Bonus episode courtesy of my new South African and Articles of Interest fans! What was the Birkin bag of the T&J era? Could someone tell the difference between a Roman and a Persian based on dress alone? Were couches and bedding like what we have today? This episode we go deep into the color purple, marriage belts and baby tunics in a conversation …

T&J themselves owned enslaved human beings, and they were far from alone. Enslavement in the Roman Empire was the practice of both prostitutes and priests, even rabbis. Justinian hires some VIP jurists to Marie Kondo centuries of Roman law.By Christine Laskowski

One thing we can definitively say is that the Goths weren’t dressing in all-black and ornamenting their buildings with gargoyles. So how did the name of a single barbarian people make it to the 21st century and still mean so much?By Christine Laskowski

Justinian, now emperor, decides he wants to restore the Roman Empire to its full territorial glory. Piece of cake, right? Good thing T&J have their favorite couple on-hand to help make it all happen.By Christine Laskowski

We cross over the Danube River to uncover the many dichotomies between the Romans and their scruffier neighbors to the north. Justinian’s Uncle Justin leaves Thrace for Constantinople and sets off a chain of events that will lead T&J onto the throne.By Christine Laskowski

The smallest of the Greek letters – or what we'd think of as the letter 'i' – blows early Christian doctrine wide open. T&J link up and find themselves on opposite sides of the bitter theological divide.By Christine Laskowski

Byzantium enjoyed many of the imperial realities of Rome, above all, in 'bread and circuses.' That is, free bread and entertainment. We meet Theodora as a sexy, young star of the Constantinople stage and explore what made entertainment throughout the empire possible – factions.By Christine Laskowski

Istanbul was Constantinople and Constantinople was Byzantium ... Welcome to T&J! A limited podcast series devoted to sixth century Byzantium and the greatest recorded love story on earth – that between Empress Theodora and her husband, the Emperor Justinian. Join me, your host, Christine Laskowski, on this epic, bi-weekly audio journey through a se…