Episode Details

In this episode we dig into the details (or lack thereof!) of 425 and 425 BCE. Good news for the plebeians is that when there's not much going on in Rome, they get a chance to just live life a little!

Episode 136 – How the Plebeians Got Their Groove Back

What's in a tribune?

What’s the deal with military tribunes with consular power? We consider the etymology of tribune (the Latin tribunus) to better understand this facet of the political structure. This also means tackling the big question of: who were the magistrates in this period of history and how much can we take from our later writers like Livy and Dionsysius of Halicarnassus?

Games, glorious games!

The time is ripe for Rome to hold games in honour of the gods. There's no battle to be had and diplomacy in the local region seems to be taking a turn for peace. What better time to invite everyone over for some sport and festivities?

Jean-Léon Gérôme 1876. Chariot Race.
This is an imagined scene of a Roman chariot race at the Circus Maximus at the height of Rome's power (we're not up to that point in Rome's history in this episode!). The Circus itself is thought to be significantly old – dating back potentially as early as t