The History of Rome

The History of Rome is Mike Duncan’s narrative of the city from its founding stories through the fall of the western empire, told in chronological episodes.

Duncan recorded it as a solo history podcast before that was a crowded field. His tone is dry, clear, and willing to say when the sources are gossip. Emperors get their due and their absurdity.

The series is a completed education. Later history podcasters are in its debt, including Duncan himself, who went on to Revolutions. This is the one that starts at the beginning and keeps going.

There are a lot of episodes, and the names pile up. The early kingdom episodes are short, which is a kindness.