Arve podcast listeners, a quick note before we get started on this week's podcast.

Way back in 2018, around episode C, Rianna and Dio made a series of episodes looking

at the fall of the Roman Republic, the death of Caesar, and ending with the reading of

his will.

For the next six episodes, we'll be looking at the liberators war of 43 BCE, which is

essentially what happened next.

So if you want some background, dig out those old podcast episodes.

You won't miss anything if you don't, just think of it as a bit of recommended reading.

On that note, here's today's episode.

Arve, and welcome to Emperors of Rome, a Roman history podcast from Latrobe University.

I'm your host Matt Smith, and with me today is Dr. Rianna Evans, associate professor

in classics and ancient history at Latrobe University.

This is episode C-L-X-X-X-I, the empty throne.

Caesar's death created a power vacuum in the Roman Empire, while Anthony struggled against

the Senate to make a deal and assert his dominance, Octavian's imminent arrival presented a challenge

he couldn't anticipate.

Here's Rianna Evans.

After the funeral of Caesar, there's a lot of uncertainty in Rome.

Cleopatra leaves, she doesn't have a protector there anymore, so that makes sense.

And then various factions take the opportunity to stir things up in Rome, and you get some

quite unexpected events, not just the power players we've seen before, but some unknown

people try and crawl their way to power.

...