<p>I talk to Eric Halsey about his new book <em>State Builders from the Steppe: A History of the First Bulgarian Empire</em>.</p><br /><p>In it he chronicles the rise and fall of the Bulgars as they arrive in the Balkans and forge a state that would be a thorn in the Byzantine side. </p><br /><p>I thoroughly recommended the book. It’s well researched, easy to read and it’s nice to hear about a subject so intimately entwined with Byzantine history from a different perspective.</p><br /><p>Find the book on Amazon or check out the <a href="http://bghistorypodcast.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bulgarian History podcast</a> where Eric takes the Bulgarian story all the way to the present. </p><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>
England’s greatest warrior-king is gone and on the throne… a baby. In season 9 of This Is History: A Dynasty to Die For, acclaimed historian Dan Jones charts the turbulent story of Henry VI, an infant monarch whose reign is beset by relentless struggles for power both at home and abroad as we enter a brutal era of English civil war - the Wars of the Roses. Scandal, madness and witchcraft form a backdrop to the young king’s troubles in England, while in France, Henry V’s hard-won legacy begins to crumble as Joan of Arc enters to rally the French fightback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
<p>Let's imagine a Macedonian soldier during the time of Alexander the Great. How did this man, whom we'll call Red Cleitus, spend the vast amounts of coin he plundered and earned as he and his comrades fought their way across Asia?</p><p>Patrick launched a brand-new history show! It’s called Past Lives, and every episode explores the life of a real person who lived in the past. Subscribe now: <a href="https://bit.ly/PWPLA" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/PWPLA</a></p><p>And don't forget, you can still get <em>The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World</em> in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: <a href="https://bit.ly/PWverge" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/PWverge</a>.</p><p>Listen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App <a href="https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistory</a></p><p><br /></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>
In the final episode of Dan’s three-part retelling of the Nativity we enter the gospel of Matthew, as we explore the story according to him. Matthew is all about Jesus’s royal line so expect kings, royalty and great gifts. Plus, the notorious King Herod beckons - one of the most formidable and dangerous tyrants in the whole region. Want to delve deeper? Become a This Is History Royal Favourite subscriber on Patreon. You get ad free listening, exclusive behind the scenes videos, and a weekly bonus episode. On this week’s bonus episode, Dan and resident Nativity expert Professor Helen Bond place Matthew’s Gospel under the microscope. Compared to Luke’s, Matthew wants all the royal pomp and ceremony given to the baby Jesus. Fewer mangers, more myrrh. Listen to that episode here: patreon.com/thisishistory – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Written and presented by Dan Jones Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator: Eric Ryan Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content - Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Attacking the largest empire the world had ever seen is a huge endeavor at any age, but try doing it at 21. Alexander, fusing the qualities of a Napoleon with a gladiator, aims for immortality. The Persians are just in his way.
Starting from the early third century B.C., the Nabataean kingdom ruled over much of the Levant from the Sinai Peninsula to the Hejaz. Most known for their famous rose-colored capital city of Petra, the Nabataeans occupied a unique position within the eastern Mediterranean for nearly five hundred years, competing with the Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Herodian kingdoms. Yet they also acted as a stabilizing force for the so-called "Incense Road", leaving behind brilliant rock-cut monuments like al-Khazneh ("The Treasury"). Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/12/20/114-the-nabataean-kingdom/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/114-the-nabataean-kingdom-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) 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)
A conversation with Aaron Butts (University of Hamburg) on the conversion to Christianity of Ezana, the fourth-century king of Aksum (in modern Ethiopia and Eritrea). "Conversion" is a conventional term, but what Ezana's inscriptions and coins reveals is a complicated process of appealing to different groups and the coexistence of religions in his realm and the royal monuments. The conversation is based on Aaron's forthcoming paper 'Ezana of Aksum: The First Christian African King,' Aethiopica 28 (2025).
