Tides of History

Latest Episodes:

The Rise of the Hellenistic World Nov 28, 2024

Show notes

Antigonus the One-Eyed came closer than almost any other figure in the post-Alexander world to recreating the dead king's empire, but his success aroused the ire of the other Successors, and his doom wasn't far behind.

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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Ancient DNA and the Iron Age Mediterranean: Interview with Dr. Hannah Moots Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

Ancient DNA has transformed our understanding of the more distant reaches of the human past, but what can it tell us about more recent ages of history? Dr. Hannah Moots has extensively investigated the genomic history of the Iron Age Mediterranean, offering striking new insights into an age of mobility and interaction over huge spaces.

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The Foundation of the Hellenistic Kingdoms Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

As the dust began to settle after Alexander's death, the possibility of one of his relatives truly ruling the dead king's empire grew smaller and smaller. The power lay with the generals, and as they fought it out, the outlines of a new world order began to take shape.

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The Successors of Alexander the Great Nov 07, 2024

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With mountains of treasure, huge armies, and ambitions that no amount of conquest could ever slake, Alexander's Successors spent the next 40 years after the king's death fighting over his inheritance.

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The Death of Alexander the Great Oct 31, 2024

Show notes

The last years of Alexander the Great's reign were a troubled time. The king wanted to keep fighting, but his soldiers were spent after years of campaigning. Then, quite suddenly, the king died, and it was up to his generals to determine the fate of the empire he'd built.

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Alexander the Great: Soldier, Priest, and God. Interview with Professor Fred Naiden Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

Professor Fred Naiden wrote one of my favorite books on Alexander the Great - Soldier, Priest, and God - and it provides a much different view of Alexander than the warrior king we so often see in modern treatments. Alexander was a deeply religious person, and his ideas and beliefs about religion were at the core of understanding his actions.

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The Other Ancient Civilisations: Interview with Raven Todd DaSilva Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

When we think of the ancient world, we tend to think of just a few societies: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and so on. But the more distant reaches of the past contained multitudes, and Raven Todd DaSilva has written a new book - The Other Ancient Civilisations - about some of them. I chat with her about her favorite lesser-known archaeological cultures and periods and what we can learn from a broader view of the past.

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Alexander the Great, the End of the Persian Empire, and the Descent into India Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

Alexander the Great's campaigns didn't end once he had defeated the Persian king Darius III and conquered the heart of his empire; he went still further, into the vastness of the Iranian Plateau and Central Asia, and then south into India.

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Henry V, the Greatest Medieval King: Interview with Dan Jones Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

Henry V of England was the archetypal medieval king, a warrior par excellence whose example inspired English kings for centuries to come, the victor at Agincourt and conqueror of much of France. Tides of History's returning champion guest, Dan Jones, joins me to talk about his new book on Henry V, the king's childhood and adolescence, and why he matters today.

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Issus, Gaugamela, and Alexander's Conquest of Persia Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

It took Alexander just three years to effectively conquer the Persian Empire. Two decisive battles - Issus and Gaugamela - proved his supremacy over the Persian king Darius III, and the two-century rule of the Achaemenids died on battlefields in the Fertile Crescent.

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