Studio: Mike Duncan
Category: History
What It Is
Over nearly two-hundred episodes, Duncan moves through the history of Rome.
Technical Details
This show ran for a few years and wrapped up its epic task in 2013. The entire archive is available in iTunes. Episodes run fifteen to twenty minutes.
What About It
This is a great history podcast in the tradition of Lars Brownworth’s work on 12 Byzantine Rulers and Norman Centuries. Like Brownworth, Duncan has an appealing voice and he unspools the history in an entertaining way, like he’s telling a long story instead of imparting dry historical facts. It’s a really cool show now that’s wrapped up (and Duncan has moved on to other topics) and you can download several episodes at a pop and listen to lengthy sections of the history all at once. If you’re truly ambitious, you could download all 190 episodes and create an entertaining, informative audio book for yourself. Historians of this period might take issue with some of this stuff. I don’t know that for sure, but I always wonder when it comes to a more story-based, layman’s terms history like this. Still, you take all history at face value, which is, of course, that it’s flawed and incomplete. But I can certainly say that if you listen to this show, you’ll win in two different ways: you’ll hear interesting, compelling stories that are entertaining purely as stories & you’ll come out with fascinating insights and more facts at your command. Win-win. Check this one out.
4 stars.
Essential If
You’ve always found Roman history fascinating and wished you knew more about it.
Avoid Like the Plague If
You prefer your politics free of murder, torture and intrigue.
Best Entry Point