The Hellenistic Age Podcast

Following the aftermath of Pydna in 167, the Attalid dynasty in Pergamon enjoyed the next three decades as the most preeminent Greek power in the Aegean while competing with neighboring powers like Bithynia and the Galatians. Yet when Attalus III Philometor died childless in 133, his will dissolved the kingdom and bequeathed much of it to his official heir and executor, the Roman Republic. A bastard son of Eumenes II named Aristonicus rose up to claim the kingship for himself, leading a revolt that would see the establishment of a permanent Roman presence in Asia for over fifteen hundred years. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/09/27/126-attalid-pergamon-aristonicus-and-the-city-of-the-sun/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/126-attalid-pergamon-aristonicus-and-the-city-of-the-sun-transcript.pdf) Alexandria: A Hellenistic World Podcast: Website (https://alexandriapod.wordpress.com/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) ImperialWares (https://tinyurl.com/ybmpk7xd) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

At the height of their power, the Ptolemaic dynasty took a great interest in the lands that lay south of the Nile Valley and the waters of the Red Sea. Explorers, elephant hunters, and mining teams travelled along the coastline as far as Somalia, providing invaluable reports about East Africa that would not be rivaled until the Medieval period. They were also able to exploit the riches of the continent, and built the infrastructure that would lead to the Indo-Mediterranean trade routes. These activities would also bring them into contact (and conflict) with the Kingdom of Meroë, the last great Nubian civilization of ancient Kush, who competed for dominance with both the Ptolemies and the Romans. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/08/23/125-ptolemaic-egypt-east-africa-the-red-sea-and-nubia/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/125-ptolemaic-egypt-east-africa-the-red-sea-and-nubia-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) ImperialWares (https://tinyurl.com/ybmpk7xd) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Civil war in Egypt concludes after nearly a decade of strife, with Cleopatra II seeking support from the Seleucids before being reunited with her brother and daughter in 124. Ptolemy VIII's death in 116 puts to an end one of the most ruthless and cunning politicians of the Hellenistic period, and the poisonous effects of his fifty-year career sets the tone of the dynasty for the remainder of its history. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/07/23/124-ptolemaic-egypt-sound-and-fury/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/124-ptolemaic-egypt-sound-and-fury-transcript.pdf) Family Tree - Reign of Ptolemy VIII: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/reign-of-ptolemy-viii.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) ImperialWares (https://tinyurl.com/ybmpk7xd) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

As the army of Antiochus VII goes down in Media, Demetrius II returns to Syria after being released from Parthian captivity. Nobody is particularly happy to see him, including his (former) wife Cleopatra Thea, and the Syrians' hatred of their former king inspires the arrival of a Ptolemaic-backed claimant to the throne, Alexander II Zabinas. With three husbands having come and gone, Cleopatra makes her own bid for power as the sole ruler of kingdom, willing to eliminate any who oppose her - including her own children. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/07/02/123-the-seleucid-empire-wrath-of-the-goddess/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/123-the-seleucid-empire-wrath-of-the-goddess-transcript.pdf) Family Tree - Demetrius II to Antiochus VIII: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/reign-of-demetrius-ii-to-antiochus-viii.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) ImperialWares (https://tinyurl.com/ybmpk7xd) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Nearly twenty years of exile from Egypt did little to improve the mood of Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II Physcon ("Potbelly" or "The Fatty"), and upon his return in 145 he unleashed a wave of violence and terror against his enemies. Family was not spared either, as he orchestrated the murder of his own flesh and blood on multiple occasions, and forcibly took his niece Cleopatra III as his second wife alongside her mother Cleopatra II. Through his machinations, a heated rivalry between mother and daughter led to a civil war starting in 132, driving Ptolemy and Cleopatra III out of Egypt while leaving Cleopatra II as sole queen. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/06/19/122-ptolemaic-egypt-the-good-the-bad-and-the-fatty/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/122-ptolemaic-egypt-the-good-the-bad-and-the-fatty-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Demetrius' disastrous campaign against the Parthians meant that the Seleucid Empire was on its last legs. The only man capable of bringing the realm back together was his brother, Antiochus VII Sidetes, who managed to slay the pretender Diodotus Tryphon and subdue the new Hasmonean high priest John Hyrcanus. With the Parthian kingdom in the hands of the inexperienced Phraates II, Antiochus gambled everything on a final anabasis in 130 B.C. to recover Babylonia and restore the empire to its former glory. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/05/26/122-the-seleucid-empire-the-man-they-called-sidetes/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/121-the-seleucid-empire-the-man-they-called-sidetes-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The death of both Alexander Balas and Ptolemy VI in 145 meant that the throne belonged to Demetrius II Nicator. Yet another round of civil war would soon follow Demetrius' increasingly unpopular reign, as the official Diodotus Tryphon would endorse the infant Antiochus VI Dionysius as king, before proclaiming himself one too. The Hasmoneans in Judea hoped to leverage the situation to their advantage until the death of Jonathan Apphus, who was replaced by his brother Simon Thassi as High Priest. Such instability in Syria allowed the Parthian ruler Mithridates I to conquer Babylonia in 141, forcing Demetrius to make a desperate attempt to reclaim the Upper Satrapies before his empire crumbled around him. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/05/05/120-the-seleucid-empire-writing-on-the-wall/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/120-the-seleucid-empire-writing-on-the-wall-transcript-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

As Rome consolidated the Mediterranean under their hegemony, the Parthians were poised to overrun Iran and Mesopotamia. Leading a small tribe from the steppes during the mid-third century B.C., the Arsacid dynasty established themselves as vassal-rulers in the Seleucid Empire, but the turmoil in Syria during the second century allowed the Arsacids to challenge the Seleucids for mastery over the Hellenistic Middle East. In this episode, we chronicle the origins of the Parthian Empire from its foundation to the reign of Mithridates I, exploring how the Arsacids forged a realm that they would oversee for nearly five hundred years. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/04/14/119-the-rise-of-the-parthian-empire-from-arsaces-to-mithridates-i/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/119-the-rise-of-the-parthian-empire-from-arsaces-to-mithridates-i-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Andriscus' defeat in Macedonia was not enough to quell the troubles of Greece, as the Achaean League was also on the warpath. The relationship between Rome and the League since 167 had mostly been amicable, though not without controversy, and the more hawkish Achaeans looked to assert their autonomy by campaigning against the Spartans. This the Senate could not tolerate, and through the brief Achaean War and sack of Corinth in 146, the Romans made it clear that only they would be the ones to determine the destiny of Greece. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/03/25/118-graecia-capta-the-roman-conquest-of-greece/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/118-graecia-capta-the-roman-conquest-of-greece-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Fifteen years after the last Antigonid ruler was deposed and the Macedonian kingdom abolished, a man by the name of Philip VI Andriscus claimed to be the lost heir of King Perseus. Though perceived as a charlatan, Andriscus gathered enough support to invade Macedonia in 150 and re-establish the monarchy. The brief Fourth Macedonian War (150-148) demanded the Senate's intervention, in turn leading to the establishment of a permanent Roman presence in the homeland of Alexander the Great. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/02/23/117-antigonid-macedon-the-vergina-sun-never-sets/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/117-antigonid-macedon-the-vergina-sun-never-sets-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Though the Romans expected an easy fight, the Carthaginians put up a valiant defense of their city that dragged on for three years. With no progress being made, command is assigned to Scipio Aemilianus, the adopted grandson of the famed Scipio Africanus. Through his skilled generalship he finally achieves victory over Rome's Punic rivals, and the once-mighty nation that produced the likes of Hannibal Barca was destroyed nearly seven hundred years after its legendary foundation. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/02/08/116-the-third-punic-war-didos-lament/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/116-the-third-punic-war-didos-lament-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

“Carthage must be destroyed” – and with these words Cato the Elder doomed his North African rival by helping spark the Third Punic War, the last in a century of conflicts between Rome and Carthage. Deprived of its military in the aftermath of Zama and harassed by the Numidian king Massinissa, Carthage nevertheless managed to bounce back as an economic powerhouse during the first half of the second century B.C. Yet this recovery made the Senate suspicious of their Punic neighbor, which rapidly escalated into a war of annihilation as the Romans were determined to secure their position as sole master of the Mediterranean. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/01/20/115-the-third-punic-war-delenda-est/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/115-the-third-punic-war-delenda-est-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Starting from the early third century B.C., the Nabataean kingdom ruled over much of the Levant from the Sinai Peninsula to the Hejaz. Most known for their famous rose-colored capital city of Petra, the Nabataeans occupied a unique position within the eastern Mediterranean for nearly five hundred years, competing with the Hellenistic, Hasmonean, and Herodian kingdoms. Yet they also acted as a stabilizing force for the so-called "Incense Road", leaving behind brilliant rock-cut monuments like al-Khazneh ("The Treasury"). Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/12/20/114-the-nabataean-kingdom/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/114-the-nabataean-kingdom-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Civil war continues to grip the Seleucid Empire, as Alexander I Balas is challenged by the young Demetrius II for the throne of Syria. Things come to a head when Ptolemy VI, tied by marriage to Balas through his daughter Cleopatra Thea, launches an invasion of Coele Syria. In August 145 BC, the armies of Demetrius, Alexander, and Ptolemy meet at the Oenoparus River in a showdown whose outcome will surprise everyone involved. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/10/14/111-the-seleucid-empire-the-elephant-in-the-throne-room/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/113-the-war-of-the-three-kings-transcript.pdf) Family Tree - Antiochus IV to Alexander I (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/reign-of-antiochus-iv-to-alexander-i.pdf) Family Tree - Ptolemy VI (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/reign-of-ptolemy-vi.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The newly enthroned Demetrius I Soter managed to instill a degree of order throughout the Seleucid realm, crushing the would-be king Timarchos in Babylonia and the rebellion of Judas Maccabee. Yet his behavior abroad alienated many of the other kings like Attalus II of Pergamon and Ptolemy VI, who in turn bankrolled the ambitions of another Seleucid usurper: Alexander Balas, the (supposed) lost son of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/11/05/112-the-seleucid-empire-breaking-the-hammer/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/112-the-seleucid-empire-breaking-the-hammer-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

With Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ death in Persia, the throne passed to the boy-king Antiochus V Eupator and his standing regent Lysias in 164. Between the Maccabean Revolt, would-be usurpers, and arrogant Roman emissaries, few of the kingdom’s subjects had faith in the ruling pair. This was sensed by Prince Demetrius, the son of Seleucus IV held hostage in Rome, who escaped captivity with the aid of Polybius of Megalopolis and returned to Syria to reclaim his birthright. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/10/14/111-the-seleucid-empire-the-elephant-in-the-throne-room/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/111-the-seleucid-empire-the-elephant-in-the-throne-room-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In the aftermath of the Sixth Syrian War, the tripartite division of authority between Ptolemy VI , Cleopatra II, and Ptolemy VIII was a tenuous one at best, having to deal with rebellions of ambitious courtiers and disgruntled subjects. On top of this, the two brothers schemed for control over the Egyptian kingdom, and through their manipulations brought the intervention of the Roman Senate to handle one of the most dysfunctional families in all of antiquity. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/110-ptolemaic-egypt-twos-company-threes-a-crowd/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/110-ptolemaic-egypt-twos-company-threes-a-crowd-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Despite the humiliation at Eleusis in 167 and the troubles in Judea, Antiochus organizes an enormous festival in Daphne to rival the games of Lucius Aemilius Paulus in Amphipolis, showcasing the prosperity of the empire that looked as strong as it ever had before. He would follow this celebration with an anabasis into the Upper Satrapies, but would die in Iran in November 164, and the dynasty would begin on a dark path towards its eventual decline. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/109-the-seleucid-empire-a-sinful-root/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/109-the-seleucid-empire-a-sinful-root-episode-transcript.pdf) Family Tree - Seleucus IV to Antiochus IV (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/reign-of-seleucus-iv-to-antiochus-iv.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The tension between the various factions vying for power in Jerusalem leads to a crisis, when Antiochus IV retaliates by attacking the city and plunders its famed Temple in 168. A wave of persecutions against Jewish religion and customs inspires a rebellion, spearheaded by Judas Maccabee (“the Hammer”) and the Hasmonean family, who achieve victories against the Seleucid crown to reclaim and purify the Temple, later the basis for the holiday of Hanukkah. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/08/26/108-the-seleucid-empire-the-maccabean-revolt/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/108-the-seleucid-empire-the-maccabean-revolt.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In this episode, we delve into the history of the Jews – both in the homeland of Judea and the many communities of the Diaspora. From the conquests of Alexander, the Jews navigated through a new paradigm that favored “Greekness” and embraced many aspects of Hellenistic culture, while also trying to uphold the Laws of Moses that linked them back to the glory days of Solomon and David. The flowering of diasporic literature, such as the creation of the Septuagint, was one byproduct of Judeo-Greek interaction. Yet tensions with the Hellenistic monarchies could lead to severe unrest, as will eventually culminate in the Maccabean Revolt. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/07/30/107-jews-and-judaism-from-alexander-the-great-to-antiochus-iii/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/107-jews-and-judaism-from-alexander-the-great-to-antiochus-iii-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Historian and broadcaster William Dalrymple (“The Company Quartet“, “Empire“) joins the podcast to discuss his latest book “The Golden Road“. A survey covering from antiquity to the early medieval period, the book seeks to address India’s far-reaching (and often forgotten) influence across the entirety of Eurasia, from tracking the spread of religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, investigating the growing evidence of Indo-Roman trade, and even down to the invention of “Arabic” numerals based on Indian scripts and mathematics. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/06/15/interview-the-golden-road-how-ancient-india-transformed-the-world-with-william-dalrymple/) William Dalrymple: https://williamdalrymple.com/ https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/golden-road-9781639734146/ https://x.com/DalrympleWill Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Among the various peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, few cultures possess such a extensive surviving corpus of texts as the Jews. With the conquest of Alexander and the widespread introduction of Greek culture, Jewish authors voiced their grievances against the Hellenistic kingdoms while celebrating the antiquity of their own history, offering us a valuable perspective of the period at large. We will be discussing selected key texts: the apocalyptic visions of Daniel, the dynastic histories of I and II Maccabees, and the extensive writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/05/31/106-jewish-literature-in-the-hellenistic-age/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/106-jewish-literature-in-the-hellenistic-age.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

“Cleopatra” (1963), a four-hour epic starring Elizabeth Taylor as the titular queen, is legendary in the history of filmmaking. Its notoriously troubled production made it one of the most expensive movies ever made and brought 20th Century Fox on the verge of collapse, but Taylor’s portrayal has defined the image of Cleopatra in pop culture for over sixty years. We look back on the history of the film itself, assess its presentation of Hellenistic Egypt, and talk about the problems of telling the story of powerful woman whose life was so entangled with that of the men around her. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/bonus-elizabeth-taylors-cleopatra-1963/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

War over Coele Syria breaks out yet again. With the death of Cleopatra I, her three very young children (Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy VIII, and Cleopatra II) are raised to the throne by their ambitious ministers Eulaios and Lenaios, who lead campaign of reconquest against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. It turns into a disaster, with the Syrian king launching two successful invasions into Egypt and besieging Alexandria. It seems the Ptolemaic kingdom is on the verge of collapse and Antiochus poised to be master of Egypt... that is unless the Roman Republic has something to say about it. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/03/14/106-the-sixth-syrian-war-and-day-of-eleusis/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/105-the-sixth-syrian-war-and-day-of-eleusis.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The Seleucid realm experienced twelve unusual years of peace during the reign of Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175), but his alleged murder by a corrupt court official paved the way for Antiochus IV Epiphanes (“God Manifest”) to usurp the throne of Syria from his nephew. An incredibly polarizing figure, Antiochus was renowned for his generous donations towards cities and temples, often in honor of his new patron deity Zeus Olympios, but his behavior earned him the scorn of those like Polybius, who nicknamed him Epimanes (“The Madman”). Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/02/06/104-the-seleucid-empire-madness-and-the-divine/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/104-the-seleucid-empire-madness-and-the-divine-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

After Rome’s declaration of war in 171, Perseus desperately attempts to stand his ground. When the “Third Macedonian War” drags on longer than anticipated, the consul Lucius Aemilius Paulus is called in and destroys the royal army at Pydna in 168, leading to the end of the Antigonid dynasty and the Macedonian kingdom. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/01/13/103-antigonid-macedon-the-first-domino-falls/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/103-antigonid-macedon-the-first-domino-falls-transcript.pdf) Family Tree - Reign of Perseus: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/reign-of-perseus-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Despite a controversial rise to the throne, King Perseus showed himself to be an able ruler. Continuing his father’s policies of restoring the strength of Macedonia, he earned a positive reputation across the Greek world through his philanthropy and general good behavior. His rising popularity earned the enmity of those like Eumenes II of Pergamon, who accused Perseus of secretly carrying out plans for a war against the Roman Republic, inheriting his father's schemes. Tensions would soon boil over, and the king would find himself in the crosshairs of the Senate, leading to the Third Macedonian War. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/11/21/102-antigonid-macedon-sins-of-the-father/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/102-antigonid-macedon-sins-of-the-father-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The long reign of Philip V comes to an end after nearly 42 years on the throne. Following the defeat at Cynoscephalae, the Antigonid ruler spends the next two decades restoring his kingdom through economic and military reforms. By 179, Macedonia was once again a powerhouse to be reckoned with. However, infighting between the two princes Perseus and Demetrius would threaten to undermine the dynasty's unity, as an appropriately Greek tragedy stains the final days of Philip's career. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/10/16/101-antigonid-macedon-a-house-divided/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/101-antigonid-macedon-a-house-divided-transcript.pdf) Family Tree (Reign of Philip V): (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/reign-of-philip-v.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Six and a half years since we first started this journey, we finally have reached episode 100. Taking the least original approach possible, I decided to host another question and answer session to celebrate. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/10/05/100-qa-2-electric-boogaloo/) Bad Ancient - "Are the Homeric Epics an Accurate Source for the Bronze Age Aegean?" (https://www.badancient.com/claims/homeric-epics-source-bronze-age-aegean/) Natty Lifting - "Why Did Bronze Age Lifters Have Flat Chests?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIcbKGilhME&pp=ygUXYnJvbnplIGFnZSBib2R5YnVpbGRpbmc%3D) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Our understanding the cosmos and our place in it has perplexed humanity for untold generations. The astronomers and geographers of the Hellenistic period were no different, looking to explain celestial phenomena and the nature of the Earth. Eratosthenes of Cyrene managed to calculate the circumference of the Earth to an astonishingly close value, Hipparchus did the same with the distance of the Moon, and Aristarchus of Samos proposed the earliest known model of heliocentrism 1800 years before Copernicus. The pinnacle of these theories came together was the incredible Antikythera Mechanism, the world's oldest analog computer, which will bring our series on science and technology to an end. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/08/30/099-hellenistic-science-geography-and-astronomy/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/099-hellenistic-science-astronomy-and-geography-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

