The Partial Historians

Dr Emma Southon is no stranger to this show, but just in case you have somehow missed her many previous appearances, here’s what you need to know!

Emma holds a PhD in Ancient History and is the author of a number of fabulous books about the ancient world. This includes: A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Agrippina: Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore. Not only a writer, Emma also co-hosts the History is Sexy podcast. Besides all this, she’s an all round fabulous human and cat-lover.

In this episode, we were fortunate enough to chat to her about her latest book, Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire - or, if you are based in the US, the alternative title is Not Built in a Day: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire.

Along with deep research into the source material, Emma considers the emotional experience of being an enslaved person in various contexts within the Roman world. This can be a challenging topic to study, and not only because of how truly awful it was. We just don’t have as much as we would like from the perspective of enslaved people, or about their lives in general. Enslaved people were not considered to be suitable subjects for long biographies.

Things to Look Out For:
‘Best’ and ‘worst’ case scenarios for an enslaved person
How slavery evolved throughout Rome’s history
Resistance to slavery
Manumission
Freedmen and women
Family relationships
Slave rebellions (hey Spartacus!)
Some of the most appalling behaviour we have seen from the Romans yet!

You can add Servus: How Slavery Made the Roman Empire to your bookshelf now! Sold wherever good books are sold, and of course we suggest supporting independent booksellers.

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/

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Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome
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It is 386 BCE (maybe?) in Ancient Rome and once more Livy is providing our underlying narrative for events. The timeline is pretty confusing in this decade.

All Hail Camillus!

Whilst the tribune of the plebs were still agitating for control of the Pomptine territory, there was remarkable harmony between the patricians who were appointed as military tribunes with consular power. Camillus had been voted into power, and the rest of his colleagues decided to fall in line and follow his lead, especially once it became clear that war was on the horizon.

The Romans would have liked to teach their former allies, the Latins and Hernici, a lesson. The Etruscans also seemed to be up to something. However, it would end up being the Volscians who attracted Rome’s attention. According to some “fugitives” who showed up in Rome, problems were arising in Antium, a very important Volscian coastal town. It was time for Camillus to get down to business. The Romans were not ignoring warnings any more after everything that had happened with the Gauls! Lesson learned.

All Systems Are Go
Camillus went into war preparation mode, organising three forces under his fellow military tribunes. One section of the army would serve under Camillus himself and his sidekick Valerius, one would keep a lookout for any attacks from the Etruscans, and the final section, made up of the men who were too old or decrepit to serve anywhere else, would guard the city itself. The Senate and the Roman people were filled with positivity, not only because Camillus was an angel sent from heaven, but because of this amazing display of teamwork. Why can’t elite dudes always be this selfless?

With that sorted, Camillus and Valerius were off to Satricum, where some of the troublemakers from Antium were gathering up some Volscian forces and also a large number of ‘volunteers’ from the Latins and Hernici. Ouch! The Romans were devastated to see that their former allies would do them dirty like that!

Throwing the Standard
Camillus knew these sad sacks in front of him were not going to be able to secure victory - not unless they had one of the best pep talks in HISTORY! Jumping on his horse, Camillus delivered immortal words: “Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you’re part of this team!” But he could not stop with mere words. Actions are what count. Camillus ended his speech by leading the charge himself, either dragging the nearest standard-bearer with him into the fray or throwing the standard into the enemy forces. Baller move, Camillus!

Well, the Romans could not allow the standards to fall into Volscian hands. Suitably inspired, a furious battle ensued. Even with passion on their side, the Romans were still vastly outnumbered. Would they secure another triumph for Camillus? And would he then be able to finally turn his attention to the root of the problem, Antium?

Join us to learn all about Camillus’ history, and a bit about Rome too.

Things to Look Out For:

Sad, sensitive little Roman soldiers
A remarkably easy siege
Betrayal upon betrayal!
Dr G’s jet lag - she’s a trooper!
Dr Rad realising that maybe it was meant to be Hernicans (not Hernicians) all this time?
An archaeological find that makes Livy look like a GENIUS historian - just saying!

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

Support the show
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Read our books
Rex: The Seven Kings of Rome
Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire
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n this special episode we’re joined by Josh Cannon who holds a PhD in near eastern languages and civilizations from the University of Chicago. Prior to this, Josh was a member of the US Marine Corps and served in two tours of Iraq as an Arabic cryptologic linguist. We sat down with Josh to chat about his book Fatal Second Helen: A Modern Veteran’s Iliad which brings together his lived experience of military service with the ideas that emerge from Homer’s epic poem.

