701. Roman Civil War: Rise of the General (Part 1)

Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook begin a series on the Roman Civil War, starting with the rise of Gaius Marius. The episode follows Marius from total obscurity to fame, fortune, and political power, and asks why that ascent was so dangerous. It sets up the existential threat facing Rome in the first century BC and the question of whether Marius would be the man to confront it. The opening installment frames the coming struggle for hegemony between two titanic Roman generals and politicians in an age of tumult.