About this episode

This episode explores the significant yet often overlooked role of Marcus Agrippa in the success of Augustus and the Roman Empire.

Of all the Roman Emperors, Augustus has the reputation of being the most… well… august. That is to say, competent, level-headed and judicious. Not to mention one of the few who died of natural causes. But, according to Mary and Charlotte, the main reason Augustus got anything done is because he had a secret weapon in the form of Marcus Agrippa.  We don’t know much about Marcus Agrippa’s early life, because he didn’t come from the aristocracy, but by the time he was thirty Augustus couldn’t do much without him. There is evidence that Agrippa managed the battles for which Augustus is famous, including the Battle of Actium, while Augustus pulled another sickie. When not defeating Rome’s enemies, Agrippa put a great deal of energy into building works. He constructed baths, temples (including the original Pantheon) and aqueducts. There are even stories of him getting onto a boat and rowing amidst the faeces of the Cloaca Maxima - Rome’s sewage system - to oversee improvements.  While Agrippa did not come from the upper classes, he ended up there. He is buried with the imperial family in the mausoleum of Augustus (which you can still visit) and his great-grandson Nero became…

People in this episode

Host: Vespucci

Guests: Mary, Charlotte

Topics covered

• Roman history
• Augustus
• Marcus Agrippa
• ancient architecture
• military leadership

Keywords

• Marcus Agrippa
• Augustus
• Roman Emperors
• Battle of Actium
• Pantheon
• ancient Rome
• military history

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Pantheon

Places: Rome

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