Category: Podcast

The Partial Historians are Dr Fiona Radford and Dr Peta Greenfield. They are both Roman historians and this podcast follows all manner of topics to do with the ancient Romans.

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422 and 421 BCE see the fall-out of Sempronius’ military disaster with the Volsci. But things are about to get complicated as four tribunes, previous cavalry leaders, emerge as a political force to be reckoned with…

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We were interviewed by Classical Wisdom and the Coffee & Cocktails Podcast! Tune in for Pompeii and Roman sexual practices!

February 10, 2022 /
January 27, 2022 /
January 13, 2022 /
December 16, 2021 /
November 11, 2021 /

Rome is still in the depths in 449 BCE, but there’s been an epic turn of events. Appius Claudius may be dead, but what happens next? We’re here to find out! Importantly, some of our key players in the plebeian set find themselves upgraded to the status of tribune of the plebs. Episode 119 – The Triumphant Return of the Consulship The end of Spurius Oppius It’s not just Appius Claudius who finds himself in…

November 4, 2021 /
October 14, 2021 /
October 12, 2021 /
September 23, 2021 /
September 16, 2021 /

We have been trapped under the tyrannical rule of the Second Decemvirate for too long!

But never fear, listeners. Their day has finally come. In this episode, we finally see the decemvirs overthrown and the office of tribune of the plebs restored. It is a time of non-stop drama!

August 19, 2021 /
August 14, 2021 /

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…

August 12, 2021 /
July 15, 2021 /
June 17, 2021 /

The story of Verginia is an achingly tragic tale central to understanding the Second Decemvirate. Both Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus go into some detail about what happens and how it unfolds and we’ll explore both accounts to compare and contrast them.

June 3, 2021 /
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April 1, 2021 /
March 18, 2021 /
March 8, 2021 /

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…

March 4, 2021 /
February 18, 2021 /
February 11, 2021 /
February 4, 2021 /
January 14, 2021 /
January 2, 2021 /
December 28, 2020 /
December 22, 2020 /
December 17, 2020 /
November 19, 2020 /

It’s 453 BCE and just as Rome seems to be heading towards a legal milestone disaster strikes: it’s a plague! Now plagues are terrible, of that there is no doubt, but how does this influence the path to codification? We’re here to find out. Episode 108 – Plague and Politics The Character of the Plague It is hard to identify the plague with certainty. What is clear from our later written sources is that the…

October 15, 2020 /

We jump into 454 BCE where we start to see the consequences of the events of the previous year play out. It’s hard to get away from our “Roman Achilles” who, in his position as plebeian tribune, levels a charge of “injuring the state” against the former consul Romilius. This sets up a cascade of interesting incidents. Episode 107 – Let the Codification Begin There’s little agreement between our major written sources for this year.…

September 17, 2020 /
August 13, 2020 /

We continue to follow the cause of our Roman Achilles–more formally known as Lucius Siccius Dentatus–in 455 BCE. Dentatus is truly the star of the this period of history from the perspective of Dionysius of Halicarnassus and Dr G has a lot to say about that! Episode 106 – Spoiler Alert What can we glean from a history written long after the fact? Dr Rad takes us through some of the key concerns we face…

July 16, 2020 /

There’s nothing quite like learning that there’s a Roman Achilles! In this episode we get to meet the man behind the legend. Episode 105 – The Roman Achilles Before we jump in, let’s find out where things stand. It’s 455 BCE and our narrative sources have put forward the case that the opening up of the Aventine was an important step under the new collective of ten tribunes. But all is not well on the…

June 12, 2020 /
May 14, 2020 /

We return to the City of Rome in 456 BCE and follow the ongoing domestic struggles that Rome faces in defining herself in terms of transparency at law. Episode 104 – Aventine, Aventine With a new crop of tribunes come some important consequences. While in previous years the tribunes have focused on the goal of ensuring that there is a clear and public way for any Roman citizen to access the laws in order to…

April 10, 2020 /

It’s c. 457 BCE in Rome and in this episode we explore the state of affairs in the wake of Cincinnatus’ dictatorship. Rome’s affairs with her neighbours are not off to a good start. As the City lifts her gaze outward after recent troubles, nearby peoples have taken matters into their own hands. The Sabines and the Aequians are both making bold moves stretching Rome’s attention both to the north and the south.

