107 - Caesar 1: Man of Destiny
Thanks to our sponsor, Ai Labs. Visit austinlab.ai to chat with a team member about custom Agentic AI power solutions for your SMB to Enterprise level business. Powered by Shokworks. Also Thanks Dr. Richard Johnson, the Crassus to this Caesar series!
The much awaited series on Julius Caesar begins, with the inaugural episode: "Man of Destiny". In this episode:
- Caesar's formative years in the shadow of Sulla's dictatorship
- His early political boldness and refusal to divorce Cornelia
- The capture by pirates and his merciless revenge
- Caesar's rise through the ranks of Roman politics as Quaestor and Aedile
- The Catilinarian conspiracy and Caesar's narrow escape from execution
- His famous ambition: "I would rather be first man here than second at Rome"
A tale of charm, audacity, and calculated risk as a young aristocrat from a modest branch of an ancient family navigates the treacherous waters of late Republican politics. Caesar—stylish, charismatic, deeply in debt, and dangerously ambitious—sets himself against the legacy of Sulla while methodically building a coalition that would eventually transform Rome forever.
The Cost Of Glory Episodes

How to Turn People Down (or, "On Cringe")
The vice of "dysopia" brings down even the strongest. Plutarch gives some advice on how to fortify ourselves against it. Reach out to alex@ancientlifecoach.com for mo...

Crassus Aftermath, Takeaways, Sources
What happened to Crassus' captured soldiers? To his family? What can we learn from his successes and his world-historic failure? ANNOUNCEMENT! Cost of Glory Men's L...

Crassus III: Battle of Carrhae
Crassus' famous campaign against the Parthians - what motivated it? What happened at Carrhae? What can we learn from it?Thanks to our Sponsor!Ancient Language Instit...
History Contains Power
My name is Alex Petkas, and in The Cost of Glory, I present you with the best stories, analyses and takeaways, from the greatest and most influential figures from Greco-Roman antiquity.