After two years of sporadic war, Constantius II defeated the usurper Magnentius in 353. Following his victory the Emperor let his advisors talk him into executing first Gallus in 354 and then Claudius Silvanus in 355.
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July 03, 2011
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First!
Posted by: Xellos_Moon | July 04, 2011 at 01:33 AM
If you're looking for a book to recommend next (in case it hasn't already been recommended), then here's a perfect fit: "Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America" by Robert Charles Wilson.
Not only is the text very good, but it's a speculative fiction story about America after Peak Oil that is explicitly modelled on the story of Julian the Apostate.
The audio version is here: http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B002V07ZWI&qid=1309791169&sr=1-1
Posted by: Christina | July 04, 2011 at 07:55 AM
Anyone read Gore Vidal's "Julian"?
We're coming up quickly on this emperor, and this book came up briefly in another podcast I listen to (http://www.abc.net.au/rn/philosopherszone/stories/2011/3237626.htm).
Posted by: twitter.com/Akiracee | July 04, 2011 at 03:12 PM
This comment is in regard to the entire series: these are fabulous. I like your concise, no frills, clear information and delivery. I've enjoyed them all and will listen to them from the beginning again.
Posted by: Mark Stephenson | July 05, 2011 at 06:16 AM
@akiracee
Vidal's Julian is pretty good. Much better than his Caligula.
Posted by: Nicole | July 05, 2011 at 01:41 PM
Thanks Nicole. I'll pick it up!
Posted by: twitter.com/Akiracee | July 05, 2011 at 03:09 PM
Mike,
Just wanted to offer a sincere thank you for this series - it is incredible. I've listened to every episode and will continue to listen until 476CE - or if you choose to go to 1453CE with the Eastern Roman Empire's fall I'd be happy to go there too!
In any case, keep up the good work! Your fans appreciate you!
Carpe Diem!
Posted by: Brad Penney | July 05, 2011 at 08:43 PM
Mike (and this may be a little late, as I'm listening to 141, but hopefully this is still relevant), I looked up "arian christianity" on wikipedia. I spelled it wrong. Before I looked it up, every time I heard the word "Arian" I would mentally misspell it as "Aryan". Naturally, this made me think of both the original speakers of Indo-European languages (my sister is a linguist-in-training) and, well, World War Two. Could you please clear this up for all the other people out there who are probably confusing this too? I think you mentioned the root of the whole conflict a while back, but it's been so long that I don't think I'm the only one making this mistake.
Thanks!
Posted by: Julie R. | July 06, 2011 at 05:12 PM
Gore Vidal's Julian was one of the few historical fictions I have read and up until now I have been uninterested in the late empire so I am really looking forward to see the accurate depiction of the Julian's reign. It is a fairly good book, but like I just said, I do get the feeling its historical value isn't great.
Posted by: Dylan Stosz | July 06, 2011 at 07:26 PM
Gore Vidal's Julian was a pretty good read, but not as gripping as I hoped. His Julian seems a lot more rational, introspective and self-critical and is a much better writer than the real one, who appears superstitious, fanatical and a bit mentally unhinged. Vidal relies heavily and uncritically on Ammianus Marcellinus who idolised Julian. As someone else pointed out a few weeks ago, the trend nowadays is to romanticise Julian and vilify Constantine. Compared with Constantine, Julian's successes (eg Strasbourg)were few and his gaffes (eg. Imperial Army trapped 100 miles inside Sassanid territory) were major. I hope Mike can explain why everyone is so fascinated by Julian.
Posted by: lesceau | July 07, 2011 at 07:09 AM
Is there a facebook fan page for this podcast?
Posted by: Rob | July 09, 2011 at 01:06 PM
I went a bought 10 Roman coins off eBay.
Not expensive, but then the coins aren't very valuable or good quality. But I wanted to touch something Roman after living so long with this Podcast.
So the first coin I tried to Google and figure out turned out to be for Constantine II. Cool! A coin from the events we're listening to now! The son who controlled the West, picked a fight with Constans, and got himself killed good and early.
On the back of the coin is apparently says "The Glory of the Army". So it's pretty obvious where his priorities lay.
But the odd thing is that the coin was supposed to be minted in Constantinople. For use in France and Spain at a time when the various bits of the Empire were not being very co-operative?
Anyway, I'm waffling. As always, love the podcast. Only a hundred and ten years to go....
Posted by: Gregm | July 09, 2011 at 07:10 PM
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-History-Of-Rome-Podcast-Listeners/212613895426494
Posted by: Luise (Tasmania,Australia) | July 09, 2011 at 08:39 PM
@ Brad Penny: Mike has already said that he will not be continuing the podcast with the Byzantine Empire as he simply isn't as familiar with it as he is with the Roman Empire. His next podcasting endeavor will be an examination of the various political periods of American history.
Posted by: Wade Steel | July 11, 2011 at 04:19 AM
Don't know what is wrong what is rite but i know that every one has there own point of view and same goes to this one
Posted by: mulberry outlet | October 22, 2011 at 02:34 PM
So I have no idea what I want from my life. I have to make a choice, and there are so many different futures now. It scares me when I am depressed
Posted by: free lance writing jobs | November 25, 2011 at 07:42 AM
So I have no idea what I want from my life. I have to make a choice, and there are so many different futures now. It scares me when I am depressed
Posted by: free lance writing jobs | November 25, 2011 at 07:44 AM
No offense, but if there's a facebook like button, it'll be much easier for me to share.
Posted by: elliptical reviews | November 29, 2011 at 08:21 PM
let's join our hands together to stop this kind of wrong doings. It may risk lives in the future if we just let them continue.
Posted by: belstaff chaquetas | December 26, 2011 at 09:11 PM
Really interesting post!
Posted by: see through toaster | June 22, 2012 at 01:31 AM