It's never easy coming up with your own origin story, and the ascendant Hellenistic dynasties tried their best to justify their legitimacy in an age of shifting alliances. PhD candidate Angus Jacobson joins the show to discuss the "Flight of Seleucus" story presented to us by Libanius of Antioch (314-392 A.D.), offering insights as to how the Successors used (or manipulated) events in their royal propaganda, and the challenges of separating fact from fiction. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/07/30/interview-the-flight-of-seleucus-and-dynastic-propaganda-with-angus-jacobson/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The developments in theoretical mathematics were also translated into practical (and sometimes impractical) applications during the Hellenistic period. New weapons of war like torsion catapults and enormous ships found their way on the battlefield, and this love for all things big extended to Rhodian architects who constructed their famous Colossus. Under the Alexandrian inventors Ctesibius and Hero, the rise of pneumatics saw the the creation of the earliest known robots (automatons) and the predecessor of the steam engine that continues to amaze viewers down to the present day. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/07/01/098-hellenistic-science-mechanics-engineering-and-technology/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/098-hellenistic-science-mechanics-engineering-and-technology-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The third century B.C. witnessed the greatest outburst of Greco-Roman mathematics in the entirety of antiquity. Euclid of Alexandria's "Elements" served as *the* textbook in the study of geometry for over two thousand years, while the archetypal mad scientist Archimedes of Syracuse allegedly was so fond of mathematical inquiries that it lead to his own demise. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here, as we look at the theoretical developments pioneered by the Hellenistic mathematicians. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/05/31/097-hellenistic-science-mathematics/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/097-hellenistic-science-mathematics-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

As the first episode in our series on science and technology, we begin by looking at the advancements in medicine during the Hellenistic Age. In Alexandria, Herophilus and Erasistratus became the first doctors to practice human dissections in any significant capacity until the Middle Ages, greatly improving our understanding of anatomy and physiology. Developments in pharmacology followed the botanical work of Theophrastus, while Mithridates VI of Pontus performed diabolical experiments with poisons and antidotes. From OBGYN to trepanation, there is bound to be something in here that will make you squeamish. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/096-hellenistic-science-medicine-and-the-healing-arts/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/096-hellenistic-sciences-medicine-and-the-healing-arts-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Twenty years of chaos in the Ptolemaic kingdom come to an end during the reign of Ptolemy V Epiphanes (204-180). His marriage to the Seleucid princess Cleopatra I Syra confirmed the loss of Coele Syria to Antiochus III, yet she proved to be a good match and helped secure the future of the dynasty. Haronnophoris and the Great Revolt are finally put down in 186, but the Alexandrian government is forced to give concessions to the Egyptians, as the Ptolemies must now come to terms with their new status as a second-class power in the Mediterranean. We also delve into the history of the Rosetta Stone, the Hellenistic period's most famous document, and its role in the decipherment of Ancient Egyptian. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/03/10/095-ptolemaic-egypt-the-two-lands-restored/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/095-ptolemaic-egypt-the-two-lands-restored-transcript.pdf) Ptolemy V Family Tree: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/reign-of-ptolemy-v.pdf) Autocrat Podcast: Website (http://www.autocratpodcast.wordpress.com/) Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/30Muilr1O66yA4UDcj76SW?si=c6648d9db9b3446c) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Rome hoped that the Peace of Apamea would instill some sort of order over the eastern Mediterranean, allowing them to return to Italy after decades of warfare. Yet the vacuum of power left behind in a post-Seleucid Asia Minor would lead to fierce competition, with those like Eumenes II of Pergamon and Pharnaces I of Pontus waging war against their neighbors. The desire of the Achaean League to dominate the Peloponnese would lead to the end of an independent Sparta and the butting of heads with the Republic. While this was happening abroad, the consequences of Rome’s new role as hegemon over the Mediterranean would begin to rear its ugly head on the Senate floor, and the final years of the 180s would see the departure of three key figures of the day: Hannibal Barca, Philopoemen of Megalopolis, and Scipio Africanus. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/01/22/094-the-senate-vs-scipio-africanus/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/094-the-senate-vs-scipio-africanus-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The defeat at the Battle of Magnesia brings the war between Antiochus III and the Roman Republic to a close. Forced to evacuate all territory north of the Taurus Mountains and saddled with an enormous indemnity, Antiochus' career comes to an abrupt end in Elymais after an unprecedented 35 years on the throne, leaving the Seleucid Empire at a crossroads for the coming generations. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/12/05/093-the-seleucid-empire-the-peace-of-apamea/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/093-the-seleucid-empire-the-peace-of-apamea-transcript.pdf) Reign of Antiochus III - Family Tree: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/reign-of-antiochus-iii-part-2.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

On invitation from the Aetolian League, Antiochus III invades the Greek mainland in September 192 and declares war against the Roman Republic. Though he held many victories under his belt, Rome proved to be a fiercer opponent than anticipated, forcing Antiochus to go on the defensive and take the fight back to Asia. A final confrontation on the plains of Magnesia (modern Manisa) would determine who was to be the dominant power of the Hellenistic world. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/11/27/092-the-seleucid-empire-magnesia/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/092-the-seleucid-empire-magnesia-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The crisis in Egypt enabled Antiochus III to launch another invasion south into Ptolemaic territory, kickstarting the Fifth Syrian War (202-195) that finally delivered Coele Syria into Seleucid hands after almost a century of conflict. Antiochus' ambition to claim the territories of Seleucus I leads him to campaign in Europe, placing him on a collision course with the Roman Republic. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/10/15/091-the-fifth-syrian-war/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/091-the-fifth-syrian-war-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

With the defeat of Philip V at Cynoscephalae, Flamininus was tasked with deciding the fate of Greece in the postwar period. At the Isthmian Games of 196, he declared the freedom and autonomy of the Greeks, but resistance from the Aetolian League and Nabis of Sparta threatened to overturn the Roman-imposed peace, eventually drawing Antiochus III into Europe. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/09/10/090-freedom-of-the-greeks/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/090-freedom-of-the-greeks-transcript.pdf) Intelligent Speech Conference 2023 Code: HELEN Link: https://intelligentspeechonline.com/event/intelligent-speech-conference-2023/ Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

No longer tied up by Hannibal, the vengeful Romans give their undivided attention to Philip V in the Second Macedonian War (200-197 BC). The king manages to hold his own against the Republic until they send the ambitious young commander Titus Quinctius Flamininus, who forces a showdown at Cynoscephalae that will radically change the balance of power in Greece. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/08/24/089-antigonid-macedon-legion-and-phalanx/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/089-antigonid-macedon-legion-and-phalanx-transcript-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

