When in Rome

The Theatre of Marcellus is a perfect example of the changing tastes of Rome in the late Republic. As plays became more popular, permanent structures were built, in this case in the Campus Martius on the banks of the Tiber River. Parts of it still stand today and is a reminder of Augustan building projects throughout the empire.

Guest: Dr Rhiannon Evans

The Baths of Diocletian was a huge imperial public building, built on the scale that Rome rarely saw during the early years of the fourth century. Designed to outshine previous public bath projects, we can still get a sense of the grandeur today, repurposed into a church designed by Michaelangelo.

Guest: Professor Caillan Davenport (Head of the Centre for Classical Studies, Australian National University)

In this episode When in Rome travels further west than it has ever gone before, to the Roman fort in Caerleon, headquarters of the Legion II Augusta, close to the River Usk in modern day Wales.

Germania is a new podcast series from Rhiannon Evans and Matt Smith. You can support it now on kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nightlight/germania-a-roman-history-podcast-miniseries

Guest: Dr Peter Guest (Vianova Archaeology)

In the Roman period, Nea Paphos was the capital of Cyprus and a thriving centre of administration, culture, and commerce. Its theatre—first built in the Hellenistic age and later transformed under Roman rule—became one of the city’s most impressive monuments, a place where architecture, performance, and imperial power all came together.

Guest: Dr Craig Barker (Head of Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney and Director of the Paphos Theatre Archaeological Project)

As a prominent coastal city on the island of Cyprus, Salamis had a lot to offer the Romans. Well situated in the middle of the Mediterranean, it was the perfect location for maritime trade, as well as, unfortunately, the occasional war.

Guest: Dr Christopher Gribbin (Adjunct Lecturer, Classics and Ancient History, La Trobe University)