Gladiators: The Praetorian Guard

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 November 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The true nexus of power in the Roman Empire wasn't in the Emperor's box but in the shadowy ranks of the Praetorian Guard. First established in 27 BCE by Caesar Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome, they acted as his personal army and security escort. But it didn’t take long for their influence in Rome to become more insidious … they became kingmakers and power brokers with the ability to topple a dynasty at the drop of a hat. They were the ones who decided who lived and who died.

Dan and Dr Simon Elliot, a leading voice in Roman History, walk the streets of Rome where Praetorian conspiracies and assassinations spilt imperial blood on the stones of the eternal city…

This is episode 4 of 4 in our mini-series 'Gladiators'.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	So, folks, I know that as history lovers, you need more history content that I can possibly give you in a week.
0:06.1	So I want to point you to one of my favourite history podcasts at the moment.
0:09.4	You've probably seen it on your podcast players already.
0:11.5	Well, this is your notice to finally hit play.
0:14.1	It's the Legacy podcast hosted by the incredible historian, Peter Frankapan, who we've had in this show many times,
0:19.3	and the wonderful broadcaster Afua Hirsch. Each season, they do a deep dive into the most extraordinary men and women in history,
0:26.7	revealing the kind of astonishing details and deep history that I know all you history hit fans love.
0:32.8	Did you know that Winston Churchill favoured higher taxes for the wealthy, or that Marilyn Monroe set up
0:38.2	our own production company to take on Hollywood, that Bob Marley was a workaholic, or that
0:43.2	Thatcher couldn't afford to work in politics until a Labor bill was passed, giving MPs actual
0:48.4	salaries. The things they bring to the fore each season really make you reassess these famous names,
0:54.9	whether they deserve the reputations they have, good or bad.
0:59.1	They've recently done a series on Alan Turing, Gorbachev, Nina Simone,
1:03.0	and their current one is on a name that it'll be fairly familiar with, Winston Churchill.
1:08.4	So, follow Legacy on the Wondery app, or wherever you get your podcast. You can
1:12.3	binge entire seasons early and ad-free by joining Wondery Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.
1:18.1	It's a goodie. Trust me.
1:19.2	An Apple original film, Blitz. Please, Mom. Don't set him your way. It's only until all this
1:24.5	is over. Steve McQueen's Blitz is a triumph. Your son
1:29.2	did not arrive at his destination.
1:31.5	You were meant to be looking after him.
1:33.2	Where's my boy?
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.