Best Seleucid Podcasts (2024)

1
100: Q&A #2 - Electric Boogaloo 1:08:29

6h ago1:08:29

1:08:29

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 Accu…

1
Darlene L. Brooks Hedstrom, "Desert Ascetics of Egypt" (ARC Humanities Press, 2020) 1:01:37

5d ago1:01:37

1:01:37

Egypt is revered as the home of the famous Desert Ascetics, who first embraced a monastic life and established homosocial communities on the borders of their urban centres in the Nile Valley. Regarded as angels and warriors, the wisdom of the Desert Ascetics formed part of the oral and literary tradition of wonder-working saints whose commitment to…

1
William T. Taylor, "Hoof Beats: How Horses Shaped Human History" (U California Press, 2024) 1:03:56

6d ago1:03:56

1:03:56

From the Rockies to the Himalayas, the bond between horses and humans has spanned across time and civilizations. In this archaeological journey, William T. Taylor explores how momentous events in the story of humans and horses helped create the world we live in today. Tracing the horse's origins and spread from the western Eurasian steppes to the i…

1
John Schofield, "Wicked Problems for Archaeologists: Heritage as Transformative Practice" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:07:56

20d ago1:07:56

1:07:56

'Wicked Problems' are those problems facing the planet and its inhabitants, present and future, which are hard (if not impossible) to resolve and for which bold, creative, and messy solutions are typically required. The adjective 'wicked' describes the mischievous and even evil quality of these problems, where proposed solutions often turn out to b…

1
Theodore Papakostas, "How to Fit All of Ancient Greece in an Elevator" (William Collins, 2024) 28:13

21d ago28:13

28:13

Two strangers meet in a trapped elevator. One is an archaeologist, the other isn’t. A simple question, ‘What do you do?’, becomes the springboard for a dialogue that weaves a fascinating tale. In How to Fit All of Ancient Greece in an Elevator (William Collins, 2024) archaeologist Dr. Theodore Papakostas takes us on a spectacularly iconoclastic and…

1
Paul J. Kosmin, "Time and Its Adversaries in the Seleucid Empire" (Harvard UP, 2018) 1:16:00

1M ago1:16:00

1:16:00

In the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s conquests, the Seleucid kings ruled a vast territory stretching from Central Asia to Anatolia, Armenia to the Persian Gulf. In a radical move to impose unity and regulate behavior, this Graeco-Macedonian imperial power introduced a linear and transcendent conception of time. Under Seleucid rule, time no lon…

1
099: Hellenistic Science - Geography and Astronomy 48:57

1M ago48:57

48:57

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, H…

1
Richard D. Oram, "Where Men No More May Reap Or Sow: The Little Ice Age: Scotland 1400-1850" (Birlinn, 2024) 1:13:57

2M ago1:13:57

1:13:57

Drawing together the evidence of archaeology, palaeoecology, climate history and the historical record, this first environmental history of Scotland explores the interaction of human populations with the land, waters, forests and wildlife. Where Men No More May Reap or Sow: The Little Ice Age: Scotland 1400–1850 (Birlinn, 2024) by Dr. Richard D. Or…

1
Interview: The "Flight of Seleucus" and Dynastic Propaganda, with Angus Jacobson 44:49

2M ago44:49

44:49

It's never easy coming up with your own origin story, and the ascendant Hellenistic dynasties tried their best to justify their legitimacy in an age of shifting alliances. PhD candidate Angus Jacobson joins the show to discuss the "Flight of Seleucus" story presented to us by Libanius of Antioch (314-392 A.D.), offering insights as to how the Succe…

1
098: Hellenistic Science - Mechanics, Engineering, and Technology 39:40

3M ago39:40

39:40

The developments in theoretical mathematics were also translated into practical (and sometimes impractical) applications during the Hellenistic period. New weapons of war like torsion catapults and enormous ships found their way on the battlefield, and this love for all things big extended to Rhodian architects who constructed their famous Colossus…

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
Episode S7 - Ascendo 31:28

4M 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
097: Hellenistic Science - Mathematics 26:44

