Podcasts by Life Of Caesar

Galba #1–Republic Schmublic from 2023-12-09T23:45:11

In our last episode, we finished on June 9, 68. Nero was 30 years and six months old. He had ruled for 13 years and 8 months. On June 10, 68, while he was still in Spain, The Senate declared the...

Nero #47–THE END from 2022-12-06T23:52:44

News of Galba’s betrayal makes its way to Nero who is shocked into action. He sends troops to stop Galba - but they switch sides and join the conspiracy. Nero goes into hiding with the intent of...

Nero #46–The Last Straw from 2022-11-18T21:39:41

Nero celebrates two official triumphs. Not for military victories, but for singing. It’s the last straw. A new rebellion is formed, lead by Vindex and Galba.

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Nero #45–Grand Slam from 2022-11-01T23:12:27

Nero didn’t visit Athens or Sparta while in Greece because he was scared of religious and political retribution. Besides, he was too busy trying to become the periodonikes, the Grand Slam champi...

Nero #44–Horny Dolphins from 2022-10-22T05:04:06

The year is 67 CE. Nero is still on his 14 month tour of Greece. He dropped into the Temple of Apollo at Delphi and tickled the Omphalos.

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Nero #43–To the Deuce! from 2022-09-30T04:25:07

It’s 67 CE. Before he sets out for his World Tour of Greece, Nero first needs to insult the Senate, then he needs to deal with a new conspiracy, this one involving Corbulo. While Greece, he beco...

Nero #42–Dude Looks Like A Lady from 2022-09-17T06:07:53

Nero gets, not one, but TWO new wives. One of them is a dude.

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Nero #41–The Stuff of Genius from 2022-08-29T23:16:59

Nero’s first attempt at building a single property that covered his estates on the Palatine Hill and the Esquiline Hill was The Domus Transitoria, the House of Passage. It burned down in the Gre...

Nero #40–The Golden House from 2022-08-20T00:01:48

Nero built his Domus Aurea between 64-68 and, in doing so, revolutionised Roman architecture. He also built a massive statue of himself, because, hey, why not?

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Nero #39–Closing His Janus from 2022-08-12T04:49:06

Nero was a lover, not a fighter. Not a great leader of armies. He thought of himself as an artist. He wanted to be on stage, not on horseback. He was very proud that he closed his Janus.

T...

Nero #38–A Woman Woo’d from 2022-07-22T21:04:34

If you want to marry a woman, remember to kill her husband first

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Nero #37–“Spare your ears” from 2022-06-19T18:40:24

The Stoics Thrasea and Soranus go on trial. And we run out of Tacitus.

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Nero #36–Two Options from 2022-06-11T06:21:18

When you’ve been up to no good, and you get caught out, you have two options. Nero, like Ray, is a Number 2 kind of guy. In this episode, he goes after two significant Stoics, Thrasea Paetus and...

Nero #35–A Monotony Of Disaster from 2022-05-23T23:35:11

A family commits suicide together to escape Nero’s prosecution, while others just get stabbed to death. But Tacitus’ explanations for Nero’s behaviour still leave us scratching our heads.

...

Nero #34–A Reckless Spirit from 2022-05-13T22:28:04

Nero launches a series of attacks that result in the demise of certain members of the Roman elite. But why these particular people? And why now? We tease apart Tacitus to try to work out what’s ...

Nero #33–Michael Tremblay On Stoicism (part 2) from 2022-04-28T03:06:02

This is the second and final part of our interview with philosopher Michael Tremblay, talking about Seneca and stoicism.

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Nero #32–Michael Tremblay On Stoicism (part 1) from 2022-04-15T22:35:31

With the recent demise on our show of Nero's favourite Stoic, Seneca, we wanted to go balls deep on Stoicism. To help us out, our guest Michael Tremblay, who has a PhD in philosophy, where he st...

Nero #31–Wife Kicker from 2022-03-31T05:10:29

In the year 66, Nero gets taken on a wild goose chase, performs some lovely poetry and harp concerts… oh yeah, and he kicks his wife to death.

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Nero #30–High Praise from 2022-03-18T23:28:38

This episode is brought to you by - legal weed! The Pisonian Conspiracy is over. Rewards are handed out to those who remained loyal. The Senate wants to make Nero a living god.

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Nero #29–Seneca Falls from 2022-03-01T23:51:39

Next on the chopping block is Seneca, Nero’s old tutor and adviser and leading Stoic. Historians seem to think he wasn’t directly involved in the conspiracy - but he probably knew about it.

