Everywhere around us are echoes of the past. Those echoes define the boundaries of states and countries, how we pray and how we fight. They determine what money we spend and how we earn it at work, what language we speak and how we raise our children. From Wondery, host Patrick Wyman, PhD (“Fall Of Rome”) helps us understand our world and how it got to be the way it is. Listen to Tides of History on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to bonus episodes available ...
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Henry V, the Greatest Medieval King: Interview with Dan Jones
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Henry V of England was the archetypal medieval king, a warrior par excellence whose example inspired English kings for centuries to come, the victor at Agincourt and conqueror of much of France. Tides of History's returning champion guest, Dan Jones, joins me to talk about his new book on Henry V, the king's childhood and adolescence, and why he ma…
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Issus, Gaugamela, and Alexander's Conquest of Persia
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It took Alexander just three years to effectively conquer the Persian Empire. Two decisive battles - Issus and Gaugamela - proved his supremacy over the Persian king Darius III, and the two-century rule of the Achaemenids died on battlefields in the Fertile Crescent. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Fort…
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Paul Bergrin is a hotshot criminal defense attorney in Newark, New Jersey. Seemingly unstoppable and with unorthodox methods, he’s built a reputation for getting his clients off the hook. But as Paul's legend grows, so do the suspicions swirling around him. When FBI Agent Shawn Brokos starts investigating a major drug ring, she makes a shocking dis…
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The Fascinating History of Gladiators: Interview with Alexander Mariotti
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Gladiators are one of the most enduring symbols of the Roman world, but what do we really know about them? Gladiator historian Alexander Mariotti joins me to discuss the logic behind gladiatorial games, the lives of real gladiators, and how the reality contrasts with the popular image we have today. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: R…
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Alexander wasn't yet "The Great" when he invaded the westernmost provinces of the Persian Empire in 334 BC, but he quickly showed that he was a serious threat to the old and still-powerful state ruled by Darius III. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or …
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Listen Now - Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD
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At a time when we’re debating where policing is going, we’re going to tell you where the police came from. Guided by Peabody award-winning host Chenjerai Kumanyika, Empire City will provide the first accessible narrative history of the American police and its place in popular culture. Who are the police? And why were police departments created in th…
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The Assassination of Philip and the Rise of Alexander the Great
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Philip of Macedonia was a towering figure, and if he had been succeeded by anyone other than Alexander the Great, he would be far better known today. But in 336 BC, at the peak of his powers, Philip was assassinated, and it became Alexander's kingdom to expand. He would do so beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Patrick's book is now available! Get The …
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Elite Networks, Mafia Families, and the Rise of Rome: Interview with Professor Nicola Terrenato
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When we think of the rise of Rome, our usual image is one of conquest: Roman armies marching out year after year to subdue their adversaries. But Professor Nicola Terrenato has an alternative way of understanding that process, one rooted in negotiation, the relationships and networks of elite families, and the self-interest of powerful individuals …
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Philip the One-Eye and the Macedonian Conquest of Greece
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We all know the name of Alexander the Great, but his father Philip the One-Eye was no less important a historical figure. In just 20 years, he turned Macedonia into the preeminent power in the Greek world, laying the foundation for the much better-known exploits of his son and heir. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renai…
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Philip the One-Eye and the Rise of Macedonia
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For most of the history of ancient Greece, Macedonia was a backwater: a semi-barbarian kingdom on the fringes of the Greek world, only tangentially involved in the dealings of the sophisticated city-states to the south. But with the rise of King Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, all of that began to change very quickly. Patrick's book is no…
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Italy Before Rome: Interview with Dr. Kathryn Lomas
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What was Italy like during the period of Rome's rise to power? Dr. Kathryn Lomas, author of The Rise of Rome: From the Iron Age to the Punic Wars, joins me to discuss the fascinating history of Italy outside and inside the city of Rome. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in…
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Summer Mailbag! Patrick Answers Your Questions
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It's time for another mailbag! Patrick answers questions about the Axial Age, the best places to see Iron Age archaeology, and how to be a discerning consumer of history. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit…
