
The Ides
Caesar’s Murder and the War for Rome
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Narrated by:
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Bronson Pinchot
About this listen
The assassination of Julius Caesar is one of the most notorious murders in history. Even now, many questions remain about his death: Was Brutus the hero and Caesar the villain? Was Mark Antony aware of the plot? Using historical evidence to sort out these and other puzzling issues, historian and award-winning author Stephen Dando-Collins recaptures the drama of Caesar's demise and the chaotic aftermath as the vicious struggle unfolded for power between Antony and Octavian.
For the first time, he shows how the religious festivals and customs of the day impacted how the assassination plot unfolded and how the murder was almost avoided at the last moment. A compelling history packed with intrigue and written with the pacing of a first-rate mystery, The Ides will challenge what we think we know about Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire.
©2010 Stephen Dando-Collins (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Narrated by: Lizzie Richards
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, nominally survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. She was also a diplomat, naval commander, polyglot, and medical author. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder, Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great.
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Good overview, poor narration
- By HP on 10-31-22
By: THE HISTORY HOUR
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Bolivar
- American Liberator
- By: Marie Arana
- Narrated by: David Crommett
- Length: 20 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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It is astonishing that Simón Bolívar, the great Liberator of South America, is not better known in the United States. He freed six countries from Spanish rule, traveled more than 75,000 miles on horseback to do so, and became the greatest figure in Latin American history. His life is epic, heroic, straight out of Hollywood: he fought battle after battle in punishing terrain, forged uncertain coalitions of competing forces and races, lost his beautiful wife soon after they married and died relatively young, uncertain whether his achievements would endure.
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There will be blood.
- By Joselo on 08-02-13
By: Marie Arana
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For Liberty and Glory
- Washington, Lafayette, and Their Revolutions
- By: James R. Gaines
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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On April 18, 1775, a riot over the price of flour broke out in the French city of Dijon. That night, across the Atlantic, Paul Revere mounted the fastest horse he could find and kicked it into a gallop. So began what have been called the "sister revolutions" of France and America. In a single, thrilling narrative, this audiobook tells the story of those revolutions and shows just how deeply intertwined they actually were.
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Excellent presentation
- By Hal on 08-20-12
By: James R. Gaines
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The War That Made the Roman Empire
- Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium
- By: Barry Strauss
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Following Caesar’s assassination and Mark Antony’s defeat of the conspirators who killed Caesar, two powerful men remained in Rome—Antony and Caesar’s chosen heir, young Octavian, the future Augustus. When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world, Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra, and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire, another civil war broke out. In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships, almost 200,000 men, and one woman—the Battle of Actium.
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Highly detailed accounts
- By LEE on 03-28-22
By: Barry Strauss
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The Pope Who Would Be King
- The Exile of Pius IX and the Emergence of Modern Europe
- By: David I. Kertzer
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Only two years after Pope Pius IX’s election in 1846 had triggered great popular enthusiasm across Italy, the pope found himself a virtual prisoner in his own palace. The revolutions that swept through Europe and shook Rome threatened to end the popes’ thousand-year reign over the Papal States, if not the papacy itself. The resulting drama was rife with treachery, tragedy, and international power politics. David Kertzer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the history of Italy and the Vatican, brings this pivotal moment vividly to life.
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Imbalanced and theologically confused
- By A. Moran on 06-18-19
By: David I. Kertzer
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The White King
- Charles I, Traitor, Murderer, Martyr
- By: Leanda de Lisle
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Less than 40 years after England's golden age under Elizabeth I, the country was at war with itself. Split between loyalty to the Crown or to Parliament, war raged on English soil. Its casualties were immense. At the head of the disintegrating kingdom was King Charles I. In this vivid portrait - informed by previously unseen manuscripts, including royal correspondence between the king and his queen - Leanda de Lisle depicts a man who was principled and brave but fatally blinkered.
