The Western Traditions Podcast

Episode XIB.017 - The Story of Jacob: Part Three

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 17:26:45 -0400

Jacob reaches the middle of his life and comes into conflict with Laban, his father-in-law. He gathers his wives and household and returns to the Promised Land. Digressions on repetition in Scripture and the flexible morality of the Patriarchs.

Episode XIB.016 - The Story of Jacob: Part Two

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:09:48 -0400

Jacob begins his odyssey, traveling to the lands of the East, where his uncle Laban and his cousins live. The fragile youth becomes a man. He marries Leah and Rachel, and has numerous children through them and their handmaids.

Episode III.23 - The Third Punic War: African Apocalypse

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 18:20:49 -0400

Carthago delenda est. Marcus Cato dies before he can see his apocalyptic dream come true. Scipio Aemilianus rises to the office of consul and leads the Roman legions in their final assault on the city of Carthage.

Episode III.22 - Marcus Cato and the Decline of the Roman Republic

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 22:50:08 -0400

Marcus Cato makes memorable observations on the decline of Roman traditions. Wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer men. The author reflects on the changing nature of the Roman upper and lower classes and on the decline of the moral order in Republican Rome after the Second Punic War.

Episode III.21 - Greek Culture and Roman Society

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 15:09:30 -0400

The victors of the Macedonian wars bring back more than treasure and tribute. Greek culture flows into Roman society. Men like Flamininus and Aemilius Paulus embrace it. Marcus Cato reviles this Greek immigration of values and ideas.

Episode XIB.015 - The Story of Jacob: Part One

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 10:53:26 -0400

The scriptures transition from the grand story of Abraham to the very human, realistic story of a family torn, a dying father, a scheming mother and two brothers in conflict. The tale of Jacob and Esau begins.

Episode III.20 - The Second Punic War VI: The Invasion of Africa

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 22:56:37 -0400

Scipio and Hannibal finally come face to face in Africa. Carthage is totally defeated. The Roman Senate takes another step to becoming the governing body of the known world.

Episode III.19 - The Second Punic War V: The War in Spain

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 13:53:57 -0400

Publius Cornelius Scipio the Younger, someday to be known as Scipio Africanus, engages and defeats the Carthaginians in Spain. He stands for election to the consulship, demanding the right to carry the war into Africa. The charismatic young hero is elevated to high command. Hannibal, worn down, lingers on in Italy. Fabius Maximus and Marcellus both die before they can see the war to its end.

Episode IX.06 - The Tyranny of Mediocrity

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:06:36 -0400

In which the speaker meanders from topic to topic, skirts dangerously close to misogyny, espouses various unorthodox viewpoints and talks a lot about sex. Mostly, though, he rages against the walls of the prison that he built around himself.

Episode III.18 - The Second Punic War IV: The Deadlock Years

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 17:06:30 -0300

The Second Punic War spreads into Greece, Sicily, Africa and Spain. The Illyrian Wars and the Macedonian Wars break out. Fabius and Marcellus are not alone among the men who come forward to serve Rome in this moment of need. Publius Cornelius Scipio dies fighting deep in Carthaginian territory in Spain. His son, who will someday become known simply as Scipio Africanus, is sent to salvage Roman security in the region.

Episode III.17 - The Second Punic War III: To the Defeat at Cannae

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:55:09 -0300

Rome commits to the war, raising more troops than ever before and pushing the limits of their constitution. Hannibal is victorious over Rome again and again. Fabius Maximus manages to slow the destruction, until Carthage's greatest general finally obliterates Rome's largest army at the battle of Cannae.

Episode III.16 - The Second Punic War II: The War Begins

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:28:57 -0300

Hannibal sacks the Roman-allied city of Saguntum. Rome and Carthage officially declare war. The Gauls rebel in northern Italy. Hannibal marches eastward to glory or defeat.

Episode III.16 - The Second Punic War II: The War Begins

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 21:51:08 -0300

Hannibal sacks the Roman-allied city of Saguntum. Rome and Carthage officially declare war. The Gauls rebel in northern Italy. Hannibal marches eastward to glory or defeat.

Episode III.15 - The Second Punic War I: A Violent Interlude

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:49:26 -0300

This episode covers the fragile peace after the First Punic War, focusing on Carthage’s internal rebellions, Hamilcar Barca’s campaigns in Spain, and Rome’s expansion in northern Italy.