With the unexpected death of Ptolemy IV and the Great Rebellion in full swing, Antiochus III and Philip V form a secret pact to destroy the Ptolemaic Kingdom, partitioning the territories for themselves. Their invasions of Coele Syria and Asia Minor sent shockwaves across the eastern Mediterranean, leading several Greek states to request military assistance from the one power that could prevent their subjugation: the Roman Republic. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/07/19/088-the-pact-of-the-kings/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/088-the-pact-of-the-kings-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast) Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The “Golden Age” of the Ptolemaic dynasty comes to an end as Ptolemy IV dies unexpectedly in 204. Greedy ministers looking to control the boy-king Ptolemy V leave Alexandria in a mess of schemes, murder, and rioting. Meanwhile, decades of economic turmoil and cultural tension results the outbreak of the "Great Revolt", a twenty year-long (206-186) rebellion of disaffected native Egyptians, who ripped away control of Upper Egypt and installed a rival pharaoh named Haronnophoris, leaving the once mighty Ptolemaic kingdom on the verge of collapse. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/06/20/087-ptolemaic-egypt-the-great-revolt/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/087-ptolemaic-egypt-the-great-revolt-transcript.pdf) Family Tree (Reign of Ptolemy IV) (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/reign-of-ptolemy-iv.pdf) Save Ancient Studies Alliance (SASA) Website (https://www.saveancientstudies.org/) Virtual Conference 2023 (https://www.saveancientstudies.org/virtual-conference) Workshop (https://www.saveancientstudies.org/event-details/opening-the-ancient-world-online-conference-2023-07-23-09-30) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The Attalid dynasty that ruled over the city of Pergamon (modern Bergama) is the first Greek monarchy to arise outside of the Successor Kingdoms. Founded by a eunuch named Philetaerus in western Asia Minor, the Attalids went from small regional power to major player in under a generation, in part thanks to their alliance with the Roman Republic. Their smart fiscal policies and unusually stable family life allowed them to become extremely wealthy, sponsoring buildings and works of art that celebrated their role as the defenders of Greek civilization against barbarians like the Galatians. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/05/20/086-the-attalid-kingdom-of-pergamon/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/086-the-attalid-kingdom-of-pergamon-transcript-1.pdf) Tsar Power Podcast Twitter (https://twitter.com/tsarpowerpod?s=20) Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/HistoryofSaqartvelo) Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tsar-power/id1632832824) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Emboldened by his success in the Social War, Philip's desire for world conquest leads him to ally with Hannibal Barca against the Roman Republic in 215. The so-called "First Macedonian War" (215-206 BC) is mainly a conflict between the various states of Greece, leading to the king tightening his grip over the Symmachy, and the end of his relationship with Aratus of Sicyon. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/04/29/085-antigonid-macedon-storm-clouds-in-the-west/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/085-antigonid-macedon-storm-clouds-in-the-west-pdf.pdf) Grand Dukes of the West Podcast Website (https://granddukesofthewest.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/ValoisBurgundy) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The Roman Republic went from a regional power ruling over Italy to master of a Mediterranean-wide empire in under 50 years, warring against powerful states like the Carthaginians and the Hellenistic kingdoms, yet always coming out on top. Dr. Bret Devereaux joins the show to discuss the Roman military and analyze the various factors that enabled their rapid expansion into the Hellenistic East, and eventually the downfall of the Republic itself. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/04/07/interview-the-roman-republic-at-war-with-dr-bret-devereaux/) Dr. Bret Devereaux A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry (https://acoup.blog/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/BretDevereaux) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

During the Illyrian Wars of 229-228 and 219, the Roman Republic would intervene in the affairs of Greece for the first time. Their swift defeats of Queen Teuta and Demetrius of Pharos impressed the Greek communities, but would draw the attention of King Philip V of Macedonia. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/03/16/084-rome-arrives-in-the-hellenistic-east/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/084-rome-arrives-in-the-hellenistic-east-pdf.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The “Argonautica”, written by the third century poet Apollonius of Rhodes, is the only surviving epic poem from the Hellenistic period. Recounting the travels of the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts as they searched for the Golden Fleece, Apollonius managed to pay homage to the works of Homer while also reinventing the genre to better reflect the scholarship coming out of Alexandria. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/03/04/083-hellenistic-literature-apollonius-of-rhodes-and-the-argonautica/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/03/083-hellenistic-literature-apollonius-of-rhodes-and-the-argonautica-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The various dynasties that rose from the ashes of Alexander's empire proved to be a lucrative source of income for aspiring poets. Ptolemaic Alexandria hosted some of the influential artists of the day, such as Callimachus of Cyrene and Theocritus of Syracuse. Euphorion of Chalcis would move to Seleucid Antioch, and Aratus of Soli would compose his famous Phaenomena under the auspices of Antigonus II Gonatas. These figures would re-define the art of poetry for the next several centuries, and set the standards for literary culture for the entire Hellenistic period. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/082-hellenistic-literature-court-poetry-and-propaganda/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/082-hellenistic-literature-court-poetry-and-propaganda-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In April 1900, a crew of Greek sponge divers found a 2,000 year old shipwreck at the bottom of the sea of the small island of Antikythera. A century of underwater expeditions has revealed many works of art such as rare life-sized bronze statues and glassware that provides a snapshot of the Late Hellenistic economy, along with the famous Antikythera Mechanism, the world’s oldest surviving analog computer. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/01/02/bonus-the-antikythera-shipwreck/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/01/bonus-the-antikythera-shipwreck-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Rather than writing tales of gods and heroes or flattering court panegyrics, the poet Theocritus of Syracuse (early second century B.C.) chose to focus on the simple life. As the founder of "Bucolic" or pastoral poetry, Theocritus cast the humble shepherd as the main subject, using idyllic scenes from the ancient countryside to illuminate his poems in a fashion that would be emulated by later artists such as Virgil. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/12/10/081-hellenistic-literature-theocritus-and-bucolic-poetry/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/12/081-hellenistic-literature-theocritus-and-bucolic-poetry.pdf) So You Think You Can Rule Persia?: Website (https://soyouthinkyoucanrulepersia.wordpress.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/RankingPersia) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The playwright Menander of Athens (342/341 – 290 B.C.) was the most renowned comedic author of antiquity, surpassing even Aristophanes in popularity. As the father of the New Comedy, Menander moved away from biting satire to draw humor from the interactions of everyday people, popularizing the use of “stock characters” and romance plots that audiences could appreciate regardless of background or education. Of his 108 plays, only one has survived in complete form (The Dyskolos or “The Bad Tempered Man”), and in this episode we will delve into the history of New Comedy and Menander’s works in particular. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/11/25/080-hellenistic-literature-menander-and-new-comedy/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/080-hellenistic-literature-menander-and-new-comedy-transcript.pdf) The Alexander Standard Podcast: Website (https://alexanderstandardpod.podbean.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/AlexStandardPod) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/alexanderstandardpod/?hl=en) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The anchor was the most recognizable image associated with the Seleucids, who used it as their dynastic seal to symbolize their royal authority. Its origins are interwoven into the stories of the dynasty’s founder, Seleucus I Nicator, as omens and prophecies associated the anchor with his imperial destiny. These stories might have been tied to the now-lost Seleucus Romance, but the anchor continued to be used by later monarchies, a testament to the lasting appeal of Seleucid kingship in the Near East and Central Asia. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/11/05/bonus-anchors-aweigh-the-seleucid-anchor-and-imperial-iconography/) Episode Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/11/bonus-anchors-aweigh-the-seleucid-anchor-and-imperial-iconography-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The Kushans were the premier dynasty of the Yuezhi, a nomadic confederation that migrated and settled in northern Bactria during the mid-to-late second century BC. With a steady hand, their empire would eventually encompass most of Central Asia and Northwestern India for the next 300 years, the former heartlands of the Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms. Dr. Lauren Morris lends her expertise on this often poorly understood group, tracing the history of the Kushans and their impact on the broader framework of Eurasia by using key archaeological finds such as the Begram Hoard to illustrate the dynamism of these kings in their presentation and policies. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/10/27/interview-the-kushan-empire-with-dr-lauren-morris/) Dr. Lauren Morris Links: Central Asia in Antiquity Blog (https://centralasiainantiquity.wordpress.com/) Academia.edu (http://uni-freiburg.academia.edu/LaurenMorris) Twitter (https://twitter.com/laurenbc) Handbook of Ancient Afro-Eurasian Economies (Open Source PDF) (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110607741/html?lang=en) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The period from the first century B.C. through the third century A.D. saw a time of unprecedented economic contact between the Mediterranean world (under the dominion of the Roman Empire) and the political entities bordering along the Western Indian Ocean. This fostered the exchange of goods and ideas, leading some scholars to identify it as the first period of globalization. Joining the show is Dr. Serena Autiero, who helps elaborate on how we can apply modern concepts like globalization in an ancient context by using material and written evidence to demonstrate the complex interactions that occurred in the flourishing Indo-Roman trade. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/10/22/interview-globalization-in-the-ancient-mediterranean-and-indian-ocean-with-dr-serena-autiero/) Dr. Serena Autiero Links: DiGA [Digitization of Gandharan Artifacts] (https://diga.ceres.rub.de/en/) Academia (https://rub.academia.edu/SerenaAutiero) Twitter (https://twitter.com/ArchaeoGlobal) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Following the death of Menander I Soter, the Indo-Greeks would decline in power over the next 150 years as the newly arrived Indo-Scythians/Indo-Saka seized the Punjab, and with the last king disappearing by 10 A.D, Greek rule in Central Asia and India was brought to a definitive end. In their wake, later powers like the Kushan Empire established control over Bactria and Gandhara, and trade with the Roman Empire would flourish along the sailing routes of the Indian Ocean. Despite the disappearance of the Greco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms, evidence points to a survival of Hellenistic culture nearly five centuries after Alexander’s death. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/09/27/079-the-indo-greeks-homer-on-the-indus/) Episode 079 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/079-the-indo-greeks-homer-on-the-indus.pdf) A Reader's Guide to Greco-Bactria and the Indo-Greeks: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/a-readers-guide-to-greco-bactria-and-the-indo-greeks.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

