The Rise of Marseilles: France's Oldest City
Today it is the second largest city in France. But Marseilles is also the country’s oldest city. Founded at the turn of the 7th century BC by Greek settlers, the ancient history of Marseilles (known to the Greeks as Massalia and the Romans as Massilia) is rich. Strategically positioned close to the River Rhone it soon became a wealthy trading metropolis. Notable names are plenty. Artemis is closely linked with the city’s foundations; the explorer Pytheas hailed from Massalia. And who can forget the great Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca, who passed close by Massalia with his army enroute to Italy in 218 BC.To talk through the early ancient history of Marseilles, from its mythical Greek Mama Mia foundation story to the Battle of Alalia, Dr Joshua Hall returned to the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 Aug 202148min
The Rise of Hannibal
He was one of the greatest enemies the Romans ever faced. An excellent general and a larger-than-life figure, he led an army across the alps and dealt a series of crushing defeats upon the Romans on Italian soil. His achievements have become a thing of legend and his name has become immortalised. He was Hannibal Barca. Hannibal rests amongst antiquity's greatest generals, but how did he rise to become such a stellar commander, leading his men to incredible victories against the then dominant powerhouse in the Mediterranean? In this episode, Dr Louis Rawlings, Dr Adrian Goldsworthy and Dr Eve MacDonald explore the impressive ascent of the Carthaginian general to the status of one of the most famous military leaders in antiquity.The Rise of Hannibal can be found at https://access.historyhit.com/what-s-new/videos/rise-of-hannibal Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 Aug 20211h 5min
Colchester: From Bronze Age to Boudica
It is the one possible case of urbanisation in Britain prior to the arrival of the Romans, and that is just the start of the story of Colchester. In this chat with Tristan, Dr Frank Hargrave from Colchester Museum reveals the city’s long and prestigious ancient history. From the Bronze Age to Boudica. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
19 Aug 202142min
Tacfarinas: The Desert Hydra
He was one of the greatest rebels of Rome from the 1st century AD, but his name is not one you might initially think of. Derided by Roman historians as being little more than a bandit, the truth is very much the opposite. For several years, between 17 and 24 AD, Tacfarinas led a revolt against the Romans in North Africa, sending the province into turmoil and becoming the bane of all troops stationed there to fight him. Several times the Romans believed they defeated Tacfarinas and his Berber followers. Several times they were proved wrong as time after time Tacfarinas emerged from the desert with a new force to wreak havoc on wealthy North Africa. For too long, Tacfarinas’ name has been side-lined in favour of more famous 1st century AD Roman rebels such as Boudica, Arminius and Caratacus. Now we’re going to right that wrong. Joining Tristan on today’s podcast is Dr Jo Ball, an Ancients veteran having been on the show twice before. Together Tristan and Jo talk through the incredible story of Tacfarinas and why he really was ‘the Desert Hydra.’ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 Aug 20211h 4min
Palaces in Paradise: Centres of the Persian World
Persepolis is arguably the most famous ancient site associated with the Achaemenid Persian Empire, but it certainly wasn’t the only administrative centre of this ancient superpower. In this second part of our interview with Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd talks us through some of the other key urban centres of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. From Susa to Ecbatana to Pasargadae.Lloyd is a Professor in Ancient History at Cardiff University. His new book, Persians: The Age of Great Kings, will be out next year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15 Aug 202124min
Pompeii’s Indian Statuette
Among Pompeii’s great wealth of surviving artefacts is one with a rich globe trotting history that only goes to emphasise the interconnected nature of the ancient world: the Pompeii Lakshmi, a small statuette originally crafted in India. But what do we know about this object? Does it really depict Lakshmi? How might it have reached Pompeii? Where in India do we think it was crafted? Laura Weinstein came on the podcast to answer all these questions and talk through what we know about this iconic object. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 Aug 202139min
10 Key Roman Emperors
Love them or loathe them, the Roman emperors were some of the most influential figures in history. In this episode Barry Strauss, Professor of History and Classics at Cornell University, talks through ten of the most important - starting with Augustus and ending at Constantine. Barry’s book, Ten Caesars, is out now. He is also the host of the podcast ANTIQUITAS: https://barrystrauss.com/podcast/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10 Aug 20211h 5min
Sisters at War: The Rise and Fall of Elagabalus
Often found high on the list of Rome’s worst emperors, the short reign of the teenager Elegabalus in the early 3rd century AD is filled with controversy. But it was also a time when several remarkable women came to the fore in the Roman Empire, playing central roles in both the rise and fall of this young emperor. In this podcast late Severan Empresses expert Matilda Brown, currently studying for her PhD at Edinburgh University and old amigo of Tristan, came on the show to shine a light on these female figures: Julia Maesa, Julia Soaemias and Julia Mamaea. From a dramatic battle outside Antioch to a deadly sibling rivalry that ended in bloodshed, this was an awesome chat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 Aug 20211h
