Podcast Episodes

The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War and the March of the 10,000 Greeks

Season 5 Episode 85

The famous Greco-Persian Wars didn't mark the end of the relationship between Persia and Greece, but its beginning. For the next 150 years, the seemingly internal politics of the Greek world became i…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The Samnites and the Alternative to Rome

Season 5 Episode 84

We tend to think of Rome's rise to power in Italy as inevitable, but it was far from guaranteed. Their most fearsome enemies within the Italian peninsula were the Samnites, hill-people from the mount…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

Summer Reading Recommendations

Season 5 Episode 83

It's summer, which means it's time for some pleasure reading! Here are seven books that Patrick is recommending for your next summer reads:

1) Svetlana Alexievich, The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral H…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The Roman Conquest of Italy

Season 5 Episode 82

At the beginning of the 4th century BC, Rome was still not the dominant force in Latium, the small region surrounding the city; by the end of that century, Rome was the dominant power in all of Italy…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

The Great Gender Divergence: Interview with Dr. Alice Evans

Season 5 Episode 81

Gender is one of the fundamental forces structuring our world, but its impact is uneven in time and space. Dr. Alice Evans joins me to talk about the enormous strides toward gender equality that have…

Published on 1 year, 6 months ago

Rome's Patrician Republic

Season 5 Episode 80

By 450 BC, the Roman Republic was beginning to take on the outlines of a form we recognize, with elected magistrates, a Senate, and written laws. But these were hard times for Rome, and there was no …

Published on 1 year, 6 months ago

The Birth of the Roman Republic

Season 5 Episode 79

In 509 BC, the last king of Rome - Tarquinius Superbus - was expelled from the city, and the Republic was born. But what do we actually know about the early years of the Republic? Not much, and what …

Published on 1 year, 6 months ago

The Greatest Dynasty of Medieval France: Interview with Professor Justine Firnhaber-Baker

Season 5 Episode 78

It's been a while since Tides of History has gone to the Middle Ages, and a wonderful new book - House of Lilies: The Dynasty that Made Medieval France - provides us with the opportunity to return. P…

Published on 1 year, 6 months ago

Sicily, Defeat, and the End of the Athenian Empire

Season 5 Episode 77

The Peloponnesian War lasted for nearly 30 years, decades of ceaseless battles, sieges, and human misery that covered the whole of Greece. In the end, Athens' fate was decided not in Greece itself bu…

Published on 1 year, 7 months ago

Understanding the Alien World of Ancient Greece: Interview with Professor Greg Anderson

Season 5 Episode 76

It's often said that the past is a foreign country, where our basic assumptions about how the world is supposed to work don't apply. But what does that mean for the practice of history? Professor Gre…

Published on 1 year, 7 months ago