It has been argued that the most influential contribution of Gandhara (modern Pakistan and southern Afghanistan) was its role in the creation of several works of art centered around Buddhist themes, including the first known depictions of the Buddha in human form. However, the Gandharan artists also drew a great amount of inspiration from the traditions of the Greco-Roman world, borrowing Hellenistic designs and mythological figures to tell the story of the Buddha in often powerful ways. Dr. Osmund Bopearachchi, a professor of South Asian history and author of numerous works on India from Alexander the Great through the Kushan Empire, presents a series of examples to not only give context to the Gandharan school within the artistic history of India, but also their ability to adapt many cultural influences to create something wholly original. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/09/03/interview-greco-indian-and-buddhist-art-of-gandhara-with-dr-osmund-bopearachchi/) Visual Aid PDF (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/interview-greco-indian-and-buddhist-art-of-gandhara-with-osmund-bopearachchi-visual-aid-hellenistic-age-podcast.pdf) Dr. Osmund Bopearachchi: Website (https://www.osmund-bopearachchi.com/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In the wake of Alexander the Great, the traditions of Hellenism and Buddhism thought came into close contact in Central Asia and India. Lee Clarke, a PhD student in cross-cultural philosophy at Nottingham Trent University, joins the show to discuss the idea of “Greco-Buddhism”, tracing the origins of the Buddha and the establishment of his teachings in Gandhara, before comparing and contrasting the philosophical outlooks of Greek and Indian schools of thought like Pyrrhonian Skepticism and Mahayana Buddhism. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/08/25/interview-greco-buddhism-in-central-asia-and-india-with-lee-clarke/) Lee Clarke: Twitter(https://twitter.com/OneAndOnlyLee05) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In antiquity, Gandhara was one of the most deeply-rooted hubs of Buddhism, and scholars have attempted to search for any possible encounters between Buddhists and the Greeks who settled in Central Asia and India. Fascinating pieces of evidence hint at these connections: the Pali text known as the Milindapañha ("The Questions of King Milinda") portrays the Indo-Greek king Menander I Soter as a Buddhist convert and saint swayed by the wisdom of the Sage Nagasena, while Emperor Ashoka dispatched missionaries to the Hellenistic kingdoms and ordered his beliefs to be inscribed in Greek on the rocks outside of Kandahar. Centuries later, the sculptors of Gandhara would adapt Greco-Roman mythology and designs to create beautiful works of art, resulting in the first known depictions of the Buddha in human form, and transforming the demigod Heracles into Heracles-Vajrapani, protector of the Buddha. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/08/12/078-the-indo-greeks-heracles-menander-and-the-buddha/) Episode 078 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/08/078-indo-greeks-heracles-menander-and-the-buddha-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

With the collapse of the Mauryan Empire, the rulers of Greco-Bactria would seize the opportunity to invade India in approximately 185 B.C. Famous conquerors like Demetrius and Menander would campaign throughout the subcontinent, seizing the lands of Arachosia and Gandhara (southern Afghanistan and Pakistan) as their new domains, the so-called "Indo-Greek" kingdoms. Despite the hostilities, the Indo-Greeks would quickly acclimate to their new cultural environment: figures like Heliodorus, a Greek ambassador from Taxila and worshipper of Vasudeva-Krishna, or Sophytos, an Indian merchant from Alexandria-in-Arachosia who prided himself on his knowledge of Homer and Callimachus, provide hints of the complex interactions between the Hellenistic world and South Asia. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/07/28/077-the-indo-greeks-invasion-of-the-yavanarajas/) Episode 077 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/077-the-indo-greeks-invasion-of-the-yavanarajas-transcript.pdf) The Hellenistic Far East Map 4 - The Indo-Greek Kingdoms (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/07/the-indo-greek-kingdom-map-4.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In 128 B.C., an explorer and diplomat named Zhang Qian had arrived in the Ferghana Valley in modern Uzbekistan. As the first known Chinese visitor in Central Asia, he was originally tasked by the Han Emperor Wudi to seek an alliance with the Yuezhi nomads, who migrated to Bactria in the 130s and contributed to the collapse of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. Though the alliance fell through, Zhang’s reports on the wealthy lands of “Daxia” and “Dayuan” tantalized the Emperor’s political ambitions, resulting in waves of Han embassies and armies being sent to the so-called “Western Regions”. A burgeoning trade network soon arose as East Asia and the Mediterranean worlds became ever closer, prompting expeditions by the Chinese to make contact with the mysterious Da Qin (Roman Empire), whose aristocrats demanded the goods produced by the equally mysterious “Seres” (“Silk Peoples”). Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/07/21/076-greco-bactria-han-china-and-the-war-of-the-heavenly-horses/) Episode 076 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/076-greco-bactria-han-china-and-the-war-of-the-heavenly-horses.pdf) The Hellenistic Far East Map 3 - Zhang Qian in Central Asia (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/map-3-zhang-qian-in-central-asia.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

With the discovery of the city of Ai Khanoum in northeastern Afghanistan, the idea of a strong Greek presence in the makeup of Hellenistic Bactria was reinforced. At the same time, they also demonstrate a reliance on local Bactrian traditions and the formation of brand new identities. Dr. Rachel Mairs, a historian of Hellenistic Central Asia and author of "The Hellenistic Far East", joins the show to discuss the nature of identity, reassessing how we perceive "Greekness" or any other type of cultural classification in the face of a complex archaeological and epigraphical record. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/07/07/interview-ai-khanoum-and-identity-in-hellenistic-bactria-with-dr-rachel-mairs/) Dr. Rachel Mairs The Hellenistic Central Asia Research Network (HCARN) (https://hellenisticfareast.wordpress.com/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The conquests of Alexander the Great resulted in tens of thousands of Greek colonists settling in Central Asia. While excavations of places like the city ruins of Ai Khanoum hint at a flourishing Hellenic culture, local Bactrian and Sogdian traditions continued to hold a powerful influence. In this episode, we take a deeper look at Greco-Bactria by analyzing the archaeological and epigraphical record, looking at key examples relating to questions of identity and organization, and ultimately conclude with the collapse of Greek power in the face of nomadic invasions and civil war during the middle of the second century B.C. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/07/01/075-greco-bactria-alexandria-eschate-to-ai-khanoum/) Episode 075 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/075-greco-bactria-alexandria-eschate-to-ai-khanoum.pdf) The Hellenistic Far East Map 2 - The Greco-Bactrian Kingdom (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/map-2-the-greco-bactrian-kingdom.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Coins are the most enduring symbols of the Greco-Bactrian and the Indo-Greek kingdoms, considered to be invaluable tools in reconstructing their chronologies in absence of a written history. Joining our series is numismatist Dr. Frank Lee Holt, author of books such as "Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria" and "Lost World of the Golden King: In Search of Ancient Afghanistan", who discusses how coins can be used (or misused) to tell the story of Hellenistic Bactria, and their vital role in preserving the threatened cultural heritage of Central Asia. Interview Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/06/17/interview-coinage-and-numismatics-in-greek-central-asia-with-dr-frank-lee-holt/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In the first of several episodes on the "Hellenistic Far East", we will cover the history of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, which controlled the lands of Central Asia stretching from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan during the third and second centuries B.C. As one of the most fascinating yet poorly understood regions in antiquity, we will try to piece together the fragmented history of Bactria and its inhabitants from the invasion of Alexander the Great to the reign of Eucratides I. Episode 074 Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/06/11/074-greco-bactria-land-of-a-thousand-cities/) Episode 074 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/episode-074-greco-bactria-land-of-a-thousand-cities-transcript.pdf) The Hellenistic Far East Map 1 - Regions (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/the-hellenistic-far-east-map-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Despite the defeat at Raphia, Antiochus III was not discouraged from further conquests. After dealing with his final rival Achaeus in 213, the Seleucid king would lead a massive expeditionary force into Asia, an anabasis, intending to assert his authority over the wayward satrapies and kingdoms that splintered away during the troubled reigns of his predecessors. Marching from Armenia to India between 212-205, Antiochus and his army would battle the likes of Arsaces II of Parthia and Euthydemus I of Greco-Bactria as they restored the borders of the empire, allowing Antiochus to claim the epithet Megas (the Great) as a testament to his power. Episode 073 Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/06/04/073-the-seleucid-empire-the-anabasis-of-antiochus-the-great/) Episode 073 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/073-the-seleucid-empire-the-anabasis-of-antiochus-iii.pdf) Family Tree: The Reign of Antiochus III (Part One) (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/reign-of-antiochus-iii-part-1-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Only a few short years after his coronation, Antiochus III would invade the kingdom of Ptolemy IV in 219 B.C., intent on reclaiming the lands of Coele Syria as part of his birthright. To stem the tide, the Ptolemaic government tries to rejuvenate the now-rusty Egyptian army by ordering a massive recruitment drive and issuing reforms, and the two kings would come to blows at Raphia, where over 140,000 men would take part in one of the largest battles of the ancient world. Episode 072 Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/05/21/072-the-fourth-syrian-war-the-battle-of-raphia/) Episode 072 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/072-the-fourth-syrian-war-the-battle-of-raphia-transcript.pdf) Intelligent Speech Conference 2022 Website (https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/Intellspeechcon) Promo Code: AGE Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In 222 B.C., two of the world's most powerful kingdoms saw the coronation of two young monarchs: Antiochus III of the Seleucid Empire, and Ptolemy IV Philopator of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. As Antiochus tries to keep his realm from falling apart in the face of rebellions and the assassination of his older brother, the laziness of Ptolemy allows the court of Alexandria to fall into a whirlwind of conspiracies and corruption among his advisors, serving as a dramatic prelude to the Fourth Syrian War. Episode 071 Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/05/06/071-the-fourth-syrian-war-a-tale-of-two-kingdoms/) Episode 071 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/071-the-fourth-syrian-war-a-tale-of-two-kingdoms-transcript.pdf) Intelligent Speech Conference 2022 Website (https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/Intellspeechcon) Promo Code: AGE Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In this episode, we bring the Second Punic War to a close as Hannibal tries to conquer southern Italy, while the Scipio and Barcid families clash over control of the Iberian Peninsula. During the Spanish campaigns, Publius Scipio (the future Scipio Africanus) becomes the premier general of the Republic, bringing the fight to Africa itself as he clashes with Hannibal at the legendary confrontation at Zama. Episode 070 Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/04/25/070-the-second-punic-war-to-the-victors/) Episode 070 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/04/070-the-second-punic-war-to-the-victors...-transcript.pdf) Intelligent Speech Conference 2022 Website (https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/Intellspeechcon) Promo Code: AGE Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

