Between 716 and 715 BCE, Rome undergoes what becomes known as an interregnum- an inter regnum, or period between kings. Senators take five-day turns ruling the country, and then one year into it, Numa Pompilius becomes elected king! However, our Sabine protagonist just refuses to become monarch until all sorts of hoops have been jumped through...

Sources for this episode:

• Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.
• Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.
• Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.
• Plutarch (1938), Plutarch's Lives (Volume I). London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. and E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc.
• Sextus Aurelius Victor (TBA).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Olympiad (online) (Accessed 27/10/2025).

It's 5th July, 716 BCE. Campus Martius. One way or another, King Romulus of Rome disappears. But how? Did he become a god? Did the Senate do him in? Was there an uprising by the people? Let's pick our way through the different versions of events...

Sources for this episode:

TBA

We march through the years from 752 to 716 BCE, polishing off the remaining thirty-six years of Romulus' rule. Along the way, we'll watch Rome hit a bunch of opponents until they stay down one after another and Romulus take on some tyrannical airs the Senate don't like. Also, is it Dionysus of Halicarnassus- or is it John?

Sources for this episode:

• Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.
• Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.
• M’s Chronicle of the Roman Republic (TBA).
• Pliny’s Natural History (TBA)
• Plutarch (1938), Plutarch's Lives (Volume I). London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons Ltd. and E. P. Dutton & Co. Inc.

Romulus may have founded a city and invited a bunch of criminals who need asylum in, but there's still a problem to overcome. Namely, there are no women in Rome. Well, nothing a good old-fashioned bit of mass kidnapping, brutal warfare and Stockholm syndrome can't overcome! Let's watch Vince decide he can't spell the word 'the' and Cassie decide she can't pronounce... things.

FYI: plea is a word derived from Anglo-French and area from Latin according to Etymology Online. Just in case anyone listened to the episode and thought they could do with that information.

Sources for this episode:

TBA

Sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

Let's take a look at what's going on in China at the time Rome is founded! Today, we give a bit of context for Chinese mythology and history starting in the 27th century BCE and skipping through the Xia and Shang dynasties all the way up until the mess that is the Zhou in 753 BCE. Along the way, we get so many opportunities to mess up the pronunciation of Zhou! Shoe? Joe? Shou? Take your pick! Also, binary numbers.

Sources for this episode:

TBA

Now that we've reached the founding of Rome, let's see what some areas in the rest of the world look like at this time. Today, we'll be exploring Egypt, which is currently in the middle of it's 22nd and 23rd dynasties. Fair warning- there will be a lot more people called Sheshonq and Osorkon than you might be able to handle...

NOTE: The book we have been working with as a source mentions pharaohs called Sheshonq, while Wikipedia spells it Shoshenq.

Sources for this episode:

TBA

WE MADE IT! One hundred episodes in and we finally got to the founding of Rome. Just under thirty-nine hours of content later, we finally get to the point of the podcast. Romulus and Remus set out to found a city, but will it be Rome or Remoria? Will it be on the Palatine or the Aventine hill? Only one combination can win- and only one twin will leave the founding alive...

Sources for this episode:

TBA

We've covered a lot of ground between the 1180s and 754 BCE. So, let's recap that in a bit more of a barebones recap today. Along the way, let's revisit the stories of Camilla, Remulus the hubristic king and Dido of Carthage. We'll also watch the co-hosts sass each other a lot more than necessary and pretend they don't know what a Rome is!