Episode LXXII - On Behalf of the State

Emperors of Rome

La Trobe University

Roman Emire, Rhiannon Evans, Biography, Emperor, La Trobe University, Roman History, Julius Caesar, Rome, Caesar, Ancient History, History, Caillan Davenport, Roman Emperors

4.8 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 30 May 2017

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"For it is on behalf of the State that I continue to toil and to undergo dangers and that I have spent so much time here outside of Italy, though already an old man and weak, unable to take either food without pain or sleep without anxiety." - Dio 72:24

An ageing Marcus Aurelius continues to toil and undergo dangers – be they warring tribes to the north, the insurrection of Avidius Cassius, an alleged betrayal by his beloved wife, or the disappointing prospects of his son and heir.

Guest: Dr Rhiannon Evans (Senior Lecturer, Mediterranean Studies, La Trobe University).

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ahve, and welcome to Emperor of Rome, a podcast about the rulers of the ancient Roman Empire.
0:12.0	I'm your host, Matt Smith Smith and with me today is Dr.
0:15.0	Riano Evans, a senior lecturer in ancient Mediterranean studies at Latrobe
0:19.6	University. This is episode LXI on behalf of the state.
0:25.0	It is on behalf of the state that Marcus Aurelius continues to toil and undergo dangers.
0:32.0	Be they warring tribes in the north, the insurrection of Avidius Cassius and the legend
0:36.6	betrayed by his beloved wife, or the disappointing prospects of his son and heir,
0:42.0	Commodus.
0:43.2	Here's Rianna Evans.
0:45.0	As a result of the Markamanic Wars,
0:47.3	there was considerable panic about the Emperor
0:50.6	being away for so long, and various stories grew up about what was going on and of course at this point we also have the plague entering the story so that kind of adds to this sense of not really knowing what's going on perhaps around the empire.
1:06.2	And we think that that's probably the reason why in 175 CE there was a revolt. It's a strange circumstances for a revolt though because there's not
1:16.2	so much that people are dissatisfied or one particular person is dissatisfied or wants to usurp the
1:22.1	Emperor's position through ambition. It comes out through a rumor,
1:26.6	which is probably a result of this anxiety about where is the Emperor. And the rumor, according
1:31.3	to Diyo, is that Marcus Aurelius was about to die.
1:36.0	In fallen eel, he was expected to die and the false rumor was that he actually had died.
1:41.0	So a man called Avidius Cassius rose up and was declared emperor in his place.
1:47.6	Okay, but just within a certain region of the empire.
1:50.9	Yeah, he wasn't an empire-wide rebellion of any sorts?
1:54.0	No, no, he's the governor of Syria, so this is happening in the East.
	...

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