Best Akkad Podcasts (2024)

1
Conan the Barbarian #28 (Marvel: 1973) | Moon of Zembabwei 45:30

2d ago45:30

45:30

In this hair-raising episode, host Steeven takes us on an adventure through the jungles of Hyboria with Conan the Barbarian. Join us as we explore the 1973 comic book issue, "Moon of Zimbabwe," written by Roy Thomas with art by John Buscema. Steeven breaks down the story, detailing Conan's battle with a giant two-legged snake, his encounter with th…

1
OS 150 - The Battle of Qarqar 44:23

16d ago44:23

44:23

The lead-up to and significance of the first great battle of the iron age. Qarqar changed the equation for the Assyrian empire, which has until now been expanding without serious resistance. We will learn about the geopolitical significance of Damascus and Israel, watch the Assyrians struggle and grow as a result, and reach the peak of early Neo-As…

1
OS 149 - Shalmaneser Upends the Levant 41:44

30d ago41:44

41:44

Today we examine the situation in the Levant from the Bronze age Collapse to the entry of the Assyrians, and then follow Shalmaneser's levantine campaigns as they reshape the region through violence and indigenous reactions. We reach the end of Ahumu the Aramean's anti-Assyrian activities, and ponder some of the big questions of the series, like wh…

1
Ep. 10. Stephen Markley: Diving into The Deluge

1M ago

—

In this episode of Futureverse, Molly Wood and Ramanan Raghavendran interview author Stephen Markley to dive deep into his novel, The Deluge. Through a meticulous exploration of a progressively destabilizing world, Markley illustrates the possible futures we might face if we fail to act on climate now. The conversation explores the American-centric…

1
OS 148 - Shalmaneser Takes the Throne 38:13

2M ago38:13

38:13

A big transition of power as Shalmaneser peacefully takes the crown from his psychotic father, then immediately heads north for some war crimes. Big discussion today about how the Assyrian empire really works, what holds it together, and how Shalmaneser heralds a new phase in near eastern history. I even have a new background to mark the new era, f…

1
OS 147 - From the River to the Sea 35:42

2M ago35:42

35:42

From the Tigris River to the Mediterranian Sea, Assurnasirpal completes the greatest campaign any Mesopotamian king has managed since the time of Sargon the Great, nearly 1500 years prior. Made possible through logistics, a firm grip on his Mesopotmaian heartland, and his own personal spark of genius, our psycho king turns up the charm to travel fu…

1
Conan the Barbarian #27 (Marvel: 1973) | The Blood of Bel-Hissar 1:11:19

2M ago1:11:19

1:11:19

With the War of the Tarim over, Conan is at last free to wander the Earth once again. On his way South, Conan runs into a man, beating on a lady, and so the barbarian intervenes, sending him down a path of betrayal and death and a big, red, ruby. That's today as we look at Conan the Barbarian #27: The Blood of Bel-Hissar by Roy Thomas, John Buscema…

1
The Early History of Near Eastern Cavalry 26:14

3M ago26:14

26:14

Bonus episode today, a bit of a crossover with the bronze age stuff I am doing on Youtube about the video game Total War Pharaoh. Despite that, I think it will be of general enough interest to go on the podcast feed because the history of cavalry and the evolution and impact of the horse is keenly relevant here in the iron age, ironically more so t…

1
Episode S8 - Decumbo 35:17

3M ago35:17

35:17

Synopsis: Part 2 of a two-part Spotlight series on the rise and fall of the Roman Emperor Galerius: refugee, herdsman, soldier, Caesar, Augustus, Tetrarch, conqueror, schemer, would-be ruler of the (Dacian?) Empire, and persecutor of the Christians. A rollicking Third Century romp inspired by my current residence in his former tetrarchal capital of…

1
7.6 Escape Velocity: Sarah Manguso in Conversation with Tess McNulty (EH) 50:01

3M ago50:01

50:01

What’s the truth and what’s a lie? What’s a memoir, what’s a novel, and what if both are just a series of “prose blocks”? This conversation between Sarah Manguso and Tess McNulty takes up questions of writing and veracity, trauma and memory. Sarah Manguso is the author of nine books, including three memoirs. Her first novel, Very Cold People, was n…

