The History of Rome

Ad-Free History of Rome Patreon

Become a patron and get the entire History of Rome backcatalog ad-fre, plus bonus content, behind the scenes peeks at the new book, plus a chat community where you can ta

The Storm Before The Storm: Chapter 1- The Beasts of Italy

Audio excerpt from The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic by Mike Duncan. Forthcoming Oct. 24, 2017. Pre-order a copy today!  Amazon

Revolutions Launch

Available at revolutionspodcast.com, iTunes, or anywhere else fine podcasts can be found.

Update- One Year Later

Next show coming soon!

179- The End

The history of The History of Rome...Why the Western Empire Fell when it did...Some thoughts on the future...Thank you, goodnight.  

178- Not With A Bang But A Whimper

In the last few years of the Western Empire a series of Emperors came and went. The cycle finally ended in 476 with the exile of Romulus Augustulus. 

177- The Burning Ships

In 468 the two halves of the Empire combined forces to dislodge the Vandals from North Africa.They failed spectacularly.

176- The Quote Unquote Emperor

From 461-465 the Western Empire was ruled by Ricimer through a puppet Emperor named Libius Severus. Not everyone in the west was supportive of the new regime. 

175- Trying to Take It All Back

From 457-461, Majorian marched around trying to reassert Imperial authority over the provinces while Ricimer remained in Italy. 

174- The Sack of Rome Part II

Following the death of Valentinian III there was an Imperial power struggle in the West. In the midst of this struggle, the Vandals sacked Rome in 455 AD. 

173- The Broken Bow

In the early 450s a string of deaths changed the political dynamic of Roman world. Between 450 and 455 Galla Placidia, Aelia Pulcheria, Atilla the Hun, Flavius Aetius and

172- Showdown

In 451 Atilla the Hun invaded the West. He was repelled by a coalition of forces lead by the General Aetius. 

171- The Gathering Storm

After placating Atilla with yet another indemnity, Theodosius II fell from his horse and died in 450, leaving the Eastern throne vacant.

170- Atilla Cometh

In the 440s, the Huns began to direclty attack the Roman Empire. 

169- Huns and Vandals and Goths, Oh My

In the 430s the Romans dealt with increasingly agressive and confident barbarian tribes living both inside and outside the traditional borders of the Empire. 

168- The Rise of Aetius

In the late 420s AD, the Roman General Flavius Aetius connived and backstabbed his way up the chain of command. 

167- Exploiting the Opportunity

The Emperor Honorius died in 423, leading to a brief civil war between the Theodosian dynasty and a self-proclaimed Imperial regime in Ravenna. 

166- As Long As She's Nice To Look At

Constantius III continued to lead the Western Empire as its defacto Emperor until 421, when he was officially elevated to the rank of Augustus. Unfortunately, this elevat

165- Reviving the Roman Name

Between 412 and 415 relations between the Romans and Goths shifted back and forth between alliance and antagonism. 

164- The Sack of Rome

After failing to secure a deal with Honorius, Alaric sacked Rome in August of 410. It was the first time the Eternal City had been sacked in 800 years.