It introduces key figures like Hamilcar, young Hannibal, Fabius Maximus, and Marcus Claudius Marcellus, and explains how political, military, and social changes set the stage for the Second Punic War.

Episode XIB.014 - Genesis 20-26: Abraham and Isaac

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 18:55:08 -0300

Abraham and Isaac as types of God the Father and His son, Jesus. The love story of Isaac and Rebecca. The death of Abraham and Sarah.

Episode XIB.013 - Genesis 21-22: The Birth of Isaac

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 16:00:20 -0300

Isaac is finally born to Sarah. Almost immediately, Abraham‘s legacy is threatened when God commands him to sacrifice his newborn son.

Episode XIB.012 - Genesis 18-19

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:56:59 -0300

Abraham meets the Holy Trinity by the sacred trees of Mamre. Lot is saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Episode XIB.011 - Genesis 15-17: The Covenant

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 18:37:58 -0300

Abram deepens his relationship with God. Rituals of animal sacrifice and human circumcision seal the covenant. Abram becomes Abraham, the father of nations.

Episode III.14 - The First Punic War III - To the Peace of Catullus

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 22:30:46 -0300

Rome fights on until Carthage must beg for peace. Catullus and Hamilcar Barca.

Episode III.13 - The First Punic War II: To the Invasion of Africa

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 19:49:56 -0300

Rome and Carthage come face-to-face for the first time. Carthage sees the war in terms of profit and loss. Rome sees only the matter of honor. The Romans dare to build a fleet to cross the ocean that belongs to their enemy and to bring the war to Carthage.

Episode III.12 - The First Punic War I: Prelude to War

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 01:01:57 -0300

Hiero of Syracuse is the unknowing third-wheel in an increasingly vicious relationship between two superpowers. By 264 BC, he is already lost in the background, as Rome and Carthage finally square off to decide, not just who controls the Mediterranean, but who owns the future.

Every man thinks of Rome at least once per day but once-great Carthage is less than a memory.

Episode III.11 - Carthage

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 22:52:10 -0300

A look at the great counterpart of the Roman Republic: Carthage. How the Phoenicians colonized the Western Mediterranean and what little else we can learn about this ancient culture that the Romans destroyed completely by the end of the Punic Wars. A meditation on child-sacrifice in ancient cultures.

Episode III.10 - The Conquest of Italy

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 22:05:44 -0300

The Romans expand beyond their central Italian limits. In the 4th and 3rd century BC, they conquer their enemies and allies in central and southern Italy. They are led by consuls like Publius Decius Mus, who sacrificed his own life to give Rome victory. But every Roman soldier shows himself to be both valiant and indomitable.

Episode III.09 - The Early Roman Republic

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 14:25:09 -0300

The stories of three heroes of the early Roman Republic: Coriolanus, Cincinnatus and Camillus. The struggle between the social classes is known as the Conflict of Orders.

Episode XIB.010 - Genesis 14

Tue, 17 Jun 2025 10:59:07 -0300

Abram rescues Lot. Melchizedek celebrates a type of the Eucharist. A look at Jewish, pagan and Christian ceremonies. The identity of Melchizedek. The long life of Shem, son of Noah.

Episode III.11 - Carthage

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 14:52:26 -0300

Episode I.03 - Introduction to Prehistory

Thu, 29 May 2025 14:42:54 -0300

The history before history. For most of human existence, there was no such thing as writing. Yet our ancestors did leave records and remains that we can study to learn more about the human past.

Episode I.02 - Introduction to the Ancient World

Wed, 21 May 2025 14:45:31 -0300

History and prehistory. Before the dawn of writing, the human past is shrouded in darkness. The episodes of the Ancient World explore events before and just after the rise of civilization.

Episode III.10 - The Conquest of Italy

Tue, 13 May 2025 18:00:39 -0300

Episode III.09 - The Early Roman Republic

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 20:52:27 -0300

The stories of three heroes of the early Roman Republic: Coriolanus, Cincinnatus and Camillus. The struggle between the social classes is known as the Conflict of Orders.

Episode XIB.009 - Genesis 12-13

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:13:28 -0300

God establishes a covenant with Abram. The journey to Egypt. Altars in Canaan.