Nero #28–Piso Falls from 2022-02-19T03:10:23

Nero hunts down the main conspirators. Some of them are captured, while others help execute their own colleagues without betraying their allegiance to the cause. Piso is urged to mount the rostr...

Nero #27–A Betrayal Betrayed from 2022-02-08T03:19:10

The plot against Nero continues to gather momentum but is finally betrayed by a freedman, a day before shit was about to go down.

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Nero #26–The Circus Games (take 3) from 2022-01-23T04:05:53

When one of the praetorian prefects joins the conspirators, they decide it's time to act. But they can't agree on a plan. It takes a woman to move things along.

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Nero #25–Effeminate Vice from 2022-01-05T23:40:09

We’re talking about the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65. Who started it and why? Theories involve an angry poet and an angry gay man seeking revenge.

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NERO #24–The Pisonian Conspiracy from 2021-12-25T00:20:18

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

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NERO #23–The Great Fire Of Rome from 2021-11-29T00:59

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

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NERO #22–CONSTANTINE AT THE BRIDGE from 2021-11-17T04:43:50

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

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NERO #21–PROMISCUOUS THONG from 2021-11-11T05:41:37

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

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Nero #20–BEAST OF BURDEN from 2021-10-27T22:16:17

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

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Nero #19–OH NO MENS from 2021-09-25T09:43:49

Nero has some freedmen executed but the stories are murky. The Parthians decide to try their luck taking back Armenia while Corbulo tries to keep the peace.

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Nero #18–Eternal Decline Part 2 from 2021-09-16T03:58:41

This is part two of a massive two-and-a-half-hour chat we had recently Edward J. Watts, a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author and editor of several prize-...

Nero #17–Eternal Decline Part 1 from 2021-09-04T01:49:46

Edward J. Watts is a professor of history at the University of California, San Diego, and author and editor of several prize-winning books, including THE FINAL PAGAN GENERATION, a great book abo...

Nero #16–Your Filthy Little Mouth from 2021-08-13T06:47:45

With Seneca out of the way, Tigellinus brings down the other prefect, Rufus. To strengthen his relationship with Nero, he increases his paranoia about the two men Nero had recently exiled for be...

Nero #15–400 Slaves from 2021-07-30T06:38:32

In the year 61, Nero deals with riots, treason, Stoics and the death of one of his key advisors.

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Nero #14–Bloodshed And Destruction from 2021-07-30T06:24:31

Boudicea wins round one. But Suetonius has bloodshed and destruction on his mind.

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Nero #13–Badass Boudicea from 2021-07-10T04:47:40

Corbulo finishes round one in Armenia and gets a promotion. Meanwhile in Britain, a certain queen decides to take on the Romans - Boudicea. Exactly why, though, is a bit of a mystery.

The ...

Nero #12–Filthy Rabble from 2021-06-25T01:05:28

Agrippina is dead and Nero decides to party. Tacitus disapproves. He doesn’t like Nero’s parties and he doesn’t like his poetry. But then a comet appears, and everyone assumes it means the end o...

Nero #11–Stephen Dando-Collins from 2021-06-07T03:04:44

Stephen Dando-Collins is an Australian historical author, who, like me, once sold his soul to the gods of marketing and advertising but has been redeeming himself ever since. His new book is abo...

Nero #10–All Manner Of Depravity from 2021-05-29T00:10:10

We examine the circumstances and theories surrounding the death of Agrippina.

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Nero #9–When In Rome from 2021-05-15T05:58:43

Nero likes hanging out under bridges where he could “take his pleasures more freely” and this leads to trouble for Sulla’s great-great-great grandson. But Nero also wants to abolish taxes becaus...

Nero #8–“Abominations And Wickedness” from 2021-04-30T01:40

Nero likes hanging out under bridges where he could “take his pleasures more freely” and this leads to trouble for Sulla’s great-great-great grandson. But Nero also wants to abolish taxes becaus...

Nero #7–Salacious Stories from 2021-04-16T21:59:43

Tacitus shares some Salacious Stories from Nero's Rome in the year 58 CE - mostly about ambitious women.

The postNero #7 – Sala...

Nero #6–ARMenia from 2021-03-26T01:27:31

There’s a war with Parthia, Rome’s boogeyman since they cut off the head of Crassus in 53 BCE, a hundred years earlier, and Nero sends Corbulo to deal with it. He whips his troops into order and...

Nero #5–Fight Club from 2021-03-13T00:11:11

Nero starts his own Fight Club. Apart from that, the years of 56 - 58 were pretty good. Nero made some wise decisions (no doubt with the help of Seneca), showing moderation and generosity. He wa...