March 12, 2020 /
February 20, 2020 /

It’s c. 458 BCE and Rome’s troubles culminate in the appointment of a dictator. In this episode we explore the context which leads to the appointment of this emergency position and trace Rome’s progress as she attempts to face enemies on multiple fronts.

February 9, 2020 /

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…

February 7, 2020 /

Dr Rad pays tribute to the late and unmistakable force to be reckoned with, Kirk Douglas. His role in Spartacus and his legacy for Rome on film and Hollywood are legendary.

January 16, 2020 /
December 19, 2019 /
November 28, 2019 /
November 7, 2019 /
October 17, 2019 /

It’s c. 460 BCE and this hectic year in Roman history continues! In this episode we consider Rome in the wake of the sneak attack on the Capitol by Herdonius’ disaffected Sabines. During the challenges of wrestling control back, the Romans lose one of their own. The consul Publius Valerius Pubicola falls in battle. This is a tragic loss and opens the way for Lucius Cincinnatus to return to the narrative. Episode 98 – Cincinnatus,…

October 4, 2019 /

In this special episode, we’re joined by Liz Smith, who has recently completed her doctoral research of the representation of women’s dress in statuary at Macquarie University. Together we’ll trace the threads of evidence for women’s attire in the Roman world. Liz’s research includes the fashion of women’s dress in ancient representations in order to investigate what we can learn about the representation of women. This means considering how representations of women in statuary were…

September 19, 2019 /

We return to our narrative of Rome’s history of its foundation with some surprising Sabines. It’s still 460 BCE, which is an indication of just how complicated Rome’s history is becoming when we read our sources. Both Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus are very focused on the ongoing conflict between the Roman elites and the emerging claims to power from the plebeians. We wouldn’t would to give too many spoilers away, but while the Romans are busy trying to figure out what their internal politics will look like, there might just be an enemy on the horizon!

September 5, 2019 /
August 29, 2019 /
August 6, 2019 /

The conflict between patricians and plebeians continues apace as we explore the political complexities of 460 BCE. Much like a Jane Austen novel, letters and rumours abound in the fair city of Rome… According to the annalist tradition, debate continues to rage about the proposal for clarity around laws and the idea of equality before the law. This leads to an unusual situation: the tribunes from the previous year return to continue pushing for these…

July 4, 2019 /

The complex relationship between the patricians and plebeians is central to our appreciation of the 460s BCE. In this episode we’ll get to consider the complexities first hand with the entrance of Caeso Quinctius (remember this name, he’s going places!). We jump back into the narrative history of c. 461 BCE with our guides of the moment, Livy and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Both are writing long after these events, which means that their accounts leave…

June 6, 2019 /

We return to Rome’s narrative from the founding of City. The year c. 462 BCE ends on a high note with the consuls both gathering honours for their military exploits. L. Lucretius Tricipitinus is awarded a triumph for his successes against the Aequii while T. Veturius Geminus scores an ovatio for his part against the Volscii. As for the title of this episode—’Flesh Rains Down Upon Thee’— well, we wouldn’t want to spoil it, but…

May 15, 2019 /

We return to the fray with the most excellent Rob and Jaime to tackle Dr Radness’ favourite emperor. How will Tiberius fare against the criteria of Totalus Rankium? We’re about to find out! How are we judging Tiberius? Oooo better not to ask me, Dr G, author of this post, because I’m too much of an Augustan fan-girl to answer this question. Okay, okay, here’s how it will work. We’ll discuss Tiberius’ life and career…

April 22, 2019 /

Rome emerges from the year of pestilence and moves straight on to divide and conquer. While this seems implausible, we’re still navigating the tricky gaps in our annalist historians – uncertainty is the name of the historical game at this stage. Welcome to c. 462 BCE! The pestilence ensured the death of both consuls of c. 463 BCE so it’s only after a series of interreges that we stumble into the new consular year. Join…

March 27, 2019 /
March 20, 2019 /
March 13, 2019 /

We’re jumping back into the narrative. The title might be a bit of a giveaway, yes yes, we’ll be talking about … pestilence! But before we get there we need to consider the circumstances. Rome has been having lots of problems with their neighbours, particularly the Aequians and we’ve seen a shift in tactics from Aequians engaging in guerilla style raiding to seeking out the Romans in pitched battle. To say that Rome has been…

February 20, 2019 /