<p>I have another 3 things to tell you. </p><br /><p>Tomorrow, as in Sunday 1st December, I will be hosting 3 Zoom Calls for Patrons, where you can ask me anything. This is a reminder for those of you already on Patreon. And if you’re not but want to get on the call then you could just sign up for $1 and join in the conversation. </p><br /><p>The calls are at 2pm, 5pm and 8pm in Coordinated Universal Time. Which is essentially the same as Greenwich Mean Time but apparently we don’t want to show off too much about that. Anyway, hopefully you’ll be free then.</p><br /><p>Second thing to tell you is that tour dates for 2025 have been provisionally agreed. </p><br /><p> They are May 17-26th and Oct 11-20th. The first tour will be in Istanbul for five days before visiting Ephesus and other sites in Western Anatolia. While the October tour will also spend five days in Istanbul before visiting Nicaea and Cappadocia. </p><br /><p>Remember these are provisional dates before you ink them into your diary. But they should be made official soon. Email me <a href="mailto:[email protected]" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">[email protected]</a> to get on the mailing list so you can get booking information as soon as it’s available. </p><br /><p>Finally you may have a heard an unfamiliar voice introducing this update. That was Kirin Tsang&nbsp;from Frugalflyer.ca. Kirin was on our last tour back in October and has written a review of our journey down Turkey’s west coast for FrugalFlyer.ca. You can read that review at frugalflyer.ca/blog and hear about what it’s like to be on one of our tours. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As the name suggests the folks at Frugalflyer try to help you gather points and rewards so you can travel better and cheaper. They have their own podcast where they share tips and ideas with you. It’s the Miles Ahead podcast so search for Miles Ahead wherever you get your podcasts to find out more. </p><br /><p>I look forward to speaking to some of you tomorrow and seeing some of you in 2025.&nbsp;</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A conversation with Thomas Barfield (Boston University) about a distinctive category of empires that he has proposed in a new book, Shadow Empires: An Alternative Imperial History (Princeton University Press 2023). These are empire that derive a significant part of their revenues or symbolic capital not from lands that they rule directly but by extorting them from other empires, from control over trade routes, or from the ruins of previous states. During its long history, Romanía dealt with a number of these "exogenous" empires, including the Huns, Venetians, and Rus'.

<p>It's time we talked about Orthodoxy in more detail. I ask Father John Strickland to explain the Divine Liturgy, and it's Byzantine origins, to me.</p><br /><p>John is the pastor of an <a href="https://www.holytrinitypublications.com/john-strickland" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Orthodox Church</a> in Poulsbo in Washington State. He has also written a <a href="https://johnstrickland.org/the-books-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">four-volume series</a> about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. And he’s recorded a podcast of the <a href="https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/paradiseutopia/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">same name</a> as an accompaniment to the books. He also wrote the Making of <a href="https://johnstrickland.org/the-books-2/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Holy Russia</a>: The Orthodox Church and Russian Nationalism before the Revolution.</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Despite a controversial rise to the throne, King Perseus showed himself to be an able ruler. Continuing his father’s policies of restoring the strength of Macedonia, he earned a positive reputation across the Greek world through his philanthropy and general good behavior. His rising popularity earned the enmity of those like Eumenes II of Pergamon, who accused Perseus of secretly carrying out plans for a war against the Roman Republic, inheriting his father's schemes. Tensions would soon boil over, and the king would find himself in the crosshairs of the Senate, leading to the Third Macedonian War. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/11/21/102-antigonid-macedon-sins-of-the-father/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/102-antigonid-macedon-sins-of-the-father-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

<p>Marco Cappelli, the man behind the Storia D'Italia podcast, has created a Roman history comic book. Ammianus - the Twilight of an Era tells the story of the incredible change that took place across Italy during the 6th century.</p><br /><p>The comic is so good it made me cry. I interview Marco about why he decided to make this and where the inspiration came from.</p><br /><p>Get your own copy in Italian, English or Latin! And in physical or digital form <a href="https://www.nubes.live/prodotto/ammianus-vesper-mundi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A conversation with Nancy Bisaha (Vassar College) about the origins of the idea of "Europe" as a place of identity and not just geography. One of its first theorists was the Italian humanist Aeneas Piccolomini (later pope Pius II), who was in part reacting to the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks. The problem of whom to include and exclude as Europeans was there from the start. We talk about Aeneas himself and the siege of the City. The conversation is based on Nancy's recent book, From Christians to Europeans: Pope Pius II and the Concept of the Modern Western Identity (Routledge 2023).

<p>Professor Nicholas Morton returns to tell us about developments on the sea during the Crusading era. We discuss why Venice, Genoa, Pisa and Amalfi were able to dominate the waves. And talk about the ships they used and how they fought.</p><p>Dr Morton is Associate Professor in Middle Eastern and Global history at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. His new book&nbsp;<em>The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East&nbsp;</em>is available now.</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

A conversation with Eleanor Dickey (University of Reading) on Latin words in ancient and Byzantine Greek. Eleanor has tracked them down and compiled them in a specialized dictionary, where she also offers new arguments about when, how, and why they were borrowed by Greek-speakers. It reaches down to 600 AD, but many of them survived later too, even into modern spoken Greek. The conversation is based on that publication: Latin Loanwords in Ancient Greek: A Lexicon and Analysis (Cambridge University Press 2023).