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Enlightening Stuart history
- By Adeliese Baumann on 01-25-18
By: Leanda de Lisle
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Empress Dowager Cixi
- The Concubine Who Launched Modern China
- By: Jung Chang
- Narrated by: Jolene Kim
- Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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At the age of 16, in a nationwide selection for royal consorts, Cixi was chosen as one of the emperor's numerous concubines. When he died in 1861, their five-year-old son succeeded to the throne. Cixi at once launched a palace coup against the regents appointed by her husband and made herself the real ruler of China - behind the throne, literally, with a silk screen separating her from her officials who were all male.
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An insult to audiobooks. Get a print version.
- By Reademandweep on 02-23-15
By: Jung Chang
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Catherine de Medici
- Renaissance Queen of France
- By: Leonie Frieda
- Narrated by: Sarah Le Fevre
- Length: 21 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Poisoner, despot, necromancer - the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen to reveal a skilled ruler battling extraordinary political and personal odds - from a troubled childhood in Florence to her marriage to Henry, son of King Francis I of France; from her transformation of French culture to her fight to protect her throne and her sons' birthright. Based on thousands of private letters, it is a remarkable account of one of the most influential women to wear a crown.
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Narrator didn't get one name right
- By Georgina García- Menocal on 09-15-19
By: Leonie Frieda
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By the Spear
- Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire
- By: Ian Worthington
- Narrated by: Phil Holland
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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For the first time, By the Spear offers an exhilarating military narrative of the reigns of these two larger-than-life figures in one volume. Ian Worthington gives full breadth to the careers of father and son, showing how Philip was the architect of the Macedonian empire, which reached its zenith under Alexander, only to disintegrate upon his death.
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Bueller..... Bueller...... Bueller...... Monotone
- By Jonathan Allen Beard on 02-15-15
By: Ian Worthington
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Koh-i-Noor
- The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond
- By: Anita Anand, William Dalrymple
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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On 29 March 1849, the 10-year-old Maharajah of the Punjab was ushered into the magnificent Mirrored Hall at the centre of the great Fort in Lahore. There, in a public ceremony, the frightened but dignified child handed over to the British East India Company in a formal act of submission not only swathes of the richest land in India but also arguably the single most valuable object in the subcontinent: the celebrated Koh-i-Noor diamond. The Mountain of Light.
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Fascinating
- By Jean on 07-08-17
By: Anita Anand, and others
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The Loyal Son
- The War in Ben Franklin's House
- By: Daniel Mark Epstein
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 16 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Ben Franklin is the most lovable of America's founding fathers. His wit, his charm, his inventiveness - even his grandfatherly appearance - are legendary. But this image obscures the scandals that dogged him throughout his life. In The Loyal Son, award-winning historian Daniel Mark Epstein throws the spotlight on one of the more enigmatic aspects of Franklin's biography: his complex and confounding relationship with his illegitimate son, William.
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Gripping Narrative
- By Jean on 08-07-17
What listeners say about The Ides
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kevin
- 01-17-12
A must read
Would you listen to The Ides again? Why?
One of the greatest stories in history is accounted by Mr Dando-Collins. He takes the reader through the twists and turns of politics and of Roman life during the time of Caesar.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Ides?
It's impossible to select just one part over another. The end of each chapter had an ominous statement that enticed me to read on.
Have you listened to any of Bronson Pinchot’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
No, this is my first. But I rather enjoyed it.
Any additional comments?
My education into history goes no further than anyone's who did not choose this course of study as a major or minor in college. Mine is just a laypersons review. I enjoyed the book a great deal. As for it's accuracy and appeal to historians or those better educated than me, I cannot say. I do think that it's style would appeal to all. Especially those who, like me, enjoy the authors style of leading the reader as if by hand through the scenes he creates.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Keith Shuler
- 09-13-22
Bravo
I actually listened to this entire book in two settings. The reading was both excellent and pleasing to the ears. The content captivated me from start to finish as the author took me into the halls of power of ancient Rome and the intrigues of it's leading citizens. You won't be disappointed with this book even if you're an amateur scholar like me when it comes to classical lives. Enjoy!
