Reviews For Ancient Rome Refocused

Some episodes are hit or miss, but overall Rob Cain does a great job of presenting Roman history in a very immersive and thought-proviking fashion. I like the show, but some of the subject matter, especially in later episodes, has been a little bit less exciting. Hopefully it’s not in a decline like Rome’s, and will resurge in all its glory!

Heavy on content, but light on originality, this podcast tries to be more than a dull affair in history. The result is lackluster; the narration and formatting leave something to be desired (if you want to be accessible, maybe 1.5 hour episodes is the wrong way to do it!) and it can get preachy and repetitive, even with its tumultuous and varied subject matter.

Ancient Rome Refocused fleshes out and brings life to that list of Emperors. Though Rome is ever-present in today's world, from science, to politics, to even our own English language (much more if you speak one of Latin's linguistic daughters), Rome's presence in today's world is ubiquitous. Rob Cain adds a sense of belonging, of standing at the Forum, in the Senate or at a villa and experience a day in the life of Rome with each episode! It is a great podcast, highly recommended.

Hey, gotta tell you, your podcast is great! In my latest trip with my son we listened to, among others, the "I'm an Emperor and Your Not" podcast, and it really freaked him out (he's eight). I got to explain to him how being the most powerful man in the world might not be as great as it is cracked up to be and what all that freaky whispering was suppose to mean. Of course, he annoyed me for the next couple days with his own "freaky whispering." Anyways, your dramatizations are the "hook" that makes me want to keep coming back to your podcasts. Really cool…highly recommended.

Mr. Cain, I'm writing to plea for more episodes! I've listened to those available far too quickly. This is a great podcast for those pondering the dark side of the human condition, the origins of modern life, and a poetical and digestible taste of history. Bear

I've really enjoyed the episodes I've heard so far.

In this podcast, Cain uses a story-telling approach to discuss the life, culture, and society of ancient Rome. The episodes are somewhat hit or miss for me, and though I think his perspective has potential, his production quality definitely has room to grow before he reaches the caliber of Mike Duncan or Dan Carlin. I very much enjoyed his episodes on the hardships of roman life and the episodes on spartacus, but other episodes often lack either quality or appeal. I really wanted to like his story of a would-be emporer, but was often distracted by excessive use of music(?) or annoying noises (not to say all his sound effects are annoying, just that this episode stood out). He's had several interesting interviewees, but his interview style is fairly bland, just reading cue cards direct, not following up on any topics of the discussion. I don't discount Cain entirely. It's obvious that he puts alot of time into the content of the episodes and the subject matters are very interesting, but the audio production quality isnt quite there. If you've listened to Mike Duncan's early stuff, its very similar, but 200 episodes later Mike has very much mastered his style. With time, Cain could too turn out a very good series.

I recently subscribed and listened to all ten of the episodes available on iTunes. Overall they have been highly entertaining, though if you're already a Roman history buff you won't be learning much that you didn't already know. That being said I found the dramatic narratives at the beginning to be riveting and the interviews keep my interest throughout. Two small complaints however. First, please ditch the several minute long musical interludes as (for me anyway) they are highly annoying. You don't need to have an intermission, it isn't a live broadcast and I end up fast forwarding to the rest of the show. Second, if you're going to do a non ancient Rome narrative at the beginning please say so. I kept waiting for the ancient Rome connection (and sorry, the 'chick lit' didn't count, despite tossing in Virgil) and was wondering when he'd get to the point. If not for those I would rate five stars so take it as constructive feedback from a single listener and judge accordingly.

couldn't get through episode 1

excellent podcast!!!

As far as content goes, this podcast is excellent. It provides an interesting and informative portrayal of ancient Rome. Where it falls flat is production. There are many backtracks and instrumental music clips to add to the experience. But these come at different sound levels and can sound disjointed and obtrusive at times. The callers are knowledgable but mostly sound like they are speaking from inside a metal tube, and the host needs to polish up his "broadcast" voice. I say all this because it has the potential

very interesting. I like the modern comparisons that are made. highly recommend. I also agree that mike duncan history of rome is great podcast as well :)

If only I could give a 6 star review. Rob presents history in the best way possible, by telling stories! Can't wait for more.

