Historically Speaking Podcast
Uncommon history with an unconventional pair. Join married hosts Rebecca Robbins (a Broadway actress) and Kim Kimmel (her college history instructor) as they delve into topics that run the historical gambit. A gifted storyteller, Kim taught history at the collegiate level for 29 years while as a student, Rebecca always sat in the front row of his Western Civilizations class soaking up every word he said. For the record, she made an A in his class. She went on to pursue a Broadway career (The Phantom of The Opera, A Tale of Two Cities) while he continued to teach at her alma mater (Curtis Institute of Music). Though you couldn't get more different than these two with their 23-year age difference, together they bring history to life with their unique perspectives, entertaining banter, and shared love of the past. Sometimes quirky, sometimes obscure, this is the kind of history you’ll actually want to remember. Now in our Second Season. New episodes bi-weekly on Wednesday mornings.
Historically Speaking Podcast
Caligula and The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
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Rebecca Robbins & Kim Kimmel
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Season 2
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Episode 45
“Let them hate me, so they but fear me.” ~ Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula)
Caligula, the third Julio-Claudian emperor of the great Roman Empire, was known as a cruel, erratic, sex-crazed and delusional tyrant. Not only did he decree that his horse was a Roman consul, but he also marched his troops all the way to the English Channel only to have them pick up seashells, and he’s also said to have committed incest with all three of his sisters. Was he a madman or a victim of an undiagnosed medical condition? Here in Episode 45, we take an in-depth look at not only Caligula, but all five of the emperors who reigned during the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, including Claudius and the famed Nero.
Books:
- From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 BC to AD 68 by H.H. Scullard
- History of Rome by Michael Grant
- The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius
- Roman History by Dio Cassius
Film:
- I, Claudius (1976) 12 Episodes by BBC
- Caligula (1979) terrible cult film, but incredible cast including Peter O’Toole, Helen Mirren & Malcolm McDowell