I’ve always been interested in Roman history, like a lot of people, and I enjoyed it back when the History Channel still regularly showed a lot of that sort of stuff — before they went full on World War 2 for a few years before becoming reality television. So what better way to hear about Rome than a very good, very well done podcast about the complete history, from the mythological origin through the Empire?
This is the second podcast in a sort of unofficial category: who we are. So much of western civilization can be traced to Rome that it is a little crazy. Mike Duncan does a great job of explaining this history in an entertaining, approachable way. Unlike a lot of the podcasts I listen to, this one has a finite run: he finished it in 2012 (and then moved on to another podcast, Revolutions).
There’s a reason that when people bring up podcasts, this one is one of the many in the top lists: it’s really great. And like all of the ones I’ll be reviewing, it is totally free. You can’t ask for a better combination: great, entertaining, educational, and free? Sign me up. Especially when the topic is the history of Rome.
