The Rise of the Praetorian Guard

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2021

⏱️ 65 minutes

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Summary

From Gladiator to Rome Total War to Star Wars, today the Praetorians are one of the most distinctive military units of Imperial Rome. It was their job to protect the Roman Emperor and his household, a task for which they hold a somewhat ‘chequered’ record (especially when we focus in on the Praetorian Prefects). But what do we know about this unit’s origins? How did this powerful force become protectors of the Emperor and his household? What other functions did they serve? And how did they differ from the standard Roman legions in their structure? To talk through the rise of the Praetorian Guard, with a specific focus on the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius, Tristan caught up with historian Lindsay Powell at Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex for the Ancients Podcast. Lindsay is the author of several books about the Early Roman Imperial Period. His latest book, Bar Kokhba: The Jew Who Defied Hadrian and Challenged the Might of Rome, is out now.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Well, hello everybody, welcome to Dan Snow's History Hit.
0:05.0	We're going to bring you, we're talking about the Pratorian.
0:07.0	Pratorian, remember that great bit where Maxima Sinner Woods and Gladiator
0:11.0	shouts at Pratorian and throws his sword and knocks him off his sword.
0:14.0	I reenact that moment every time I'm in the woods with my kids
0:18.0	without a horse, obviously, and a sword.
0:21.0	Anyway, the Pratorian Guard, the Imperial Body Guard,
0:25.0	the Pampar Delete that kept the Emperor on his throne or occasionally
0:30.0	tossed him off his throne and replaced him with somebody else.
0:34.0	I mean, the Pratorian Guard's one of those extraordinary things
0:36.0	he keeps things yourself.
0:37.0	Why did they keep them?
0:38.0	Why didn't someone despand them?
0:40.0	Well, all of those questions are about to be answered.
0:44.0	Why did they come from and how were they different to Roman legions in their structure?
0:48.0	And did they ever, ever actually fight anyone on behalf of the Emperor?
0:52.0	Would they just spend the whole time carrying out Palace Cooge?
0:54.0	Well, Tristan's going to answer those questions.
0:56.0	This is another episode of the Ancient, the brilliant hit,
0:59.0	Ancient History podcast that Tristan Hughes has launched, that history hit.
1:02.0	He's talking to very brilliant Inzi Powell, who's also been on this podcast several times.
1:06.0	They met at Fishborne Palace, extraordinary Roman villa in West Sussex.
	...

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