Things to listen out for
Modern versus ancient conceptions of glory
The power of translation to inspire
Connections between near eastern mythology and Homer’s Iliad
The shared stories of the Hittites and the Ionian Greeks
The way the consequences of modern warfare can help us understand the depictions of warfare in the ancient world better

Books and scholars mentioned in this interview
Epic of Gilgamesh - There are many translations of this epic, one of the most recent is that of Simon Armitage

Translations of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
Robert Fagles - The Iliad (1998)
Robert Fagles - The Odyssey (1996)
Richard Lattimore - The Iliad
Stanley Lombardo - The Iliad (1997)
Emily Wilson - The Odyssey (2017)
Emily Wilson - The Iliad (2023)
Spartan poet Tyrtaeus
Bachvarova, M. R., From Hittite to Homer: The Anatolian Background of Ancient Greek Epic (2016, Cambridge University Press)
Carolina López-Ruiz, When the Gods Were Born: Greek Cosmogonies and the Near East (Harvard University Press, 2010)
Patrick Shaw-Stewart’s untitled poem “I saw a man this morning”
Jonathan Shay, Achilles in Vietnam: combat trauma and the undoing of character (2004, Scribner)
Martin West, The East Face of Helicon: West Asiatic Elements in Greek Poetry and Myth (1999, Oxford University Press)
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
Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire
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The late republic of Rome is a tumultuous time in more ways than one and it opens up the possibility for elite women to be part of Rome’s political project in more overt ways than previously recorded in the ancient evidence. It is this milieu which is the launching point for Kaarina Parker’s debut novel Fulvia, which takes us into the world of the elite Roman women through the eyes of one of the biggest movers and shakers, Fulvia.

As the wife of several high profile Roman men during her life, Fulvia's place in history is significant and by offering a fictionalized account of her world, Parker provides a gateway into the extremely interesting political machinations that were part of the last century of the Roman republic.

Fulvia’s marriage stand as a record of her influence… Parker’s novel navigates Fulvia’s arrival in Rome and her first marriage to Publius Clodius Pulcher. The next novel
in the duology will explore Fulvia's life as she goes on to have marriages with Gaius Scribonius Curio and Marcus Antonius.

Join us as we consider the historical sources that have inspired Parker’s novel as well as the important idea of maintaining separation between history and historical fiction.

Texts mentioned in this interview:
Parker mentions Dr Jane Draycott’s book on Fulvia: Fulvia: The Woman Who Broke All the Rules in Ancient Rome and we also have an interview with Draycott on Fulvia, which we recommend you check out to if the details of Fulvia’s life intrigue you.
Dr G mentions Colleen McCullough's Master of Rome series as a point of comparison with Fulvia.

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
Your Cheeky Guide to the Roman Empire
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It’s 387 BCE and Rome is working on getting back of her feet. What’s even happening in Rome? It can be hard to tell because of the nature of the extant sources and just how much seems to be missing. The Gallic Sack casts a long shadow over Rome, it was just a couple of years ago but the consequences of the situation linger. Livy notes that Rome is continuing its rebuilding program.

Land Allotment Anyone?
If there’s one thing you can count on in this era, it’s the cyclical focus on war and land allotment. And we have a tribune of the plebs on the record, which is a hint that there’ll be agitation for agrarian reform. We know this has a literary legacy for our late Republican writers like Livy, but that’s not to say that there wasn’t a need to reform in the middle republic. Enter stage right: the Pomptine Marshes!

A Temple to Mars
Back during the conflict with Gauls, the Romans had vowed to establish a temple to Mars. And we’re finally up to the dedication of the temple in 387 BCE. This is an exceptionally important event for the Romans as it is way of cementing their relationship with Mars. A temple requires some specific activities to establish and seems to have involved the duumvirs for the sacred things.

Side Quest: Carthage
Did you know that Carthage invaded Italy in 387 BCE? Neither did we, but here we are. The rivalry between the Carthaginians and the Sicilians is starting to hot up but unfortunately a quick plague makes everything very unpleasant.

Things to listen out for:
Volscians and Aequians just over the horizon
Who can fix it? Bob the Builder
Livy and the post-Gracchan world
An increased interest in ensuring divine favour
It’s time for an interregnum!
The Sibylline Books and their contents
New tribes for the Romans?
A Sardinian and Libyan revolt?
Four new voting tribes: Stellatina, Tormentina, Sabatina, and Arniensis

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.