The long reign of Philip V comes to an end after nearly 42 years on the throne. Following the defeat at Cynoscephalae, the Antigonid ruler spends the next two decades restoring his kingdom through economic and military reforms. By 179, Macedonia was once again a powerhouse to be reckoned with. However, infighting between the two princes Perseus and Demetrius would threaten to undermine the dynasty's unity, as an appropriately Greek tragedy stains the final days of Philip's career. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/10/16/101-antigonid-macedon-a-house-divided/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/101-antigonid-macedon-a-house-divided-transcript.pdf) Family Tree (Reign of Philip V): (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/reign-of-philip-v.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Six and a half years since we first started this journey, we finally have reached episode 100. Taking the least original approach possible, I decided to host another question and answer session to celebrate. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/10/05/100-qa-2-electric-boogaloo/) Bad Ancient - "Are the Homeric Epics an Accurate Source for the Bronze Age Aegean?" (https://www.badancient.com/claims/homeric-epics-source-bronze-age-aegean/) Natty Lifting - "Why Did Bronze Age Lifters Have Flat Chests?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIcbKGilhME&pp=ygUXYnJvbnplIGFnZSBib2R5YnVpbGRpbmc%3D) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

<p>Hello everyone,</p><br /><p>Here are 3 podcast-related things you may be interested in.</p><br /><p><strong>Roman Graphic Novel</strong></p><p>Friend of the show Marco Capelli has made a comic book set in 6th&nbsp;century Italy. It follows two figures that we know about from an Ostrogothic jewellery collection that was discovered in 1938. A Roman Patrician Stephanus who marries a Gothic noblewoman Valatrud. They are subjects of King Theodoric who is trying to create a functioning Gothic-Roman kingdom in Italy. But their union comes shortly before Italy submerges into chaos. And Justinian sends Belisarius out to retake the home peninsula.</p><p>You can get your hands on a copy in English or Italian. In paper or in a digital format. Plus loads of other goodies are available from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/originespictae/ammianus-vesper-mundi?ref=1tae67" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marco’s Kickstarter campaign</a>.</p><p>The Kickstarter ends on October 11th&nbsp;so act now.</p><br /><p><strong>Tour of Greece</strong></p><p>Lantern Jack, the host of the podcast Ancient Greece Declassified, is leading a tour to Greece.</p><p>It’s taking place from January 3rd&nbsp;to the 11th&nbsp;2025. And it visits every site connected with the famous war between the Persians and the Athenians and Spartans. If you want to go you will visit the Acropolis, the Straits of Salamis, Marathon, Eubeoa, Thermopylae, Delphi, Plataea and you’ll get to try on Hoplite Armour!</p><p>Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.greecepodcast.com/tour4/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to find out more</p><br /><p><strong>The History of Byzantium T-Shirts</strong></p><p>Finally my new friend Magnus who creates Roman themed merchandise on Etsy has created an actual History of Byzantium podcast t-shirt. Or I should say t-shirts. Branded with the podcast logo you have several to choose from. I’m sure they will light up any occasion you go to with looks of confusion and bewilderment. But I think they look beautiful.</p><br /><p>Check them out&nbsp;<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ImperialWares" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. He also has t-shirts and mugs celebrating lesser figures than me – such as Constantine, Justinian, Basil II, Marcus Aurelius and others.</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>When Andronikos' son dies he ponders whether to disinherit his Grandson Andronikos III. This prompts two bouts of civil war as the younger generation try to force change on their elders.</p><br /><p>Period: 1310-1328</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>Andronikos roles the dice and hires the Catalan Grand Company to fight the Turks. Those who advised the Emperor not to hire them could never have imagined just how badly things would go. Meanwhile Latin forces continue to take Aegean islands for themselves.</p><br /><p>Period: 1281-1303</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

<p>We look at Andronikos II Palailogos' domestic arrangements and European wars. After disbanding his fleet to save money the Emperor was repeatedly humiliated by the Venetians. We also look at the Emperor's personality to understand why he was not best suited to the difficult times he lived in.</p><br /><p>Period: 1281-1303</p><br /><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Our understanding the cosmos and our place in it has perplexed humanity for untold generations. The astronomers and geographers of the Hellenistic period were no different, looking to explain celestial phenomena and the nature of the Earth. Eratosthenes of Cyrene managed to calculate the circumference of the Earth to an astonishingly close value, Hipparchus did the same with the distance of the Moon, and Aristarchus of Samos proposed the earliest known model of heliocentrism 1800 years before Copernicus. The pinnacle of these theories came together was the incredible Antikythera Mechanism, the world's oldest analog computer, which will bring our series on science and technology to an end. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/08/30/099-hellenistic-science-geography-and-astronomy/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/099-hellenistic-science-astronomy-and-geography-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)