Ancient History Podcast

The Ancient History podcast is the companion podcast of Ancient History Magazine, a publication dedicated to exploring the ancient world. Each episode will feature a new guest to discuss their research, a new book, or talk about ancient history, from Greece and Rome to Mesopotamia and China, and everything in between.

AH23 - The World of Homer

In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Michael B. Cosmopoulos about the history and archaeology behind the Homeric epics, the nature of oral poetry and social memory, and how these elements contributed to the creation of the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey'.

11-01
01:05:27

AH22 - What is Ancient History? With Walter Scheidel

In this episode of the podcast, we speak to Walter Scheidel, the most cited Roman historian in an active faculty position, about the history of the study of ancient Greece and Rome, how this area of study came to mean 'ancient history', and what the future of the subject looks like.

10-01
01:03:09

AH21 - YouTube with Erica Stevenson

In this episode of the podcast, we speak to Erica Stevenson, host of the YouTube channel MoAn Inc., about making Classics content for YouTube, the difference between Classics and Ancient History, and bringing the ancient world to new audiences.

09-01
50:47

AH20 - Fulvia with Jane Draycott

In this episode we talk to Jane Draycott about Fulvia, the politics of the Roman Late Republic, and women's position within Late Republican Roman society, including marriage, childbirth, and informal political power.

08-01
01:09:01

AH 19 - The House of the Satrap with Rhyne King

In this episode, we talk to Rhyne King about the satraps of the Achaemenid Empire, their responsibilities, how one became a satrap, and how the satrapal system contributed to the stability of the Achaemenid Empire.    

07-01
51:54

AH18 - History, myth, and folktale

In this episode of the Ancient History Podcast, I share my thoughts on Daniel Ogden's new book, The Tyrants of Corinth, and discuss the relationship between history, myth, and folktale.

06-01
14:51

AH17 - Standing Among the Spartans

In this episode, we talk to Philip Davies about social status in ancient Sparta, how the homoioi were not all equals, and the many ways a Spartan could gain or lose social status.    Don't forget to subscribe to Ancient History Magazine.

05-01
36:25

AH16 - The Xiongnu Empire with Bryan K. Miller

In this episode, we discuss the rise and fall of the Xiongnu Empire, stereotypes of nomadic pastoralists, and the administrative intricacies of ruling a nomadic empire.    Enjoy the podcast, so why not subscribe to the magazine? Click here for more details.

04-01
59:13

AH15 - Race and Racism in Ancient Greece

In this episode, we talk to Christopher Parmenter about racism in ancient Greece, how it differed from modern racism, and how commodity biography offers a useful theoretical tool for understanding it.

03-01
58:03

AH14 - Soldiers, Wages, and the Hellenistic Economies

In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Charlotte van Regenmortel about the changes to the systems of recruitment in the late Classical and early Hellenistic periods, the importance of wage labourers in early Hellenistic armies, and how the military labour market impacted the wider Hellenistic economies.

02-01
55:37

AH13 - The Trouble with Ancient DNA

In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Anna Källén about ancient DNA, the limitations of and issues with current studies of ancient DNA, and what can be done to make the study more transparent.

01-01
55:46

AH12 - In Blood and Ashes: A Review

In this episode of the podcast, I take a look at the book In Blood and Ashes: Curse Tablets and Binding Spells in Ancient Greece by Jessica L. Lamont, exploring the content of book, the subject of Greek curse tablets, and my overall thoughts about the book. 

12-01
23:21

AH11 - The Ancient Polis

In this episode we talk to John Ma about the ancient polis, what the key elements of a polis were, how the polis developed throughout antiquity, and why the polis declined.

11-01
57:42

AH10 - The Caravan City of Palmyra

In this episode, we talk to Rubina Raja about the caravan city of Palmyra, the city's place between the powers of Rome and Parthia, and how archaeology is being used to supplement the limited literary evidence.

10-01
46:30

AH09 - Atheism in Ancient Greece with James Ford

In this episode, we talk to James Ford about atheism in ancient Greece, how it differed from modern concepts of Atheism, and how concepts of atheism in ancient Greece evolved over time.  

09-01
01:02:54

AH08 - 'Those About to Die' with Justin Pollard

In this episode, we talk to Justin Pollard about his work as a historical advisor and his new series "Those About to Die".

08-01
24:36

AH07 - The Pharos Lighthouse

In this episode we talk to Andrew Michael Chugg about the Pharos Lighthouse, its construction, and the many theories around the light of the lighthouse.

07-01
50:27

AH06 - After 1177 BC with Eric Cline

In this episode, we talk to Eric Cline about his new book After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations, the archaeology of the Early Iron Age, and how civilizations cope with collapse.

06-01
01:04:12

AH05 - The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium

In this episode we talk to Anthony Kaldellis about his new book The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium, Byzantium's continuity with the Roman world, and the ins and outs of writing narrative history.

05-01
01:05:23

AH04 - A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women

In this episode we talk to Dr Emma Southon about her new book A History of the Roman Empire in 21 Women, the position of women in ancient Rome, and the struggles of working in academia.

04-01
42:56

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