The History of Byzantium

I speak to Rob and Jamie from the podcast Totalus Rankium. Their show is a light hearted ranking of every Roman Emperor from Augustus to Constantine XI. It's a really fun listen and they include all the amusing stories which I edited out of Byzantine history. They have a sister show where they rank American Presidents. Find both shows here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

Alexander Christie-Miller was the Turkish correspondent for the Times Newspaper between 2010 and 2017. He has written a book called ‘To the City’ about the people who live along the Theodosian Walls in Istanbul today. He tells the story and charts the sweeping changes they've experienced in Turkey over the past 50 years. It's a brilliant read, ideal for those of you who have visited Istanbul or pl...

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In the final episode in this series he answers more of your questions. Amongst the topics we cover are citizenship, class, counter-factuals, academia and AI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In this episode he answers your questions. Including succession mechanisms, taxation, the Senate, usurpers, Belisarius, Maurice and many more topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s update I’m going to tell you about when the narrative is coming back, about podcast tours to Turkey in 2024 and about how Anthony Kaldellis is answering more questions than I told him to. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new book has come out about that most famous of Byzantines. It's called Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint by Peter Sarris and it is excellent. It is not a dramatization of his career but a brilliantly researched account of his life and time in office. Track his evolving thinking through the amazing range of sources we have for his reign and gain a deeper understanding of the interesting times h...

This beautiful map of the Crusader States has just been put on sale. Adomas, the artist, is offering 15% off any map at his store for podcast listeners. Just use the code Byzantium at his online store. mapklimantas.etsy.com ‘The Emperor’ by Matthew Storm: http://tinyurl.com/juj44cdb . The Heraclius story is so epic that it took two books to cover. Book 1 is called the Exarch’s son. And Book 2 is T...

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In our third conversation we walk through the narrative picking out interesting things to talk about. The creation of Constantinople, Justinian's personality, Heraclius' achievements and life under the Sassanian occupation to name a few.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

50 episodes ago Dr Maximilian Lau came on the podcast to talk about John II Komnenos. Max kindly shared his book with me before publication to guide the podcast through John's reign. Now he is back on the show to catch up on the next century of Byzantine history and to give us the great news that the book has been published. The book is 'Emperor John II Komnenos: Rebuilding New Rome 1118-1143' . Y...

Illness Update December 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. In our second conversation we discuss the adoption of Christianity as the Roman religion. How much did Roman society change as a result? Why was early Christianity so riven with disputes? We also talk about the function of the law in Roman society. How did it help define individual rights and responsibili...

Professor Kaldellis' new history of Byzantium is out now in the USA and on Kindle everywhere. He has kindly agreed to talk to us about it across 4 episodes! In this first conversation we discuss the new Roman government that Constantine established in 330AD. What was the 'personality' of government? How did it achieve legitimacy in the eyes of the people? Was it really a Republican Monarchy? ...

Tom Holland is the author of half a dozen brilliant books on the ancient world. He has now written three on the Roman Empire. The latest 'Pax' takes the story from the death of Nero to that of Hadrian. It's the golden age of Roman power and yet insecurity and anxiety lie under the surface. I talk to Tom about how he gains insight into people so utterly different to us.  Hosted on Acast. See a...

October 2023 Update Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

American author Robert Bruton takes us through his Master’s thesis on the role of climate change and plague in the decline of Roman fortunes in the 6th century. He is also writing a trilogy of historical fiction novels about the life of Belisarius.  Find out more about Robert and his work  here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Professor Kaldellis returns to give us his 10 Worst Emperors. He is a Professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Chicago  and the author of dozens of books and articles on key aspects of Byzantine history. Find out more  here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Guardians of Byzantium - Book 2 is now available. Listen for a special offer to get hold of both books today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I talk to historian Adrian Goldsworthy about his new book. It covers the 700 year rivalry between the two great powers of the ancient world. Everything from Crassus having gold poured down his throat to Heraclius returning the True Cross to Jerusalem. Dr Goldsworthy is an award winning historian of the classical world. He has written a dozen books on Greco-Roman topics including biographies of Jul...

I talk to Katherine Pangonis about her new book - Twilight Cities: Lost Capitals of the Mediterranean. In it she travels to Tyre, Carthage, Syracuse, Ravenna and Antioch to tell their stories and experience what remains. It's a fantastic book for those who want to learn more about these ancient power centres and be inspired to visit them. We spoke to Katherine about her first book 'Queens of Jerus...

We look at the stories of three different Romans who had to deal with their city being sacked. Through their experiences we come to a better understanding of the loss felt by those who lived through the fall of Constantinople in 1204. NOT SUITABLE FOR YOUNG EARS.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

June 2023 Schedule Update Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our final batch of questions for this century includes queries about the Hippodrome, diplomatic marriages, national identity and political legitimacy. We also enjoy an update on the Crimea, the Jewish communities of Byzantium and the Varangian Guard. I also talk about the perception of time and rank some dynasties.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We take a look at the pros and cons of the Komnenian system. Then trace why it was causing enough resentment to lead to provincial separatism. We then move on to discuss the army and the bureaucracy and the people of Constantinople. Looking at how each was affecting political stability in the run up to the Fourth Crusade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nathan Websdale is a PHD candidate at Oxford University and President of the Oxford University Byzantine Society. His work is focussed on ethnic identification, social inclusion and self-determination in the Byzantine World, c.1200-c.1230. Nathan graduated with a BA (First Class) in History from Royal Holloway, University of London in 2016 and an MA (Merit) in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies fr...

More questions to tackle this week. Comparing the sack of 1204 to the sack of Rome in 410. Questioning the Byzantine system of succession and the roots of their decline. And pondering whether other Emperors rose to power like Alexios Angelos - on the back of a foreign army.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.