4M ago26:44

26:44

The third century B.C. witnessed the greatest outburst of Greco-Roman mathematics in the entirety of antiquity. Euclid of Alexandria's "Elements" served as *the* textbook in the study of geometry for over two thousand years, while the archetypal mad scientist Archimedes of Syracuse allegedly was so fond of mathematical inquiries that it lead to his…

1
Rubina Raja, "Shaping Archaeological Archives: Dialogues Between Fieldwork, Museum Collections, and Private Archives" (Brepols, 2023) 38:54

5M ago38:54

38:54

Archaeology as a discipline has undergone significant changes over the past decades, in particular concerning best practices for how to handle the vast quantities of data that the discipline generates. As Shaping Archaeological Archives: Dialogues between Fieldwork, Museum Collections, and Private Archives (Brepols, 2023) uncovers, much of this dat…

1
Bryan K. Miller, "Xiongnu: The World's First Nomadic Empire" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:03:13

5M ago1:03:13

1:03:13

In Xiongnu: The World’s First Nomadic Empire (Oxford UP, 2024), Bryan K. Miller weaves together archaeology and history to chart the course of the Xiongnu empire, which controlled the Eastern Eurasian steppe from ca. 200 BCE to 100 CE. Through a close analysis of both material artifacts and textual sources, Miller centers the nomadic perspective, s…

1
096: Hellenistic Science - Medicine and the Healing Arts 40:13

5M ago40:13

40:13

As the first episode in our series on science and technology, we begin by looking at the advancements in medicine during the Hellenistic Age. In Alexandria, Herophilus and Erasistratus became the first doctors to practice human dissections in any significant capacity until the Middle Ages, greatly improving our understanding of anatomy and physiolo…

1
Stefanos Geroulanos, "The Invention of Prehistory: Empire, Violence, and Our Obsession with Human Origins" (Liveright, 2024) 1:14:58

6M ago1:14:58

1:14:58

Books about the origins of humanity dominate bestseller lists, while national newspapers present breathless accounts of new archaeological findings and speculate about what those findings tell us about our earliest ancestors. We are obsessed with prehistory—and, in this respect, our current era is no different from any other in the last three hundr…

1
Whitney Nell Stewart, "This Is Our Home: Slavery and Struggle on Southern Plantations" (UNC Press, 2023) 1:30:50

7M ago1:30:50

1:30:50

The cultural memory of plantations in the Old South has long been clouded by myth. A recent reckoning with the centrality of slavery to the US national story, however, has shifted the meaning of these sites. Plantations are no longer simply seen as places of beauty and grandiose hospitality; their reality as spaces of enslavement, exploitation, and…

1
095: Ptolemaic Egypt - The Two Lands Restored 37:54

7M ago37:54

37:54

Twenty years of chaos in the Ptolemaic kingdom come to an end during the reign of Ptolemy V Epiphanes (204-180). His marriage to the Seleucid princess Cleopatra I Syra confirmed the loss of Coele Syria to Antiochus III, yet she proved to be a good match and helped secure the future of the dynasty. Haronnophoris and the Great Revolt are finally put …

1
Mpho Ngoepe and Sindiso Bhebhe, "Indigenous Archives in Postcolonial Contexts: Recalling the Pasts" (Routledge, 2024) 46:25

7M ago46:25

46:25

Mpho Ngoepe and Sindiso Bhebhe's Indigenous Archives in Postcolonial Contexts: Recalling the Pasts (Routledge, 2024) revisits the definition of a record and extends it to include memory, murals, rock art paintings and other objects. Drawing on five years of research and examples from Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, Mpho Ngoepe and Sindiso Bheb…

1
094: The Senate vs Scipio Africanus 49:14

9M ago49:14

49:14

Rome hoped that the Peace of Apamea would instill some sort of order over the eastern Mediterranean, allowing them to return to Italy after decades of warfare. Yet the vacuum of power left behind in a post-Seleucid Asia Minor would lead to fierce competition, with those like Eumenes II of Pergamon and Pharnaces I of Pontus waging war against their …

1
What Can We Learn From A Pottery Shard? Uncovering the Ancient Past Through Biblical Archeology with Professor Aren Maeir 34:59

