Autocrat- A Roman History Podcast

Today is a day of great rejoicing. Sometime over the past month, we became parents! Say hello to Her Imperial Highness, the Princess Imperial, Duchess of Constantinople and heiress presumptive to the Roman empire.We are very excited, but you may have to bear with us in terms of the schedule as we navigate through the waters of early parenthood. Thank you for your patience!

With the reign of Proca in the rear view mirror, we turn our attention to his two sons- Numitor and Amulius. A murderous plot and a usurpation leads to a young woman being condemned to a life as a Vestal Virgin. However, that doesn't stop her getting pregnant somehow. Oh well, let's put those twin boys in the Tiber...Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. C...

In our main narrative, a certain Italian city state is not far away from being founded. So, let's talk today about the myth of another famous city- Athens- and its beginnings. Expect olive trees, salt springs and a half-snake king whose descendants get up to all kinds of divinity-adjacent tomfoolery.Sources for this episode:TBA

Aventinus and Proca take us all the way down to the 790s BCE. Along the way, we see another hill of a certain famous city gets its name, the city chugs along quietly in the background, and the Herbology teacher from Harry Potter gets a cameo story in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Wait... What was that last part?Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian's Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). Translated by H. White. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ld. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E...

This episode is very, very frightning- me! But Bohemian Rhapsody references aside, we continue our story of the kings of Alba Longa down to 856 BCE. Join us for the arrogance of Remulus, earthquakes, divine punishments, and Cassie's intense dislike of an Alban king called Acrota.Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of S...

Quite a few reigns come and go as we head towards 916 BCE. Perhaps the most noteworthy of them all is that of Tiberinus- who drowns in the Albula river during a battle and becomes a god...Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59- VIII...

Sometimes we like to pause to reflect on what's going on in the world around us at the time of our narrative. Well, at around about the time our Alba Longan kings are ruling, the narratives of the Old Testament and Josephus have David and Solomon ruling over Israel! Let's examine the shenanigans going on in the courts of Hebron and Jerusalem, starting with David and working through twenty generations until the fall of Judah in 581 BCE...NOTE: The sources used for the family tree made for our logo are listed in the description...

From about 1030 BCE, all of our sources about Alba Longa and its kings crumble into disagreement. Get ready for tales of heirs saving puppies in housefires, three kings at once, and whether the recording room of Autocrat is still haunted.Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Vol. I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of Hist...

He's finally here! Aeneas II of Alba Longa! Long may he reign gloriously! Get ready for mighty battles, great conquests, soaring triumphs and... what's that? Ovid, Livy and Cassius Dio want to have a word? Well of course, I- what do you mean the history books are empty?Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard Univ...

Pausing our narrative with the death of Silvius in 1111 BCE, we follow his exiled younger son Brutus, who winds up in Britain after a series of Odyssey-style adventures and becomes its first king. His family will rule Britain for centuries according to the mythological narrative of Geoffrey of Monmouth, taking us all the way to the epoch of Rome's founding before we circle back next week to deal with Aeneas II...Sources for this episode:Baker, R. (1670), A Chronicle of the Kings of England. London: Printed for George Sawbridge.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman Hi...

With Ascanius gone, his half-brother Silvius- the posthumous son of Aeneas and Lavinia- steps into the narrative. This week on Autocrat, a contested royal election, murky regency timelines, and the podcast hosts declaring war on Titus Livius.Would you be interested in a discussion on what the historical founding of Rome was like outside of its mythological origins? Let us know!Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volu...

Alba Longa is here! Pig City! Or Long White City. Or Longtown... The etymology is disputed. As is pretty much everything else from the reign of Ascanius! Join us for revisions of our timeline from episode 77, a wine obsession on the part of Dionysus of Halicarnassus, and far too much of our Auto-cat Felix disrupting recording.Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Vol. I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and...

Everyone has their time come sooner or later- and that time has come for Aeneas. The new king of the Latins shuffles off this mortal coil, either to die and head down to Hades, or else to transform into the god Indiges. Either way, it's time for us to leave a character we've accompanied since the Iliad behind and travel on with his descendants!Sources for this episode:Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The...

Now that we have finished the Aeneid- and indeed the epic narratives surrounding the Trojan War- we pause the narrative for a quick intermission before we finish off Aeneas. So, join us for three more stories of Greco-Roman protagonists founding nations of their own!Sources for this episode:de Ronsard, P. (1572), Les Quatre Premiers Livre de la Franciade, au Roy Tres-Chrestien, Charles, Neufieme de ce nom. Paris: Gabriel Buon.Hoffman-Beckering, D., History of the Germans (2025), Episode 204- Rudolf IV- Forger and Founder (online) (Accessed 20/08/2025).Ritter, R. and Tapie, V.-L., Encyclopedia Britannica (2025), Henry...

Aeneas has his final stand-off with Turnus, but that seems almost tangential in comparison to a daughter of a king called Camilla who carves a path of destruction and intimidation through the Trojan lines. As we wrap up the Aeneid and indeed the cycle of epics about the Trojan War and its aftermath, join us for vengeance for Pallas, military circle time and anti-prayers.Sources for this episode:Virgil (1976), The Aeneid. Translated by W. F. J. Knight. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Wilkinson, P., Carroll, G., Faulkner, M., Field, J. F., Haywood, J., Kerrigan...

Pentheus is a man with a simple feeling- he does not think this Dionysus kid is all that. He really doesn't. No, it doesn't matter that he's already caused sailors to turn into dolphins and made them hallucinate all sorts of crazy stuff. He doesn't care it will see him get torn to pieces- wait, what was that last one?Sources for this episode:Ovid (1968), Metamorphoses. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Our thanks to various Pixabay artists for the special effects.

Virgil may be slowly unravelling as Augustus forces him to write propaganda into the Aeneid, but Aeneas is charging full steam ahead into his conflict against the Rutulians. Join us for duels, ancient world macchiatos and a boat-based answering machine. Oh, and a tangent exploring who exactly these Etruscans are we will be hearing so much about.Sources for this episode:Dudley, D. (1978), Roman Society. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Evelyn-White, H. G. (1943), Hesiod: The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. London: William Heinemann Ltd.Herodotus (1971), The Histories. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books...

Now in Italy, Aeneas gets a new wife called Lavinia- and rivalry for her hand starts a war against the king of the Rutilians. Join us for more prophecies and visions of Rome than you can shake a stick at, Venus magicking shields into Aeneas' tent, and just whether Aeneas is an introvert.Catch Tsar Power wherever you get your podcasts, and thanks to Roberto and Aurora for collaborating with us!Sources for this episode:Drummond, A. 2015), Evander. Oxford Classical Dictionary (online) (Accessed 19/10/2025).Graves, R. (1981), Greek Myths: Illustrated Edition. London: Cassell...

Aeneas holds some surprise funeral games in honour of his father, as he unexpectedly remembers that it's been one year since his father Anchises died. Not only that, but he must also venture deep into the bowels of the underworld to go and speak to that same father- and receive a prophecy about the future of his lineage and the people he will found. But does the underworld have any snack machines?Thanks again to Roberto from the History of Saqartvelo Georgia for collaborating with us! Check out his show wherever you get your podcasts.<...

Aeneas takes a break from finding Italy to find love- and then destroy it all in a life-ending tragedy that will set up the Punic Wars. Join us for recollections of the cyclopes Odysseus fought, Virgil standing up for family values and just quite how romantic spelunking was in the ancient world.NOTE: We mention the mythical founding of Carthage being centuries apart from the supposed date of the fall of Troy in the episode. Ancient authors do not really agree with each other about the date, so we get anywhere from 50 years after Troy falls to 65...