Nero #4–Nero The Murderer from 2021-02-24T01:19:58

This is where the story becomes really weird. Nero, up until now the golden child, suddenly becomes a cold murderer with the murder of Britannicus.

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Nero #3–Nero In Love from 2021-02-13T08:38:52

In the first year of his rule, Nero was a big hit. He built a wooden amphitheatre in the Campus Martius, flooded it, and held a naval battle with sea monsters. In his gladiator shows, nobody die...

Nero #2–Nice Guy Nero from 2021-01-22T03:46:39

Nero becomes emperor on the murder of his step-father. He’s 16 or 17 years old. Why didn’t the Senate stop him? It might have something to do with Seneca and Burrus. Seneca wrote him a speech wh...

Nero #1–The Last OG from 2021-01-15T22:39:37

This is the story of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. Known to us as Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Or just “Nero”. On this episode, we ask - how is it possible that a man tutored and gui...

Claudius #15–A Mushroom&A Feather from 2020-12-18T01:43:14

Messallina decides the time has come. She has a poison expert released from prison and they prepare a special dish of mushrooms for Claudius’ last meal. But the mushrooms weren’t enough and so t...

Claudius #14–Digging Tunnels from 2020-12-06T02:45:08

Claudius builds the world’s biggest tunnel and puts on a huge show to celebrate. But things don’t go to plan. Nero gets married and starts to build his political profile - he is only 16.

T...

Claudius #13–Roman Incest from 2020-12-06T02:43:58

Claudius and Agrippina get hitched despite the fact that she was his niece. She immediately starts to get rid of her enemies, reward her supporters, and prepare the ground for the next stage of ...

Claudius #12–Lips That Grip from 2020-11-06T21:59:01

It's 48 CE. Messalina is dead. So now Claudius needs a new wife. There are several candidates, including Julia Agrippina, the daughter of Germanicus, making her Claudius'niece. Conveniently, her...

Claudius #11–Deviant Behaviour from 2020-10-17T11:14:13

Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo - brother-in-law of Caligula - is sent by Claudius to Germany to deal with some rebellious tribes. But he's TOO successful, so Claudius calls him home. Messalina decides ...

Claudius #10 Santa Claudius from 2020-10-10T23:38:50

Messalina starts killing off men who refuse her sexual advances or who just have something she wants. Meanwhile, Claudius keeps being a nice guy and the people feel sorry for him.

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Claudius #9 Vini Vidi Vici Bitchi from 2020-09-18T01:39:44

The invasion of Brittania continues. When Plautius has them nearly finished, he sends for Claudius who turns up to take credit for the final blow. The Senate grant him tons of honours as a resul...

Claudius #8–Invading Britannia from 2020-09-11T02:46:16

In 43 Claudius is consul again. Messalina is setting him up with girls to bang while she’s running sex parties in another part of the palace. Then he invades Britain, finishing the job Julius Ca...

Claudius #7–Mauretania from 2020-09-05T02:23:28

While the attempted coup was going on, Claudius had troops in Mauretania under the command of Suetonius Paulinus. One of Paulinus’ officers, Gnaeus Hosidius Geta, chases the Moors over the Atlas...

Claudius #6–The Revolt from 2020-08-21T07:53:58

Claudius was a builder and a visionary. Humble and generous. He liked gladiatorial contests a little too much. But then there was his wife. Valeria Messallina. Like Livia, Messallina often gets...

Claudius #5–The Wife from 2020-08-14T06:18:38

Claudius was a builder and a visionary. Humble and generous. He liked gladiatorial contests a little too much. But then there was his wife. Valeria Messallina. Like Livia, Messallina often gets...

Claudius #4–The Good Emperor from 2020-08-07T22:25:49

When Caligula was assassinated in 41, Claudius hid in a room of the palace called the Hermaeum, and then behind a curtain on a balcony. According to Suetonius, he was discovered by a soldier nam...

Claudius #3–The Emperor from 2020-07-22T23:36:17

When Caligula was assassinated in 41, Claudius hid in a room of the palace called the Hermaeum, and then behind a curtain on a balcony. According to Suetonius, he was discovered by a soldier nam...

Claudius #2–The Historian from 2020-07-16T02:55:21

For most of his life, Claudius was the Rosemary Kennedy of the Caesars. Without the ice pick lobotomy. Hidden from the public. If he wasn’t allowed to participate in Roman affairs, he would look...

