Archways: Western Civilization History Podcast

In this episode we take a deep dive into one of the oldest, most famous, and most stable forms of government: monarchy. Looking at examples from the past, we see what makes a monarchy successful. And we extract lessons for our own governments today. We will study with particular interest Ancient Egypt, Babylon, as well as 17 century France, Belgium, Britain, and modern Japan and Saudi Arabia.

When looking at the Republics of medieval Italy it's always shocking to see on the map a northern central Italian country with Rome in it known as the Papal States. The Papal States were a territory under the direct control of the Pope for over a thousand years from AD 756 to 1870. In this episode, we look into why the Pope became a sovereign king over earthly territory, how he protected this land from Huns, Goths, Vandals, and Lombards, how the territories forced the Pope to crown 2 Roman Emperors in France 1000 years apart (Charlemagne and Napoleon), and how the territories eventually got reduced to just the Vatican Hill near Rome. Finally, we look at the modern state of Vatican City and compare it to its past iterations, as well as discuss how even though the Pope's earthly power has waned, his influence is more relevant than ever. Sources for this episode: https://www.britannica.com/place/Papal-States https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/pope-titles/1937813/ https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-bishop.html https://religion.fandom.com/wiki/Papal_supremacy

In this episode we continue our series on the Italian City-States by discussing the ruler of the Papal States: The Pope. He is probably more famous for being the head of the Catholic church though, and so this episode focuses on the history of this position. We will look at where his authority derives from and how the early Bishops of Rome gained primacy over their peers: the Bishops of Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch. We will then discuss what the New Testament teaches about the leaders of Christianity and how those ideas evolved into the modern Pope. Lastly, we will cover the Pope's eight titles and what they all mean: the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Jesus Christ, the Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, the Primate of Italy, the Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, and the Sovereign of the State of Vatican City. Next week, we will discuss the history of the Papal States and the Popes who ruled over them. Sources for this episode are: https://www.britannica.com/place/Papal-States https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/pope-titles/1937813/ https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-a-bishop.html https://religion.fandom.com/wiki/Papal_supremacy

In this fourth episode in our series on the Italian City States of the high middle ages and Renaissance, we learn about Genoa. Genoa was a major maritime republic in the northwest of Italy that ran an empire from the 10th century to the 17th century that included territories across the Crimean coast, Anatolia, the Aegean sea, Corsica, Sardinia, and even Panama. In this episode you'll learn about Genoa's contributions to western civilization including helping win the first crusade, creating the best crossbowmen on the continent, restoring Constantinople to the Byzantines, giving birth to Columbus, inventing jeans, and connecting the trade of the Levant to the markets of Europe. Learn about Genoa's fierce rivalries with Pisa and Venice, as well as its ruinous business partnerships with France and Spain. Sources for this episode: https://www.britannica.com/place/Genoa-Italy https://www.historicmysteries.com/sacro-catino/ https://www.travelplan.it/genoa_guide_historical_buildings_monuments.htm https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/Genoese_Crossbowman https://www.tasteatlas.com/genoa-salami

In this episode you will learn about a Roman fort that turned into a retirement community for veterans of the legions. They moved out of the mountains and into the valley, establishing a key trading hub that became the gateway to northern Italy. For this reason, the city was quarreled over by the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines. Eventually, their fighting reduced the city to rubble. Fortunately, visionary and faithful leaders like Charlemagne, Hugh the Great, and Contessa Matilda would see to it that Florence rise again. It would become the capital of Tuscany, and it would become the Pope's choice city to oversee his banks. Florence would then become the mint for the world's monetary standard: the gold florin. In this time of prosperity, Florence decided to give power to its people and guilds. They established a unique democracy with incredibly short terms of service for government officers. Immediately, the nobles and external powers such as the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire sought to take advantage of the little democracy. Yet, the people of Florence continually succeeded in fighting to preserve the fledgling institution. The one thing their democracy could not survive, however, was internal division. In this episode we will discuss the sorry state of their democracy when they exiled Dante Alighieri, one of their greatest citizens. In spite of the wickedness of this act, it actually galvanized Dante to process how this could happen to him, inspiring him to write one of the greatest poems ever created: the Divine Comedy. The success of this poem gave rise to the Florentine dialect, resulting in all of Italy speaking in the Florentine way. Even today, modern Italian is derived from Florentine.