Episode III.08 - Introduction to the Roman Republic

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:08:42 -0300

In the eighth episode of the Roman series of the Western Traditions Podcast, we embark on a journey back to 509 BC when the Roman Republic was born from the ashes of monarchy. Discover how the Senate, patricians, and consuls shaped the nascent Republic amid a tumultuous landscape of political intrigue and warfare. We delve into the military might of early Rome, its societal structure, and the legislative foundation laid by the Twelve Tables. Brimming with tales of valor, justice, and social evolution, this episode unveils the resilience and strategies that propelled a small city-state toward greatness.

Episode XII.05 - The First Lesson

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 15:09:00 -0300

How to teach the first lesson of the Western Traditions curriculum.

Episode I.01 - The General Prologue

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 18:45:15 -0300

The introduction to the Western Traditions podcast. The Great Books of the Western World and the Bible. The great men and women of western civilization.

Episode III.07 - The Roman Kingdom

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 16:48:16 -0300

The seven kings of Rome. Numa Pompilius succeeds Romulus. The line of kings ends with Tarquinius Superbus. Some background on Roman institutions, practices and vocabulary.

Episode III.06 - The Foundation of Rome

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 13:29:17 -0400

The story of Romulus and Remus. With the capture of the Sabine women, Rome expands territorially and biologically. The birth of the glory of Rome.

Episode XIB.008 - Genesis 10 and 11

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 15:48:31 -0400

The Table of Nations. The Tower of Babel. Introduction to Abram. Genealogy and numerology in the Bible. God brings diversity to humanity.

Episode XII.004 - The Study Method III: Introduction to Outlines

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 14:52:15 -0400

Using outlines to enhance study.

Episode III.05 - Roman Mythology II: Ovid’s Metamorphoses

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:45:14 -0400

Our souls are deathless, but nothing retains its own form. Thus speaks Pythagoras in this long and winding tale that combines ancient myth and history. Through a Roman lens, we read of Jupiter, Juno, Neptune, Hercules, Ulysses and more, coming right down to the advent of the Roman Empire.

Episode III.04 - Roman Mythology I: Roman Religion

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 14:20:05 -0400

The gods through the eyes of the earliest Romans. The Indo-European religious inheritance. Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Minerva. The precision and discipline of Roman religious practice. The ties to early Christianity.

Episode XIB.007 - Genesis 6:1-9:29

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 13:11:05 -0400

God chastises the world with the Flood. Only Noah and his family are spared. A breakdown of symbols and morality in the flood narrative.

Episode II.42 - Greek Twilight

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 13:35:02 -0400

Pyrrhus, Greek king and general, fights the Roman tide that threatens to wash over the entire Greek world. The Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt flourish and endure. The Maccabees revolt in Judea and start the Hasmonean dynasty of kings in Jerusalem.

Episode II.41 - The Rise of the Diadochi

Fri, 29 Nov 2024 12:01:04 -0400

Alexander the Great dies and leaves behind a fragmented world of multi-cultural states led by Greek soldiers. The Hellenistic period which follows brings western ideas in to East. More than anything, it paves the way for Eastern religions, like Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity, to infiltrate the West.

Episode II.40 - Alexander the Great: The Conquest of Asia

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 23:02:55 -0400

Alexander the Great at the Battle of Granicus, the Battle of Issus and at Gaugamela. Jerusalem and Gaza. The Temple of Ammon in Egypt. His horse Bucephalus. His strategos Parmenio. Darius III flees to the East.

Episode II.39 - Alexander the Great: Hegemon of Greece

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 16:24:00 -0300

The youth of Alexander the Great. His strange mother Olympias. His friends Ptolemy, Nearchus and others. Cleopatra , Darius III and the fall of Thebes.

Episode III.03 - The Aeneid

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 15:24:04 -0300

Virgil writes of Aeneas and the Trojan origins of Rome. The tale is both distinctively Roman and notably Greek. Heroes such as Odysseus and Achilles are recalled, as are monsters such as Scylla and Cerberus. The relationship between Roman mythology and Greek myths.

Episode II.38 - Introduction to the Hellenic Period

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 14:53:22 -0300

Phillip II of Macedonia. Alexander the Great. The Sacred Band of Thebes. A brief digression on Greek sexuality. Olympias. Leuctra, Mantinea, Chaeronea. Epaminondas. Pelopidas

Episode XIB.006 - Genesis 4:17 - 5:32

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:22:36 -0300

Exitus and Reditus. The theology of the genealogies in the Bible.

