Nero Pt. 1: Rome

Get an inside look at far-right extremism and domestic terror groups. From Gimlet and VICE News, American Terror follows reporter Ben Makuch as he investigates the ideologies and inside workings of hate groups in America. Listen to the first episode right here, then follow Americ ...  Show more

Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, as ...  Show more

Ryan speaks with Anthony Everitt about his book Nero: Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome, how Rome would have been different if Nero were free to become a musician, why Nero’s overbearing ...

She became the queen of Egypt in 51 BCE, and ignited a worldwide scandal when her fling with Roman leader Julius Caesar produced a child. But Cleopatra’s next great love affair with Caesar’s successor Mark Antony was actually the most meaningful relationship in her life—and led t ...  Show more

Nero fiddled while Rome burned, didn’t he? At least, that’s what the history books tell us. Nero’s image as a depraved tyrant has been handed down to us by three biased sources, written after the emperor’s suicide in 68AD. These sources have informed interpretations of Nero’s leg ...  Show more

The story of the Roman emperor Heliogabalus is filled with sex, death, decadence and religious extremism, but it also touches on some key questions about imperial Rome. What were the limits of political power? How far should a ruler intervene in the life of his subjects? And what ...  Show more