1
OS 146 - How Assyria Operated 36:51

3M ago36:51

36:51

Today we look at the psychology and genius of Assurnasirpal and get a good look at both the strengths and weaknesses of the Assyrian terror-based governance strategy. A massive feast will be held, the Babylonians will be resurgent, and a massive uprising will threaten Assyrian invincibility. If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends,…

1
Episode S7 - Ascendo 31:28

3M ago31:28

31:28

Synopsis: Part 1 of a two-part Spotlight series on the rise and fall of the Roman Emperor Galerius: refugee, herdsman, soldier, Caesar, Augustus, Tetrarch, conqueror, schemer, would-be ruler of the (Dacian?) Empire, and persecutor of the Christians. A rollicking Third Century romp inspired by my current residence in his former tetrarchal capital of…

1
The State of Things 10:40

3M ago10:40

10:40

Where's the latest episode of Hither Came Conan? When's it gonna land? What the heck is going on? Well, I got your answers... hidden among the ramblings of a big ball of stress. Enjoy! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The music used for the theme song in this episode is Conan The Destroyer: Main Title/Riders Of Tara…

1
7.5 Machine, System, Code: Masande Ntshanga and Magalí Armillas-Tiseyra (EH) 50:15

3M ago50:15

50:15

Building parallels between technology and the human imagination, Masande Ntshanga’s conversation with Magalí Armillas-Tiseyra explains how cities are like machines and how South African history resembles some of the most sinister versions of techno-futurism. Masande is the author of two novels: The Reactive, winner of a Betty Trask Award in 2018, a…

1
OS 145 - The Early Neo-Assyrian Army 40:21

4M ago40:21

40:21

Today we pause and look at the early Neo-Assyrian army itself, the arm of the empire that was doing all the conquering. It is an infantry focused force, but we also have some to say about the world's first cavalry forces, as well as the prestigious but declining chariot. Sprinkling in some of what we know about Assyrian military tactics, strategy a…

1
Introducing: The Comic Book Show! 10:32

4M ago10:32

10:32

Welcome to The Comic Book Show, a podcast that's a show about comic books! Join your host, Steeven as he devotes full seasons of episodes to one singular comic book mini series or storyline, one issue per episode. Coming July 10, 2024 - Season One: The Man of Steel (DC Comics: 1986) thecomicbookshowpodcast.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . …

1
Conan the Barbarian #26 (Marvel: 1973) | The Hour of the Griffin 1:14:20

4M ago1:14:20

1:14:20

The War of the Tarim comes to a conclusion as Conan rescues the Queen and fights a giant mole! That's today as we look at Conan the Barbarian #26: The Hour of the Griffin by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, Ernie Chan, John Costanza, and Glynis Wein. This issue was published by Marvel Comics in February, 1973. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .…

1
7.4 Not Prophecy but Inversion: Omar El Akkad and Min Hyoung Song 53:37

4M ago53:37

53:37

Omar El Akkad joins critic Min Hyoung Song for a gripping conversation that interrogates fiction’s relationship to the real. Before he became a novelist, Omar was a journalist, and his experiencing reporting on (among other subjects) the war on terror, the Arab Spring, and the Black Lives Matter movement profoundly shapes his fiction. His first nov…

1
OS 144 - Call of Calhu 45:55

4M ago45:55

45:55

Calah, Nimrud, Kalhu - the new city of Assurnasirpal which will serve as imperial capital for the next century and a half has many names, but is built on a foundation of blood and plunder. We look at the city today, the grand buildings and mighty feasts held to inaugurate the new city, but our focus is on the death and slavery upon which it, like t…

1
Literature 39:05

4M ago39:05

39:05

For our final episode, Omar sits down with his dear friend Lydia Kiesling to discuss something near and dear: literature. What’s it like working as a writer? How do you get your start? Make money? Deal with the advent of AI? All is discussed. A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music En…

1
Ep. 9. Edan Lepucki: Navigating Climate Anxiety Through Fiction

4M ago

—

In this episode of Futureverse, Molly Wood and Ramanan Raghavendran interview Edan Lepucki about her works of climate fiction, including her novel California and her short story "There's No Place Like Home." Their discussion probes the intersections of climate fiction, personal relationships, and societal dynamics in a changing world. From fears of…

