The Partial Historians

It’s time for everyone’s favourite topic - gladiators! But this time, they come with a twist. We’re chatting about gladiators in the Greek world with the extremely knowledgeable Alexandra Sills.

Who is Alexandra Sills?
Alexandra Sills holds a BA in Classical Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London and an MA in the Classical Mediterranean from the University of Leicester. Alexandra’s MA dissertation was awarded the Mark Pluciennik Prize in Archaeology and Ancient History. She specialises in spectacle, classical reception and public-facing history. Alexandra is a qualified member of the Institute of Tourist Guiding and a certified City of London Guide and the host of the Ancient History 101 podcast.

If a lot of this sounds very familiar, that’s because this is not the first time that we have had Alexandra on this show! Check out our previous episode on Gladiator II. Today we are following Alexandra into the arenas in the Greek world to celebrate the release of her new book - aptly titled, Gladiators in the Greek World: How a Roman Blood Sport Took Ancient Greece by Storm. Trust us, you will not want to miss out on this one. It is immensely readable, and Alexandra’s research busts a lot of myths that have developed about the lives of these men. Order your copy now!

Thinks to Look Out For:
The arrival of gladiators in the Greek world
How the Greek felt about gladiators
How the concept of arete related to Greek gladiators
The status of Greek gladiators
The locations for gladiatorial combat in a Greek world
How gladiators are actually like Tim Tams (for Australians, anyway)
For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/

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After nothing but the uber-patrician Camillus for a long time, a plebeian hero seems long overdue. Welcome to what is essentially the first part in our mini-series on the rise and fall of Marcus Manlius Capitolinus.

Patrician Turned Demagogue
Marcus Manlius Capitolinus already had quite the reputation in Rome by 385 BCE (circa!). Aside from the usual patrician accomplishments, he had been the only one to wake to the sound of distressed geese when the Gauls attempted to ascend the Capitoline and kill the defending Romans in their sleep. Thanks to him, there was soon a pile of scrambled Gauls at the bottom of the hill and the Capitoline remained under Roman control.
But that had been years ago. Was he feted everywhere he went now? Where was the endless confetti falling from the sky? Where were the statues in his likeness? And why did everyone think Camillus was so amazing? The green-eyed monster was driving the Manlius train, and it drove him straight into the arms of the plebeians.
Manlius decided to befriend the plebeians, choosing fame over what was “right” (and by that, we are assuming our sources mean, right for an elite dude). There was always lingering tension between the patricians and plebeians, as our listeners well know. However, in 385, debt was once again an issue, probably as so many people had to borrow money to rebuild their houses after the Gallic sack. Manlius took up their cause, decrying the hideous situation that so many decent Romans found themselves in. The injustice!

The senate did not like the way this was going, so they decided it was time to appoint a dictator. And no, they did not choose Camillus. We will give you some time to pick yourselves up off the floor.

Aulus Cornelius Cossus
The dictator they chose was from a distinguished family - just the kind of guy who would be able to keep a lid on this Manlius situation. But it would not make any sense to openly say that was the reason for his appointment. Instead, the senate claimed they needed someone to deal with the many enemies the Romans were surrounded by. That would be the Volscians, and then a bunch of people who were SUPPOSED to be their friends - Latins, Hernicans, and even some ‘colonists’ from Circeii and Velitrae.
Cossus and his trusty master of the horse, Titus Quinctius Capitolinus, quickly assembled an army. Nothing will keep people’s mind off their crushing debt more than a victory! With the gods on their side, Cossus and Quinctius secure just that, with remarkable ease - no javelins needed.
With the Volscians put in their place, Cossus could finally turn his attention to Rome’s treacherous allies, who magically keep appearing in the ranks of their enemies. But things were getting out of hand in the city…

Shirts Off For Virtus!
Ten points if you guessed that Marcus Manlius was behind the chaos that faced Cossus when he returned. Manlius had interceded when a talented centurion was about to be condemned for debt. The shame that a man who had given so much to his city should be rewarded with a life in slavery! What were those patricians doing, allowing Rome to operate like this?
The gratitude of the centurion towards Manlius, who he dubbed ‘the father of Roman plebeians’, knew no bounds. He told his story to the rest of the people, including his rescue, which naturally involved him taking off his shirt so people could see the scars earned fighting for the state. You know the Romans totally lose it when this happens, so they needed no further convincing - Manlius was, well, the man!
With the plebs firmly behind him, Manlius feels bold enough to call out the patricians. Just when you thought things could not get more controversial! Was Manlius just using the plebeians to get revenge, or was he really a hero of the common man?
For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/

