Tides of History

Latest Episodes:

The Rise of the State in China Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

Chinese history is defined, more than anything else, by the importance of the state: its origins, its development, and the precise lineage leading back from the present deep into prehistory. But rather than a straightforward story of progress over time, the origins of the state in China are shrouded in mystery, in multiple developmental pathways, stops, starts, and new beginnings.

Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge. And check out Patrick's new podcast The Pursuit of Dadliness! It’s all about “Dad Culture,” and Patrick will interview some fascinating guests about everything from tall wooden ships to smoked meats to comfortable sneakers to history, sports, culture, and politics. https://bit.ly/PWtPoD

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The Languages of Eurasia around 500 BC Dec 07, 2023

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As an age of bronze gave way to one of iron, and then classical empires, the importance of writing grew all across Eurasia. That means more written sources for us to work with, but it also tells us dramatically more than we could have known before about the languages people were actually speaking across the continents.

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Cities, the Etruscans, and Global Urbanism: Interview with Professor Simon Stoddart Nov 30, 2023

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Cities are one of the defining features of the Iron Age Mediterranean, as urbanism spread across the sea and beyond to form the backbone of the classical age that would follow. Professor Simon Stoddart is one of the world's leading experts on this process, specifically how it happened in Etruria, and how that particular example compares to urban formation elsewhere.

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Did Justinian Restore the Roman Empire or Ruin It? Professor Peter Sarris on the Emperor Justinian and His Legacy Nov 23, 2023

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Justinian is, without a doubt, one of the most impactful historical figures of the past 2,000 years. Professor Peter Sarris, a longtime favorite historian of mine, has written an oustanding new account of the man himself, his times, and his legacy, entitled Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint, available now.

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The Scythian World Nov 16, 2023

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The Scythians transformed the Eurasian steppe. They built giant burial mounds for their powerful kings, raided and plundered their sedentary neighbors, and laid down the template for every nomadic empire that would follow over the next 2000 years, from Attila to Tamerlane.

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The Iron Age Steppe and the Emergence of the Scythians Nov 09, 2023

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For millennia, the Eurasian steppe has been the highway connecting the distant ends of Europe and Asia. But at the beginning of the Iron Age, something important changed. A new people, the Scythians, rose to prominence, exploding outward from southern Siberia from the 9th century BC onward.

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The Greco-Persian Wars 4: Plataea and the Aftermath Nov 02, 2023

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The Persian Wars came to an end in the spring of 479 BC, when the land forces of the allied Greeks met the Persian army in an epic clash at Plataea. But the legacy of the Persian Wars would last for decades and centuries to come, shaping memory, identity, and the future relationship between the Greeks and the Persians.

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Cutting-Edge Archaeology on the Eurasian Steppe: Gino Caspari on the Scythians Oct 26, 2023

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In excavating massive Iron Age burial mounds in southern Siberia, Dr. Gino Caspari is doing some of the most innovative archaeology in the world, and he's doing it in one of the most remote places on the planet. Dr. Caspari is an expert on the Scythians, the enigmatic, powerful people who ruled the vast grasslands of Eurasia during the Iron Age.

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The Greco-Persian Wars, Part 3: Athens in Flames and the Battle of Salamis Oct 19, 2023

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The Persian invasion of Greece aimed to do one thing above all else: punish Athens for its transgressions against the Great King. After defeating Leonidas, the vast army descended on Attica and burned much of the city. But the Greek allies were waiting for them nearby, and the result was one of the largest and most decisive naval battles in history - the Battle of Salamis.

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The Greco-Persian Wars, Part 2: Xerxes and the Invasion of Greece Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

In 480 BC, the Persian Great King Xerxes descended on mainland Greece with one of the largest armies and navies the world had ever seen. The Persians swept through the approaches to Greece, winning allies and destroying their foes along the way, before meeting the Spartan king Leonidas at the Hot Gates of Thermopylae.

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