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 […]
Category: SERIES: The Ancient World – Spotlight
Episode S7 – Ascendo
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 […]
Episode S6 – Castle of the Slave
Synopsis: Joseph and Hyrcanus of the Tobiad clan served as tax farmers in Coele Syria for nearly half a century, weathering the transition from Ptolemaic and Seleucid control along with the constant maelstrom of Jerusalem politics. “Hyrcanus determined not to return to Jerusalem any more, […]
Episode S5 – Ordeal by Fire
Synopsis: In the 4th century AD, the Ethiopian kingdom of Axum converted to Christianity even as the neighboring Himyarites of Yemen converted to Judaism. Centuries later, Axum’s invasion of Yemen to stop the persecution of Christians triggered a conflict with Persia. Map of the kingdoms […]
Episode S4 – Children of the Moon
Synopsis: The Sabaeans and Himyarites leveraged their control over south Arabian aromatics into a lucrative trade that spanned the ancient world. The region’s remoteness, wealth and active diplomacy afforded some protection from the powerful empires who frequently dominated the north. Map of the Arabian Peninsula:https://audio.ancientworldpodcast.com/Yemen.jpg
Episode S3 – Queen Mavia
Synopsis: A century after Queen Zenobia, another Syrian Arab warrior queen rises to challenge the power or Rome – and succeeds. The story of Queen Mavia of the Tanukh. “Mavia, queen of the Saracens, had begun to convulse the villages and towns on the border […]
Episode S2 – The Bactrian Kingdom
“In this battle, Antiochus’ horse was wounded and killed, and the king himself was struck through the mouth and lost some of his teeth. On the whole, he acquired on that occasion the greatest reputation for valor. Because of this battle, Euthydemus was caught off […]
Episode S1 – Alexander in Bactria
“I am engaged in a land of a leonine and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a wall of steel confronting my soldiers. You have brought only one Alexander into the world, but every mother in this land has brought an […]