Podcast Episodes

OS 155 - The Angry Puppet: Shamshi-Adad V

Season 2 Episode 155

The angry and impotent king Shamshi-Adad would accomplish quite little during his reign of the Neo-Assyrian empire, but he would manage to completely annihilate the resurgent Babylonians and set them…

Published on 10 months ago

OS 154 - Assyrian Civil War: Magnate Edition

Season 2 Episode 154

The final years of Shalmaneser III's reign over the Neo-Assyrian Empire, was a pivotal period marked by civil war, political intrigue, and shifting power dynamics. As Shalmaneser aged and relied more…

Published on 10 months, 2 weeks ago

OS 153 - Shalmaneser Delegates Authority

Season 2 Episode 153

The latter half of Shalmaneser's reign is less celebrated, but no less important. We see major campaigns against Urartu, Que, and Parsua, but more importantly we see some of those campaigns led by an…

Published on 10 months, 4 weeks ago

OS 152 - The Smothered Spark of Babylon's Dark Age

Season 2 Episode 152

Today we see the political aspect of Babylon during its dark age, focusing on the 10th to 9th centuries BCE. Highlights are reigns of kings like Nabu-Mukin-Apli, Nabu-Shuma-Ukin, and Nabu-Apla-Iddina…

Published on 11 months, 1 week ago

OS 151 - The Glowing Embers of Babylon's Dark Age

Season 2 Episode 151

Today we talk about why, exactly, Babylon was unique and look at how during this dark age they were still creating unique and interesting literary works. This gets pretty wide ranging, from defense t…

Published on 11 months, 3 weeks ago

OS 150 - The Battle of Qarqar

Season 2 Episode 150

The lead-up to and significance of the first great battle of the iron age. Qarqar changed the equation for the Assyrian empire, which has until now been expanding without serious resistance. We will …

Published on 1 year ago

OS 149 - Shalmaneser Upends the Levant

Season 2 Episode 149

Today we examine the situation in the Levant from the Bronze age Collapse to the entry of the Assyrians, and then follow Shalmaneser's levantine campaigns as they reshape the region through violence …

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

OS 148 - Shalmaneser Takes the Throne

Season 2 Episode 148

A big transition of power as Shalmaneser peacefully takes the crown from his psychotic father, then immediately heads north for some war crimes. Big discussion today about how the Assyrian empire rea…

Published on 1 year, 1 month ago

OS 147 - From the River to the Sea

Season 2 Episode 147

From the Tigris River to the Mediterranian Sea, Assurnasirpal completes the greatest campaign any Mesopotamian king has managed since the time of Sargon the Great, nearly 1500 years prior. Made possi…

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago

The Early History of Near Eastern Cavalry

Bonus episode today, a bit of a crossover with the bronze age stuff I am doing on Youtube about the video game Total War Pharaoh. Despite that, I think it will be of general enough interest to go on …

Published on 1 year, 2 months ago