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The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War and the March of the 10,000 Greeks
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The famous Greco-Persian Wars didn't mark the end of the relationship between Persia and Greece, but its beginning. For the next 150 years, the seemingly internal politics of the Greek world became increasingly tied to what was happening under the rule of Persia's Greek king, culminating in the Peloponnesian War and its aftermath. Patrick's book is…
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We tend to think of Rome's rise to power in Italy as inevitable, but it was far from guaranteed. Their most fearsome enemies within the Italian peninsula were the Samnites, hill-people from the mountainous central regions. But what made the Samnites so formidable, and how were they able to hold out for so long? The answer lies in the fact that they…
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It's summer, which means it's time for some pleasure reading! Here are seven books that Patrick is recommending for your next summer reads: 1) Svetlana Alexievich, The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II 2) Joel F. Harrington, The Faithful Executioner: Life and Death, Honor and Shame in the Turbulent Sixteenth Century 3)…
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At the beginning of the 4th century BC, Rome was still not the dominant force in Latium, the small region surrounding the city; by the end of that century, Rome was the dominant power in all of Italy. How did that happen? The answer lies not so much in conquest as cooperation. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance…
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The Great Gender Divergence: Interview with Dr. Alice Evans
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Gender is one of the fundamental forces structuring our world, but its impact is uneven in time and space. Dr. Alice Evans joins me to talk about the enormous strides toward gender equality that have defined the world in the past century or so, which she terms the Great Gender Divergence. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation,…
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By 450 BC, the Roman Republic was beginning to take on the outlines of a form we recognize, with elected magistrates, a Senate, and written laws. But these were hard times for Rome, and there was no guarantee that the city would even dominate its immediate area, much less Italy and beyond. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation…
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In 509 BC, the last king of Rome - Tarquinius Superbus - was expelled from the city, and the Republic was born. But what do we actually know about the early years of the Republic? Not much, and what we do know is at odds with the much later traditions on which we tend to rely. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance…
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The Greatest Dynasty of Medieval France: Interview with Professor Justine Firnhaber-Baker
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It's been a while since Tides of History has gone to the Middle Ages, and a wonderful new book - House of Lilies: The Dynasty that Made Medieval France - provides us with the opportunity to return. Professor Justine Firnhaber-Baker is one of the world's leading experts on medieval France, and she joins the show to talk about her new book, the Capet…
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Sicily, Defeat, and the End of the Athenian Empire
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The Peloponnesian War lasted for nearly 30 years, decades of ceaseless battles, sieges, and human misery that covered the whole of Greece. In the end, Athens' fate was decided not in Greece itself but in faraway Sicily, where the course of the war turned against Athens once and for all. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, R…
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Understanding the Alien World of Ancient Greece: Interview with Professor Greg Anderson
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It's often said that the past is a foreign country, where our basic assumptions about how the world is supposed to work don't apply. But what does that mean for the practice of history? Professor Greg Anderson has fascinating ideas about how to actually understand the people of the past on their terms, with specific regard to ancient Greece. Patric…
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The Peloponnesian War, Part 1: Plague, Attrition, and a Decade of Bloodshed
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When the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta finally broke out in 431 BC, it was small conflicts on the fringes of the Greek world that pulled the two states into conflict. Thousands upon thousands would pay the price for that over the first decade of the war. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and For…
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The Athenian Empire and the Coming of the Peloponnesian War
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The Peloponnesian War, the epic 30-year conflict between Athens and Sparta for control of Classical Greece, was a long time in coming. In fact, its roots went back to the Persian Wars, when Athens seized the opportunity to create an empire in the aftermath. Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years th…
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What Made Classical Greece Special? Interview with Professor Josiah Ober
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We're often told that Classical Greece lies at the root of our modern world in some way, but what made it a special place? Professor Josiah Ober, author of The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece, joins me to discuss his approach to that question. We discuss the unique political ecology of the Greek city-states, demographic growth, and the role of in…
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