In this episode we will dive into what life was like for a medieval Benedictine monk. We will talk about the vows they made and the codes they abode by like the Vows of Stability, Conversion, Obedience, Chastity, Poverty, and Silence. We will also discuss their daily schedule including what they did for prayers and work. We will learn about the different occupations monks found themselves in such as farmers, cheesemakers, brewers, butchers, builders, bookbinders, scribes, historians, and teachers. Last of all, we will discuss the discoveries monks made in their various occupations and in their spare time such as creating the field of genetics and paleography; breeding a new type of bee; and inventing the motor, the steam engine, and tennis. Sources for this episode: The Daily Life of Medieval Monks - World History Encyclopedia Medieval Monks: The Life and Times of God’s Men in Robes | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net) The Rule - Friends of Saint Benedict (benedictfriend.org) Benedictine Vows – Saint Martin's Abbey (stmartinsabbey.org)

In this episode we learn about the ancient practice of living as a hermit, and why people did so. We then look at how innovators like St. Anthony of Egypt and St. Pachomius the Great turned this individual experience into a communal one open not just to those who can survive by themselves in the desert, but to anyone wanting a cloistered life of peace and enlightenment.  Even though from Pachomius came the idea of a monastery, this idea needed to be spread and defended. We will learn how this was done by the foremost Christian scholar of his day, St. Jerome, who went on to establish monastic communities for men and women in Bethlehem. 100 years after St. Jerome, monastic life would be improved further by the ideas and examples of St. Benedict, the great Abbot, and his twin sister, St. Scholastica, the great Abbess. Benedict's Rule would become the code of monks the world over for more than a millennium. The Rule was not only an inspired masterpiece for monks, but it also inspired political leaders like Charlemagne, and brought the governments of Europe one step closer to embracing Democracy and Constitutional government. They also allowed monasticism to become commonplace throughout Western Europe. These monks and their monasteries would lay the foundation to other great Western institutions like the University and the Scientific Method.   Sources for this episode are... britannica.com franciscanmedia.org etymonline.org The Life of St. Antony

In this episode, we will look at the ancient origins of Chess in 6th-century Gupta India back when it was known as Chaturanga. From there we will discover how it evolved as it spread to Sassanian Persia and the Islamic empires like the Abbasids. We will see how it developed much of its core rules and strategy. Then we will look into how it continued its spread into Europe from the Byzantines and from Mediterranean merchants, and how this two-pronged approach combined with very abstract-looking pieces led to a lot of confusion as to what Europeans were to call the pieces and how they should be made. We will then look into the rules the Europeans added to make the game start a little faster as well as some of their more bizarre ideas like giving the pawns backstories and Fairy Chess. Finally, we will examine the impact chess has had on Western Civilization and how it can improve your life. Sources for this episode are... http://www.chess-poster.com/english/notes_and_facts/chess_piece_names_in_other_languages.htm https://chessamid.medium.com/how-chess-conquered-europe-4d610466e5cd https://www.chess.com/article/view/benefits-of-chess https://www.chess.com/article/view/history-of-chess https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaturanga

This is a follow-up to our previous episode about the Byzantines, Goths, Huns, Persians, and Turks. In this episode, we look at what was going on in the northern parts of the European continent in the early medieval period. We will shed some light on why European history went the way it did. Questions such as: Why did feudalism develop? Why does eastern Europe use the Cyrillic alphabet? Why did the French and British build so many castles? Why did Ireland produce so many medieval monks and scholars?  The focus of our study today will be the Vikings, Rus, Celts, Britons, and Franks. Once again, in this breezy intro we will be looking at the key figures, cultural institutions, events, and military tactics of each of these civilizations. And yes, we will be using a bit of Age of Empires II nostalgia as an icebreaker to learn about each civ. Sources for this episode are... https://www.worldhistory.org/Vikings/ https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki https://www.worldhistory.org/Kievan_Rus/ https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/celts https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/story-of-england/medieval/ https://www.realmofhistory.com/2016/05/03/10-interesting-facts-english-longbowman/

