Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast History with Cy
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Greco-Persian Wars - PART VI: Aftermath of the Battle of Salamis an the Road to Plataea | 05 Apr 2026 | 01:11:15 | |
In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Salamis (480 BC), both the Greek city-states and the Persian Empire are left facing a critical question: what comes next? | |||
| The Greco-Persian Wars - PART V: The Sack of Athens and the Battle of Salamis | 10 Sep 2025 | 01:11:23 | |
In 480 BC, following the fall of Thermopylae, the Greek fleet withdrew from Artemisium and regrouped at Salamis. At the same time, Xerxes advanced through Boeotia virtually unopposed, while Athens prepared for evacuation under the so-called Decree of Themistocles. Ancient sources speak of a Persian attempt to plunder Delphi, but modern scholarship generally regards this as later propaganda intended to protect the sanctuary’s reputation. | |||
| The World's First Superpower: Sargon of Akkad and the Mighty Akkadian Empire - Bronze Age History | 01 Mar 2024 | 01:20:04 | |
This is the episode that many of your have been waiting for - a comprehensive, in-depth look at the Akkadian Empire from just before it was created to its mysterious end. Founded by Sargon of Akkad and expanded by his descendants Rimush, Manishtushu and Naram-Sin, the Akkadian Empire was the first hegemonic state and superpower of the early Bronze Age. This program will examine Akkad's beginning, it's rise and expansion to the far corners of the known world, its economy, administration, collapse and legacy. | |||
| Exploring Mycenaean Greece – Culture, Kingdoms and the Historical Context of the Trojan War | 25 Jan 2024 | 01:30:33 | |
In this video we'll journey back to the late Bronze Age and explore Mycenaean Civilization in Greece and the wider Aegean world. We'll also delve into the historical events that may have led to armed conflicts between Mycenaeans and Hittites and that may have ultimately served as the basis for Homer's great epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. | |||
| Babylon: The City at the Center of the World - The Concise History of Babylonia (2000-539 BC) | 17 Jan 2023 | 03:08:29 | |
This program explores the history of the ancient city of Babylon and the land once known as Babylonia. We'll uncover the story of this great city over the course of fifteen centuries and learn about its impact and why it was so beloved as well as hated by so many in the ancient world. We'll also meet an interesting and rather eclectic cast of kings including Hammurabi, Zimri-Lim, Rim-Sin, Samsu-iluna, Marduk-apla-iddina II, Sargon II, Sennacherib, Ashurbanipal, Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar I & II, Nabonidus, Cyrus the Great and many more. | |||
| The Peloponnesian War - PART III: Revolt of Mytilene, Fate of Plataea, Civil War in Corcyra and more | 14 Jul 2022 | 00:26:37 | |
In this third installment of the Peloponnesian War podcast, we take a look at life after Pericles and the years 428 and 427 BC. Leaders of Mytilene's oligarchy have decided that now is the time to leave the Athenian-led alliance. The conflict in Plataea also finally comes to an end while another bloody civil conflict between factions in Corcyra gets out of hand and shocks the Greek world. At the end of it, the Athenians head west to see if they can exert their influence in southern Italy and Sicily. The war is really heading up and who knows where the fires will spread to next! | |||
| The Peloponnesian War - PART II: Pericles' War Begins | 24 Apr 2022 | 00:49:34 | |
War begins! In this episode, we take a look at the start of the great war and the Athenian statesman Pericles' strategy to keep Athens and it's empire safe from the attacks of the Spartan general Archidamos and the Peloponnesian forces. Find out in this episode of the Peloponnesian War Podcast. | |||
| The Peloponnesian War - PART I: The Gathering Storm | 06 Mar 2022 | 00:45:11 | |
This is the first episode of the podcast series on the Peloponnesian War. How did it start? What does Thucydides, the war's great historian, tell us about the reasons and motivations of Athens, Sparta, Corinth and the different parties involved? Could the conflict have been prevented? We'll take a look at these questions and more as we go through the story of the greatest internal conflict of ancient Greek history, the Peloponnesian War! | |||
| Herodotus - A Quick Look at his Life and the Gold-digging Ants of India | 04 Jul 2021 | 00:21:17 | |
Herodotus, arguably the ancient world's greatest historian...or storyteller. Perhaps a bit of both. In this episode, we take a look at his life, where he traveled and see what may have been the source for one of his more fantastical stories, namely the gold-digging ants of India. | |||
| History of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Part II (486-330 BC; Xerxes I - Alexander the Great) | 20 Apr 2021 | 01:00:06 | |
