Lost Decades

Fitting for a Halloween episode, the Curse of the Hittites finally strikes and their empire collapses. The Greeks have already fallen and Egypt is barely holding back the Libyan forces and their so-called “sea people” from bursting through the Gates of Ra and plunging the entire world into darkness. Spooky!

An ancient angry text, Olmec heads wearing sports equipment, the first naval battle. We wrap up the final decade of the 13th century with lots of strange and intriguing happenings.

Assyria wins victories against both major powers, Egypt and the Hittites. Neither will reclaim their lost days of glory. The world is shifting under everyone’s feet and the assumptions of the past no longer ring true.

Ozymandius earns his legendary status as pharaoh with a 66 year reign and with many battles under his belt. None less famous than the first recorded battle in history, The Battle of Kadesh; followed by the first recorded peace treaty!

In Egypt Rameses rules, but not the famous one, he’s coming next week. The Hittites follow in their ancestor’s footsteps and move their capital. Adad-nirari claims the title King of Totality, not bad for the upstart Assyrians.

King Tut, finally a king you’ve heard of before! Tutankhamen oversees a stable yet unmemorable reign despite his young age. The Hittites and Assyria grow stronger than ever. The once peaceful lands of the Bronze Age fall into near constant warfare and dispute. (Finally fixed the earlier audio issues, thank you for bearing with us!)

The Amarna period is in full force as we see the religious fanatic Pharaoh Ahkenaten pull Egypt out of the international arena. The Mittani fall and the Hittites win many victories, but will it last?

The worship of Amun-Ra ramps up as Egypt continues it’s Pax Egyptica. Elsewhere the other powers prepare for a major shake up. But mainly everyone is busy marrying their daughters off to Amenhotep.

The Amarna Period is rapidly approaching. Power is coalescing into true Empires. Egypt is in a Golden Age of opulence and peace while the Hittites and Mitani deal with barbarians and rebels, one of whom might have been the legendary Atreus?

The 3 major powers of the Late Bronze Age are really coming into their own. The Napoleon of Egypt squares off against Great Kings of The Hittites and The Mitanni. With Syria and the surrounding regions as the bloody battlegrounds. 

We’re (so) back! And so is the might of Egypt. Hatshepsut reigns for decades as the first powerful woman in recorded history and her successor Thutmose III wages the first recorded battle in history at Megiddo, the site where Armageddon will apparently be fought. In the meantime, enjoy the podcast!

Thutmose does the Thut-most that a pharaoh has ever done. He crosses the Euphrates and in many ways begins a new era of conquest and Empire.

Welcome back to a regular episode of the pod! But we are making up for lost time by covering a half-century! Egypt reclaims lost territory and even expands further than ever before. The mysterious Kassites begin their steady rule over Babylon.

Enjoy this special summer episode about Sumerian Gods and Goddesses. My personal favorite is Enki, but they all have fascinating myths to tell and wondrous temples built in their name. We will be back next week with a normal episode on the years 1550 - 1500. Hope you are all having a Sumerian Summer!

The Bronze Age is settling back into a state of balance as New Kingdom Egypt and Kassite Babylon begin their centuries of rule.  Theban Egypt reasserts its dominance under a succession of warrior-kings and we take a deep dive into the strange history of the Hittites of Anatolia.

The Hittites burst onto the historical scene with a bang with Mirsili’s invasion and sacking of Babylon. But in a moment of historical irony, Hattusa falls into chaos while Babylon begins to rebuild ever stronger under the rule of the mysterious Kassites.

One of the most ancient stories we have is the story of Osiris and Horus which tells of the cycle of life, death and rebirth. This cycle is apparent in the decay and downfall of once-great Babylon and Egypt and the rise of the Hittites and Hyksos.

We dive into what life was like in ancient Egypt and why are there so many dynasties all of a sudden? And what’s up with Hittusa and those cities up in Anatolia? There’s even talk of Civil War Ironclads??

Jump over bulls with the Minoans, watch Egypt split in two, witness the fall of Babylon and the rise of Assyria, the mysterious Sealand Empire and a few more newbies to the scene. Somehow our shortest time frame led to our longest episode yet! Grab some tea and get comfy for this one folks.

In this episode we introduce a new player to the game, the Hittites. We also discuss the chaos and collapse of Babylon after the death of the great Hammurabi.

I wonder if Hammurabi felt as accomplished when he conquered all of Mesopotamia, as I do having released 10 episodes of the podcast. Listen in to learn how he did it against all odds!

While Egypt falls to chaos and upheaval, Mesopotamia sees the mythical reign of Hammurabi and his famous law code.

As the title suggests, this is a time of endings and beginnings. Egypts all-powerful pharaohs fumble their control of all of Egypt. Meanwhile a little tike named Hammurabi is being raised by his father, the King.

As expected it’s Isin vs Larsa during the Isin-Larsa period, which is rapidly coming to a close as the quiet little brother Babylon is rising in the north.

Senusret III represents the peak of Middle Kingdom Egypt while the land between the rivers is a battleground of warring cities.