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We sit down with author Alex Gough to learn more about his latest historical fiction series on Mark Antony which spans four volumes and takes a look at Antony’s career and follows him all the way through to his demise. Historical fiction provides a way into the ancient world that marries together research and fills in the gaps in order to bring the past vividly to life.

We explore the research that sits behind the series and consider how the negative source tradition influenced how key figures in the late Republic get represented in a story that focuses on Antony’s perspective (hint: this is a series for the Cicero haters). Gough takes us through some of the details we know about Antony’s early life as well as the influence of the Catiline conspiracy on the shape of politics during Antony’s lifetime.

Gough also takes us through his process and his rules for writing historical fiction. Join us as well learn more about the influences that frames Antony’s life and career and learn more about Gough’s detailed approach to historical fiction. If you enjoy historical fiction, we recommend checking out Gough’s novels! The four novels part of the Mark Antony series are: Caesar’s Soldier, Caesar’s General, Caesar’s Avenger, and Caesar’s Nemesis.
For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/

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Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome
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Ever wondered what it would be like to walk in the calcei of a Roman gladiator? How did gladiators pass their days? Join us and our special guest to find out more!

Harry Sidebottom holds a Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Oxford and is a lecturer in Ancient History at Lincoln College, Oxford. He is the author of two well-known series, Warrior of Rome and Throne of the Caesars, as well as several non-fiction books on Roman history.

His latest book is THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE: A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator (Knopf).

This investigation illuminates the harsh truths about the everyday lives of men who fought to the death in the sandy arena of the Colosseum and breaks down the twenty-four-hour period between the evening before the games and the aftermath. We get to go on a journey as the gladiators train, eat their final meal, process into the arena, the formidable bloody combat, and the sunset after battle.

Things to Look Out For:
Magic and medicine
Provincial gladiators
Rusty - we just stay away from you, Mr Crowe!
The likelihood of surviving the arena
The connection between politics and gladiators

Be sure to grab your copy today and fill the next 24 hours in your life.

Sound Credits
Our music is by Bettina Joy de Guzman.

For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/

Support the show
Patreon
Ko-Fi

Read our books
Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome
Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, we are thrilled to be joined by Laura Jenkinson-Brown (aka Jenks), teacher, writer, and - most famously - the genius behind the website and resources of ‘Greek Myth Comix’ which makes all manner of ancient Greek and Roman ideas and literature engaging and accessible for all learners! Laura teaches Classical Civilisation and Ancient History in the UK, she writes and illustrates pedagogical resources, and is now also a fellow podcaster, producing the show ‘Ancient Geek’. Seriously, if you are an ancient history teacher and have not checked out her amazing resources, you are certifiably insane. There’s just no other way of looking at it.

Laura’s outstanding contributions to the field have been recognised by The Classical Association and the Working Classicists. We are excited to discuss Laura’s amazing new publication You Are Odysseus which shakes up Homer’s epic poem by placing the reader in the centre of the story and all its complexities. Any 80s kids out there who were fans of the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ series? This is that… Homeric style. And if you’re not much of a reader, there is also a podcast version of this creative new take on the ancient classic out now.

Things to Look Out For:
Discussion of how you even begin to create so many different storylines in one book!
Odysseus - a semi-bad boy and why he’s more appealing than Aeneas
The Muses
An unusual childhood friend called ‘Ginger’
And a bit of kleos - would our episode be complete without it?

You can pick up You Are Odysseus and have yourself a Homeric adventure from the comfort of your living room right now. Why not grab it from your local independent bookseller?

Sound Credits
Our music is by Bettina Joy de Guzman.

For our full show notes and edited transcripts, head on over to https://partialhistorians.com/

Support the show
Patreon
Ko-Fi

Read our books
Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome
Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.