After the losses at Trebia and Trasimene, the strategies of Fabius Maximus Cuncutator ("the Delayer") manages to give the Republic some valuable breathing room. Despite Fabius' best efforts, Hannibal manages to deliver Rome its most devastating defeat on the plains of Cannae in 216. Meanwhile, Marcus Claudius Marcellus leads a campaign in Sicily against the once-loyal city of Syracuse, contending with war machines devised by the likes of Archimedes in one of the great sieges of antiquity. Episode 069 Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/03/12/069-the-second-punic-war-hannibal-at-the-gates/) Episode 069 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/03/069-the-second-punic-war-hannibal-at-the-gates-transcript.pdf) Warlords of History Podcast Links Website(https://warlordsofhistory.com/episodes) Twitter (https://twitter.com/warlordshistory) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

With the destruction of the Celtiberian city of Saguntum in 219, much of the Mediterranean world was plunged into a state of warfare for nearly two decades, as the Roman Republic would once again battle Carthage for dominance, and face their greatest foe to date: Hannibal Barca, son of Hamilcar. To the surprise and horror of the Senate, Hannibal would audaciously plan and execute a crossing of the Alps and bring the war to Italy, slaughtering the Roman armies thrown at him at the Trebia River and Lake Trasimene in 218/217. Episode 068 Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/02/27/068-the-second-punic-war-over-the-mountains/) Episode 068 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/068-the-second-punic-war-over-the-mountains-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Fellow history podcaster Tristan Hughes (The Ancients Podcast) joins the show to discuss his new book, "Alexander's Successors at War: The Perdiccas Years, 323-320 BC", which covers the first tumultuous years of the Wars of the Successors. Though framed around the career of Perdiccas, the standing regent of Philip III Arrhidaeus and Alexander IV, the book itself dedicates to covering the wide-reaching events that gripped Europe and Asia as the Argead Empire began to struggle in its first death throes. Episode Notes; (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2022/01/26/interview-alexanders-successors-at-war-the-perdiccas-years-323-320-bc-w-tristan-hughes/) Tristan Hughes Links; Book Page (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Perdiccas-Years-323320-BC-Hardback/p/20188) Twitter (https://twitter.com/ancientstristan?s=20) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ancientstristan/) The Ancients Podcast (https://access.historyhit.com/the-ancients) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The period from the signing of the Treaty of Lutatius in 241 until the siege of Saguntum in 219 is often passed over by those learning about the Punic Wars, but it is integral to understanding how the Romans and Carthaginians went to battle once again. Rome fought to stem the tide of Celtic warbands invading from Northern Italy, whereas Carthage faced an existential crisis with the Mercenary War (241-237) before its rescue by Hamilcar Barca. Hamilcar and his clan then expanded into Spain, building a powerbase which enabled his son Hannibal to challenge the Romans for supremacy in one of the greatest conflicts in antiquity. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/12/13/067-rome-and-carthage-between-the-punic-wars/) Episode 067 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/12/067-rome-and-carthage-between-the-punic-wars-transcript.pdf) Mithridates VI of Pontus with Flashpoint History: (https://youtu.be/nACLiBWUvGQ) A Reader's Guide to the Seleucid Empire: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/seleucid-reading-guide-pdf-2.pdf) A Reader's Guide to Ptolemaic Egypt: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/11/ptolemaic-reading-guide-pdf-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Thanks to his role in the Maccabean Revolt, Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Seleucid Empire played an important part in the history of Judaism. From the prophecies of Daniel to the histories of Josephus, Dr. Joseph Scales joins the show to talk about the perception of Antiochus IV in the Jewish literary tradition, viewed as both an incompetent ruler and great persecutor, and the prototype of the Antichrist. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/11/29/interview-antiochus-iv-epiphanes-in-the-jewish-tradition-w-dr-joseph-scales/) Dr. Joseph Scales Links: Ancient Afterlives Podcast (https://anchor.fm/ancientafterlives) Twitter (https://twitter.com/josephdscales) Humanities Commons (https://hcommons.org/members/josephscales/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

At only 18 years of age, Philip V was crowned with the diadem following the death of his uncle Antigonus III Doson in 221. Many believed that the boy was going to be a pushover, easy prey for the machinations of his courtiers and for the many belligerent powers of the Greek Peninsula. Philip however proved to be a king in the mold of Pyrrhus and Alexander, spearheading a campaign against the transgressions of the Aetolian League in the so-called Social War (the War of the Allies) while also side-stepping the plots of corrupt advisors. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/11/11/066-antigonid-macedon-philip-v-and-the-social-war/) Episode 066 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/11/066-antigonid-macedon-philip-v-and-the-social-war-transcript-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Despite the failure of Agis IV to reform a weakened Sparta, a more politically astute (and ruthless) successor could be found in the rival Agiad house, Cleomenes III. Under his reign, Sparta would be restored to a level of power capable enough to bring the Achaean League to its knees during the Cleomenean War (228-222). In a moment of crisis, Aratus of Sicyon would follow the maxim of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", and turn to a most hatred rival: Macedonia, led by the standing regent Antigonus III Doson. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/10/10/065-antigonid-macedon-the-last-march-of-the-spartans/) Episode 065 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/065-antigonid-macedon-last-march-of-the-spartans-transcript-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, and the 240s and 230s saw several shakeups in the political order of Greece. Macedonia under Demetrius II Aetolicus struggled to deal with an onslaught of Greek Leagues, Illyrian tribes, and the premature death of a monarch. Meanwhile, the long-since impotent Sparta sees a potential rejuvenation through the efforts of the young King Agis IV, who sought to return Lacedaemonia to her ancestral ways after years of growing economic inequality and depleting military power. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/09/12/064-antigonid-macedon-of-revolutions-and-reforms/) Episode 064 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/064-antigonid-macedon-of-revolutions-and-reforms-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The proliferation of the Greek Federal states, those such as Achaean and Aetolian Leagues, was a major political development in the Greek Peninsula during the 3rd century. Despite being in an age of kings, several poleis were able to present a unified front against the Successor dynasties, allowing them to act as allies or rivals depending upon their need. Dr. Elke Close, creator of HellenisticHistory.com, joins the podcast to discuss the significance of the Leagues and how we are able to view them through the lens of those like the Achaean historian Polybius. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/08/29/interview-on-hellenistic-federalism-w-dr-elke-close/) Dr. Elke Close Links: Website (https://www.hellenistichistory.com/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistichistory/) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Hellenistichistory) Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticHist) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