Claudius #1–The Monster from 2020-07-10T23:07

The first 50 years of Tiberius Claudius Nero's life was a mixture of wealth, power and cruelty. With symptoms similar to cerebral palsy, the young Claudius was called “a monstrosity of a human ...

Caligula #25–The Partial Historians from 2020-06-15T06:24:16

In this special post-series wrap up episode of Caligula, I'm joined by my fellow Aussie history podcasters, Dr G and Dr R from The Partial Historians.

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Caligula #24–Hoc Age from 2020-05-29T03:12:38

On the last morning of his life, Caligula entered the temporary theatre on the Palatine in a good mood. The conspirators attacked him in a narrow corridor, on his way back to the palace during t...

Caligula #23.b–Finicky Anus from 2020-05-21T03:40:16

There's nothing worse than having a Finicky Anus aka Lucius Annius Vinicianus. According to Josephus, Vinicianus was one of the main conspirators. As we'll see, Vinicianus was a long history of ...

Caligula #22–The Foot Stomp from 2020-05-16T00:01:25

The final conspiracy against Caligula involved Cassius Chaerea, an officer of the Praetorian Guard; Callistus, Caligula's wealthy freedman adviser; and the senator Lucius Annius Vinicianus. Over...

Caligula #21–Anthony Poulton-Smith from 2020-04-24T09:30:43

My guest today is Anthony Poulton-Smith - Freelance Journalist, Author of 78 books, and many more articles, ghostwriter, speaker and etymologist. Chair of Tamworth Literary Festival, Tamworth H...

Caligula #20–Hairy Antipasto from 2020-04-11T02:27:20

Caligula got back to Rome around May 40 but stayed outside of the city until he could celebrate his ovation on his 28th birthday, 31 August. In the meantime he met with delegations from various ...

Caligula #19–Lindsay Powell on Caligula from 2020-04-01T11:21:38

Ray recently interviewed Lindsay Powell about Caligula. I asked Ray for show notes. This is what he gave me.

"We talked of keeping the sources in context, considering the times they lived ...

Caligula #18–Living God from 2020-03-26T02:38:58

Many historians claim that Caligula’s demand to be treated as a living god is a sure sign of madness. And yet - JESUS claimed the same thing and nobody calls HIM insane. Why does he get special ...

Caligula #17–Brittanicus Germanicus from 2020-03-20T05:32:42

Caligula plans his invasion of Britain. It would have been the first time any Roman solider had been there since Julius Caesar. What motivated his plans? Was he even serious? It's often portraye...

Caligula #16–Bless The Rains from 2020-03-14T00:28:54

Sometime around the year 40, Caligula executed Ptolemy, the king of Africa Proconsularis and Roman ally. It's usually portrayed as evidence of his insanity and greed - but perhaps there is an al...

Caligula #15–The Conspiracy from 2020-02-26T02:56:35

Caligula suspects a grand conspiracy against his person and the sword falls on a variety of people - including the commander in Gaul, his two surviving sisters and his best friend / lover, Lepid...

Caligula #14–The Great Purge from 2020-02-21T05:25:22

Caligula built a 3-mile long bridge over the Bay of Naples. Why? So he could ride over it to prove someone wrong. Then he marries his third and last wife, Caesonia. Then he fires two consuls for...

Caligula #13–No More Mr Nice Guy from 2020-02-15T09:38:56

In 39 CE, Caligula walked into the Senate and tore them all a new one. The gloves came off. The nice guy act was over. He criticized them for enabling Sejanus'persecution of his family and for c...

The Psychopath Epidemic 01–Corporate Psychopathy from 2020-02-03T10:52:19

My inaugural guest is Dr Nathan Brooks PhD from CQUniversity. He's a forensic psychologist with a background in researching psychopaths. He (and a couple of colleagues) have a new book that came...

Caligula #12–The Divine Drusilla from 2020-01-28T10:30:03

From his sickbed he named his favorite sister, Drusilla, to inherit the imperial “property and the throne”. But when he recovered, he decided to rid himself of some enemies, real or imagined, in...

Caligula #11–Paranoia from 2020-01-23T07:26:39

From his sickbed he named his favorite sister, Drusilla, to inherit the imperial “property and the throne”. But when he recovered, he decided to rid himself of some enemies, real or imagined, in...

Caligula #10–“Anal Maintenance” from 2020-01-18T00:01:32

Caligula's absolute favourite thing in the world, apart from spending money, is screwing. And seriously, who can blame him. It's good to be the king. And, like Ray, he was happy to be a power bo...

