Episode T5 – Balas

Synopsis: Demetrius struggles to preserve his throne but ends up falling in battle.  Alexander Balas begins his reign by marrying Ptolemy’s daughter, Cleopatra Thea.  While the sons of Demetrius remain a threat, the couple are also forced to confront the growing menace of Parthia.

“Then gathered king Alexander great forces, and camped over against Demetrius.  And after the two kings had joined battle, Demetrius’ host fled: but Alexander followed after him, and prevailed against them.  And he continued the battle very sore until the sun went down: and that day was Demetrius slain.” – 1 Maccabees

4 thoughts on “Episode T5 – Balas

  1. Hi Scott,

    For the last six to eight months I have been slowly working my way through this wonderful series you have produced. I should catch up to you soon. (I’m also working my way through six other history podcasts and have caught up with an additional eight–which means I listen to new episodes as they are released.) I re-listen to all episodes as I march forward, so my progress on any series is slow, but I think this helps me grasp the general message a bit better than binging on one series until done.

    I truly appreciate all the time and effort that you have put into researching, writing, and presenting the entire series and each episodes. And I love your just-right sense of humor. You and a dozen or so of your fellow podcasters have greatly improved my knowledge of (mostly Western) history and intellectual history. Thank you!

    As I began listening to the latest series, T-series, I kept thinking “these episodes could really use those great maps and family trees that you posted for previous episodes.” Then, while I was listening to the current episode, you mentioned that you are indeed posting these to your Facebook page. Perhaps I am one of the few people in the world who has no interest in sharing all of my personal information with Mr. Zuckerberg and his employees–and thus do not have a Facebook page–but why not post these useful items on a website?

    Despite my reluctance to access your Facebook page, I still want to say Thank You most wholeheartedly.

    Best wishes and stay safe in these trying times,

    Spencer

    1. Thanks so much, appreciate the great feedback! I recently migrated to a new blog host, and I think the functionality might be better for posting links to maps & images. I have 2 more episodes to go in the T-series, and each will contain at least one map link. On the same day I post each episode, I also post a long trail of maps, images, quotes, etc. on both the Facebook and Twitter sites. Glad you’re enjoying the series, and I hope you enjoy the end of “Thea”. Take care!

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