Category: Storyline

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Today we’ve got Antoninus, Marcus Aurelias, Russell Crowe… we’ve got it all!

And Members, check your email. You should have a link for how to get your Members-Only episode!

A bust of Marcus Aurelias from the MET in NYC.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, Celtic History, Roman History)

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Rome is going to start expanding her borders. Why? Because why not? Well, it’s actually a little more complicated than that, and we’re going to get into it in this episode. Consequently, Emperor Antoninus will build his own wall in Britain far beyond Emperor Hadrian’s Wall. These Romans were nothing if not competitive. We will have to see what the people of Britain think of this.

A bust of Antoninus Pius from the MET in NYC.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, Celtic History, Roman History)

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Have you ever wanted to know about Hadrian’s Wall? Have you ever wondered what life was like there, how it was constructed, or even just the basic question of “what exactly is Hadrian’s Wall?” Then this is the podcast for you!

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, Celtic History, Roman History)

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Ok, I’ll be the first to admit this one is a little confusing. After all, the whole mystery is more than a little confusing. So here is a list of the bits of evidence we’re talking about.

• The Ninth was nearly destroyed in a night assault by the Caledonians during Agricola’s northern campaign.
• The last known battle the Ninth was in was Mons Graupius.
• 108 AD, The Ninth built a gate at Eboracum (York).
• Post 117 AD (probably 119 to 121) there was a major rebellion in Britannia.
• 80’s AD or 121 AD, there were tiles at Nijmegen (Holland) stamped by the Ninth.
• Tiles similar to those were also found at Carlisle.
• A tombstone at Ferentinum references an emergency in Britannia that required 3,000 reinforcements.
• 122 AD, Hadrian traveled to Britannia to “correct many faults” and he brought with him the Sixth Legion.
• The Sixth legion took the post of Eboracum, which was the Ninth’s post. No mention is made of where the Ninth went.
• 142 AD, Governor Carus, who served with the Ninth, became the Governor of Arabia.
• Frontinus writes to Emperor Aurelius reminding him how his grandfather (Hadrian) suffered a major loss of troops to the Jews and the Britons.
• 162 AD, the Aurelian columns don’t list the Ninth or Twenty Second legions.
• The Twenty Second probably served in the Jewish wars and the Ninth was stationed in Britannia.

That should just about cover it.

Oh, and The Eagle is not a good film.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, Celtic History, Roman History)

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We’re going to talk about the governorship of Agricola, the Scots, the Irish, and I’m going to say “isthmus” an unreasonable number of times!

Here’s a map of Agricola’s advance. HOWEVER the dates listed are the later of the two dates I mention in the podcast. Many historians think that these dates should be one year earlier. (That will make more sense to you after you listen to the podcast).

NOTE: I made a comment that the legions raided on their way to Eboracum in the podcast. I meant to say that they raided once they got PAST Eboracum. Eboracum and Deva were, of course, Roman towns. At least they were at this point in time. So I think it’s safe to assume they didn’t raid their own people.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, Celtic History, Roman History)

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60 CE

Having burned several cities to the ground, Boudica and her army of enraged Britons are a seemingly unstoppable force. However, Governor Suetonius has returned from the West, and has marshalled his forces. It was a conflict is so famous that even Tacitus wrote of it… and only one general would come out on top.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, Celtic History, Roman History)

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This episode focuses upon the year 60 and the story of the queen of the Iceni.

Rome’s chickens are coming home to roost. After nearly 20 years of conflict and domination, things are hitting a fever pitch in the first of two episodes that will cover one of Britain’s most famous warleaders, the woman who would challenge the might of Rome. Boudica.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, Celtic History, Roman History)

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This episode covers the years 54 CE to 60 CE and the major characters are…

Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigantes and unhappy wife
Venutius, King of the Brigantes and unhappy Husband
and Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, governor of Britannia… and probably unhappy as well.

There is a new Emperor ruling over Rome. What impact will this have upon how Britain, one of the Empire’s newest properties, is administered. Meanwhile, how will the tribes within Britain, such as the Kingdom of the Brigante, cope with the brewing cultural conflict between the Britons and the Romans? This episode will address those questions and will also talk about how Romanization was carried out, and the sheer chaos that would have created among the Britons.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, Celtic History, Roman History)

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This episode will cover the years 42 to 54 CE

The main characters will be…

Caractacus, leader of the British resistance and exiled king of the Catuvellauni.
Aulus Plautius, the general who took Britannia for Emperor Claudius
Publius Ostorius Scapula, a Roman governor of Britannia
Cartimandua, Queen of the Brigante
and Venutius, King of the Brigante

The Governance of Aulus Plautius is over and a new Governor is brought to command, and subjugate, the Britons. A brutal man named Publius Ostorius Scapula. But the British resistance was not over. Caractacus might have lost the fight against Plautius, but he wasn’t defeated. The fight for Britain continues.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, Celtic History, Roman History)

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This episode covers the invasion of Britannia in 42 CE by emperor Claudius. The major characters we’ll be talking about today are…

Emperor Claudius – Emperor of Rome and man in need of a serious PR campaign.
Aulus Plautius – His General, and the man tasked with invading Britannia.
Vespasian – Leader of the Second Legion and future Emperor of Rome (though he didn’t know it yet).
Togodomnus – Son of Cunobellinus and leader of the Catuvellauni.
Caractucus – Brother of Togodomnus, and other leader of the Catvellauni

“Whoever were the first inhabitants of Britain, whether natives or immigrants, has never been answered: don’t forget we are dealing with barbarians.” – Tacitus, Agricola.

Emperor Claudius, driven by politics and a need to establish his value, has dispatched the Second, Ninth, Fourteenth, and Twentieth legions to Britannia. The British warriors tribes managed to hold their own against the power of Rome twice before, and against Rome’s most famous General, but will they be able to withstand the sheer destruction that four legions can bring? Only time will tell.

(History of Britain, History of England, History of Wales, Celtic History, Roman History)

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