September 2, 31 BCE. Two camps prepare for battle off the coast of Greece. On one side is Octavian, Julius Caesar’s heir apparent. On the other, Marc Antony and his lover, the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. This battle won’t just determine the leader of Rome, but the fate of global civilization. How did Cleopatra wind up in the middle of a Roman game of tug of wa ... Show More
Sep 14
Saladin at the Gates of Jerusalem
September 20, 1187. It’s daytime outside the walls of Jerusalem. Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, ponders his next attack. His troops encircle and lay siege to the city. They vastly outnumber the Crusader knights inside, and Saladin is on the cusp of a victory he never dreamed possi ... Show More
28m 53s
Sep 7
9/11: Rescue on the Water
September 11, 2001. On a clear and sunny day, Captain Richard Thornton is piloting his ferry boat back and forth between New Jersey and New York City. But when he hears an airplane flying too low to the ground, he knows something is wrong. After the World Trade Center’s North Tow ... Show More
26m 36s
Jul 2022
Actium, Baby! (With Barry Strauss)
This week, we’re taking a bit of a detour into a previous, much-loved topic: Marc Antony, Cleopatra, and How it All Went Wrong. In this episode, we return to the beach at Actium with author, historian, and academic Barry Strauss as our tour guide. His new book, The War That Made ... Show More
1h 5m
Jul 2023
Barry Strauss - The War That Made the Roman Empire
In this episode, Barry Strauss joins Cole to discuss his book, The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium. Barry’s book recounts the fierce conflict at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC. The conversation covers the events leading up to the civil war ... Show More
1h 10m
Dec 2019
Cleopatra x Marc Antony: Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Part 4)
As Marc Antony and Cleopatra lived and loved in Alexandria, Octavian whipped up a toxic garbage fire of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia in Rome--and then declared war. Not against Marc Antony, but against Cleopatra. Soon, the lovers would be forced to defend their home, their fa ... Show More
58m 40s
Apr 2022
EP 20 A Republic Lost at Sea
Professor Barry Strauss and Dan talk about Cleopatra, Mark Antony, Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar and a host of historical luminaries in a tale worthy of Shakespeare as the Roman Republic goes down with the ships at Actium. Show Notes: 1. "The War That Made the Roman Empire: Anto ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2024
134. Cleopatra: The Would-Be Empress of Rome
With Julius Caesar dead, Cleopatra turned to another of Rome’s dominant figures. She became entwined with Mark Antony, the ruler of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, but even with their enormous combined power the destructive tendrils of Roman politics were inescapable. Just ... Show More
41m 53s
May 2022
Julius Caesar Part 2: Rendezvous With Cleopatra
Caesar’s campaign in Gaul begins. An invasion on an epic scale, it will also include two missions to the rain-lashed island of Britain. Back home, however, the collapse of the Triumvirate pushes Rome towards civil war. The conflict will spill across the Mediterranean, driving Jul ... Show More
52m 54s
Oct 2019
Cleopatra x Marc Antony: Lovers in a Dangerous Time (Part 1)
Shakespeare wrote about them. Hollywood glamorized them. For thousands of years, they've come down to us as the ultimate star-crossed lovers: the Ptolemaic queen Cleopatra, and the Roman commander Marc Antony. In the wake of Caesar's death, Cleopatra fled to Egypt--and began pick ... Show More
1h 12m