The History of Rome

Mike Duncan's The History of Rome is the podcast that basically invented the format of chronological narrative history shows. Starting in 2007 and wrapping up in 2012, the completed series spans 193 episodes that trace Rome from Aeneas's mythical arrival in Italy all the way through the exile of Romulus Augustulus. Each episode runs about 15 minutes, which makes it incredibly bingeable -- you can knock out three or four episodes on a commute without even trying. Duncan's narration style is dry, witty, and refreshingly unpretentious. He does not try to be dramatic or performative; instead, he just tells the story clearly and lets the inherently wild events of Roman history provide the entertainment. And Roman history delivers plenty. The show gets noticeably better as it goes on -- the early episodes have rougher audio quality, but by the time you hit the late Republic, Duncan has hit his stride completely. This is a completed series, so there is a real beginning, middle, and end, which feels satisfying in a way that ongoing shows cannot replicate. Duncan went on to create the equally acclaimed Revolutions podcast, but The History of Rome remains the gold standard for this kind of storytelling. It has a 4.8 star rating from nearly 12,000 reviews, and it continues to attract new listeners more than a decade after its final episode aired. If you want to understand Rome from founding to fall, this is the definitive audio companion.