202 Decades of Western History

From the first Homo sapiens to the Sumerians, this episode sprints through 200,000 years of prehistory.

It covers Neanderthals, Denisovans, drowned land masses, Mesolithic hunter-gatherers, the first farmers, Indo-europeans, the Green Sahara, the unification of Egypt, and the first writing.

These prologue episodes will help to set the stage before the decades narrative begins in 1 AD.

Hannibal led his army in the legendary crossing of the Alps and defeated army after army sent to stop him by Rome. But no one was able to recover better from a loss than the Romans and they survived and withstood Hannibal's campaigns for years. After clearing the Carthaginians out of Iberia, Scipio led a Roman army to Africa, to stop the Carthaginians on their home turf. Ultimately failing in his attempt to destroy the Romans, Hannibal had to be recalled home. Scipio Africanus earned his name and defeated Hannibal on his home turf, leading to the surrender of Carthage.

Now with total control of the Western Mediterranean, the Romans turned to the East. Over the course of four wars, they expanded their control over the Greeks integrating their territory and then their culture, into their growing empire.

The expansion of this empire led to massive influxes of wealth, helping the elites in Rome to grow massively rich. The growing divide between rich and poor led many Romans into destitution. Against the conservative Optimates, other politicians, called Populares, began to clamor for land redistribution and help for the poor. The Optimates violently resisted reforms and force began to be used in place of law. The ingredients for civil unrest were in the pot and with Marius and Sulla, they would boil over into open civil war.

When we talk about Western Civilization, if such a thing ever really existed, Ancient Rome is at its core. First as the thing itself, then as a memory, then as mimicry, and finally as a model - the idea of the lost Roman world haunts all the history of the West.

This episode begins with the Roman Kingdom founded by the fratricidal hands of Romulus. We watch as the small city of Rome throws off its kings, becomes a Republic, and slowly grows to dominate central Italy. It wasn't all growth, though; Rome was nearly destroyed several times, by the Etruscans, the Gauls, and the Samnites. But Rome's persistent and austere spirit saw them overcome all of their neighbors and expand to be a dominant power on the peninsula. A larger sphere of influence meant Rome bumped up against more powerful enemies, though. The Romans repelled the elite Hellenic army under Pyrrhus of Epirus, only to step into an existential series of wars with Carthage. Prologue Part 4.1 ends with the conclusion of the first Punic war.

Prologue Part 4.2 will pick back up with Rome's second war against Carthage.

Pompey and Crassus and Caesar. Antony and Lepidus and Octavian. Two triumvirates were made; the first in secret, the second in the open. Each aimed to bend the Roman state to their will. Each fell apart, and their fall brought civil war.

The civil wars which Sulla had ended began again with Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon and his march on Rome. Pompey fled, resisted, and then was defeated and fled again. Pompey had escaped to Egypt, and was slain; Caesar had followed, and began an affair with Cleopatra. Caesar cleaned up resistance to his rule and then began to rule as Dictator in Perpetuity.

A group of senators could see that unless they acted, Caesar marked the end of the Republic. They gathered conspirators and on the Ides of March they slew Caesar in front of the senate. Always such with tyrants. Their actions marked not the end of civil war, but the beginning of a new round of 13 more years of conflict.

After Caesar's death Antony and Octavian became the two most powerful men in Rome. They divided the Roman Republic between themselves with Octavian controlling much of the west, and Antony controlling the East. Antony went to Alexandria and married Cleopatra and increasingly seemed to be steering his side of the Republic away from the rest. Octavian carefully convinced the senate that Antony had been seduced by the crafty Cleopatra and war on her and her kingdom was declared.

Antony and Octavian met at the Battle of Actium. Octavian's victory ensured the continued unity and Rome-centric nature of the Empire. Antony and Cleopatra retreated to Egypt but they didn't last long. Octavian conquered Egypt, integrating the province and seizing its wealth.

Octavian now stood alone on top of the Roman World. Unlike Caesar, Octavian was careful in his accrual of power. He slowly and tactfully increased his power. While he was lauded as Augustus, he would instead rule for 41 years as Princeps, "First Citizen". Octavian subtly transformed the wreckage that was the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.