In the second of this two part series on the Achaemenid Persian Empire, we continue with Darius the Great's son, Xerxes and some of the main events of the Greco-Persian wars, and then follow the lives of his successors up to Darius III and the fall of the Achaemenid Empire with its conquest by Alexander of Macedonia, a.k.a. Alexander the Great. | |||
| History of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Part I (550-486 BC; Cyrus the Great - Darius the Great) | 21 Mar 2021 | 01:15:21 | |
In this first of a two-part series, we'll take a concise look at the history of one of the greatest empires in all of antiquity - the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Founded by Cyrus II and expanded by his successors Cambyses II and Darius I, the Achaemenid dynasty would not just go on to rule most of the known world at the time, but also transmit the ideas and innovations of its many subject peoples to from the shores of the eastern Mediterranean to the Indus River valley and beyond. We'll start with examining the Achaemenid's rise to power, the world that they lived in, their religion including Zoroastrianism, and the beginning of their encounters with the Greek-speaking peoples of the Aegean and what would eventually lead to the Greco-Persian wars. | |||
| The Early Amorites of Mesopotamia (2600-1800 BC) | 10 Feb 2021 | 00:21:04 | |
Some of you wanted to know a bit more about the Amorites and they're arrival into Mesopotamia, so I thought I'd do a quick podcast on it. This program will take a look at early references to Amorites in Sumerian, Elbaite and Akkadian documents. <!--more--> | |||
| The Greco-Persian Wars - PART IV: Artemisium, Thermopylae and the Struggle for the Soul of Greece | 25 Jun 2025 | 01:20:25 | |
It is the year 480 BC and the massive army and navy of the Great King of Persiam, Xerxes, is on the move. The Great King himself is personally leading the campaign and eager to witness his armed forces' triumph as they advance through northern and central Greece. | |||
| The Complete and Concise History of the Sumerians and Early Bronze Age Mesopotamia (7000-2000 BC) | 04 Feb 2021 | 01:12:27 | |
The history of ancient Sumer and the Sumerians, from the first notable farming communities to occupy their land to their magnificent cities, innovations, great kingdoms and empires. If you want to get a good grasp of who the Sumerians were, this is the program for you! | |||
| Croesus of Lydia and the Lydians (plus Herodotus' tale of Croesus meeting Solon the Athenian) | 24 Dec 2020 | 00:24:32 | |
In this podcast, we take a look at the fabled king, Croesus of Lydia, at least from the point of view of Greek writers such as Herodotus and Xenophon. Croesus was a king who during his day (r. 560-546 BC) was deemed to have been the wealthiest sovereign in the world. However, he lost it all to the Persian king Cyrus the Great while finally learning the lesson that the great Athenian sage, Solon, was trying to convey to him. It's an interesting tale and fun to examine. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/historywithcy) | |||
| Cambyses II and the Persian Conquest of Egypt (Achaemenid Persian Empire) | 03 Dec 2020 | 00:16:48 | |
The Achaemenid king, Cambyses II of Persia, was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great. Though Cyrus is lauded by friend and foe alike as the ideal ruler, his son Cambyses in many written sources has been portrayed as just the opposite - a cruel, intolerant and unjust tyrant. But are these accusations true or simply the result of anti-Persian propaganda that was spread by some of their dissatisfied subject peoples, most notably in Egypt? Most of what we know about Cambyses II comes from his time in Egypt, which we'll take a look at here to see if we can determine just who the real Cambyses II of Persia was. | |||
| Cyrus the Great and the Birth of the Achaemenid Persian Empire | 22 Oct 2020 | 00:41:19 | |
With this video we start a series of programs and podcasts all dealing with ancient Persia and the beginnings of the Achaemenid Persian Empire of Cyrus II, better known to the world as Cyrus the Great. We'll first take a quick look at the history of the region around the time when the first Iranian tribes entered the region, followed by the Medes and how they laid the groundwork for the rise of one of history's greatest rulers, Cyrus the Great, founder of Persian Achaemenid Empire. We'll also examine a good deal of the primary sources (such as the works of Herodotus, Babylonian chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, etc.) that help us to put together a better picture of who Cyrus was. You will not want to miss this episode! | |||
| The Neo-Elamite Period - Elam vs. Assyria (1100 - 550 BC) | Supplemental Podcast #6 | 30 Sep 2020 | 00:42:01 | |
In this podcast we cover the last centuries of what was once an independent and powerful Elam. During what's known as the Neo-Elamite period (1100-550 BC), Elam went on a steady decline until it's near destruction at the hands of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. This is the story of the last kings of Elam and the final end of their conflict with the peoples and empires of neighboring Babylonia and Assyria. | |||