9M ago34:59

34:59

Some people are good at what they do, some are enthusiastic about their work. This guest brings both to bear in his exploration of the ancient past. Today we are privileged to talk with a distinguished figure in the world of archeology whose enthusiasm doesn’t quit. Professor. Aren Maeir is not only an accomplished archaeologist, but he is also a c…

1
Seth Bernard, "Building Mid-Republican Rome: Labor, Architecture, and the Urban Economy" (Oxford UP, 2018) 35:32

9M ago35:32

35:32

Building Mid-Republican Rome: Labor, Architecture, and the Urban Economy (Oxford University Press, 2018), offers a holistic treatment of the development of the Mid-Republican city from 396 to 168 BCE. As Romans established imperial control over Italy and beyond, the city itself radically transformed from an ambitious central Italian settlement into…

1
Martyn Whittock, "American Vikings: How the Norse Sailed into the Lands and Imaginations of America" (Pegasus Books, 2023) 31:40

9M ago31:40

31:40

A vivid and illuminating new history--separate fact from fiction, myth from legend--exploring the early Vikings settlements in North America. Vikings are an enduring subject of fascination. The combination of adventure, mythology, violence, and exploration continues to grip our attention. As a result, for more than a millennium the Vikings have tra…

1
00 – Preface 20:33

9M ago20:33

20:33

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
01 – Book 1, Ch 01-02 16:11

9M ago16:11

16:11

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
Episode C30 - The Death of Kings 27:49

9M ago27:49

27:49

Synopsis: Faced with a series of disloyal vassals, Sargon conquers the remaining Neo-Hittite kingdoms and absorbs them into his empire. The Cimmerian invasion of Anatolia leads to the deaths of two powerful kings. In their absence, the preservation of peace and stability falls to local rulers such as Azatiwadas of Quwe. “I am Azatiwadas, the Sun Go…

1
02 – Book 1, Ch 03-04 16:27

9M ago16:27

16:27

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
Douglas Hunter, "Beardmore: The Viking Hoax That Rewrote History" (McGill-Queen's UP, 2018) 1:10:40

9M ago1:10:40

1:10:40

By Marshall Poe

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03 – Book 1, Ch 05-06 14:44

9M ago14:44

14:44

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
04 – Book 1, Ch 07-08 20:03

10M ago20:03

20:03

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
05 – Book 1, Ch 09-10 16:51

10M ago16:51

16:51

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
06 – Book 1, Ch 11-12 14:48

10M ago14:48

14:48

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
07 – Book 1, Ch 13-14 18:26

10M ago18:26

18:26

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
08 – Book 1,Ch 15-16 17:40

10M ago17:40

17:40

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
09 – Book 1, Ch 17-18 19:54

10M ago19:54

19:54

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
10 – Book 1, Ch 19-20 19:44

10M ago19:44

19:44

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
11 – Book 1, Ch 21-22 22:44

10M ago22:44

22:44

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
12 – Book 1, Ch 23-24 23:55

10M ago23:55

23:55

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
13 – Book 1, Ch 25-26 19:32

10M ago19:32

19:32

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
14 – Book 1, Ch 27-28 17:22

10M ago17:22

17:22

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
15 – Book 1, Ch 29-30 16:34

10M ago16:34

16:34

More great books at LoyalBooks.comBy Josephus

1
Yaron Eliav, "A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse: Cultural Interaction in the Ancient Mediterranean" (Princeton UP, 2023) 1:20:20

10M ago1:20:20

1:20:20

Public bathhouses embodied the Roman way of life, from food and fashion to sculpture and sports. The most popular institution of the ancient Mediterranean world, the baths drew people of all backgrounds. They were places suffused with nudity, sex, and magic. A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse: Cultural Interaction in the Ancient Mediterranean (Princeton …

1
Episode C29 - City of the Raven 31:18

10M ago31:18

31:18

Synopsis: Rusa of Urartu wins early victories against Assyrian armies, but his intrigues in the Zagros kingdom of Mannea earn him Sargon’s wrath. After a crushing defeat by Cimmerian invaders, Rusa’s unable to prevent Sargon’s destruction of his kingdom. “I caused there to be lamentation in the wide land Urartu and in all the mountains, and I made …