In this episode, we use a 90s strategy video game (Age of Empires II) as a launchpad to discuss five of the civilizations that emerged from the ashes of Rome's fall. The civilizations are the Byzantines, the Goths, the Huns, the Persians, and the Turks. Some of these had a hand in killing Rome, some of these carried on the traditions of Rome, some did both, and others were something different altogether. Sources for this episode are... https://www.worldhistory.org/Persia/ https://ageofempires.fandom.com/wiki/ https://www.ancientpages.com/2019/04/16/who-were-the-goths-and-where-did-they-come-from/ https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-china/huns https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/08/14/the-military-of-the-byzantines/ Iranicaonline.org Islamic Gunpowder Empires: Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals Guns for the Sultan: Military Power and the Weapons Industry in the Ottoman Empire

In this episode, Doug examines quite literally the last chapter (or two) of Paul's life. Starting from his difficult and terrifying sea voyage across the Mediterranean, we will then explore how Paul used his time under house arrest in Rome, and finally learn about how his meeting with murdering psychopath Emperor Nero went (not well). We conclude the episode by closing this chapter of Christianity by learning about the end of the Acts, the end of the Apostles, and the destruction of the temple. We also get into what's the deal with that number of the beast in Revelation 13 (trust me: it's relevant). We wrap up by reading a summary of Paul's life in his own words.

In this episode, Doug explores Paul's third missionary journey. We will learn about Ephesus, Paul's home for more than two years. We will examine the teachings taught and miracles wrought there, the book-burning extravaganza, and the angry mob of smiths who were mad that the Christians killed tourism. We will also learn about that time Paul killed someone by talking too long. And that time another angry mob tried to kill Paul when he was about to give some people a haircut. And of course, we will explore the powerful defense Paul offered up when prosecuted in both Jewish and Roman courts, and how Paul parlayed a simple religious dispute into an excuse to confront the evil emperor, Nero, himself.   To learn about the relationship between Paul and James, check out this article:  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-and-paul_b_4263493

Learn about Paul's Second Missionary Journey in this second part of our three part series on St. Paul. In this episode, Paul will get in an argument with Peter, circumcise someone, break out of prison (and baptize the warden), travel to Greece and Macedonia, debate the Stoics and Epicureans of Athens, and acquire new missionary companions and co-authors such as Silas, Timothy, Luke, and Sosthenes.

In this episode, we look at the mixed Roman and Jewish milieu in which Saul of Tarsus was raised. Saul's legal status as a Roman and his education as a merchant and a Pharisee made him exceptionally qualified for his later life mission. Unfortunately, for many years he was doing the opposite of what his life mission would be. He was a fervent supporter of the Hellenized Sadducees and led efforts in persecuting and executing Christians in farcical trials. This culminated in the martyrdom of Stephen and Saul's famous journey on The Road to Damascus. On that path, Saul was visited by an unexpected visitor who turned his life around. Saul ended up becoming one of the most devout Christian disciples and one of the greatest defenders of Christians and their faith. He had a special gift for teaching Gentiles, and he became one of their most ardent supporters, standing up for them in Christian counsels in Jerusalem. One letter of his name also changed. This episode is the first of a three-part series on Saul/Paul. Episode 1 covers his early life, the first mission, and the interim before his second mission comprising Acts 6-15.

