The Death of a Legionary

Описание: If one death is a tragedy but a million deaths is a statistic, how are we able to understand the death tolls of ancient wars and view the casualties through a human lens?

Unfortunately this is typically impossible, but the Roman historian Tacitus relays the heartbreaking story of one particular death during the chaotic Roman civil war of 69 that offers a small glimpse into the impact of a human tragedy. Tacitus uses this one death as a larger metaphor for the collapse of the Pax Romana and the end of an era.

The death of this one legionary is a microcosm for Tacitus' political thought and views on the death of freedom, the dangers of ambition and the chaos of the year of the four emperors.

00:00 - Two battles in the same place
03:01 - Roman Anarchy and the battles of Bedriacum
06:50 - Tacitus' moral history
08:47 - The death of Julius Mansuetus
12:18 - Vespasian and war without victors

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Related Content:
The Tragedy of Corbulo -    • The Tragedy of Corbulo: The Republic's Las...  
Debunking the Pax Romana -    • Debunking the Pax Romana: War, Rebellion, ...  
Murder in Rome -    • Murder in Rome: Cicero’s Most Famous Case  


Ancient Sources:
Histories - Tacitus
The 12 Caesars - Suetonius
Life of Galba - Plutarch
Life of Otho - Plutarch

Modern Sources:
Rome: Empire of the Eagles - Neil Faulkner
SPQR - Mary Beard



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