Episode II.37 - Greek Philosophy VI: Aristotle

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 15:01:21 -0300

The philosophical works of Aristotle. Metaphysics, Ethics and Politics.

Episode IX.05 - Sympathy for the Bully: Part One - Sit and Listen

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 13:03:13 -0300

Who is rewarded by the school system? Who benefits from the regimentation? Who benefits from the system of alienation? The child who sits still. The child who is quiet. The child who keeps his hands to himself. The child who doesn’t ask to go outside. We are trained to be docile from day one.

Episode XII.003 - The Study Method II

Thu, 22 Aug 2024 13:39:34 -0300

The next step up in sophistication with regard to note-taking.

Episode II.36 - Greek Math

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 23:15:43 -0300

Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes and more. Over the centuries, the ancient Greeks separate Mathematics and other fields of study from philosophy.

Episode II.35 - Greek Science II: Introduction to Aristotle

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:37:53 -0300

The Aristotelian contribution to Greek Science. Defining first principles. Substance, Accidents and the nature of being.

Episode XII.002 - The Study Method I

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:53:54 -0300

Asking questions about your reading projects to increase retention of information. The power of handwriting. Avoiding negative input during the early stages of learning.

Episode XIB.005 - Genesis 4:1-16

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:06:23 -0300

The blood of thy brother cries out to me from the earth! The typology of Abel and Christ.

Episode II.34 - Greek Philosophy V: Plato’s Republic

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 13:32:58 -0300

Socrates envisions a just society in which men and women are equals, and all are suited perfectly for their station in life. But is the cost of this just society too high? Censorship, lies and eugenics in the philosophy of Plato.

Episode II.33 - Greek Philosophy IV: The Death of Socrates

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 16:39:41 -0300

From his jail cell in Athens, Socrates makes his last argument in defense of the immortal soul. Death as separation of body and soul. The essences of Beauty, Justice and more. The perfection and purity of the soul.

Episode XIB.004 - Genesis 3

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 14:06:41 -0300

Adam and Eve listen to the serpent, and suffer exile from Paradise as a consequence. Adam, Eve, the tree and the serpent prefigure Christ, Mary, the cross and Satan.

Episode II.32 - The Anabasis of Xenophon

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 13:51:02 -0300

Xenophon disregards the advice of Socrates and joins the army of Cyrus the Younger. When Cyrus dies in combat against his brother, Artaxerxes, King of Persia, Xenophon and others lead ten thousand Greek soldiers on a long retreat home.

Episode XIB.003 - Genesis 2:4 - 25

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 11:32:15 -0300

Made from earth, and from each other, man and woman meet in Paradise. The meaning of marriage. The eschatology of Genesis.

Episode X.002 - Paleo-American Origins I: The Beringia Theory

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 13:36:25 -0300

The Beringia Theory. Clovis points and the extinction of the megafauna.

Episode XIB.002 - Genesis 1:1 - 2:3

Thu, 30 May 2024 13:00:45 -0300

The creation of the world in seven days. Allegory and Anagogy. The textual loop of Scripture.

Episode II.31 - Greek Philosophy III: The Trial of Socrates

Fri, 24 May 2024 15:54:31 -0300

Socrates stands trial for impiety. The Apology and the Crito. The similarities between Socrates and Christ.

Episode II.30 - Greek Drama III: Aristophanes

Thu, 16 May 2024 12:45:56 -0300

Aristophanes mocks and derides the latest developments in Athenian society, and lambasts the motives for the seemingly endless Peloponnesus War. His play, The Clouds, takes aim at Socrates and all philosophers.

Episode X.001 - Introduction to the Americas

Fri, 10 May 2024 14:14:34 -0300

Native Americans are the real westerners. As an outsider, in this series, I investigate the history and culture of more than ten thousand years in the Americas.

Episode XII.001 - Introduction to the Western Traditions Curriculum

Wed, 08 May 2024 12:12:15 -0300

Implementing the Western Traditions Podcast as a personal curriculum. For homeschool or for adults.