In this episode, Doug looks into the sordid history of the Praetorian Guard.  Originally created by Emperor Augustus, it was intended to be a few thousand simple bodyguards who would protect the emperor and his family. Little did Augustus know, "[he] created potentially the most dangerous institution the Roman world had ever seen." In less than 100 years, the Guard's role expanded to become cops, soldiers, spies, gladiators, and assassins. They were supposed to take out the emperor's enemies. But once they got the taste for killing emperors and replacing them with guys who gave them bonuses, they became the emperors' biggest enemies themselves.  During their four-hundred-year history, they would have a hand in killing over a dozen emperors. And they abandoned many more. They would be responsible for both the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69) and the Year of the Five Emperors (AD 193). At their lowest point, they were literally selling the emperorship to the highest bidder. Sources used in this episode: Cassius Dio’s Roman History Machiavelli’s The Prince Chapter 19 Carl J. Richard, The Founders and the Classics: Greece, Rome, and the American Enlightenment, p. 103 Hayden Chakra at About History, History Of The Praetorian Guard, https://about-history.com/history-of-the-praetorian-guard/ Mark Cartwright at World History Encyclopedia, Praetorian Guard,  https://www.worldhistory.org/Praetorian_Guard/ Evan Andrews at History.com, 8 Things You May Not Know About the Praetorian Guard, https://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-praetorian-guard Peter Preskar at History of Yesterday, The Imperial German Bodyguard, https://historyofyesterday.com/the-imperial-german-bodyguard-c0abb84c0e3 Genevieve Carlton and John Kuroski at All That's Interesting, Inside The Praetorian Guard, The Fearsome Military Unit Of Ancient Rome, https://allthatsinteresting.com/praetorian-guard

This episode is the conclusion of Doug's trilogy on Slavery in Ancient Rome. In it, we discuss the Third Servile War. Particularly, its bold leader Spartacus, and his foil, the evil Crassus. Learn of the cat and mouse games these two played with armies of tens of thousands across the Italian peninsula. And how their struggle brought the Roman Republic to its knees... ushering in a new era. THE ROMAN EMPIRE!

Continuing our exploration of slavery in Rome, in this episode, Doug Archway explores the surprising lives of Roman gladiators (half of whom were not slaves). He will look into the strange rules and classes of this absolutely insane sport. You'll be surprised at how much it shares with modern-day pro-wrestling and luchadors. It will also surprise you that hating and blaming referees is a tradition that goes back 2100 years.

In this episode, Doug takes us through a brief rundown of slavery in Mesopotamia, the Levant, and the Mediterranean. Then, we dive straight into how it worked in Roman times. In Rome, one out of six people were slaves. The origins of slaves were as diverse and varied as their jobs and treatment. Some slaves were Celtic or Germanic prisoners of war who suffered in the mines. Others were orphaned Romans who worked their way up to managing farms and properties. Still, others were highly educated physicians, accountants, secretaries, and foremen who had their own slaves and lived luxurious lifestyles. There may have been one slave who was a famous troll philosopher. Regardless of treatment, the practice was not always popular. Stoics and Christians publicly denounced it. And some slaves and ex-slaves were desperate enough to go to war to put an end to it. Live free or die.

The morality, legality, and ethics of abortion has been pondered ever since it began being practiced in Egypt in 1500 BC. The Assyrians banned it. The Greeks encouraged it. The Bible teaches killing children is wrong, but apparently instructs how to perform an abortion - or does it? How did Jews and early Christians feel about the practice? How did early legal systems and Common Law manage abortion? What traditions carried on to colonial America? What did first wave feminists have to say about it? Is it an enshrined constitutional right or basically murder? What will happen now that Dobbs v Jackson has overturned Roe v Wade?  In this episode, Doug Archway discusses these topics and many more.

In this episode, Doug boils down the rich Greco-Roman philosophical tradition of stoicism into its key elements. Armed with quotes from stoic philosophers, ideas from modern stoic practitioners, and lots of movie lore; Doug will discuss five of the key tenets of stoicism (adapted from reddit.com/r/stoicism by u/ElAround):  1. “Of all existing things some are in our power, and others are not in our power.” 2. "Try how the life of the good man suits thee..." 3. "The man who truly trains is he who disciplines himself to face impressions..." 4.  "Do not set your heart on (gifts), and they will not be (needed)..." 5. "Humans are unique among animals because divinity gifted them the ability to reason. Because they can reason, they can act in virtue and vice."