Well done, very engaging. I love the content, arrangement and presentation. I love the history of Rome. If you like a staid and academic approach that's fine, I do too, and there are many books and podcasts out there that do a good job Rob Cain has a way of actually bringing ancient Rome to life, with narration, music and effects. Mr. Cain adds a richness that I have not found elsewhere. I love sinking into them and absorbing his narration and accompanying effects. Mr. Cain chooses various aspects, or ideas, of Rome and Roman life and makes it come alive, a refreshing change from the typical linear fashion. I often wonder what it would be like to be Roman, living during that period. What would Rome sound like? What does Latin sound like? What would a Triumph look and sound like? What would other Romans look like? What would you see, smell, taste, fear? What would you think? Rob has the ability for answering these questions as well as providing factual information, unique perspectives and insights about Roman life, culture and influence. A lot of time must be spent producing these podcasts and it shows. This is evidenced also by the fact that they’re not in a weekly digest format. In fact, that’s my only complaint…not enough of them! Iterum! Festina lente! If you love Roman history, I consider these essential.

I think this is one of my favorite podcasts. I suggest it to everyone and especially to those who like history. Even more than history it brings today into perspective. This is truly a thought provoking podcast. I enjoy it greatly! Lets have more like this.

Rob gives you a look at the real world of history not some glossed over review out of a book. Rome was not a pretty place and their history was not one of gure glory with no gore. It was dirty and difficult and his podcast brings that to life. Having said that, this isn't for everyone, especially for those of you who want an easy to listen to, chronologically laid out podcast.

I wanted to enjoy this more, but the host's unnatural and stagey speaking style is very off-putting to me. I'm not sure what the budget for this has been, but it seems that a lot more time could be spent on rehearsing and editing regales to make the podcast flow better, instead of the effort that must be going in to finding the silly sound effects and cues. At times the cultural analyses seem juvenile as well; this often comes across as a sheltered adolescent's reaction to the perceived "strangeness" of behaviors outside his experience.

I've listened to the first four episodes and as much as I could take of five and six. I'm sad to give it such a poor review because I can see that there is passion and effort going into this show. Sadly I just don't feel like the shows particular take on the subject matter is especially well done or compelling. I'm a huge fan of Roman history and was excited to see another podcast about it . I was excited that the show would be dealing with topics of ancient Rome as opposed to a more narrative one (see the awesome The History of Rome podcast for a very good narrative take). Unfortunately there is less interesting discussion of topics and more amateurish play acting of ancient plays and journals. Mix in some cheesy music and sound effects and you have lost me. I feel like I get the idea behind their approach, I just don't feel as though its coming off well. That being said I'm well aware that not all things are ment to be to my taste, but I can always hope my tastes or their show evolve to be more idealy suited for each other in the future.

Mr. Cain does a wonderful job bringing to life the history of Rome in a way I have never seen in any other podcast. How? By showing just how much in common we have with the people of this fascinating time period. And while the postings are a bit erratic, the wait is ALWAYS worth it.

Great podcast with an interesting point of view. The last episode (about the '24th') has the greatest title EVER! I can't get the thought out of my mind of how bad these people stank! (re. the Time Travel episode). Wonderful podcast with lots of food for thought. What are you waiting for? Download it now!

Get chills as this podcast transports you to Rome and brings you face to face with questions like: "Is it really moral to free a slave in Rome if his life is going to be miserable and short if you do?"

Well-produced podcast. The author/narrator obviously puts a great deal of thought into it, and the parallels he draws between Roman and modern times are fascinating.

This podcast fits in nicely with the other Roman History podcast. I loved the interview with Steven Saylor.

This podcast is interesting and well produced. I look forward to more episodes. Great job Mr. Cain!

2nd 2 of the 1st 3 podcasts are very interesting, great potential here.

This podcast allows those listeners a very interesting and deep understanding of Romes past. The only large negative black mark is the authors ability to post podcasts in a timely manner or even post at all. Can you provide a date or refer to when you will post your podcast? Weekly? Monthly? First of the month? But otherwise an amazing listening podcast!

Very good podcast, I just wish he would post episodes more often. I'm a long time History of Rome listener and can't get enough of the subject matter.