects on Roman History, such as the Vestals, the Emperor Augustus and the newly released Spartacus. Since beginning my postgraduate studies, classical reception…
We are very excited to share the NEW TED-Ed animation on Spartacus, that wily gladiator. Given their lengthy relationship, Dr Rad is especially thrilled to have played a small role in bringing Spartacus’ story to your screens in a new format. This video is based on a range of primary sources about Spartacus and the revolt that he led against Rome between 73-71 BCE. If you are intrigued by this slave revolt, perhaps you would…
That’s right, our merch has launched! We have partnered with Spreadshirt to bring our logo to life – and there will be more to come. If you are partial to our podcast, wearing our shirts will help to spread the word. To celebrate, for 14 days only Spreadshirt will offer a 15% discount – so hurry! Get those Christmas orders in. https://shop.spreadshirt.com.au/the-partial-historians
It’s been an exciting ride so far! This year is a big year for the Partial Historians. Part of the excitement is being in the eternal city to marry the best man I’ve ever known. It just so happens that I fell in love with a Roman. This is truly convenient for a Roman historian and I can highly recommend it. I’m travelling to Rome more frequently than I would ever be able to justify…
History Vs. Augustus Dr G’s collaboration with Alex Gendler and the fantastic team at TED-Ed, is out today! You can check out the the whole lesson and the video here: ‘History Vs. Augustus’. This project builds on primary source material relating to the career of Octavian and the developments over the course of his lifetime. He’s a pivotal figure in the transformation of Rome regardless of whether you consider him the first emperor or not.…
It’s been a big day for the Partial Historians and we want to share our news with you! While we’ve been available through iTunes for a long time, we’ve just branched out and you can now find us on Google Play Music and through Stitcher. Share the Love! Check out our back catalogue on the platform that suits you best. Leave a rating and see us reach for the imperial stars of podcasting like our…
The Colosseum is the most famous example of a Roman amphitheatre and also the largest! The connection between competition, sport, and power is all up for grabs in this special collaboration between the Wonders of the World Podcast and Dr G from our very own Partial Historians. You can hear it all here. Enter Vespasian Stage Right Vespasian comes from a middling political family, who made his name as a commander of troops. So how…
Dr Radness makes a guest star appearance in an episode of the Wonders of the World Podcast hosted by Caroline Vahrenkamp. Herein they discuss Pompeii and Herculaneum! In this special collaboration, Caroline and Dr Radness explore just what happens when Mount Vesuvius erupts in 79 CE. You can listen to the whole episode here 🙂 The combination of the sultry tones of Caroline and the razor sharp intelligence of Dr R is sure not only…
The Partial Historians have a brand new look! Very professional, I’m sure you’ll agree. We send our thanks to Chris Axmann for coming up with this logo which captures the spirit of our partiality. The Venus de Milo The Venus de Milo is a quintessential image of the ancient world. This piece captures the skill of ancient sculptors in a vision of Aphrodite or Amphitrite. Discovered on the island of Melos in 1820, this sculpture…
You always suspected your Arts Degree was valuable, didn’t you? Allow Dr G to put her finger on some of the reasons why 🙂 View at Medium.com
Over the last few months, Dr G has been working with TED-Ed to spread the word about Vestal Virgins. Herein are the fruits of that collaboration! I’m super excited to have been part of this project and bringing the world of ancient Rome to others is a real treat 🙂 This TED-Ed lesson explores one aspect of the Vestals’ lives: the possibility of live burial. You can check out all the details here: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-were-the-vestal-virgins-and-what-was-their-job-peta-greenfield…
We’ve revamped our itunes page! You can listen to all our episodes, subscribe, and leave a review if you’d love to spread the word about Ancient Rome to others 🙂 https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/podcast-the-partial-historians/id637226647?mt=2 That’s us below sending you our best wishes for upcoming episodes!
In the spirit of openness and from a desire to share what I have produced in terms of research, my (Dr Greenfield’s) dissertation is attached below. Handy to have if you want to know more about the Vestal Virgins! Super handy if your looking for more scholarly work on the late Republic and early principate (c. 150 BCE – 14 CE)! Greenfield, P. N. 2011. Virgin Territory – The Vestals and the Transition from Republic to…
Dear Listeners, For the last few weeks, I’ve been traipsing around Italy and getting re-acquainted with all the haunts that are pertinent to my fields of research. So far, the highlights have been: Seeing the frieze of the Vestal Virgins in Palermo. I was very fortunate to have an Italian guide who was able to liaise with the staff at the Museo Archeologico Antonio Salinas. I was granted special access to the frieze as the…
Tweet tweet! At last dear listeners, those most Partial of Peoples, the Doctors themselves, have joined the Twitter universe! Follow us, tweet us and what not – @p_historians We’ll keep you updated on the news of ancient Rome: exciting archaeological finds, articles and analysis of the parallels between Rome and society today and our thoughts about Rome and the material remains left behind.
To our beloved listeners: We have decided to postpone the episode on ancient Roman sex on film (although it will come, oh yes… it will come). Instead, tune in for our next podcast on sex for those who behaved (married ladies) and those who didn’t (prostitutes). Until then!
For those of you who are dying to know more about episode two, we plan to have it ready in a month. Our next topic is going to be right up Dr Greenfield’s alley – the Vestal Virgins. We have picked these women as they didn’t have sex… or did they? Find out next episode!