Emperors of Rome

What sort of men were the Roman emperors… and were they all men? What background and training, if any, prepared them for their awesome responsibilities? What depravities did they display? And what achievements can they claim? Dive into these questions and more with this introduction to the complex personalities of emperors such as Augustus, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. These 36 gripping lectures bring to life the many emperors of Rome from the turn of the 1st century to the transition to the Middle Ages. For more than five centuries, these emperors - a checkered mix of the wise, the brutal, and the unhinged - presided over a multi-ethnic empire that was nearly always at war.

Professor Garrett Fagan of the Pennsylvania State University takes you deep into ancient Rome. As you witness the reigns of the successive rulers unfold, you will see how the office evolved with the political forces that sustained it, becoming more and more tightly bound to the military. Each step toward despotism was taken with a view toward expedience. But when that step became the new normal, it paved the way for the next step, and so on. You'll also study eyewitness reports, later compilations, archaeological remains, and inscriptions on monuments and coins as you play the role of detective, separating the truth from the legends of this spellbinding era.

All Lectures:
1. The Shape of Roman Imperial History
2. The Roman Republic
3. Caesar and the Suicide of the Republic
4. The First Emperor - Augustus
5. The Powers of Augustus
6. Succession Woes
7. Livia Drusilla, Empress of Rome
8. The Early Years of Tiberius
9. The Would-Be Emperor - Sejanus
10. The Mad Emperor? Caligula
11. Killing Caligula, Finding Claudius
12. The Odd Couple - Claudius and Messalina
13. Power and Poison - Agrippina and Claudius
14. Artist and Assassin - Nero
15. The Trouble with Christians
16. Dynasty's End - The Fall of Nero
17. The Long Year, A.D. 69
18. The First Flavian - Vespasian
19. The Last Flavians - Titus and Domitian
20. Pax Augusta - Nerva and Trajan
21. Trajan in Rome and in the East
22. The Eccentric Emperor - Hadrian
23. Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus
24. Marcus in the North and Commodus
25. Civil War and Septimius Severus
26. Caracalla and the Severan Dynasty
27. Emperor and City
28. Emperor and Empire
29. Emperor and Elite
30. Emperor and People
31. Emperor and Soldier
32. Chaos
33. Aurelian, Diocletian, and the Tetrarchy
34. Constantine - Rise to Power
35. The Christian Emperor - Constantine
36. Reflections on the Emperors of Rome