meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Tides of History

The Forgotten Power-Broker of the Roman Republic: Interview with Professor Douglas Boin

Tides of History

Wondery / Patrick Wyman

Documentary, Society & Culture, History

4.86.3K Ratings

🗓️ 7 August 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Most people today remember the Roman aristocratic woman Clodia as the target of one of Cicero's nastiest works, but Douglas Boin has written a wonderful new book - Clodia of Rome - that recovers just how central she was to the political networks of the late Roman Republic. Clodia was a woman in a world of men and a truly principled reformer, and exploring her story tells us an extraordinary amount about a time and place we thought we knew so well.

Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge. And check out Patrick's new podcast The Pursuit of Dadliness! It’s all about “Dad Culture,” and Patrick will interview some fascinating guests about everything from tall wooden ships to smoked meats to comfortable sneakers to history, sports, culture, and politics. https://bit.ly/PWtPoD

Listen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistory

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter



See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to Tides of History early and ad-free right now.

0:04.6

Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.

0:14.4

Hi, everybody.

0:19.7

From Wondery, welcome to another episode of Tides of History. I'm Patrick Wyman.

0:23.4

Thanks so much for being here with me today. There are a few times and places in history that simply

0:29.1

seem alive. Because of the richness of our source material for these rare, well-lit rooms,

0:34.7

we can practically hear the voices echoing through the streets. We can see

0:38.2

the dirt and grime and texture of everyday life, and we can know that real, complicated,

0:43.3

fascinating people once inhabited that world. Rome in the late Republic, the time of Cicero and

0:49.5

Caesar, is one of those places. Yet as well as we might think we know the late Republic, with its

0:55.3

sprawling cast of ambitious up-and-comers and doughty traditionalists, the period still has its

1:00.7

hidden nooks and crannies. In one of them, today's guest found the story of one of the most

1:05.9

fascinating residents of Rome in this crucial time, an aristocratic woman named Clodia, who found herself

1:12.0

at the intersection of turbulent politics, deep-seated misogyny, and a scandalous murder trial.

1:18.3

Douglas Boyne is Professor of History at St. Louis University and the author of several books,

1:22.7

most recently, Alaric the Goth, an outsider's history of the fall of Rome. We had a fantastic discussion on

1:29.0

Tides about that book back in 2020, and it's one of my favorite reads of the last half decade.

1:33.9

His new book is entitled Clodia of Rome, champion of the republic. And folks, it is an absolute

1:39.7

banger. Professor Boyne, I've been looking forward to this since our last discussion. Thank you so

1:44.5

much for coming on tides again. Patrick, has it been five years, really? Pleasure to be back.

1:50.1

Only for my hairline. Only for my hair line. Listeners can't see how gray I've turned.

1:57.1

I was going to say, you look impeccable. The Arizona sun has done me no favors over the last five years, I would say.

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 18 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

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

Generated transcripts are the property of Wondery / Patrick Wyman and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.