Episode II.29 - Greek Philosophy II: Introduction to Socrates

Thu, 02 May 2024 14:35:02 -0300

Introduction to Socrates and Plato and the tetralogies of dialogues. First Principles. Post-war Athens. Analysis of Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro.

Episode XIB.001 - Introduction to the Old Testament

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 15:13:13 -0300

The Bible is our book. No matter which religious tradition to which you belong, even if you are non-religious, this is your book. This is your patrimony, just as the Iliad and the Odyssey and the works of Aristotle and Plato are your inheritance.

Episode IX.04 - The Dead Internet

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:03:39 -0300

On the periphery of this online cemetery, we grubby humans rifle through the garbage, looking for a movie on Netflix or flicking past several hundred TikTok’s, all the while, beyond the gates of the graveyard, the bots replicate and babble to one another - the animated, digital ruins of a society that once built pyramids and dared to cross the oceans in ships powered by the wind.

Episode II.28 - The Peloponnesian War V: The Fall of Athens

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 15:08:08 -0300

Alcibiades finally comes to power. Lysander leads Sparta to victory. The long walls of Athens come tumbling down.

Episode II.27 - Ancient Greek Religion

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 15:32:22 -0300

The mystery religions of Ancient Greece: Eleusis, Orphism and Christianity. From the Kykeon of Demeter to the Eucharist of Jesus.

Episode III.02 - Introduction to the Roman Origins Unit

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 23:52:10 -0300

The Proto-Indo-European diaspora pours into Italy in the Second Millennium BC. Meet the Etruscans, the original nemeses of the Romans.

Episode XIA.01 - Introduction to the Christian Mythos

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 18:23:39 -0300

The West and Christianity have become almost synonymous. This podcast series explains that process and also provides exegesis of the entire Bible.

Episode IX.03 - The Technological Singularity II: Ray Kurzweil

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 22:57:00 -0300

Ray Kurzweil, immortality, resurrection and the technological singularity in the year 2045.

Episode II.26 - The Peloponnesian War IV: The Sicilian Expedition

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:15:02 -0300

The proud Athenians invade Sicily only to suffer inglorious defeat and annihilation. Nicias and Demosthenes executed. Alcibiades in exile.

Episode II.25 - Greek Science I: Hippocrates

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 18:34:27 -0400

One quarter of our food keeps us alive. The rest keeps doctors alive. Medical science in Classical Era Greece. The works of Hippocrates.

Episode III.01 - Introduction to the Roman Empire Series

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:12:50 -0400

They say that every man thinks about the Roman Empire at least once a day. But does the Roman Empire still exist? Are there still Roman emperors?

Episode II.24 - The Peloponnesian War III: To the Peace of Nicias

Fri, 16 Feb 2024 14:19:25 -0400

The Spartans surrender at Pylos The rise and fall of Brasidas and Cleon. The Peace of Nicias.

Episode II.23 - Greek Philosophy I: The Pre-Socratics

Fri, 09 Feb 2024 13:01:16 -0400

All is the one. All is a perfect sphere of being and we are all a part of this One, as is all matter and all time and thought and sensation. All is the One, whom forever exists, born from out of eternity, changeless and infinite.

Episode IX.02 - The Technological Singularity I

Sat, 03 Feb 2024 23:42:32 -0400

From the card catalog at the University of Arizona library to the apocalypse of the human race. The introduction to the Technological Singularity.

Episode II.22 - The Peloponnesian War II - To the Surrender of Plataea

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 13:09:19 -0400

Everywhere treachery, bloodshed, fury and destruction.

Episode II.21 - Greek Drama II: Sophocles and Euripides

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 15:12:12 -0400

The playwrights Sophocles and Euripides. Focus of tragedy on the Trojan War and Heracles. The role of women in Greek tragedy. A review of Medea, a play by Euripides. The catharsis of Greek tragedy and its impact on Western Civilization.

Episode II.19 - Greek Drama I

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:07:55 -0400

Greek drama. Aeschylus and some of his plays: Agamemnon, The Persians and Prometheus Bound.

Episode II.20 - The Peloponnesian War I - To the Death of Pericles.

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 13:32:21 -0400

It begins at Epidamnus but only after conflicts at Potidaea and Plataea are all the cities of Greece brought into general warfare. The Plague of Athens. Pericles’ Funeral Oration. The death of Pericles.