Caligula #9–The Ships of Nemi from 2020-01-06T23:07:42

The Nemi ships were two pleasure barges, one larger than the other, built under Caligula at Lake Nemi. Although there were several attempts to recover them from the 15th century onwards, it wasn...

Caligula #8–Shamelessness from 2019-12-20T06:12:58

According to Suetonius, Caligula was quite proud of his"adiatrepsia"- shamelessness. He lived in habitual incest with all his sisters and was especially fond of Drusilla. He made her divorce her...

Caligula #7–Going Back To Cali from 2019-12-15T04:42:35

How does a 24 year old kid, who's never even been on a battlefield, let alone lead an army to victory, get declared"imperator"?

How would you handle it if you were granted ius arbitriumque...

Caligula #6–The Maccabees from 2019-11-29T02:30:18

One of the other first things Caligula did when he took power was to release Herod Agrippa from jail - King Herod from the New Testament. The grandson of Herod the Great. Which all gives me an e...

Caligula #5–Caligula’s Popularity from 2019-11-22T05:42:08

By all accounts, Caligula was extremely popular with the people, as his father, Germanicus, had been. Suetonius reports that Caligula was “the emperor most earnestly desired”. When he entered Ro...

Caligula #4–Monster or Misunderstood? from 2019-11-16T03:18:54

We all think we know something of the story of Caligula. We have a picture of him as a destructive monster, an insane sadist. But truth is rarely that simple. Let's take a look at the sources an...

Caligula #3–The Movie (Part 3) from 2019-10-30T10:50:35

We continue and finish our live commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Picking up where we left off last week, Caligula is fisting the married couple and he doesn't even remove his ring. A ...

Caligula Caesar #2–The Movie (Part 2) from 2019-10-22T21:18:49

We continue our live commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Picking up where we left off last week, still in Tiberius’ sex palace on Capri, with a lady holding a writhing legless lizard tha...

Caligula Caesar #1–The Movie (Part 1) from 2019-10-18T22:54:04

To kick off our Caligula series, we are doing a commentary on the 1979 epic film, CALIGULA. Written by Gore Vidal, directed by Tinto Brass, produced by Bob Guccione, starring Malcolm McDowell, H...

The Papa Bear Beat from 2019-08-02T01:30:12

When Ray’s away, the Cam doth play.

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The Psychopath Economy–Introduction from 2019-03-18T05:59:12

Listen to me read the INTRODUCTION to my new book THE PSYCHOPATH ECONOMY. And you only have until 20 March to pre-order your copy! 

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Help Jesus! from 2018-12-04T00:05:38

I just launched my second and last Kickstarter campaign for the Jesus film! Check it out, promote it, support it, lick it, rub yourself all over it!

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SPECIAL–Dr Richard Carrier from 2018-02-27T05:30:41

A special philosophy episode. Nothing at all to do with Augustus or Rome. No Ray. Just me and a special guest – Dr. Richard Carrier, who has a M.Phil. and a Ph.D. Ancient History from Columbia U...

Live From Durham from 2018-01-21T06:18:19

A quick hello from our hotel room in Durham, North Carolina.

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Want to come to Europe with us in 2018? from 2017-11-15T23:38:06

Hey folks, I’m trying to gauge interest in a 2018 tour of Europe. I’ve had a bunch of people email me over the last six months asking for details – well, here they are. It’s hard to come up with...

Inventing The Messiah from 2017-02-10T03:59:17

Our Kickstarter campaign went live today, so please jump on over there, and support us if you can. And, if you can’t, but still want to support us, Tweet it, Facebook it, Reddit it. Thanks!

Special Edition: TrumPOTUS from 2016-11-11T05:44:06

Just this one time, we ignore Augustus and Rome to do a special edition about what just happened.

The postSpecial Edition: Tru...

Life Of Augustus Announcement–Podcast Awards Nomination! from 2016-05-29T21:00:21

Thanks to everyone who nominated us for a Podcast Award! We made the official “Society&Culture” nomination list! Now we need you to go and vote for us. You can vote for us once a day. Vote early...

Alexander Free Xmas Taste Test from 2014-12-18T15:11:56

For those of you who haven’t subscribed to our new Life Of Alexander series yet, here’s a free taste test, our Xmas gift to you. It’s the first episode! If you have already subscribed and alread...

Announcing The New Series! from 2014-05-20T14:09:22

Hey folks! We’re very excited to announce our brand new kick-ass history series – THE LIFE OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT. It’s going to be our wildest and best series yet! This is the guy that both Nap...