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Overall
- Tad Davis
- 06-09-11
A great listen
Week-by-week and sometimes even day-by-day account of the events leading up to the assassination of Julius Caesar; and the sad, violent unwinding of its aftermath. It's a gripping story, perfect background for either Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" or the HBO series "Rome." Being mostly familiar with the story from Shakespeare's standpoint, I was surprised at how much of the aftermath the play left out: it jumps almost immediately from the assassination to the cynical plotting of the second triumvirate and the war with Brutus and Cassius. In fact it took months of politicking for this to play itself out. Read with enthusiasm and clarity by Bronson Pinchot. I liked it a lot. What I really want now is more info on the FIRST triumvirate.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Mathew
- 02-07-15
Informative
it was a good listen and at a good pace. The book it self is very informative and researched well. Overall, a very good book.
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- Abdur
- 12-23-10
Excellent Historical Survey
This title came to my attention while listening to the excellent podcast, "The History of Rome." This is a fine & concise primer that gives the listener an overview of the issues & men surrounding Caesar's assasination. It is rich in facts & tidbits and I learned much that I hadn't heard or read before. The author spends a lot of time leading his listeners to that fateful day in March, but then seems to rush a bit towards the end as he reports on the fate of the participants in the murder. After listening to this book I suggest you then download, "Augustus: The Life of the First Emperor."
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8 people found this helpful
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- Jacobus
- 01-09-14
A fresh balanced take on Julius Caesar's murder
Stephen Dando-Collins is a Australian writer of history. He has written on vast periods and subjects that had presented it in history. In "The Idea: Caesar's Murder and the War for Rome" he congested and popularised the murder of Julius Caesar by re-examining and presenting this notorious incident to the layman.
If you are a Shakespeare fan or you have a classical background you might not find much that is new from what you already know. You will however find accent changes and a more realistic portrayal of the day that Caesar was stabbed to death by members of the Roman Senate under Brutus and Cassius.
Dando-Collins claims (of seem to) make critical use of his sources which include Suetonius, Dio Cassus, Cicero and some other material. While he makes use of the original sources, I got a feeling that he was not always as critical and evaluating of the evidence presented in the sources. For example, when Gaius Iulius Caesar's wife dreams that he will die and when an augur reads and omen of death in the entrails of a bird, he takes it as facts. In my humble opinion the ancient Roman historians used just as much literary devices to tell a good story of which timely dreams and predictions are just two to mention. Dando-Collins seems not even to consider this. Yet het uses the earliest sources available and he is very critical when the sources do not agree with each other.
You as the listener might find it interesting how Dando-Collins describes the web of intrigue that surrounded Caesar's death. He also comes up with some very interesting facts and gives a colourful picture of the Ides of March, the day Caesar died.
Bronson Pinchot read the book fairly but at times he really presented the content as just downright boring. While you will be able to listen through the book, I would lie if I don't say that I was disappointed in the narration the the book. It could've had a negative impact on the way I interpreted Dando-Collins' story of the turning point in Roman history. His heavily accented quasi-Latin pronunciation of Latin words and phrases (although very few), really hindered.
Yet the book is worth a listen to anyone who wants to know more about the events that led up to Caesar's assassination and what expired thereafter. It has a thorough perspective though a lot is already known. I comes recommended for those with an interest in ancient Roman history.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Garcia
- 09-18-11
Not Good History
I stopped reading about a third of the way in when the nonsense just brought me over the limit. At one point the author claims that Caesar was a soldier at heart who would have been bored by subtle political maneuvering, which is the most mind-bogglingly absurd statement I've ever heard a biographer make about Caesar. Caesar was a politician first and foremost! He had climbed to the very top of Rome's political ladder long before he ever became a general. Even his whole military career was one big ploy to outmaneuver his political enemies, that wanted him arrested and executed for daring to institute land reforms. Since governors of provinces were immune to prosecution, Caesar could prevent his arrest as long as he was governor of Gaul. Governorships were normally limited to a single year, but it would be difficult to deny an extension for a governor who was currently engaged in massively successful war of conquest...
The book is rife with these sorts of things, as well as key pieces of context that the author fails to mention altogether. Don't take my word of it. Look up the reviews for the text version on Amazon and you'll see a chorus of others pointing out all the inaccuracies.
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11 people found this helpful