Augustus and the Praetorian Guard: Emperors Shadow

Augustus and the Praetorian Guard: Emperors Shadow

The Praetorian Guard is one of history's most notorious military units, but its origins under Augustus are often misunderstood. This episode traces the Guard's creation from a single cohort of bodyguards in the chaos of the civil wars to a nine-cohort elite force stationed in and around Rome. We explore the strategic thinking behind their organization: why Augustus kept only three cohorts in the city proper, how he paid them triple a legionary's salary, and the careful balance of power that prevented a coup during his reign. The discussion covers the prefects who commanded them—men like Lucius Seius Strabo and his son Sejanus—and the early signs of the Guard's political ambition, including their role in the suppression of conspiracy and their fateful involvement in the succession of Tiberius. We also touch on the contrast between Augustus' carefully calibrated system and the Guard's later reputation as kingmakers. A rich look at how the first emperor created an institution that would both protect and threaten his successors. #PraetorianGuard #Augustus #RomanEmpire #Sejanus #PraetorianPrefect #RomanArmy #ImperialGuard #CastraPraetoria #Tiberius #RomanHistory #AncientRome #LuciusSeiusStrabo #Cohort #Speculatores #GermanBodyguard #PaxRomana #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Augustus and the Poet Ovid: Exile on the Black Sea

In 8 CE, Rome's most celebrated living poet was suddenly exiled to a remote outpost on the Black Sea. Ovid had written the Ars Amatoria, a witty guide to seduction, and was close to Augustus's granddaughter Julia. But the official reason for his banishment—carmen et error, a poem and a mistake—remains tantalisingly vague. This episode explores Ovid's life in Tomis, his desperate appeals to Augustus, and the mystery of what he might have witnessed. We discuss the moral climate of Augustan Rome, the Lex Julia against adultery, and Ovid's transformation from wit to elegist of sorrow. Why did the princeps punish him so harshly? And what does Ovid's exile tell us about the limits of free expression under the first emperor? #Ovid #Augustus #RomanPoetry #Exile #ArsAmatoria #Tomis #JuliaTheElder #LexJulia #CarmenEtError #AugustanRome #LatinLiterature #Metamorphoses #BlackSea #PaxRomana #RomanHistory #History #FexingoHistory #AncientRome Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Augustus and the Imperial Cult: Worship of the Emperor

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the origins and evolution of the imperial cult under Augustus, the first Roman emperor. They discuss how Augustus carefully blended traditional Roman religion with the worship of his person, starting with the cult of the Genius Augusti and the deification of his adoptive father, Julius Caesar. The conversation covers the establishment of the Ara Numinis Augusti, the compital altars of the Lares Augusti, and the provincial cults at Lyons and Pergamon. They examine the political and social functions of the cult, including its role in unifying the empire and legitimizing the princeps. The episode also touches on the distinction between official state cults and voluntary private worship, as well as the reactions of figures like the poet Ovid. Lucas explains how Augustus rejected overt divine honors in Rome while allowing them in the provinces, a strategy that set the pattern for later emperors. The discussion highlights the Res Gestae, the Augustales, and the priesthood of the sodales Augustales. Listeners will learn about the temple of Divus Iulius, the cult of Roma et Augustus, and how the imperial cult became a tool of integration and loyalty across the diverse Roman world. #Augustus #ImperialCult #RomanReligion #GeniusAugusti #LaresAugusti #AraNuminisAugusti #RomaEtAugustus #DivusIulius #ProvincialCult #Augustales #SodalesAugustales #ResGestae #PaxRomana #AncientRome #EmperorWorship #LyonAltar #Pergamon #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Augustus and the Roman Year: Calendar Reform as Power

In 46 BCE, Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar — a solar system of 365 days with a leap year. But it fell to his adopted son Augustus to fix its drift and embed it as a tool of imperial authority. This episode explores how Augustus reformed the calendar after his priestly college misapplied the leap-year rule, why he renamed the month Sextilis to August, and how he used the fasti (official calendar) to insert new festivals honoring the domus Augusta and the Pax Romana. We discuss the pre-Julian lunar calendar of the pontifex maximus, the role of the Vestal Virgins in marking time, and the political messages encoded in the fasti discovered at Praeneste and Antium. Lucas and Luna also examine how the Egyptian solar calendar influenced the reform, and how Augustus presented his own birthday and key military victories as sacred turning points in the Roman year. A revealing look at how controlling time meant controlling memory. #Augustus #RomanCalendar #JulianCalendar #CalendarReform #FastiPraenestini #FastiAntiates #Sosigenes #PaxRomana #PontifexMaximus #VestalVirgins #DomusAugusta #RomanReligion #Timekeeping #RomanHistory #AncientRome #History #FexingoHistory #Mediterranean Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Augustus and the Sibylline Books: Prophecy and Power

In this episode of Augustus Caesar: The First Emperor of Rome, Lucas and Luna explore how Augustus used the ancient Sibylline Books to legitimize his rule and shape Roman religion. They discuss the legendary story of the Cumaean Sibyl selling the books to Tarquinius Priscus, the role of the quindecimviri sacris faciundis in consulting them, and how Augustus moved the books from the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus to the Temple of Apollo Palatinus. The episode also covers Augustus's own Sibylline oracle at Tibur, the destruction of the books in 83 BCE, and the controversial collection of new prophecies that followed. Along the way, they touch on Virgil's Fourth Eclogue and its messianic overtones. A light donation segment ties the value of history to listener support. #AugustusCaesar #SibyllineBooks #CumaeanSibyl #RomanReligion #quindecimviri #TempleOfApolloPalatinus #TarquiniusPriscus #Virgil #FourthEclogue #Tibur #PaxRomana #RomanHistory #Prophecy #Power #FexingoHistory #History #AncientRome #Emperor Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]