1
Conan the Barbarian #25 (Marvel: 1973) | The Mirrors of Kharam-Akkad 39:47

4M ago39:47

39:47

Conan is arrested, escapes, comes face to face with the Queen of Makkalet, is arrested again, and does battle with a tentacled monstrosity all before crossing swords with Kharam-Akkad, high priest of Tarim in Makkalet. That's today as we look at Conan the Barbarian #25: The Mirrors of Kharam-Akkad by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor Smith, John Buscema, S…

1
7.3 What do the PDFs say about this?: Brandon Taylor and Stephanie Insley Hershinow (CH) 47:41

4M ago47:41

47:41

Brandon Taylor practices moral worldbuilding in his fiction—that means an essential piece of these worlds is the “real possibility that someone could get punched in the face.” Brandon, author of the novels Real Life and The Late Americans, joins Stephanie Insley Hershinow for a wide-ranging, engrossing, and often hilarious conversation about the st…

1
OS 143 - Assurnasirpal Has Too Much Energy 38:22

4M ago38:22

38:22

Is Assurnasirpal II, king of Assyria, a relentless narcicisstic psychopath? Or is he a profoundly competant, ruthless tyrant? Can he be both, and does it really matter? Today we begin the first set of great conquest narratives of the Assyrian empire, unrivalled in their detail and shock value by any previous Mesopotamian king. We are deep into the …

1
Growth 32:41

4M ago32:41

32:41

More! More! More! Today, Omar speaks with Jon D. Erickson about society’s seemingly insatiable appetite for growth. Can the scales be tipped to value qualitative expansion of the economy over quantitative? A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts…

1
Affordable Housing 34:46

5M ago34:46

34:46

“Is the system functioning exactly as it’s meant to?” That’s the question on Omar’s mind in today’s episode–a conversation with Jacob William Faber about the future of affordable housing. A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about …

1
Revisiting Conan Volume One For the First Time 51:10

5M ago51:10

51:10

Today, on a very special episode of Hither Came Conan, to wrap up Season Six and our talk about the first seven issues of the Dark Horse Conan run from 2004, I play you some audio from over five years ago in which I'm talking about the very same story, for the first time. What does Conan Volume One: The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories have…

1
7.2 You Write Because You Want to Feel Free: Katie Kitamura and Alexander Manshel (SW) 58:53

5M ago58:53

58:53

Although Katie Kitamura feels free when she writes—free from the “soup of everyday life,” from the political realities that weigh upon her, and even at times from the limits of her own thinking—she is keenly aware of the unfreedoms her novels explore. Katie, author of the award-winning Intimacies (2021), talks with critic Alexander Manshel about th…

1
OS 142 - The Assyrian Empire Takes Shape 39:54

5M ago39:54

39:54

King Tukulti-Ninurta II slows down the pace of conquest for a crucial decade. Conquest still happens, and at a breakneck pace, but compared to what we have seen and will see, it is much slower. More importantly, Tukulti-Ninurta spends a lot of his time focused on really establishing what has already been built, constructing more buildings, conducti…

1
Advertising 30:04

5M ago30:04

30:04

A world without advertising? Wishful thinking. Or is it? Omar’s interrogating how and why ads weave through our lives, and if a world without them is conceivable. Today's episode features two conversations: Ryan Lough discusses his background making ads and his new film You Need This, which interrogates consumerism and hyper-capitalism, and Andrew …

1
Billionaires 37:44

5M ago37:44

37:44

What does the one percent really mean? What do people get wrong when they think about their own wealth? And what the world could look like without billionaires? Omar’s asking these questions in conversation with Rachel Sherman. A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at …

1
7.1 Etherized: Anne Enright in Conversation with Paige Reynolds (JP) 41:58

5M ago41:58

41:58

Anne Enright, writer, critic, Booker winner, kindly makes time for Irish literature maven Paige Reynolds and ND host John Plotz. She reads from The Wren, The Wren (Norton, 2023) and discusses the “etherized” state of our inner lives as they circulate on social media. Anne says we don't yet know if the web has become a space of exposure or of author…

