Show Notes
Part 3 of 3 of Caesar's Civil War series. From triumph to near-disaster. Caesar's Egyptian entanglement transforms him from a glorious victor to a desperate challenger. In this episode: Pompey's assassination in Egypt and Caesar's unexpected grief over his former ally's death Cleopatra's legendary entrance in a bed-sack and her political seduction of Caesar The brutal urban warfare trapping Caesar in the palace quarter for six months The burning of the Great Library during the harbor battles—400,000 volumes lost Caesar's desperate swim to safety while clutching precious documents above water Young King Ptolemy XIII's tragic fate and the consolidation of Cleopatra's power The lightning campaign against Pharnaces in Asia—"Veni, Vidi, Vici" The veterans' mutiny outside Rome and Caesar's masterful psychological manipulation Cato's final stand in Africa and his defiant suicide The decisive Battle of Thapsus and the strategic genius of fighting on narrow ground The massacre of surrendering enemies as Caesar's clemency finally fails As Caesar recounts, the Republic's future dictator came very close to destruction in the palaces and canals of Alexandria. While Rome descended into chaos under Mark Antony's drunken rule, Caesar fought for his life against war elephants and Numidian cavalry, transformed by his liaison with the living goddess Cleopatra. The man who emerged from Egypt was no longer merely a Roman general, he had consorted with divinity and fathered the son of a pharaoh. As Cicero wrote in frantic letters to Atticus: "Where am I to look for solace?" The final campaign that would cement Caesar's supremacy began with the most dangerous gamble of his career. Works Cited: (Affiliate links - support the show!) Gareth Sampson, The Battle of Pharsalus Matthias Gelzer, Caesar: Politician and Statesman James Froude, Caesar: A Sketch, Raaflaub (ed.) Landmark Caesar
Thanks to our sponsor, Ai Labs. Visit austinlab.ai to chat with a team member about custom Agentic AI power solutions for your SMB to Enterprise level business. Powered by Shokworks. Also Thanks Dr. Richard Johnson, the Crassus to this Caesar series!
More from Cost of Glory
A goddess offers Odysseus immortality. He says no. Eight years on Calypso's island. Paradise, more or less. And he spends his days sitting on the beach, weeping for a rocky little kingdom he may never see again. Welcome to Part 2 (of 6!) of our series on Homer's great epic. Part 2 covers Books 5 to 8. We finally meet the man himself, and he arrives naked, half drowned, and buried under a pile of leaves. Why would anyone choose death over eternal life? And why does the greatest hero of the age get home on charm rather than force? Follow Odysseus as he builds his own raft, survives Poseidon's wrath, and talks his way into the most powerful household on the island of the Phaeacians. Meet the women who hold the real power: Calypso, the princess Nausicaa, and Queen Arete, honored like no woman of Homer's own day. Plus King Alcinous, and the blind bard Demodocus, whose song brings Odysseus to tears. Christopher Nolan cut three of these four books from his film. They may be the ones that tell you most about who Odysseus really is.
Something is very wrong in the opening scenes of the Odyssey. The master of the house is gone. His wife is besieged. His son is powerless. And the men eating him out of house and home are waiting for the right moment to strike. Welcome to Part 1 (of 6!) of our new series, where we cover Homer's great epic. Part 1 covers Books 1 to 4, the monsters haven't arrived yet — but the groundwork for everything is laid here. What does it take to reestablish order once it has fallen? What kind of man can do it? Follow Telemachus as he learns to speak, to threaten, and to travel among serious men, and meet the figures who shape his fate: Athena, Penelope, Nestor, Menelaus, Helen, and the doomed suitors led by Antinous. As Christopher Nolan's film approaches, it's a perfect time to dust off a copy of Homer's Odyssey, and follow along this epic story in our 6-part retelling. Timestamps: 0:00 Why the Odyssey begins with Odysseus's absence 1:08 Introducing the show 1:25 Book One: Athena visits Ithaca 4:05 Telemachus welcomes the stranger 7:33 The poem's opening lines and Odysseus's epithets 10:06 Odysseus and the wrath of Poseidon 11:43 The Council of the Gods 13:58 Athena's plan to help Telemachus 17:20 Athena's instructions: call an assembly 19:08 The story of Orestes and Telemachus's zeal 22:08 Penelope's first appearance 27:00 Telemachus finds his courage 29:25 Book Two: The Assembly begins 31:56 Antinous defends the suitors 35:59 The omen of the eagles 37:55 Telemachus's plan revealed 40:16 Athena returns as Mentor 45:15 Telemachus sets sail for Pylos 46:48 Book Three: Arrival at Pylos 52:41 The story of Agamemnon and Aegisthus 1:02:17 Book Four: Arrival in Sparta 1:05:28 Helen's grand entrance 1:11:41 Helen's magic drug 1:19:50 Menelaus and Proteus, the shapeshifting sea god 1:27:08 Menelaus's fate: the Elysian Fields 1:32:09 The suitors plot to kill Telemachus 1:33:23 Closing thoughts Callouts: Special thanks to Dr. Richard Johnson for his longtime support of the show. You are Caesar and Odysseus's Top Guy! In tribute to the life and aspirations of Savitha Shanmugasundaram, a University of Texas at Austin honors student who died tragically in the March 1 mass shooting, her parents have established the Savitha Shan Endowed Scholarship at UT Austin. The fund is intended to extend Savitha’s legacy by supporting the educational journeys of future UT Austin students. Please consider donating if you can.
A conversation with Morgan Watkins of TheBaseCreates and George Carter from Old Sovereign Publishing about the importance of re-enchanting the world through theatre and the tradition of the classics, specifically focusing on a new drama competition called "The Great Panathenaea". Links: TheBaseCreates YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBaseCreates TheBaseCreates X: https://x.com/thebasecreates Subscribe to the Cost of Glory newsletter for detailed maps, images, and analysis of this pivotal moment in ancient history Get in touch at: Website: https://costofglory.com X: https://x.com/costofglory
My conversation with author, soldier, and scholar, Nicholas Tobias. This is the first public interview with Nicholas, and he agreed to speak on condition that we'd preserve his alias and therefore his anonymity. Hence there is no video of him, and the sound quality from his undisclosed location was not perfect. But this was a fascinating conversation that I'm going to be thinking about for a long time.
On how the Spartans achieved emotional mastery, long before Stoicism was invented.