The Dark Ages Podcast

Latest Episodes:

20. Gepids East Goths and Huns, Oh My Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

453 CE to 460 CE

Out of the wreckage of Attila's empire, new peoples emerge. New actors inject new elements into the political game of the late Roman empire

British Museum entry for the Gepids, with some artefacts

History Files Article and Regnal List of the Gepids

Scirian Earring found at Bakod Puszta

Sources

Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

19. King Euric Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

466 to around 473

The Visigoths break out, under the leadership of their new and aggressive King Euric. Inside the empire, another emperor falls to Ricimer's scheming.

An appropriate map for this episode is here.

Sources are here

Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

18: All or Nothing: The Battle of Cape Bon Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

461 to 468 CE

The East and West combine forces in one great push to take Africa backs from the Vandals and make everything all better.

Sources

Title Music:
"The Britons" and "The Vikings" by Kevin MacLeod at Free Music Archive
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sound effects from freesound.com

17. The Phantom Kingdom Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

456 to 464 CE
Emperor Majorian and his Right-Hand man Ricimer attempt to pull the empire back from the brink after the departure of Avitus. But there's a snake in the grass, a fly in the ointment, and a bad apple in the barrel. It all leads to the creation of a new entity called the Kingdom of Soissons. Or does it?

Map of Majorian's Campaigns

Sources

Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sound effects from freesound.com and zapsplat.com

16. Speaking Frankly May 13, 2022

Show notes

The Franks, Part I

280 to 480 CE

We welcome the Franks onto the stage of Europe, and look at their origins, early history, ferocious reputation, and the way modern politics work their way into the telling of history.

Fittings from the Sword and Scabbard found in Childeric's tomb.

Childeric's Ring at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France

Childeric's Bees

Sword and Scabbard Decoration from Childeric's Treasure

Sources

Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

15. Unmitigated Gaul Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

418 to 456 CE

A senator by the name of Eparchius Avitus is dragooned into filling the imperial shoes left behind by the well-aimed brick that took out Petronius Maximus. His life gives a framework for discussing the place of southern Gaul within the Roman empire, and how the Visigoths were settling in.

The full text of Sidonius' letter describing Theodoric.

Sources

Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

14. More Serpent than Dove Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

The Vandals Part III

439 to 455 CE

“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be therefore as wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew, 10:16

Gaiseric weathers Roman attempts to recover the African provinces, and begins to set his house in order. Marriage deals are made and broken, and an ancient version of gunboat diplomacy is used by the new king. Meanwhile, jealousy and paranoia lead to big changes in the Roman government, and the consequences are severe. The Vandals play their most famous role in Roman history in this episode.

Sources

Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sound effects from freesound.com and zapsplat.com

13. The Apostle of Noricum Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

c. 450 to c. 482 CE

Saint Severinus was a holy man who was active in Noricum Ripensis, in modern Austria and Bavaria. His life coincided with the end of Roman rule in the west, and the biography that was written by his disciple Eugippius includes several insights into the world as the ancient social structures changed and were replaced by new anxieties and dangers. In this episode we'll talk about those changes and the new role religion was taking on in the formerly Roman West.

Article on the Noricum Limes - with Map

12. The Hun and the Saint Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

The Huns, Part IV

450-453 CE

Attila unleashed his fury on the Western empire in two back to back campaigns. The first culminated in the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields. The second ended with the famous meeting between Attila the Hun and Pope Leo I.

Map of Attila's Invasion of Italy

Sources

War dominates the scene on today's episode, as it does on today's headlines. The inevitable consequence of war is the displacement of those caught in its path. If you can, please donate to one of the organizations working to help Ukrainian refugees, and people all around the world who are victimized by the violence of the powerful and the greedy. Links to a few of them are below. Thank you.

The International Rescue Committee

Global Giving

Doctors Without Borders

Music

"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incomptech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

11. Beyond the River Feb 19, 2022

Show notes

c. 448 CE

In the spring, a diplomatic mission set out from Constantinople for discussions with Attila the Hun. One of the men on the trip later wrote out his experience in one of the most detailed accounts of life among the Huns. This episode condenses the writing of Priscus of Panion, diplomat and historian.

Title Music:
"The Britons" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Sound effects from freesound.com and zapsplat.com

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