Episode IX.01 - Introduction to the Western Traditions Project

Fri, 22 Dec 2023 13:17:09 -0400

The meta-series of the western traditions podcast. Here we take a look at issues both from the past, and those that await us in the human future. Topics include things like: the technological singularity, gender issues, UFOs and aliens, Universal Basic Income and many more.

Episode II.18 - The Athenian Empire

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 12:55:54 -0400

The Greek counterattack begins. Athens and her allies form the Delian league. The power struggles of Xanthippus, Pausanias, Themistocles, Cimon, and Pericles.

Episode II.17 - The Persian War IV: The Battle of Plataea

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 15:41:14 -0300

The final episode of the Persian War. The Athenians and the Spartans defeat the Persian invaders. Victory in Europe!

Episode II.16 - The Persian War III: The Battle of Salamis

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 23:40:28 -0300

The Greek fleet makes a last stand at sea against the Persian armada. The rise of Themistocles and Aristides. Xerxes flees Greece and leaves a garrison under Mardonius in Europe.

Episode II.15 - The Persian War II : Thermopylae

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 16:02:25 -0300

Xerxes comes to power in Persia. A huge army invades Greece. Themistocles rallies the Athenians. The Greek allies stand at Thermopylae. Leonidas and the 300 fall in battle.

Episode II.14 - The Persian War I - The Battle of Marathon

Fri, 18 Aug 2023 15:14:38 -0300

The Persian War begins. The Histories of Herodotus. The Battle of Marathon. Darius and Miltiades.

Episode II.13 - Magna Graecia

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 00:40:32 -0300

The many lands of the ancient Greeks. Mystery religions, Greek sexuality and the hoplite warrior.

Episode II.12 - Athens

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 17:02:25 -0300

From Theseus to Solon and Pisistratus, the complex, chaotic history of Athens unfolds. Prelude to the Persian War.

Episode II.11 - Sparta

Wed, 17 May 2023 16:11:02 -0300

Plutarch’s essay on Lycurgus. Laconia and Lacedaemon. The Spartans, their government, their lives, their army. Leonidas, Gorgo and Thermopylae.

Episode II.10 - Introduction to the Second Unit: Classical Greece

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 20:16:27 -0300

The Greek polis or city-state. The city of Thebes and the tragedy of Oedipus. The value of the state and the importance of politics in classical Greece.

Episode II.09 - The Greek Dark Ages

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 14:00:03 -0300

Life in Greece after the Bronze Age Collapse. Homer and Hesiod. The mystery religions.

Episode II.08 - The Odyssey

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 21:41:13 -0400

Homer’s second great epic poem about the long-delayed return of Odysseus from the Trojan War.

Episode II.07 - The Iliad

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 14:24:58 -0400

Homer’s great epic poem about the rage of Achilles outside the walls of Troy.

Episode II.06 - The Trojan War

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 14:17:34 -0400

A wedding attended by gods leads to disastrous war among men. The Trojan War is a fundamental event for all ancient Greeks.

Episode II.05 - Greek Mythology: Part Two

Thu, 27 Oct 2022 15:49:22 -0300

More Greek myths. The sexual conquests of Zeus, tales from Crete and the stories of heroes such as Heracles and Perseus.

Episode II.04 - Greek Mythology: Part One

Tue, 30 Aug 2022 00:29:55 -0300

The first episode on Greek Mythology, beginning with the creation of the world out of chaos and ending with the advent of the twelve Olympian gods.

Episode II.03 - Mycenae

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 23:03:52 -0300

The Mycenaeans establish the first real civilization of Western History.

Episode II.02 - Introduction to the First Unit: Ancient Greece

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 22:57:27 -0300

From Mycenae to Homer, the foundations of Ancient Greek culture.

Episode II.01 - Introduction to the Second Series: The Greek Sun

Fri, 08 Jul 2022 13:19:01 -0300

Introduction to the second series: The Greek Sun

Episide 25 - Fourth Mesopotamia

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 14:44:41 -0300

The Persians rise to power. Israel returns from exile.

Episode 24 - Third Mesopotamia

Mon, 09 May 2022 19:45:05 -0300

Two empires: Assyrian and Babylonian. The fall of Israel and Judah.

Episode 23 - Ancient Israel

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 00:16:39 -0300

The story of the Bible and archaeological counter-perspectives.