<p>Patrick's new book, Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World, launches May 5th, 2026! Check out this audiobook preview chapter on two murders around 5,300 years ago, hear about everything we can learn from Otzi the Iceman in the Alps and Gebelein Man in Egypt, and be sure to preorder the book in your medium of choice through the link here: https://bit.ly/PWLostWorlds.</p><p>Patrick launched a brand-new history show on December 3rd! It’s called Past Lives, and every episode explores the life of a real person who lived in the past. Subscribe now: https://bit.ly/PWPLA </p><p>And don't forget, you can still Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge. </p><p>Listen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistory </p><p><br /></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>
The story continues as the holy family make their way to Bethlehem for a Roman census. Along the way they meet classic characters from the Nativity including an inn keeper and some shepherds who, while watching their flocks, get jump scared by an angel into going to visit a baby in a manger. But why is Luke, the gospelist, telling us all this? Who is the Jesus Christ he is trying to present in this gospel? Want to delve deeper? Become a This Is History Royal Favourite subscriber on Patreon. You get ad free listening, exclusive behind the scenes videos, and a weekly bonus episode. On this week’s bonus episode, Dan and resident Nativity expert Professor Helen Bond zoom into the intentions behind Luke’s Gospels. What was the manger really trying to convey — to early Christians and the Romans looking over them? Listen to that episode here: patreon.com/thisishistory – A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [email protected] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Written and presented by Dan Jones. Producer - Alan Weedon Senior Producer - Dominic Tyerman Executive Producer - Simon Poole Production Manager - Jen Mistri Production coordinator: Eric Ryan Mixing - Amber Devereux Head of content – Chris Skinner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
<p>To mark the 1000th anniversary of his death we revisit the bachelorhood of Basil II. </p><br /><p>My guest is Mark Masterson — until recently Associate Professor of Classics at Victoria University of Wellington (retired 2025). His work explores masculinity, desire, and male social bonds in the Roman world.</p><br /><p>In his book <em>Between Byzantine Men</em> he discusses an oration written in Basil's day which may shed light on his intimate life.</p><br /><p>Find out more about Professor Mark Masterson <a href="https://hcommons.org/members/mmaarrkk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a> and check out his two books on male relationships within the Roman world. </p><br /><p><em>Between Byzantine Men: Desire, Homosociality, and Brotherhood in the Medieval Empire</em></p><p>Routledge (2022)</p><br /><p><em>Man to Man: Desire, Homosociality and Authority in Late-Roman Manhood</em> </p><p>The Ohio State University Press. (2014)</p><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>Check out a scripted episode of Patrick's new show, <em>Past Lives</em>!</p><p>Nearly 2,700 years ago, a woman and her daughter were ripped away from their homes in what is now Iran by the soldiers of the Assyrian Empire. Nanaya'ila'i was one of thousands upon thousands of people to experience the violence that accompanied conquest, but she's one of the very few whose name we know and life we can reconstruct.</p><p>Subscribe to <em>Past Lives </em>on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/past-lives/id1852618120" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/48xOnIJxt0Nbe8XAZsPcZN?si=ce9a6712e4fc471a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, or the podcast platform of your choice. Become a member now at www.patreon.com/cw/PastLivesMedia. You'll get access to the Past Lives Discord server and four pieces of bonus content per month (including a historian interview, book club, Q and A, and a sources and evidence discussion). Past Lives is a 100-percent independent production, and your support is what allows us to make this show. So, thank you.</p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>
<p>We've talked about how rich classical Athens was, but what did that mean for an average person living at the time? In this episode, we follow the life of a composite character, an Athenian citizen farmer named Megakles, to see how the economic developments of the classical age shaped daily life in Athens.</p><p>Patrick launched a brand-new history show on December 3rd! It’s called Past Lives, and every episode explores the life of a real person who lived in the past. Subscribe now: https://bit.ly/PWPLA </p><p>Also, Patrick's new book - Lost Worlds: The Rise and Fall of Human Societies from the Ice Age to the Bronze Age - is now available for preorder, and will be released on May 5th! Preorder in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWLostWorlds. And don't forget, you can still Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge. </p><p>Listen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistory </p><p>Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter</p><p><br /></p><p>See Privacy Policy at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy</a> and California Privacy Notice at <a href="https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info</a>.</p>
