AGreatDivorce

ACOUP - On the Gracchi, Part II: Gaius Gracchus

In the second part of his two-part Gracchi series, Bret turns to the young Gracchus, Gaius. Whereas Tiberius could be seen more easily as a victim of overreaction, Gaius will prove the more fiery and aggressive of the brothers. To Tiberius’ one law, Gaius will be responsible for several successful, and potentially de-stabilizing reforms. And while Tiberius was murdered in the midst of a political debate on legality, Gaius will perish amid a fully armed incident.
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2025/01/31/collections-on-the-gracchi-part-ii-gaius-gracchus/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/bretdevereaux.bsky.social
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – Gaius Gracchus
7:01 - The Aftermath of 133
15:38 - Plutarch and the Early Career of Gaius Gracchus
24:31 - The Tribunates of Gaius Gracchus
35:47 - Things Fall Apart
52:47 - The Dust Settles
1:04:01 - Credits

ACOUP - On the Gracchi, Part I: Tiberius Gracchus

In this two-part series, Bret takes a look at the life, careers, deaths, and legacies of the Brothers Gracchi: Tiberius Gracchus and Gaius Gracchus. Famous as Roman tribunes known for intensely pursuing populist reforms that, ultimately, get them killed, Bret offers a more detailed examination of the brothers than is normally possible in a quick, broad Roman survey course. In doing so, he highlights how their modern image as sterling progressive reforms killed merely for challenging the elite is one view... but not the only view one could take of the brothers’ actions. Beginning first with Tiberius Gracchus and his effort to rush through a radical land reform bill at any cost.
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2025/01/17/collections-on-the-gracchi-part-i-tiberius-gracchus/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/bretdevereaux.bsky.social
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – Tiberius Gracchus
7:53 - The Sources and Tiberius Gracchus’ Background
14:36 - The Supposed Land Crisis
28:39 - Tiberius Gracchus’ Tribunate (133)
40:36 - The Elections for 132
50:08 - Remembering Tiberius Gracchus
56:38 - Credits

ACOUP - Logistics, How Did They Do It, Part III: On the Move

Coming to the end of his three part look at pre-industrial, army logistics, Bret now examines how the army moves. How do armies actually march, how do they pick routes, how do set time tables. And how do all of these things limit the movement options (and thus engagement and operational options) of armies.
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2022/08/12/collections-logistics-how-did-they-do-it-part-iii-on-the-move/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/bretdevereaux.bsky.social
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – On the Move
3:25 - A Good Road
12:07 - Carrying Capacity
22:03 - Road Space
28:40 - Marching Speed
43:47 - Sink or Swim
54:27 - Now Add Hostile Armies
1:05:31 - Managing Operations
1:16:58 - Conclusions
1:20:52 - Credits

ACOUP - Logistics, How Did They Do It, Part II: Foraging

In the second part of his logistics series, Bret takes a look at the broad topic of “foraging,” a word which, as Bret explains, hides a great variety of human activity. In this case, from negotiated compromises and taxation to the horrors of war. To cover this wide range, Bret examines the different methods of foraging and the very different experiences those methods had for the armies as opposed to the peasant being foraged.
 
Apologies on this one as some sort of background hum got caught in the audio (I have no idea how) for the back half of the video and I really am at a loss for what caused it. It’s pretty consistent and small so it isn’t a massive interruption but it is strange.
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2022/07/29/collections-logistics-how-did-they-do-it-part-ii-foraging/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/bretdevereaux.bsky.social
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – Foraging
27:25 - On Friendly Ground
47:46 - Foraging the Enemy
1:16:22 - Impact on the Countryside
1:42:35 - Credits

ACOUP - Logistics, How Did They Do It, Part I: The Problem

In this three-part series, Bret offers an overview of how logistics were handled by pre-modern armies. To start, he sets out the problem: what logistics needs does a typical pre-modern army have? As Bret explains, this problem encompasses not just “how does each individual soldier eat or carry his pack” but extends to the broader issue of “how many people are in a typical army, how many of them are non-combatants, and how many animals does that include?”
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2022/07/15/collections-logistics-how-did-they-do-it-part-i-the-problem/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/bretdevereaux.bsky.social
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – Logistics, How Did They Do It
7:04 - The Backpack and the Belly
21:45 - The Problem
29:41 - The Rest of the Army
40:50 - Kick Them Out!
49:38 - Scale
56:34 - Credits

