The History Of Rome: Episode 118: The Palmyrene Wars

Following on last episode's theme, I've picked out another long-running classical history podcast. This one dovetails with the Hannibal series, but with a grander scale: it covers the entire history of ancient Rome, from the city's legendary founding date of 753BC through kingdom, republic and empire, finishing with the Western Roman Empire's final collapse in 476AD.

The host, Mike Duncan, is an experienced podcaster who's done numerous series. The History of Rome was completed between 2007 and 2013, making it one of his longest and a good choice for someone who wants a full-scale look into the broad arc of Roman history.

I picked a random episode from the later days of the Roman Empire, during the Crisis of the Third Century, a decades-long period that saw the empire's unity shattered as it was wracked by usurpations and civil war. This episode focuses on the Palmyrene Wars, as Queen Zenobia of Palmyra seceded with the eastern, Levant-based chunk of the empire in the mid-third century. She wrested control of the area for two decades until Emperor Aurelian finally defeated her in 272AD.

The pacing is strong, the narrative fluid, and the subject matter engrossing. Duncan is a professional and his History of Rome series makes a compelling choice.