Episode 22 - Fourth Egypt

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:48:09 -0300

The New Kingdom. Egypt, under the leadership of men and women, such as Ramses II and Hatshepsut, reaches its final pinnacle of achievement before declining one last time into the background of history.

Episode 21 - Ancient Crete

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 15:27:43 -0400

The descendants of the early European farmers found a unique civilization on the island of Crete and prepare the way for Greek culture.

Episode 20 - Third Egypt

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 19:00:19 -0400

The Middle Kingdom of Egypt. Renewal and flourish. The evolution of religious belief. The Hyksos take power and bring Egypt to another intermediate period.

Episode 19 - Bronze Age Anatolia

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 12:51:40 -0400

The Hittites take over the Anatolian peninsula in the 2nd millennium BC. The first Indo-European speaking power takes the stage and meets with the Egyptians and the Mesopotamians.

Episode 18 - Second Mesopotamia

Fri, 07 Jan 2022 19:49:08 -0400

The story returns to Mesopotamia. Here, in the early second millennium BC, Babylon rises to power. The episode further considers societal and technological developments for all of mankind at the height of the Bronze Age.

Episode 17 - Second Egypt

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 12:38:43 -0400

Old Kingdom Egypt. Great kings and great pyramids. Egypt makes its lasting mark on human history.

Episode 16 - Canaan and Phoenicia

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 16:37:22 -0300

The land of milk and honey. Natufian culture transitions over thousands of years into the Semitic Canaanite culture of the Levant.

Episode 15 - First Egypt

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 15:09:23 -0300

Another civilization springs up alongside the Nile River. But before there were pharaohs, there was a lot of history in Egypt, from the Paleolithic to the opening of the Bronze Age.

Episode 3 - introduction to Prehistory

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 18:37:05 -0300

Episode 2 - Introduction to the Ancient World

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 18:36:22 -0300

Episode 14 - First Mesopotamia

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 17:42:30 -0300

The first known civilization arises in Mesopotamia around the year 3,500 BC.

Episode 13 - Introduction to Unit II: The Civilizations of the Ancient Near East

Fri, 20 Aug 2021 15:15:23 -0300

A brief review of the unprecedented Near Eastern transition into urban life.

Episode 12 - The Proto-Indo-Europeans

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 16:17:12 -0300

A semi-legendary tribe, far to the north of lands previously described, expands into Europe and Asia carrying language and culture that will be passed down all the way to the present.

Episode 11 - Proto-Cities

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 00:50:27 -0300

The Natufian culture, the Rise of Jericho and Catal Huyuk, Neolithic religion and the cult of the skulls.

Episode 10 - Cataclysms

Wed, 26 May 2021 20:25:29 -0300

Great floods, the Younger Dryas Impact and the Toba eruption all present obstacles and challenges to the survival of early modern humans.

Episode 9 - The Bronze Age

Tue, 11 May 2021 17:04:22 -0300

Early modern humans begin to work with copper and then bronze as their societies change and expand.

Episode 8 - The Neolithic

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 18:49:37 -0300

Early modern humans adapt to a changing world. The Natufian culture rises in the Levant. The developments of agriculture and domestication create the foundations of the world in which we live today.

Episode 7 - The Mesolithic

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 18:56:39 -0300

Early modern humans begin the transition toward the Neolithic, tracking smaller game, experimenting with agriculture and building Gobekli Tepe.

Episode 6 - The Paleolithic

Fri, 26 Mar 2021 15:55:17 -0300

A review of the first portion of the Stone Age - A time in which our ancestors emerge from many diverse groups of archaic humans and spread over the planet, replacing all these others.

Episode 5 - The Development of Life

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 17:43:49 -0400

The development of life from single-celled organisms all the way to the earliest ancestors of man.

Episode 4 - In the Beginning

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 19:53:05 -0400

This fourth episode finally jumps into the historical timeline - starting with the creation of the universe.

Episode 3 - Prehistory

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 19:05:36 -0400

An episode introducing the first unit of the first series in the podcast.

Episode 2 - The Ancient World

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 14:18:42 -0400

A brief introduction to the first series of episodes in the podcast.

Episode 1 - The General Prologue

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 22:41:15 -0400

The introduction to the podcast and to the history of Western Civilization.