Ah they and welcome to Emperor of Rome, a Roman history podcast from Latrobe University.

I'm your host Matt Smith and with me today is Dr. Kaylin Davenport,

Senior lecturer in Roman History at Macquarie University and Humboldt Research

Fellow at Gurthi University in Frankfurt, Germany.

This is episode CXLV I.

The vagaries of Chants.

Maximinus Thrax was an unorthodox emperor, a man of lowborn status who kept

to the front lines with the military. It was only a matter of time before the Senate threw

in with someone more on their own level, but their choice,

Gordian, would have the shortest rule of any emperor.

Here's Caitlin Davenport.

In early 2.38, there's a revolt in North Africa against Maximus or more specifically

his procurator who is trying to enforce the exaction of taxes on the provincials.

So probably in January of that year some scholars place it as late as March the chronology is a bit confused but we have a

procurator in the province of Africa pro consularis that's about modern day Tunisia

that is hoping to curry favor with Maximinas by handing down harsh

penalties and to extort funds from the locals suing local young men for their wealth and these are sons

of local aristocrats. They're probably members of what we call the Uintutees, the youth organizations that practice fighting and exercises

and horseback riding, you know all good things that Roman men should do to display their weirous.

Of course this proves to be problematic because the young men don't take too kindly

to the procurators exactions.

And Herodian really sort of portrays this

...