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It’s happening – the Romans enter the fourth century! In this episode, we compare and contrast the ancient source accounts for the year that was 399 BCE. Rome and Veii are still locked in a siege, with Roman forces outside the gates of the most preeminent Etruscan city to the south. Combined with the this situation is the suggestion that one (or more) plebeians have recently made it into the position of military tribune with consular power – no small feat given this is the most senior magistracy in Rome during the year that people are elected into it.

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Episode 155 – A Feast for the Gods!

Siege got you down? Experiencing some baleful weather? What’s a Roman to do?

It’s fair to say that Rome’s been copping a rough time recently. From strange and unprecedented weather conditions to the ongoing challenges of trying to run a multi-year siege when you have a system of annual magistrates, Rome is in a tough spot. It’s moments like these that a consultation with the Sibylline Books is in order…

Things to listen out for

• Who are the duumvirs?


• What is the lectisternium and why do the Romans want one?


• A hot Roman summer


• A huge snowstorm


• A little bit of the regional history of some of the gods: Apollo and Latona


• Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi puts in an early appearance as the writer of the Annales


• Veii might not be friendless after all!

Our Players

Military Tribunes with Consular Power

• Gnaeus Genucius M. f. M. n. Augurinus


• Lucius Atilius L. f. L. n. Priscus


• Marcus Pomponius L. f. L. n. Rufus


• Gnaeus/Gaius Duillius K. f. K. n. Longus


• Marcus Veturius Ti. f. Sp. n. Crassus Cicurinus (Pat)


• Volero Publilius P. f. Voler. N. Philo

Our Sources

• Dr Rad reads Livy 5.13


• Dr G reads the Dionysius of Halicarnassus Ant. Rom. 12.7-9; Diodorus Siculus 14.54.1-4; Fasti Capitolini


• Bradley, G. 2020. Early Rome to 290 BC (Edinburgh University Press).


• Broughton, T. R. S., Patterson, M. L. 1951. The Magistrates of the Roman Republic Volume 1: 509 B.C. – 100 B.C. (The American Philological Association)


• Cornell, T. J. 1995. The Beginnings of Rome: Italy and Rome from the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (c. 1000-264 BC) (Taylor & Francis)


• Forsythe, G. 2006. A Critical History of Early Rome: From Prehistory to the First Punic War(University of California Press)


• Elvers, K. (., Eck, W. (., Kierdorf, W. (., Walde, C. (., & Fey-Wickert, B. (. (2006). Calpurnius. In Brill’s New Pauly Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e225050


• Graf, F. (. O., & Ley, A. (. (2006). Apollo. In Brill’s New Pauly Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e128090


• Lomas, Kathryn (2018). The rise of Rome. History of the Ancient World. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. doi:10.4159/9780674919938. ISBN978-0-674-65965-0. S2CID239349186.


• Maharam, W. (. (2006). Latona. In Brill’s New Pauly Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e632510


• Mommsen, T. 1894-1908. Römische Geschichte Münzer, F. ‘Licinius 43’ in Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft


• Ogilvie, R. M. 1965. A Commentary on Livy: Books 1-5 (Clarendon Press).


• Phillips, C. R. I. (. P. (2006). Neptunus. In Brill’s New Pauly Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e820340


• Raaflaub, K. A. 2006. Social struggles in archaic Rome: new perspectives on the conflict of the orders (2nd ed). (Wiley).


• Siebert, A. V. (. (2006). Lectisternium. In Brill’s New Pauly Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e633370


• Smith, C. 2019. ‘Furius Camillus and Veii’, in Taboli, J., Cerasuolo, O. (eds.) Veii (University of Texas Press), 219-224.

Sound Credits

Our music is by the amazing Bettina Joy de Guzman. Sound effects courtesy of BBC Sounds and Orange Free Sound.

The Apollo of Veii is thought to date to around 500 BCE so about a century prior to the action that takes place in this episode. This fabulous sculpture is held by the Museo Nazionale Etrusco.

Automated Transcript

Lightly edited for the Latin and our wonderful Australian accents!

Dr Rad 0:15
Welcome to The Partial Historians.

Dr G 0:19
We explore all the details of ancient Rome.

Dr Rad 0:23
Everything from political scandals, the love affairs, the battled wage and when citizens turn against each other. I’m Dr Rad.

Dr G 0:33
And I’m Dr G. We consider Rome as the Romans saw it, by reading different authors from the ancient past and comparing their stories.

Dr Rad 0:44
Join us as we trace the journey of Rome from the founding of the city.

Welcome to a brand new episode of The Partial Historians, I am one of your hosts. Dr Rad.

Dr G 1:04
And I am Dr G, welcome.

Dr Rad 1:08
Dr G, I feel like listeners will have no idea how hard we have fought to get to our microphones today.

Dr G 1:15
Oh, dear listeners, we’ve been experiencing some audio issues.

Dr Rad 1:20
We still are experienced.

Dr G 1:23
Suffice it to say that we are podcasting in separate rooms of the same house

Dr Rad 1:28 <b