In the year 536, something very strange happened on planet Earth. The sun was dimmed and temperatures plummeted. This was followed by another apparently inexplicable event. A pandemic of unparalleled proportions struck the eastern Roman Empire. What was going on?? Find out in this episode! For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesautho ... Show More
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
May 2024
The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 89 "Belisarius is Back!"
<p>In 540, the Persians sacked Antioch. It was one of the greatest disasters in Roman history. But in 541, Belisarius was back from Italy. Could he now reverse the situation on the eastern front?</p><p>For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website <a href='https://www.nic ... Show More
28m 38s
May 2024
The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 90 "Three Hundred Heroes"
<p>In 544, Belisarius returned to Italy to fight the Goths. It was his last campaign and the end of his career. But many years later, he was asked by the emperor Justinian to don his armor one more time and save the empire from a new foe!</p><p>For a free ebook, maps and blogs ch ... Show More
25m 18s
Mar 2020
Classic Tides: Plague, Climate, and the End of the Roman World
<p>In light of current events, we are re-posting one of my favorite episodes (from December, 2017) on natural disasters and the fall of the Roman Empire.</p><p>Justinian was the last great Roman emperor, but his reign was plagued by disasters beyond his control: volcanic eruption ... Show More
43m 27s
Aug 2020
The Fall of the Roman Empire
In 476, the last of the Roman emperors in the West was deposed; in 1776, historian Edward Gibbon wrote “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”, and Rome’s fate became a major point of comparison for all empires. In Gibbon's view, instead of inquiring why the Rom ... Show More
39m 40s
Feb 2023
Heliogabalus: Rome’s scandalous emperor
The story of the Roman emperor Heliogabalus is filled with sex, death, decadence and religious extremism, but it also touches on some key questions about imperial Rome. What were the limits of political power? How far should a ruler intervene in the life of his subjects? And what ... Show More
36m 58s
Aug 2023
Attila the Hun: Terror of Rome
<p>Returning to one of the most infamous names in history, what happened to Attila the Hun after the devastation he caused in the Balkans - and where did he turn his attention to next? One of the most powerful, and feared, leaders of history, Attila turned his sights on the West ... Show More
44m 58s