Title – "I'm the Emperor and You're Not." A look at a boy who visits a soothsayer and is foretold of his rise to the emperorship of Rome. A review of the cancelled NBC show KINGS, and a comparison of what it means to be part of the imperial family. The listener then travels back in time (in Mr. Cain's time machine) to interview for the position of emperor. This is the last episode of Season One. The show will return in March.
MP3 File
The author: Rob Cain
Rob Cain has traveled extensively through Europe, Italy, and Egypt. He was formerly on active duty with the United States Army. He is a fan of history, and enjoys reading books on the history of Rome. He currently has a podcast presentation on itunes and hipcast. The blog is for the free and open discussion of Ancient Rome based on Mr. Cain's observations noted in his podcast. Most episodes start out with an original dramatic narration written by Mr. Cain. In the podcasts he will include his own unique commentary, and interviews with subject matter experts. Comments are welcome and will be highlighted on the show.
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This blog site is protected by the muse Calliope (epic poetry), and her sister Clio (muse of history).
Guest editors are welcome and are invited to submit articles. Please contact Mr. Cain at: Rob@ancientromerefocused.org.
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SO FAR INTERVIEWED ON ANCIENT ROME REFOCUSED
1. The author Steven Saylor
2. The New York Director Bryan Dorries
3. The historian Professor Carl J. Richard
4. The graphic novelist of THE AGE OF BRONZE SERIES Eric Shanower.
5. Mark Schauss of RUSSIAN RULERS HISTORY
6. Natalie Haynes, author of the book THE ANCIENT GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE.
INTERVIEWS TO BE POSTED
7. Jame A. Bretney, producer of proposed TV series THE STORY OF CRETICUS.
8. Jordan Harbour, writer and host of the creative history podcast TWILIGHT HISTORIES.
Currently featured on Ancient Rome Refocused.
Episode 10, “Nothing New Under the Sun. Get Over it”, features the book, “The Ancient Guide to Modern Life” written by author, comedian, and TV commentator Natalie Haynes.” Whether political, cultural, or social, there are endless parallels between the ancient and modern worlds. Whether it's the murder of Caesar or the political assassination of Thatcher; the narrative arc of the hit HBO series, The Wire, or that of Oedipus; the popular enthusiasm for the Emperor Titus or President Obama – over and over again we can be seen to be living very much like people did 2,000 or more years ago. It's time for us to re-examine the past. Our lives are infinitely richer if we take the time to look at what the Greeks and Romans have given us in politics and law, religion and philosophy and education, and to learn how people really lived in Athens, Rome, Sparta and Alexandria. 
This is a book with a serious point to make but the author isn't just a classicist but a comedian and broadcaster who has made television and radio documentaries about humor, education and Dorothy Parker. This is a book for us all, not for an elite.
Listen to the podcast here!
Wow. Not only was this a fantastic episode (I agree- I’d be back in that time machine in about five seconds), but I almost passed out with shock when I heard my voice at the beginning!
Considering that most emperors did not die natural deaths (or if they did, it was after having lives shortened by a combination of paranoia, friendlessness, and plotting, it seems very far from being the ‘best job is the world’. I used to use a similar analogy with students when explaining why having multiple wives under the same roof wasn’t all it was cracked up to be; one was surrounded by backbiting, politicking, and an atmosphere in which one couldn’t trust ones’s spouses or children to show honesty. Just as having several wives and children under one roof jockeying for land, power, and influence can often prove to be a bit much (heck, having multiple children and their spouses under one roof would able enough to drive one batty), so would living in a setting where everyone from the lowest slave to the highest born senator was attempting to gain influence over a spoiled, pampered and indulged person with no reliable support system.
Even if one made the most balanced decisions (I voted for expanding boundaries, telling the Senate it was tops, throwing support behind the military and keeping the populace distracted while allowing provincials to declare one a god), one would never be able to fully trust what anyone said to the emperor. Even the most honest person would want to sugarcoat the truth. Any friend would eventually grow resentful of the money, power and prestige held by the emperor, and one could assume that any slave would see the emperor as a possible stepping-stone to freedom and possibly even power. No decent woman in her right mind would want a man who would be willing to divorce her based on political necessity and expedience, which means the emperor would be surrounded only by women who were willing sycophants. We see this on even a smaller scale when looking at the lives of absolute monarchs such as Queen Elizabeth I, who was unable to fully trust her best friend, her childhood guardians, or her ladies in waiting, let alone her multiple male relatives who thought they would make better rulers than she. She survived only by becoming the sexless, vain, and distant Gloriana who kept her power by ruining her lords with her continual progresses around the country, which entailed them having to host the enormously expensive royal household. The numerous feast days on the Roman calendar seemed to serve the same purpose, since anyone trying to rise within the cursus honorum had to throw neighborhood and citywide charitable events and entertainments that kept many men just poor enough to keep them from being able to command rebel armies against the emperors.
While I admit that I would love to see a Roman triumph or sit in for a day at the Coliseum (did they really flood the stadium base and have mock sea battles? I’d like to have seen that), or go to one of the baths before doing some light shopping afterwards in the arcades, I know that wouldn’t really work, any more than being made emperor would be good for one’s health. Given a choice for sightseeing in the ancient world, I’d rather go to Benin or Great Zimbabwe, thank you very much, and even those would be way iffy. Even pre-Roman Occupation Egypt sounds like a better bet. But I’ll leave the heavily war based and rabidly patriarchal xenophobic societies to themselves when it comes to time travel visits.
A thumbnail sketch of the Benin Empire (Augustus would have loved this kingdom!). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin_Empire
The kingdom of Zimbabwe (Europe and Asia weren’t the only landmasses with extensive empires). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Zimbabwe