| Popular Religion in Canaan and the Levant (Bronze Age Canaanite Religion) | 29 Jul 2020 | 00:20:49 | |
I thought it'd be a good idea to take some time and discuss the basic religious beliefs and practices that were prevalent in ancient Canaan and the Levant during the Bronze Age. In this program, you'll learn about the basics of how Canaanite religion developed as well as how it impacted the lives of the people who practiced this form of worship. | |||
| Dark Days in Babylon - The Lost Centuries (1021-732 BCE) | 08 Jul 2020 | 00:19:30 | |
This podcast is for all of your fans of Babylonian history! In it, we take a look at the some of the most obscure centuries in Babylonian history and the events as well as the dynasties that shaped them, namely the Second Dynasty of the Sealand, the Bazi Dynasty, the Elamite Dynasty and the mysterious Dynasty of E. This is the history of Babylon that you were not taught in school. | |||
| The Early Medes and the Median Empire (History of Ancient Iran) | 19 Jun 2020 | 00:28:01 | |
In this video podcast, we'll take a look at one of the most overlooked peoples of ancient history, the Medes, and reconstruct their early history using Assyrian, Babylonian and Greek sources, namely Herodotus (the Medes don't have any primary sources of their own). It was the Medes and the Median Empire that laid the foundation upon which the Achaemenid Persian Empire of Cyrus the Great and his descendants rested upon. | |||
| The Amarna Letters - Conversations between Kings and Canaanites | 31 May 2020 | 00:25:24 | |
I thought that this might be a fun topic for those of you who are into examining ancient primary sources. For those of you who may not know, the Amarna Letters are a collection of 14th century BCE correspondence between three pharaohs of Egypt and other great kings or their vassals and mayors in the Levant. They're interesting and actually fun to read for what they reveal about international relations in the Near East during the period. The program is divided up into the following sections: 0:00 - Introduction to the Amarna Letters | |||
| Life of a Scribe in Mesopotamia, Scribal Schools and the Ultimate Ancient Diss Track | 11 Apr 2020 | 00:19:04 | |
Scribes played an extremely important role in the history of the ancient world, especially in Mesopotamia. As purveyors of the written word, they were responsible for all sorts of tasks - recording knowledge, drafting and writing edicts for their rulers, copying works of ancient literature, keep tab of grain inventories, writing up contracts between different parties, solving everyday mathematical problems, translating documents and much more. In this episode, you'll get a glimpse of the world of scribes in Mesopotamia - and hear what may be the equivalent of the oldest diss track in ancient history. | |||
| The Greco-Persian Wars - PART III: Eve of the Great Invasion (490-480 BC) | 17 Jan 2025 | 00:47:21 | |
In this episode, we’ll explore the critical decade between the Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC and Xerxes’ invasion of Greece in 480 BC—a period that shaped the course of the Greco-Persian Wars. Following their defeat at Marathon, the Persians, under King Darius I, began preparing for a renewed campaign, but internal challenges, including rebellions and Darius’ death in 486 BC, delayed their plans. | |||
| The Empire of Aksum (Axum) | 11 Apr 2020 | 00:10:01 | |
The Kingdom and later Empire of Aksum (also spelled Axum) was one of late antiquity's most influential, wealthiest and powerful states. The Aksumites built incredible monuments, minted their own gold coins, traded with lands as far away as India and China, and were influential in spreading Christianity throughout eastern Africa. They are also arguably the people from whom the inhabitants of modern Ethiopia and Eritrea draw their cultural and religious identity from. Check out the video to see what the Empire of Aksum was and why it's so important to the history of Africa and the world. | |||
| The Epic of Ancient Assyria - 004 - Adad-nirari I, Shalmaneser I and Tukulti-Ninurta I | 24 Mar 2020 | 00:27:39 | |
In the fourth podcast of the series "The Epic of Ancient Assyria," the story of Assyria's rise continues with Adad-nirari I, Shalmaneser I and powerful and eccentric Tukulti-Ninurta I and his conflict with Babylon. | |||
| The Epic of Ancient Assyria - 003 - The Middle Assyrian Empire (Beginnings) | 07 Mar 2020 | 00:14:21 | |
In the third podcast of the series "The Epic of Ancient Assyria," we continue where we left off and take a look at the beginnings of what's known as the Middle Assyrian period. The star of this show is the ambitious king, Ashur-uballit I. He basically takes Assyria from a petty kingdom that has just attained its independence and turns it into a respectable regional power. He also set the foundation for what would become the Middle Assyrian Empire. Check out the episode for details. | |||
| The Epic of Ancient Assyria - 002 - Ashur during the Age of Shamshi-Adad | 19 Feb 2020 | 00:21:00 | |