As the power couple of the Mediterranean, Ptolemy III and Berenice II Euergetes (Benefactor)would oversee the apogee of Hellenistic Egypt. Ptolemy's successful blitzkrieg against the Seleucid Empire during the Third Syrian War would see a near-total conquest of Syria and Mesopotamia, and brought their northern rivals to their knees. As one of the most formidable women in all of the ancient world, Berenice would be immortalized through the poetry of Callimachus and possessed an unprecedented amount of personal power compared to any royal lady of the time. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/063-ptolemaic-egypt-berenices-lock-and-the-gates-of-babylon/) Episode 063 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/063-ptolemaic-egypt-berenices-lock-and-the-gates-of-babylon-transcript-1.pdf) Family Tree - Reign of Ptolemy III (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/reign-of-ptolemy-iii.pdf) The History of Saqartvelo Georgia Podcast Website (https://historyofsaqartvelo.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/History_Georgia) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmdK0d7XlcKe_gX2ZcjmF3Q) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thehistoryofsaqartvelogeorgia/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The conquest of Egypt by Alexander and establishment of the Ptolemaic dynasty differed from previous foreign invaders like the Hyksos or the Persians. While the Ptolemies would very much present themselves as traditional pharaohs, they would bring thousands of Greek immigrants, founded poleis, and imported Greek culture en masse. For the indigenous Egyptians, Ptolemaic rule required them to live with two "faces": those like Manetho, an Egyptian priest of Amun-Ra who composed an influential history of Egypt in Greek known as the "Aegyptiaca", would continue to work under the new regime. Others were able to exploit "Hellenization" as a means of advancement, seen in the archives of the mixed Greco-Egyptian military family of Dryton and Senmonthis-Apollonia, revealing the complexities of ethnic and cultural identity. But we also can see the tensions between the Greek and Egyptian communities, which could explode in bouts of violence and rebellion. In this episode we look to see how the Egyptians responded to the arrival of a new political, social, and cultural elite. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/08/01/062-ptolemaic-egypt-egyptians-in-a-greek-land/) Episode 062 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/062-ptolemaic-egypt-egyptians-in-a-greek-land-transcript.pdf) The History of Africa Podcast Website (https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com/) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The Seleucid Empire's vast geographic spread made it the heir to a wide variety of cavalry traditions, with the fighting style of each region being incorporated into an army of Macedonian origin: units like armored cataphracts and horse archers from the steppes, scythed chariots from the Near East, and even war elephants acquired from distant India. Scholars have long viewed the cavalry of the Seleucids (and by extension other Hellenistic powers) as being ineffectual, with the use of such "exotic" troop types limited to being a passing fad. Dr. Silvannen Gerrard joins our show to argue that the Seleucid military was in fact quite capable and adaptive, and that the often-downplayed role of unorthodox troops like elephants betrays a powerful and effective tool for warfare. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/07/18/interview-on-the-cavalry-of-the-seleucid-empire-w-dr-silvannen-gerrard/) Dr. Silvannen Gerrard Links: Twitter (https://twitter.com/WingedBookWyrm) Academia.edu (https://manchester.academia.edu/SilvannenGerrard?from_navbar=true) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Drawn by the prospects of providing service to the Ptolemaic government in either the bureaucracy or the army, or perhaps seeking to settle and farm some of the most productive land in the world, tens of thousands of Greeks would immigrate to Egypt in pursuit of a better life. Thanks to the abundant papyrological record, we are able to get an intimate look into the lives and careers of those who now to called Egypt home: those such as the deeply religious devotee of Serapis named Ptolemaeus, or Kleon, the hard-pressed chief engineer of the Fayyum reclamation project of Ptolemy II Philadelphus. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/07/04/061-ptolemaic-egypt-greeks-in-an-egyptian-land/) Episode 061 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/061-ptolemaic-egypt-greeks-in-an-egyptian-land-transcript.pdf) Two Friends Talk History Podcast Buzzsprout (https://twofriendstalkhistory.buzzsprout.com/) Website (www.archaeoartist.com) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Alexandria, or Alexandria-by-Egypt as it was called, was the easily the greatest city of the Hellenistic Age. Founded by Alexander the Great in 332/331, it became the pet project of the Ptolemaic dynasty, who turned it into the capital of their mighty empire. Through the dynasty's direction and enormous amounts of money, the city was endowed with magnificent works of art and architecture, all the while playing host to an great body of scholars and artists. From the cosmopolitan makeup of its population to its legendary monuments like the Lighthouse of Pharos and the Library, I will be giving a sightseeing tour of Alexandria during its heyday under the reign of the Ptolemies. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/05/14/060-ptolemaic-egypt-a-travelers-guide-to-alexandria/) Episode 060 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/05/060-ptolemaic-egypt-a-travelers-guide-to-alexandria-transcript.pdf) The History of North America Podcast Anchor (https://anchor.fm/mark-vinet) Apple (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-of-north-america/id1534971777) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

After facing decades of civil wars and invasions following the death of Alexander, peace was restored in Macedonia by the capable Antigonid king Antigonus II 'Gonatas', who strengthened the kingdom's hegemony over the Greek Peninsula in a reign that lasted an impressive 40 years. Despite this, we know very little about the man and his exploits. Author and independent scholar Robin Waterfield ("Dividing the Spoils", "Taken at the Flood") joins the show to discuss his new book "The Making of a King: Antigonus Gonatas of Macedon and the Greeks", which seeks to chronicle the life of Antigonus and provide a guide through the often-hazy period of the 3rd century BC. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/04/18/interview-on-antigonus-ii-gonatas-w-robin-waterfield/) Robin Waterfield Website: (https://www.robinwaterfield.com/) "The Making of a King: Antigonus Gonatas of Macedon and the Greeks" University of Chicago Press: (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo35461992.html) Amazon: (https://www.amazon.com/Making-King-Antigonus-Gonatas-Macedon/dp/022661137X/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Making+of+a+king&qid=1618777213&sr=8-5) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Herodotus described Egypt as the gift of the Nile River, and without a doubt the Ptolemaic rulers took full advantage of the land’s agricultural prosperity. In addition to their exploitation of the Nile’s annual inundation, the Ptolemies would introduce the most rigorously developed (or exploitative) taxation system ever seen in Egypt, and would enable them to become the wealthiest people in the world of the 3rd century BC. We will take a look at the administrative layout of Hellenistic Egypt in order to see how the Ptolemaic dynasty oversaw such a financial juggernaut, ranging from the day-to-day operations of their many officials to grand imperial projects such as the reclamation of the Fayyum Oasis. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/04/12/059-ptolemaic-egypt-kingdom-of-gold-kingdom-of-the-nile/) Episode 059 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/059-ptolemaic-egypt-kingdom-of-gold-kingdom-of-the-nile-transcript.pdf) The Ozymandias Project: iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ozymandias-project/id1537896277) Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5BomB9FPUjX2nPzXazYk1E) Twitter (https://twitter.com/TheOzymandiasP1) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Throughout the three centuries of Ptolemaic control over Egypt, their dynasty can be best described as having a split identity. Ruling from Alexandria, the new intellectual and cultural capital of the Greek-speaking world, the Ptolemies were very much Hellenistic kings and queens. But Egypt was an ancient land, and they needed to come to terms with the pharaonic tradition that had dominated Egyptian life for the better part of 3,000 years. As the longest reigning dynasty in Egyptian history, the Ptolemies adopted the role and iconography of the pharaoh to great success. They were also capable of developing new ways to project their power, whether through the establishment and promotion of royal cults and new deities like Serapis, or incorporating the image of splendor and abundance as part of their propaganda. In this episode, we will see how the Ptolemies successfully legitimized their rule in the eyes of both Greeks and Egyptians alike. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/02/27/058-ptolemaic-egypt-two-lands-two-peoples-one-ruler/) Episode 058 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/058-ptolemaic-egypt-two-lands-two-peoples-one-ruler-pdf.pdf) Pontifacts: Podbean (https://pontifacts.podbean.com/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/pontifactspod?s=20) iTunes (https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1387540364?ls=1&mt=2) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Among the many colorful characters of the Wars of the Diadochi, Demetrius I Poliorcetes ("the Besieger") stands out as one of its most prominent, portrayed by the likes of Plutarch as a skilled commander and larger-than-life personality. Dr. Charlotte Dunn, who recently co-authored a biography entitled "Demetrius the Besieger", joins the show to discuss her work on the early Hellenistic period. From our sources on the city-taker to his abilities as a king and general, Dr. Dunn helps illuminate one of the main players caught in the struggle for Alexander's empire. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/02/14/interview-on-demetrius-i-poliorcetes-w-dr-charlotte-dunn/) Dr. Charlotte Dunn's Links: "Demetrius the Besieger" (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/demetrius-the-besieger-9780198836049?cc=us&lang=en&) University of Tasmania Australia Profile: (https://www.utas.edu.au/profiles/staff/humanities/charlotte-dunn) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The troubled reigns of Seleucus II Callinicus and Seleucus III marked over 20 years of instability for the empire. A 3rd Syrian War led by a vigorous Ptolemy III Euergetes would penetrate into Syria and Mesopotamia, Parthia saw the invasion of the nomadic Parni, and rebellious officials in places like Pergamon would test the limits of the Seleucid rulers to maintain their quickly fracturing realm. Above all else would be the "War of the Brothers", as the usurper Antiochus Hierax ("the Hawk") would challenge his brother Seleucus II and help bring the dynasty to the point of extinction less than a century after its foundation. Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/01/31/057-the-seleucid-empire-my-brothers-keeper/) Episode 057 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/057-the-seleucid-empire-my-brothers-keeper-episode-transcript.pdf) Family Tree - From Seleucus I to Seleucus III: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/from-seleucus-i-to-seleucus-iii-1.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Alexander the Great is easily one of the most popular subjects for writers and artists throughout antiquity. In addition to the many biographies that present wildly different views on the man, there are a dazzling number of depictions of the conqueror in coinage, statues, and various other works of art. Joining us is Meg Finlayson who discusses her research on the image and legacy of Alexander, breaking down the historiography of writers like Plutarch and Arrian while also extensively analyzing pieces such as the so-called "Alexander Sarcophagus". Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2021/01/22/interview-alexander-the-great-in-ancient-art-literature-w-meg-finlayson/) Meg Finlayson Links: Twitter: (https://twitter.com/agameganon) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The relatively brief reign of Antiochus II Theos is noted for his conflict with Ptolemy II Philadelphus and his controversial marriage with Berenice Phernophoros (“the dowry-bringer”). But the true focus of this episode is the convoluted yet critically important events that took place in the eastern satrapies of Parthia and Bactria. The rebellions of governors-turned-kings like Andragoras and Diodotus was followed by an invasion of steppe peoples known as the Parni, led by their king Arsaces, which led to the creation of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom and the Parthian Empire. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/12/27/056-the-seleucid-empire-a-royal-wedding-a-bactrian-revolt-a-parthian-invasion/) Episode 056 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/056-the-seleucid-empire-episode-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Though the longest-lived and most wealthy of the Hellenistic "Big 3", the Ptolemaic rulers in Egypt have never really held the distinction as a major military player in the violent struggles of the Hellenistic period, instead often seen as decadent and lazy as per the writings of those like Polybius. Dr. Paul Johstono joins us to discuss his new book “The Army of Ptolemaic Egypt, 323-204 BC: An Institutional and Operational History”, which seeks to challenge this claim and reassert the role of the Ptolemaic kingdom as a significant military force in the Mediterranean, capable of meeting the demands of maintaining a large land and sea empire amidst powerful rivals and often inhospitable environments. Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/12/21/interview-on-the-army-of-ptolemaic-egypt-w-dr-paul-johstono/) "The Army of Ptolemaic Egypt, 323-204 BC: An Institutional and Operational History" Links: Pen & Sword (https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Army-of-Ptolemaic-Egypt-323-to-204-BC-Hardback/p/17980) Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Army-Ptolemaic-Egypt-323-Institutional/dp/1473833833) Dr. Paul Johstono Links: Twitter (https://twitter.com/ProfPaul_J) Academia.edu (https://air-af.academia.edu/PaulJohstono) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

