We jump into the year of 402 BCE and Rome and Veii are tooth and nail in siege mode. In addition to this, Rome is rapidly approaching the end of the 5th century BCE, a date that is meaningful for historians and scholars but less significant for the Romans who understood the years through the names of the magistrates more than being overly interested in the base ten system.

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Episode 151 – Factional Foibles

Watch your back!

Rome’s siege of Veii continues so there’s good reason to see six military tribunes with consular power in the role this year. But it may be the case that Rome’s military preoccupation with Veii is about to become costly. Just ask the Rome’s new garrison at Anxur in Volscian territory…

Siege Developments

Now you’d be forgiven for thinking a siege is not the most exciting form of warfare. And if it was just Rome versus Veii, it may indeed have remained a boring affair. But sometime in this year, it seems that Veil’s northern neighbours have realised that Veii falling to Rome might be terrible for them. Enter the Capenantes and Falscians and cue siege chaos! How will the situation be resolved? Tune in to find out.

Map of Veii including cities to the north Capena (Capenantes) and Falerii (Falsicans).

Things to Listen Out For

• The joys of Cornettos


• Skipping through the daisies


• A hideous sandwich situation


• Consideration of the extent of the powers of the tribunes of the plebs


• A potted introduction to the 3rd century CE writer Dio Cassius


• Some details about the archaeological record between Veii and Rome during this period


• A new record with the Partial Pick!


• A very late background contribution from one of our star podcats 🙂

Our Players for 402 BCE

Military Tribunes with Consular Power

• Gaius Servilius P. f. Q. n. Ahala (Pat)


• Quintus Servilius Q. f. P. n. Fidenas (Pat)


• Lucius Verginius L. f. Opetr. N. Tricostus Esquilinus (Pat)


• Quintus Sulpicius Ser. f. Ser. n. Camerinus Cornutus (Pat)


• Aulus Manlius A. f. Cn. n. Vulso Capitolinus (Pat)


• Maelius Sergius L. f. L. n. Fidenas (Pat)

Our Sources

• Dr Rad reads Livy 5.8.1


• Dr G reads Diodorus Siculus 14.38.1; Fragmentvm de Praenominibus; Fasti Capitolini; Dio Cassius Book 6.23ish


• Arizza, M., Rossi, D. 2022. ‘The territory between Veii and Rome in the Archaic period: Rural structures as territorial markers of cultural frontiers’ Frontière.s, Revue d’archèologie, histoire et histoire de l’art Volume 6: 49-62. https://journals.openedition.org/frontieres/1297


• 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) 


• 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.


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

Sound Credits

Our theme music was composed by the amazing Bettina Joy de Guzman

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Map of Veii from The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria by George Dennis 1848

Automated Transcript

Lightly edited for Latin terminology and to support 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’m Dr rad, no longer afraid to say my Ps

Dr G 1:03
And I am Dr G. Goodness knows what foreshadowing that entails.

Dr Rad 1:09
Well, I can definitely assure you there’ll be lots of patricians and plebeians running around in this episode. So it’s good not to have to worry about saying my Ps. Thanks very much. Patreons for the microphone buffery-sock type thing.

Dr G 1:22
Ah, the pop filter.

Dr Rad 1:24
Yes, exactly. I can say however many damn Ps I want now. Peas and ham. Peas and ham, peas and carrots.

Dr G 1:31
Mind your P’s and Q’s, please.

Dr Rad 1:34
I never do.

Dr G 1:36
Just like the patricians.

Dr Rad 1:38
Exactly. Well, welcome Dr, G, so good to see you again.

Dr G 1:42
Likewise.

Dr Rad 1:44
So we are hosting an ancient Roman History podcast, if you somehow manage to miss the introduction, and we are tracing the journey of Rome from the founding of the city and Dr G, I think this might be the last episode before we cross the boundary to a new century.

Dr G 2:07
That’s very exciting.

Dr Rad 2:08
It is. I honestly kind of got very comfortable with the four hundreds. I kind of felt like we were never gonna leave.

Dr G 2:16
But time marches forward.

Dr Rad 2:19
Indeed it does. Before we get into 402 BCE, which is where we are up to, Dr G, I thought we should probably recap on what was a momentous year in 403 BCE.

Dr G 2:30
Yes. Now, if memory serves, 403 was the start of