logo
episode-header-image
Aug 7
39m 29s

The World of Non-Gregorian Calendars: Wh...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Human civilization is far from perfect. Still, it's pretty cool humanity overall agreed on how to measure time (for now). In today's follow-up to an earlier exploration of the Gregorian calendar, Ben, Noel and Max admire the many alternative, non-Gregorian calendars with their own ancient provenance, all of which exist in the modern day. Or modern night? Spoiler, a ton of these are based on the passage of the moon.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Nov 22
CLASSIC: Benjamin Franklin's Advice On "Finding A Mistress"
<p>Founding Father Benjamin Franklin was a man of many interests, but his endeavors were by no means limited to technical innovation, philosophy and politics. In fact, throughout his life he had a reputation as an irredeemable lech -- literally, in later years, a dirty old man -- ... Show More
31m 43s
Nov 20
Wait! Can a tree really own itself?
<p>Do you have a favorite tree? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max head over to the famous college town of Athens, Georgia where -- legend has it -- one guy was so enamored with his childhood oak that he ultimately deeded it to itself. How much of the story is true? Can a tree ... Show More
42m 22s
Nov 18
Doc Holliday Was, In Fact, A Deadly Dentist
<p>Longtime listeners are well-aware that the history of the 'Wild West' is more than a bit... embellished. Yet a grain of truth exists at the heart of almost every legend, and the story of Doc Holliday is no different. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max learn more about Tombs ... Show More
40m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
When was Jesus actually born? Chapter Two: Why December?
Why is the Western world's most famous birthday celebrated on a seemingly-arbitrary date? As Ben, Matt and Noel discover in the second chapter of this special two-part holiday series, the power structures of ancient empires experienced a progression of conspiracies, geopolitical ... Show More
38m 25s
Dec 2024
When was Jesus actually born? Chapter One: An Origin Story
It's December 25th, 2024. Across this wide world, people commemorate one of the most famous birthdays in all of history: the birth of Jesus Christ. Then as now, adherents of Christianity celebrate the coming of the Messiah -- yet why does this holiday occur on a specific date in, ... Show More
44m 51s
Jun 2025
Is there a lost civilization beneath the Persian Gulf?
As one of the world’s most historically important bodies of water, the Persian Gulf is home to fascinating evidence of ancient humanity. In tonight’s episode, Ben, Matt and Noel discover the true story of an ancient civilization lost to antiquity.They don't want you to read our b ... Show More
55m 19s
Sep 2015
Yuval Noah Harari on the myths we need to survive
Myths. We tend to think they’re a thing of the past, fabrications that early humans needed to believe in because their understanding of the world was so meagre. But what if modern civilisation were itself based on a set of myths? This is the big question posed by Professor Yuval ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 2025
Feed Swap: The Ancient World - Ages
Fellow podcaster Scott Chesworth, from The Ancient World has a new season. I’m excited to introduce “The Ancient World – Ages”, a series covering the Early Bronze Age Collapse (c. 2200 BC) and the remaking of Southwest Eurasia. In this feed swap, you’ll hear episode A3 – The King ... Show More
52m 35s
Jul 2023
The Mysterious Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Almost everyone hears about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in grade school. Although the majority of these human-made marvels have been destroyed, their legacy remains in the modern day. And, according to some experts, at least one of these wonders may have never actually ... Show More
47m 25s
Jul 2025
Deep Time: The Tyranny of Time
When you’re on the clock, you’re always running out of time – because in our culture, time is money. The relentless countdown is making us and the planet sick. But clock time isn’t the only kind. There are older, deeper rhythms of time that sustain life. What would it be like to ... Show More
52m 2s
Apr 2025
The Etruscans: everything you wanted to know
Lasting from the ninth century BC right up until Roman conquest in the first century BC, the Etruscans were a powerful ancient civilisation who inhabited Etruria in ancient Italy, and rubbed shoulders with the other iconic ancient cultures of their day. Often painted as a mysteri ... Show More
52m 48s
Oct 29
Göbekli Tepe: How Does Humanity's Most Ancient Monument Work?
In Turkey, a set of prehistoric columns rivals Stonehenge -- but they're 6,000 years older. Learn what we know (and don't know) about the hunter-gatherers who built Göbekli Tepe in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://history.howstuffworks.com/european-histo ... Show More
8m 40s
Feb 2025
The Golden Age of Athens
While the Roman Republic was still in its infancy, the Greek city-state of Athens rose from the ruins of war with the Persians to become the most beautiful and powerful in the region. During this Golden Age, many Athenian citizens enjoyed unprecedented freedoms in the world’s fir ... Show More
55m 50s