Life and death of Manius Curius Dentatus, a plebeian who solved the Samnite problem, the Pyrrhus problem, and most problems in the south of Italy ..read more

A census and a wedding. Rome passes 300 thousand inhabitants, and the Samnites are beaten at Aquilonia ..read more

Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 47 — The Battle of Sentinum. A long, long, long, time has passed. When I last published our episode 46, I never thought that because of unforeseen circumstances, I would find myself away from this podcast, for so, so long. And — oh boy, has the world changed since then! Nobody could have imagined something called coronavirus. Nobody could have imagined a world where people have to stay indoors just to stay alive. A world were nations try to out-lie each other, as if a war depended on it. A grave ..read more

For the third time, the Samnites. And some say, third time is a charm. And in this case, it was exactly like that. It’s the last years of Marcus Valerius Corvus’ life. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 46 — The Third Samnite War. Peace reigned supreme in Rome. We are in the year 302 BC, or — as the Roman liked to refer to their years — we are in the year of the consulship of Denter and Paulus. Less than six months ago, peace treaties were ratified by the Senate of Rome, and now — Romans were the masters, of a ..read more

A flashback of an encounter between two heroes of the Samnite Wars. Papirius Cursor and Fabius Rullianus. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 45 — Fabius Rullianus and Papirius Cursor. The Ciminian forest was one of those primitive places — created in the times before gods and humans, and its purpose was to keep Romans and Etruscans apart. There were no roads through it, and even the edges of the forest — the way they looked — they caused utter angst in Rome’s population. Nobody ever dared to get tino the Cimin ..read more

Second installment of our Biography episodes. This time, we tackle Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus. Partial Transcript Plutarch and Dionysius of Halicarnassus — two names we heard along this podcast, again and again. This — undoubtedly means, that — as faithful learners of Ancient Rome, we often depend on these two characters, in the same way we depend on what Virgil and Titus Livius wrote, which we’ve seen in our episode 40. We depend on Plutarch for how he described those early beginnings of Rome. We also depend on him for his masterpiece, called "Parallel Lives" and the way he port ..read more

Part Two of the Appian Way. Tools, laws, and lists of other Roman roads, used at the time. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 43 — The Appian Way - Part Two. — "One more step, to your left!" The boy, holding the heavy groma, and some 40 paces away from the surveyor, didn’t hear the order.  And so — he didn’t move. — "To the left, I told you," the surveyor yelled. The boy, now startled, jumped to his left. The poor apprentice couldn’t get a single word, because of the strong gale blowing ..read more

Announcing Season 2 of The Tale of Rome Partial Transcript This is simply to wish you a happy New Year 2019, and to let everyone know where we are at, with our podcast The Tale of Rome ..read more

The Roman road that would make Rome the undisputed powerhouse of Italy. And the life of Appius Claudius, the maker of that road. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Beijing, China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome, Episode 42 — The Appian Way. No other road, path, or route of communication has changed the history of the western world as much as the Appian Way, today also known as the Old Appian Way. Natural passage points, or itineraries, that people used by land — such as the Silk Road, the Amber Road, and their maritime counterparts — such as the Strait of Gibraltar ..read more

The end of the Second Samnite War, from the fall of Apulia, to the inspection of Samnia, by Consul Publius Sempronius. Partial Transcript Hello, this is Abel, speaking from Sanya, in the south of China. Welcome to my podcast. The Tale of Rome. Episode 41 — The End of the Great War. We are in the year 435 of the Founding of the City. By our accounts, that is the year 319 BC. Early morning. It’s the first day of the year. Not the first day of the Julian Calendar — that would come centuries later — but, the first day of the Calendar, as it was set by Romulus, and Numa Pompilius, the second king ..read more