In the second podcast of the series, we examine the life of the Amorite king, Shamshi-Adad and his reign as king of Assyria. Who was this man and why is he so important in the annals of Assyrian history? Check out this episode to find out! | |||
| The Epic of Ancient Assyria - 001 - Early Assyria and the Anatolian Merchant Colonies | 10 Feb 2020 | 00:24:25 | |
In this podcast episode of The Epic of Ancient Assyria, we'll take a look at the beginnings of the Assyrian people, their early kings and life in the city of Ashur and the Anatolian colonies. | |||
| The Greco-Persian Wars - PART II: The Aegean Campaigns and the Battle of Marathon (492-490 BC) | 20 Dec 2024 | 00:46:03 | |
In the last episode of this series, we covered the rise of the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great and its expansion into Anatolia and the eastern Aegean, including the predominantly Greek-speaking region of Ionia. Though much of Ionia prospered under their new overlords, in 499 BC, the Ionians revolted with their help of their allies, including the city-states of Athens and Eritrea. By 493 BC, what become known as the Ionian Revolt had been crushed, and order restored to the western fringes of the Persian Empire. However, the empire’s king, Darius I, vowed to punish Athens and Eretria for their involvement in the uprising. The Great King of Persia sent several of his most trusted commanders to subdue both city-states and any others who opposed him, resulting in the first major armed encounter in Europe between the Greeks and Persians on the plains of Marathon. | |||
| The Greco-Persian Wars - PART I: The Rise of Persia and the Ionian Revolt (550-493 BC) | 25 Nov 2024 | 00:58:32 | |
The great conflict that we know today as the Greco-Persian Wars between a few independent city-states of ancient Greece and mighty Achaemenid Persian Empire is, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating and consequential in all of history. More than just battles for territory and glory - they were clashes of culture, ideology, and power between East and West. The war saw legendary figures such as Leonides, The Great King Xerxes, Themistocles, Darius the Great, Miltiades, Mardonius, Artemisia, Kleomenes, and countless others in action. Since most accounts of the conflict available to us come from Greek and Roman historians and writers of antiquity such as Herodotus, Plutarch, Diodorus Siculus, Aeschylus, the traveler Pausanias, Justin and others, our modern perspective is often shaped by their portrayal of a struggle between the freedom-loving Greeks and the tyrannical rulers of Achaemenid Persia—a narrative further popularized by films like 300. However, as we will explore, the reality was far more complex. | |||
| The Concise History of Ancient Canaan and the Canaanite Peoples (c. 7000-539 BC) | 15 Sep 2024 | 01:27:59 | |
This is the episode that several of you have requested – a one stop shop on the history of ancient Canaan and its people, the Canaanites. In this program we’ll look at the history of this region and how it developed from the Bronze Age, Canaan’s relationship with Egypt and other parts of the world, and various Canaanite kingdoms such Moab, Edom, Ammon, Israel and Judah, as well as the Phoenician cities of Sidon, Tyre and Byblos. If you want a general history of ancient Canaan and the Canaanite people, then this program is for you. | |||
| An Introduction to Archaic Greece (c. 750-500 BC) | 14 Jun 2024 | 00:36:30 | |
In this video we'll take a look at the pivotal period of Greek history known as the Archaic Period. It's this time frame that gave rise to the polis, hoplite warfare, increased colonization around the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, oligarchies, tyrannies and lot of other really interesting aspects of life in the Greek-speaking world from 750-500 BC. | |||
| Scattered Candles in the Night – Civilization during the Greek Dark Age (c. 1100-750 BC) | 13 Jun 2024 | 00:23:05 | |
The Greek Dark Age, spanning roughly from 1100 to 750 BC, marks a mysterious chapter in the history of ancient Greece. Characterized by a sharp decrease in population, the abandonment of the once might Mycenaean palatial centers, disruption of trade networks, the loss of literacy and a steep decline in artistic endeavors, this time period was generally one of economic hardship and political fragmentation. However, amidst the darkness there were pockets of prosperity and social changes that eventually allowed for the rise of powerful Greek city-states and the dawn of Archaic Greek civilization. | |||
| Darius the Great: The Life and Times of the Great King of Persia in his Own Words | 19 Mar 2024 | 00:45:00 | |
In this program we'll take a look at the illustrious life of the great Persian King of Kings, Darius I, also known as Darius the Great. Regarded by many as the most powerful ruler of the Achaemenid Dynasty of ancient Iran, Darius I is also amongst its most controversial. We'll dive deeper into the life of great king, the contentious debate about his rise to power, and ultimately examine the words of Darius himself about his these and other aspects of his life and beliefs. | |||