Edges of Empire: The Sasanian Frontiers
The Ancients21 Tammi 2021

Edges of Empire: The Sasanian Frontiers

For centuries, arguably the greatest external threat the Roman Empire faced came from the East. From the Sasanian Persian Empire. With its nucleus situated in Iran, at its height the Sasanian Empire was one of antiquity’s most formidable kingdoms, controlling lands that stretched from the Hindu Kush to the River Euphrates. Like the Romans, the Sasanians had to deal with various potential threats. From the north, from the lands of the steppe east and west of the Caspian Sea, nomadic peoples such as the Huns would become renowned for descending on Roman and Sasanian territories and wreaking havoc. And so, on the edges of their empire, the Sasanians constructed frontiers of various forms. For military purposes, yes. But also for economic and political purposes as will be explained.


In this podcast, we’re going to look at some of these Sasanian frontiers. From a dominating fort a ‘top an alpine gorge in the Caucusus to a barrier that makes Hadrian’s Wall pale in comparison. To talk through this incredible topic, I was delighted to be joined by Dr Eve MacDonald from the University of Cardiff. Alongside her research on the Sasanian Empire and its frontiers, Eve has also done work surrounding the ancient history of Carthage and of North Africa. She is the author of ‘Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life’.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(607)

Leonidas: King of Sparta, Hero of Thermopylae

Leonidas: King of Sparta, Hero of Thermopylae

In 480 BC, at the narrow pass of Thermopylae, a vastly outnumbered Greek force prepares to face the advancing army of the Persian king Xerxes. At its head stands Leonidas, king of Sparta, ready to mak...

22 Maalis 1h 3min

What if the Ides of March Failed?

What if the Ides of March Failed?

What if Julius Caesar had survived the Ides of March? This episode explores his last known plans — vast eastern campaigns, sweeping reforms, and his visions for Rome’s future. Could he have rivalled A...

19 Maalis 1h 3min

Herodotus: The Father of History

Herodotus: The Father of History

What drove Herodotus to write the first great story of history? Tristan Hughes speaks with Dr. Roel Konijnendijk to uncover the world of Herodotus of Halicarnassus - the traveler, investigator, and st...

15 Maalis 48min

The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians

Three thousand years ago, Phoenician ships sailed west across the Mediterranean, their holds packed with pottery, wine and enslaved people to trade. Passing beyond the fabled Pillars of Heracles, they...

12 Maalis 1h 3min

Bronze Age Star Map: The Nebra Sky Disk

Bronze Age Star Map: The Nebra Sky Disk

In 1999, a mysterious bronze disc buried for millennia in central Europe transformed how we see the prehistoric world. The Nebra Sky Disk - forged 3,600 years ago - is the oldest known depiction of th...

8 Maalis 50min

The Age of Dinosaurs with Henry Gee

The Age of Dinosaurs with Henry Gee

Before Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops, Earth was rebuilding from catastrophe. Out of the ashes of the Great Dying rose a new prehistoric world and with it came the age of the dinosaurs.In this episode ...

5 Maalis 1h 17min

Ramesses the Great: Death of a Dynasty

Ramesses the Great: Death of a Dynasty

“Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.” Ramesses II reigned as Egypt's unchallenged champion for more than sixty years. But within decades the dynasty of Egypt’s greatest pharaoh had fallen apart....

1 Maalis 56min

Alexander the Great | Lord of Asia

Alexander the Great | Lord of Asia

As friendships fracture and old alliances break, Tristan Hughes and Dr Adrian Goldsworthy chronicle the epic downfall of Alexander the Great. Alexander’s relentless campaigns from Bactria to Babylon p...

26 Helmi 1h 16min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
rss-ikiuni
totuus-vai-salaliitto
konginkangas
tsunami
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rouva-diktaattori
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rss-peter-peter
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
apinan-vuosi
rss-kikka-forever
historian-nurkkapoyta
rss-outoja-uutisia-pohjois-suomesta