As the most prolific of city-founders, the Seleucids sought to dramatically reshape the lands of the Near East and most especially North Syria, which would become the dynasty's new imperial heartland and something of a stand-in for their ancestral homeland of Macedonia. We will cover the creation of these sites, but we'll also assess the impact of Seleucid rule and the response to Greek culture from the vast number of peoples of the empire, whether the native inhabitants of Babylonia and Jerusalem or the thousands of immigrant Greeks who now called these lands home. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/11/26/055-the-seleucid-empire-syrian-nights-macedonian-dreams/) Episode 055 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/055-the-seleucid-empire-syrian-nights-macedonian-dreams-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The 1st and 2nd Illyrian Wars, fought between the Roman Republic and the peoples of Illyria (approximately modern Albania to Croatia) in 229-228 and 220-219 BC respectively, are often neglected in favor of the more famous 2nd Punic War. The conflicts with Teuta, the "Pirate Queen" of the Ardiaei, and the unscrupulous Demetrius of Pharos marked the first (and certainly not the last) time Roman legions marched upon Greek soil. Dr. Christopher Gribbin joins us to discuss the wars in greater detail, and emphasizes their role in sending the Roman Republic onto a collision course with the rest of the Hellenistic world. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/11/08/interview-on-the-illyrian-wars-w-dr-christopher-gribbin/) Dr. Christopher Gribbin Twitter: (https://twitter.com/classicsmelb?lang=en) Website: (https://classicsmelb.wixsite.com/cgribbin) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

To rule over the largest and most diverse empire of the Hellenistic realms, the Seleucids needed to deal with serious logistical and administrative challenges. The identity of the Seleucid kings can be viewed through either a Macedonian-Greek, Near-Eastern, or Iranian lens. Its administrative system of satrapies and local power holders were kept in check by the peripatetic movement of the king and his court, on a never-ending journey to impose order on an unyielding political and cultural landscape. The Seleucid dynasty would even challenge the nature of time itself by instituting the revolutionary "Seleucid Era" model, which continues to influence down to the present day. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/11/02/054-the-seleucid-empire-kingship-governance-in-the-arche-seleukia/) Episode 054 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/11/054-kingship-governance-in-the-arche-seleukia-transcript.pdf) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Straddling the Strait of Kerch in the Northern Black Sea, the Bosporan Kingdom provides an unusual case study within the Hellenistic period. Originally settled by Greeks during the 6th century BC, the Cimmerian Bosporus would become host to a powerful kingdom backed up economically by its massive grain exports to the Mediterranean. For most of its history the kingdom would be headed by the Spartocid Dynasty, a group of Hellenized Thracians who ruled as tyrants and kings until the early 1st century BC, and had close ties with the nomadic Scythian and Sarmatian tribes of the steppe as both enemies and trading partners. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/10/18/053-the-bosporan-kingdom-greeks-of-the-crimea/) Episode 053 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/053-bosporan-kingdom-transcript.pdf) Spartan History Podcast Website: (https://www.spartanhistorypodcast.com/) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/Spartan_History) Apple: (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/spartan-history-podcast/id1489152895) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Though they viewed themselves as the civilized center of the world, the Greeks had always expressed a curiosity for what lay on the periphery. The conquests of Alexander the Great had thrown open the doors of Asia and Africa, lands that were only the stuff of legend and hearsay, to hordes of Greek explorers, scientists, and diplomats. Many would be bankrolled by the Hellenistic rulers, who looked to seize potential trading opportunities or to redefine the civilized world in order to fit their imperial vision. Those like Megasthenes would venture into the humid subtropics of eastern India, while others like Pytheas of Massalia would sail the frigid North Sea around the mysterious island of Thule. In this episode, we will discuss the developments that occurred within the Greek's conception of the "inhabited world", and learn more about the explorers who helped redraw the map during the Hellenistic period. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/09/28/052-mapping-the-oikoumene-explorers-exploration-of-the-hellenistic-world/) Episode 052 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/052-mapping-the-oikoumene-transcript.pdf) Casting Through Ancient Greece Podcast Website: (https://castingthroughancientgreece.com/) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/CastingGreece) Apple: (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/casting-through-ancient-greece/id1495289354) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The world of the nomads who lived upon the Eurasian Steppe would face a radical transformation between the 4th-2nd centuries BC. Originally dominated by the Scythians and Saka, the Pontic-Caspian and Central Asian Steppes saw the migration and invasion of new tribes, sending them on a collision course with the likes of the Seleucid Empire and Greco-Bactrians as they established their own empires, shaking the foundations of the Hellenistic world. In this episode, we will explore steppe society and its history, the relationship of the nomads with the sedentary Greeks, and look at the emergence of future great powers like the Parthians and the Kushans. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/09/13/051-peoples-of-the-steppe-scythians-saka-to-parthians-yuezhi/) Episode 051 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/051-peoples-of-the-steppe-transcript.pdf) The Timur Podcast Website: (https://timurpodcast.com/) iTunes: (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-timur-podcast/id1482938095) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/PodcastTimur) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

With 49 episodes published, I decided to celebrate by making episode 50 a question and answer session, where I respond to topics fielded by listeners of the show. We dive into discussions on favorite history books, how to get into podcasting, and more historical topics like "who was the greatest of Alexander's Successors?" and "who would win in a wrestling match between Socrates and Antigonus the One-Eyed?" Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/08/21/050-a-qa-celebration/) History Books Mentioned: - “The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithridates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy” by Adrienne Mayor - “The Land of the Elephant Kings: Space, Territory, and Ideology in the Seleucid Empire” by Paul Kosmin” - “The Hellenistic Far East: Archaeology, Language, and Identity in Greek Central Asia” by Rachel Mairs” - “Caesar: Life of a Colossus” by Adrian Goldsworthy - “A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914-1918” by G.J. Meyer - “The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease and the End of an Empire” by Kyle Harper - “Soldiers and Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity” by J.E. Lendon - “Alexander the Great” – by Robin Lane Fox Historical Comics/Graphic Novels/Artists: - Alexandra Filipek (https://alexandra.filipek.us/) - Matt Crotts (https://twitter.com/mattcrotts) - Reimena Yee (https://reimenayee.com/alexander-the-great/) -“Conquest: Julius Caesar’s Gallic War” (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1479842225/conquest-julius-caesars-gallic-wars) - "Historie" by Hitoshi Iwaaki Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In this episode, we will be looking at two regions of Asia Minor and the Black Sea: the first is Galatia, home to the descendants of the Celtic tribes who marauded their way through Greece before being settled in central Anatolia, remaining an enclave of Celtic culture while serving as mercenaries (and foes) to the Hellenistic kingdoms. The second is the Odrysian Kingdom of Thrace, a formerly powerful entity along the Bosporus which, underneath the reign of the ambitious King Seuthes III (~330 – 300/295), would attempt to restore their previous greatness during the Wars of the Diadochi. Using these two case studies, we’ll explore the nature of self-identity, what it means to be a “barbarian”, and the successes and failures of Hellenization. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/08/17/049-barbarians-of-the-black-sea-the-galatians-odrysian-thrace/) Episode 049 Transcript: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/049-barbarians-of-the-black-sea-transcript.pdf) Ancient History Hound Podcast Website: (http://www.ancientblogger.com/) Podcast: (https://ancientblogger.libsyn.com/) Twitter: (https://twitter.com/ancientblogger) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)