Was Rome Always Like This? (With Mike Duncan)

Was Rome Always Like This? (With Mike Duncan)

From Ancient History Fangirl by Jenny Williamson and Genn McMenemy

April 23, 2026 · 1h 26m · Episode 346

About this episode

Mike Duncan discusses the historical foundations of Roman democracy and its eventual demise.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! When we look at the demise of Roman democracy, we think of the time of Augustus—and maybe Caesar before him. But in reality, the seeds of the republic’s destruction were planted at the time of its birth. It’s probably not too far out on a limb to say that Caesar couldn’t have grabbed so much power if there hadn’t been a Sulla, or a Marius, or the Gracchi brothers, or innumerable revolutionaries and power players of centuries before. That is the subject of The Storm Before the Storm, the New York Times bestselling book by author and podcaster Mike Duncan. This week, Mike takes us back to the beginning—to show us the faultlines built into the very foundation of democracy. Sponsors and Advertising This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to advertising@airwavemedia.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: Mike Duncan

Topics covered

  • Roman democracy
  • Caesar
  • Sulla
  • Marius
  • Gracchi brothers
  • history of Rome

Keywords

  • The Storm Before the Storm
  • New York Times bestselling book
  • revolutionaries
  • power players

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Storm Before the Storm

Books & works: The Storm Before the Storm

Places: Rome

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