In May 540, Belisarius captured Ravenna from the Goths and took prisoner the Gothic king Wittigis. But before he could destroy the Gothic kingdom completely, he was recalled to Constantinople to face the invading Persians. In the next few years, a new Gothic king - Totila - would retake most of Italy. For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nic ... Show More
Apr 2024
The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 86 "The Sack of Antioch"
<p>In May 540, the unthinkable happened. The Persian shah, Chosroes, burned the Roman Empire's second city, Antioch, to the ground and butchered or enslaved its inhabitants. How did this catastrophe happen? Find out here!<br/><br/></p><p>For a free ebook, maps and blogs chec ... Show More
26m 11s
May 2024
The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 88 "Burying the Dead"
<p>In the summer of 541, bubonic plague struck the Roman Empire. Known as the Justinianic Plague, it would be just as bad as the Black Death that 800 years later devastated Medieval Europe. Find out what happened here!</p><p>For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website < ... Show More
21m 21s
Oct 2020
Crassus and the Battle of Carrhae: The Defeat of Rome
<p>Gareth Sampson, author of <em>Defeat of Rome in the East:</em> <em>Crassus, the Parthians, and the Disastrous Battle of Carrhae, 53 BC</em> came on the podcast to provide an in depth account of Marcus Crassus’ disastrous campaign east of the Euphrates River in 53 BC. Gare ... Show More
57m 22s
Aug 11
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT - 'The End of Antiquity' Book 5 in The Fall of the Roman Empire
Although I’m no longer making new episodes of this podcast, I thought you might be interested in my latest book, called The End of Antiquity, which relates particularly well to the content in this podcast since it’s about the rise of Islam in the seventh century AD and the collap ... Show More
1m 53s
Feb 2025
537. Emperors of Rome: Claudius, Paranoia and Poison (Part 4)
Following the bloody assassination of the twenty-eight year old Emperor Caligula, Rome found herself without a leader. Who then should fill the enormous power vacuum left by the death of an emperor? Should Rome return to a Republic? Then, one overlooked candidate - a scion of the ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 2024
Episode #216 - Did the Siege of Constantinople Even Happen? (Part I)
When the capital of the Roman empire was moved from Rome to the city of Constantinople, the city on the Bosporus strait became one of the most important places on planet earth. One top being the heart of Roman religious, political, and cultural life for a millennium, the city had ... Show More
1h 14m