Cloudberg - Masks, Smoke, and Mirrors: The untold story of EgyptAir flight 804

As an extra bonus: another non-ACOUP upload, this time sticking to accessible deep dives of niche, academic subjects rather than silly video game horror stories: I am narrating one of the posts of aviation writer, Admiral Cloudberg.
For those unfamiliar, Admiral Cloudberg (aka Kyra Dempsey) writes essays covering the technical, logistical, and systemic reasons for specific aviation disasters. Her writing, like Bret’s, is highly accessible despite tackling a very technical subject with useful images, photos, maps, and diagrams as visual aids to assist in understanding the material. She condenses large amounts of information into informative and engaging narratives to explain what went wrong in and what, if anything, could be learned from these incidents.
For this post, I will be narrating her coverage of the crash of EgyptAir flight 804 and the strange journey the investigation into the crash took. This will be something of an abnormal example of Dempsey’s style, but, given the amount of research she undertook on a truly unique case and the work in making those findings accessible and comprehensible, I felt this the ideal place to start for those unfamiliar with her work.
A note: Kyra cites frequently through this essay from her large bibliography of sources. As I usually do, I originally intended to include these citation references in my narration. On editing, however, I found them to make the narration difficult to follow and decided it would simply be easier for interested researchers to look at Kyra’s essay directly for citations. Since I assume no one is rewinding my audio to jot down reference notes when they could just look at the source! So if you are interested in deeper reading, see below.
Anyone wishing to engage with Kyra, check out these links:
Original post for this recording - https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/masks-smoke-and-mirrors-the-untold-story-of-egyptair-flight-804-42c788fcac2dKyra’s blog, Admiral Cloudberg - https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/Kyra’s Twitter - https://x.com/KyraCloudyKyra’s Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/kyracloudy.bsky.socialKyra’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/Admiral_CloudbergNarrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – Masks, Smoke, and Mirrors3:03 - Foreword5:20 - Part 1: Flight 804 is Missing30:07 - Part 2: Cold Case43:10 - Part 3: Explosive Evidence1:33:40 - Part 4: Inferno2:25:49 - Part 5: I Ask Forgiveness from God2:38:24 - Part 6: A Legacy to Be Written2:52:53 - Credits

ACOUP - The Marian Reforms Weren’t a Thing

As something of a supplement to his examination of the dilectus, Bret takes a look at the supposed theory of “Marian Reforms,” the (erroneous) idea that Gaius Marius was directly and intentionally responsible for a package of sweeping changes to the Roman army in the 2nd century BC. Bret examines what changes have been attributed to Marius as “reforms” and then looks at the historical reality of when and how they came about.
 
Also, just to make sure no one feels they need to rush off to Wikipedia… the article on the “Marian Reforms” that Bret specifically cites for its erroneous information has since been edited. You can even find this article linked there, now!
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2023/06/30/collections-the-marian-reforms-werent-a-thing/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – The Marian Reforms Weren’t a Thing
8:13 - The So-Called Marian Reforms
17:10 - Equipment Reforms
31:07 - Recruit and Organization
53:31 - Cohorts and Tactics
1:02:39 - The Reforms That Weren’t
1:08:24 - Credits

ACOUP - How To Raise a Roman Army: The Dilectus

Here, Bret covers how the Roman Republic raised its army: the process called the “dilectus”. He discusses the three phases of the dilectus (census, arming, and mobilization) and how the Roman’s kept track of the logistics of the system, as well as how successful it was.
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2023/06/16/collections-how-to-raise-a-roman-army-the-dilectus/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – The Dilectus
4:05 - Timing the Dilectus
12:50 - Phase I: Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?
31:32 - Phase II: Unit Divisions
43:30 - Phase III: Mobilization
47:28 - Observations on the System
57:30 - Credits

ACOUP - Roman Roads

In this post, Bret provides a brief overview of Rome’s road system, through the lens of the question, “Was the Roman road system unique and, if so, how?” He examines this by first looking at what sort of road systems preceded Rome’s, and then examines the construction, expanse, and purpose of Rome’s specific system.
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2023/06/02/collections-roman-roads/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 – Roman Roads
4:07 - Imperial Roadways
14:59 - Roman Roads
23:59 - The Roman Road System
41:29 - Impact
52:59 - Credits

ACOUP - On the Reign of Cleopatra

In this post, Bret examines Cleopatra. Both who she was and what sort of ruler she was. He starts by discussing how pop culture (and historical sources) often treat Cleopatra and what they tend to view as important about her. Then he turns to what we can see from our sources of Cleopatra’s life and legacy.
 
Anyone wishing to engage with Bret, check out these links:
 
Original post for this recording - https://acoup.blog/2023/05/26/collections-on-the-reign-of-cleopatra/
Dr. Devereaux’s blog, A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry - https://acoup.blog
Dr. Devereaux’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux
Dr. Devereaux’s Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/user?u=20122096
Narrations on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0QwqosVQjvXWKovUxdSGpQ
 
And if you wish to support me, please like, share, and subscribe!
 
0:00 - On the Reign of Cleopatra
10:53 - Racing Cleopatra
33:35 - Towards Assessing Cleopatra
47:30 - Cleopatra and Egypt
1:08:35 - Cleopatra’s Rule in Egypt
1:17:42 - The Ambitions of Cleopatra
1:39:39 - A Verdict on Cleopatra
1:48:43 - Credits