# The Roman Empire's Senatorial Proscriptions and the Price of Power

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683/the-roman-empire-s-senatorial-proscriptions-and-the-price-of-power.md
Podcast: [The Story of Italy: Rome, Renaissance, and the Birth of Modern Europe — Fexingo History](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-of-italy-rome-renaissance-and-the-birth-of-modern-europe-fexingo-history-7829683)
Published: 2026-06-20T01:06:38+00:00
Episode link: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0109.mp3
Audio file: https://audio.fexingo.com/history/the-story-of-italy/episode-0109.mp3
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Duration seconds: 490

## Resource

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the dark practice of proscriptions in ancient Rome — the political tool of outlawing enemies and seizing their property. Starting with Sulla's terrifying lists in 82 BC, which killed up to 2,000 senators and equites, they trace the mechanism through the Second Triumvirate's murderous collaboration in 43 BC, which claimed Cicero. The conversation examines how proscriptions funded civil wars, reshaped the senatorial class, and became a lasting symbol of state-sanctioned violence. Lucas explains the legal fiction of the 'proscribed' label, the auctioning of confiscated goods, and the psychological terror that gripped Rome. He also touches on the Lex Cornelia de proscriptione and how later emperors like Augustus distanced themselves from the practice while quietly maintaining the power. Luna asks sharp questions about the economics, the victims, and the legacy — from the destruction of political rivals to the echoes in modern totalitarian regimes. This episode offers a vivid, unflinching look at a brutal but foundational aspect of Roman political life. #Proscriptions #RomanRepublic #Sulla #Cicero #SecondTriumvirate #AncientRome #LexCornelia #Equites #CivilWar #StateViolence #RomanSenate #PoliticalTerror #History #FexingoHistory #RomanEmpire #Confiscation #Augustus #MarcusAntonius Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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