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Today. Today is March 29th, 2025, and you should all feel lucky.

14 days ago, you escaped the soothsayers warning.

Remember this bit of Shakespeare?

Caesar!

Ah, who calls? Be it every noise, be still, peace, yet again. Who is it in the press that calls on me? I hear a tongue, shriller than all the music, cry Caesar. Speak. Caesar has turned to hear. Beware the aides of March! What man is that? A sous-soucetre. He bids you beware the aides of March. Set him before me. Let me see his face. Fellow, come from the throne. Look upon Caesar. What thou sayest to me now? Speak once again. Beware the aides of March. Ah, he is a dreamer. Let us leave him pass. Caesar, of course, should have listened.

Because on March 15, 44 BC,

Julius Caesar approached the theater of Pompey,

unaware that the men inside had sworn an oath.

To save the Republic from the hands of this self-style perpetual dictator, Caesar must die. But where did the Republic start?

How did it transform Rome from a small town into a superpower? And what made its government

so steadfast against autocracy passed the tipping point into a dictatorship.

To answer these questions on today's Saturday matinee,

we bring you an episode from the excellent Noiser podcast, Ancient Civilizations.

I hope you enjoy.

While you're listening, be sure to search for and follow Ancient Civilizations.

We put a link in the show notes to make it easy for you.

History Daily is sponsored by Indeed.

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