1
OS 141 - The Unintended Aramization of Assyria 42:09

5M ago42:09

42:09

Today we see Adad-Nirari bring huge quantities of Arameans into the Assyrian empire. This will change the linguistic fabric of the entire near east in time, but as we will see, at the time it just seemed like a set of good decisions, or at least imperialistic decisions. We also discuss what it is to be an Assyrian, and why no one was overly concern…

1
Guns 34:46

5M ago34:46

34:46

Is having a gun an expression of some sort of freedom? The ubiquity of guns in the United States certainly suggests so. Today, Omar talks with David Yamane about his changing relationship to firearms, and if a world without them is conceivable. A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music …

1
Conan #7 (Dark Horse: 2004) | Blood for Blood 41:43

5M ago41:43

41:43

Conan journeys to Brythunia and, going from village to village, tracks down Sjarl and Einar. What will Conan do with the two men now that he's found them? The answer may surprise you! Actually, it shouldn't surprise you at all. That's today as we look at Conan #7: Blood for Blood by Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord, Thomas Yates, Richard Starkings, and Dave …

1
Humans 38:02

6M ago38:02

38:02

What does the world look like without … us? This week, Omar speaks with David Farrier and imagines what the future could look like for, and perhaps without, humans. A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit …

1
Conan #6 (Dark Horse: 2004) | Day of Farewell 41:18

6M ago41:18

41:18

This is it, folks! Conan's revolt has begun! Will Conan and his friends triumph? Will the Hyperboreans survive their encounter with the young barbarian? Will this be the last of the Dark Horse issues we will be talking about? Get the answers to each of those questions today as we look at Conan #6: Day of Farewell by Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord, Thomas Y…

1
You Might Also Like: Jockular! 37:30

6M ago37:30

37:30

E.R. Fightmaster, Tien Tran, and Katie Kershaw are talking sports. Namely all things queer and woman-forward in the world of sports. From buzzer beater moments during March Madness to weekly-crowned sports MILFs. Basketball, soccer, Power Slapping, and more. Every week, they're taking one for the team and scoring all the 3-pointers... Check out mor…

1
OS 140- The Dawning of a New Assyrian Empire 38:57

6M ago38:57

38:57

The king today is Adad-Nirari II, but we have a lot to discuss in the background as well. The Nairi get their spotlight right before they get destroyed, and we look at the dating system for the Neo-Assyrian period and why it is so reliable, compared to the earlier parts of ancient history. And we also ask what an Empire is and whether or not the Ne…

1
Meat 38:07

6M ago38:07

38:07

Today, Omar speaks with Alicia Kennedy about the food-industrial complex, the massive climate footprint of our eating habits, and what the world could look like without meat. A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choi…

1
Conan #5 (Dark Horse: 2004) | Ashes of a Great Fire 30:58

6M ago30:58

30:58

Conan's plan to escape Hyberborea is set into motion as Aishti'ana dwells on the past. That's today as we look at Conan #5: Ashes of a Great Fire by Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord, Thomas Yates, Richard Starkings, and Dave Stewart. This issue was published by Dark Horse on June 23, 2004. Enjoy! Mike's Amazing World of Comics The music used for the theme so…

1
Fossil Fuels, Part 2 38:13

6M ago38:13

38:13

Resources we use to power our lives aren’t going to be employed in the same way in the very near future. In part-two of our fossil fuel series, we’re speaking with planetary futurist Alex Steffen about what the world could look like without these non-renewable resources. A HyperObject Industries & Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more grea…

1
Conan #4 (Dark Horse: 2004) | Gates of Paradise 43:19

6M ago43:19

43:19

Conan is enslaved by the mysterious Hyperboreans. As he and fellow slave, Iasmini, plot their escape, Conan stumbles across the horrific truth, the evil behind the power of the "land of wonders, of immortality, music, and eternal summer." That's today as we look at Conan #4: Gates of Paradise by Kurt Busiek, Cary Nord, Thomas Yates, Richard Starkin…

1
OS 139 - An Iron King for an Iron Age 48:48

6M ago48:48

48:48

Today we talk about iron working, economics and climate change. Then we watch Assur-Dan II flay his enemies alive and hang their skins from the city wall. The doldrums of the Bronze Age Collapse are now officially over and a new age is rising - an age of iron and an age of empire. The most exciting and historically important period of Mesopotamian …

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Akkad Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide