In this journey Catherine Nixey takes us into the early Church and to  the very heart of the Roman Empire. From fanatical zealots attacking and destroying temples to harsh laws put in place by theocratic officials we see the origin and destruction of not just the classical world, but classical civilization itself. In Harran, the locals refused to convert. They were dismembered, their limbs hung along the town’s main street.  In Alexandria, zealots pulled the elderly philosopher-mathematician Hypatia from her chariot and flayed her to death with shards of broken pottery. Not long before, their fellow Christians had invaded the city’s greatest temple, smashing its world-famous statues and destroying all that was left of Alexandria’s Great Library. Today we refer to Christianity’s conquest of the West as a “triumph.” But this victory entailed an orgy of destruction in which Jesus’s followers attacked and suppressed classical culture, helping to pitch Western civilization into a thousand-year-long decline. From exploring her work and research to discussing how her work was received we cover a vast array of topics and viewpoints.  Support our guest at these links below! Get a copy of her book : https://www.amazon.com/Darkening-Age-Christian-Destruction-Classical/dp/0544800885 Follow her writings: https://muckrack.com/catherine-nixey/articles Twitter: https://twitter.com/CatherineNixey Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/The-Darkening-Age-The-Christian-Destruction-of-the-Classical-World-271456116807945 About the author : CATHERINE NIXEY is a journalist and a classicist. Her mother was a nun, her father was a monk, and she was brought up Catholic. She studied classics at Cambridge and taught the subject for several years before becoming a journalist on the arts desk at the Times (UK), where she still works. Author of The Darkening Age, which won the Jerwood Award from the Royal Society of Literature, she lives in London with her husband (the journalist and author Tom Whipple) and their two children.

In this episode the awesome scholar Dr. Andrew Latham guides us into the role of disease and how it defined ancient and medieval history. We set out in the ancient world exploring pandemics like the Plague of Athens, the Plague of Justinian and the Plague of Cyprian; and as we explore the impacts that these diseases had on city states and empires. We explore how these diseases caused society and history to evolve from the decline of paganism to the dominance of Christianity in the West and later the expansion of Islam in the East. Slowly we reach the end of the Western Roman Empire, the survival for the time being of the Eastern Roman Empire and the birth of the "Barbarian" Kingdoms of Europe as we reach the foundations of the Medieval World. And with a new era comes and equally vicious disease determined to make its mark in our history and that is the Black Death. We watch as Europe is engulfed in a nightmare of apocalyptic proportions. However, there is a silver lining. Society had to adapt. And we see the evolution of medieval society and the working class as the chains of feudalism and serfdom are cast to the way side and the foundation of the complex capitalistic world that will create the borders and parameters of our own world. This is a story of disease. A story of collapse and revival. It is a story of triumph. It is our story.  Support Dr. Latham and his work by checking out the links below and if possible support him with your patronage and purchase one or more of his books! Academia : https://macalester.academia.edu/AndrewLatham Website: https://andrewlatham.academia.edu/ His career: https://andrewlatham.academia.edu/cv Get his books here!  The Holy Lance:  https://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Latham-ebook/dp/B07DZ4TGR2

In this episode I interview Dr. Jacob Lackner from the awesome history YouTube Channel Nizzahon History on why the Crusades actually happened. From historiography to heated conversations online we see a variety of narratives pushed that attempt to frame the Crusades in a way that oftentimes creates misconceptions and distortions of historical facts and sources. Was the Crusades due to unstoppable Islamic expansion? Were the Crusades unchecked colonial genocide carried out by Europeans? Why did the Europeans participate in the Crusades? What were the motives of the Crusaders themselves? Dr. Lackner briefly and thoroughly takes us into the complicated subject and explains its complexity and leaves you with a far better understanding of the Crusades and those who took part in them. Support Dr. Lackner and his YouTube Channel below! YouTube Channel Nizzahon History https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwaA-6D36AiqGPCLtqOoeOQ Academia Page: https://ou.academia.edu/JacobLackner Twitter : https://twitter.com/Lackner_J

Minoan Origins | DNA by Dr. Peter Revesz The Minoan civilization flourished in the Middle Bronze Age on the island of Crete located in the eastern Mediterranean from c. 2000 BCE until c. 1500 BCE. With their unique art and architecture, and the spread of their ideas through contact with other cultures across the Aegean, the Minoans made a significant contribution to the development of Western European civilization as it is known today. In this episode we go back to a time before civilization. A time of mass migration. This episode sets out to explore the Minoan Origins from different viewpoints. Firstly, we explore traditional narratives and especially what they got wrong. And then we approach Ancient DNA, Art motifs, Vowel harmony, Script similarity, Etymology and finally Translations. Has Dr. Revesz deciphered Linear A Script and how has his work been accepted? As we conclude Dr. Revesz believes his data analysis lead to the conclusion that we need to separate the Minoans into two groups: the Early Minoans and the Middle Minoans.(The Late Minoans could be a third group, but there is no archaeogenetic data about them.) Earlier studies have not separated these groups, which have different origins.  The Early Minoans came from Anatolia, while the Middle Minoans came from the Danube Basin. (Sailing from the Danube Delta to Crete is quite possible via the Bosporus Strait.) But what are your thoughts? Comment below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UJOaRDK5d4

Who were the Anunnaki? From pseudo scientific books to cinema like Ancient Aliens, these mythological figures have claimed a place in the popular imagination but amidst all of the fiction and misinformation we are left wondering who they actually were. Dr. Miano is here to answer that question as he guides us through the proper context of the Anunnaki, their place in ancient Mesopotamia and the modern fiction that surrounds them.  Wikipedia Reference Below. The Anunnaki (also transcribed as Anunaki, Annunaki, Anunna, Ananaki and other variations) are a group of deities who appear in the mythological traditions of the ancient Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians and Babylonians. Descriptions of how many Anunnaki there were and what role they fulfilled are inconsistent and often contradictory. In the earliest Sumerian writings about them, which come from the Post-Akkadian period, the Anunnaki are the most powerful deities in the pantheon, descendants of An and Ki, the god of the heavens and the goddess of earth, and their primary function is to decree the fate of Sumerians. In Inanna's Descent into the Netherworld, the Anunnaki are portrayed as seven judges who sit before the throne of Ereshkigal in the Underworld. Later Akkadian texts, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, follow this portrayal. During the Old Babylonian period, the Anunnaki were believed to be the chthonic deities of the Underworld, while the gods of the heavens were known as the Igigi.  The ancient Hittites identified the Anunnaki as the oldest generation of gods, who had been overthrown and banished to the Underworld by the younger gods. The Anunnaki have featured prominently in modern pseudoarchaeological works, such as the books of Erich von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin. Celebrate the birthplace of civilization and get our Sumerian Shirt | Hoodie | Coffee Mug today! CLOTHES: https://teespring.com/Sumerian-Clothing?pid=212&cid=5818 COFFEE MUGS: https://teespring.com/sumerian-coffee-mug?pid=658&cid=102908 Subscribe to the channel of Dr. Miano at World of Antiquity here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64TYItcUS940vNWhQRnJWg Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDavidMiano Get his free online book "Why Ancient History Matters" here: https://mailchi.mp/a402112ea4db/why-ancient-history-matters Academia Profile: https://ucsd.academia.edu/DavidMiano Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antiquorum Video Attribution: kristina gaboyan in 60°C visiting the ziqqurat Chogha Zanbil & The Palace of Susa The Ancient Middle East Every Year by the awesome Ollie Bye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oys6EQtpCJk Check out our new store! https://teespring.com/stores/the-history-shop Get your Sea Peoples | Late Bronze Age Merch below! Mugs: https://teespring.com/new-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=658&cid=102950 Hoodies | Shirts | Tank Tops: https://teespring.com/get-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=212&cid=5819 Get your Hittite Merch below! Mugs: https://teespring.com/HittiteEmpireMug?pid=658&cid=102950&sid=front Shirts | Tank Tops | Hoodies: https://teespring.com/hittite-empire-shirt?pid=2&cid=2397

In this episode Dr. Miano guides us through a heated topic that continues to rage on social media and that is which civilization came first? Was it the Mesopotamian Civilization? Egyptian Civilization? Or the Indus Civilization? First he asks "What is Civilization? How do we determine a civilization? And then goes on to explain what academia generally defines as civilization. Once we leave that aspect of the presentation he then discusses all three of these civilizations and explains which one came first and why? Celebrate the birthplace of civilization and get our Sumerian Shirt | Hoodie | Coffee Mug today! CLOTHES: https://teespring.com/Sumerian-Clothing?pid=212&cid=5818 COFFEE MUGS: https://teespring.com/sumerian-coffee-mug?pid=658&cid=102908 Subscribe to the channel of Dr. Miano at World of Antiquity here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64TYItcUS940vNWhQRnJWg Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDavidMiano Get his free online book "Why Ancient History Matters" here: https://mailchi.mp/a402112ea4db/why-ancient-history-matters Academia Profile: https://ucsd.academia.edu/DavidMiano Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antiquorum

In this episode Dr. Miano from the World of Antiquity YouTube channel is here to walk us through the subject of Nibiru and its context in ancient Mesopotamian texts and astronomy. What is it? What does it mean? In this episode we sift through erroneous novices like Zecharia Sitchin and the misinformation and oftentimes lies that they created in order to get to the heart of the truth. Nibiru (also transliterated Neberu, Nebiru) is a term in the Akkadian language, translating to "crossing" or "point of transition", especially of rivers, i.e. river crossings or ferry-boats. However, the nature of the "crossing" in astronomy has "long been a source of confusion in scholarly and popular opinion". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_(Babylonian_astronomy)     How much did THE SUMERIANS know about our SOLAR SYSTEM? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sch8CYWjtc Celebrate the birthplace of civilization and get our Sumerian Shirt | Hoodie | Coffee Mug today! CLOTHES: https://teespring.com/Sumerian-Clothing?pid=212&cid=5818 COFFEE MUGS: https://teespring.com/sumerian-coffee-mug?pid=658&cid=102908 Subscribe to the channel of Dr. Miano at World of Antiquity here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64TYItcUS940vNWhQRnJWg Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDavidMiano Get his free online book "Why Ancient History Matters" here: https://mailchi.mp/a402112ea4db/why-ancient-history-matters Academia Profile: https://ucsd.academia.edu/DavidMiano Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antiquorum Video Attribution: kristina gaboyan in 60°C visiting the ziqqurat Chogha Zanbil & The Palace of Susa The Ancient Middle East Every Year by the awesome Ollie Bye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oys6EQtpCJk Check out our new store! https://teespring.com/stores/the-history-shop Get your Sea Peoples | Late Bronze Age Merch below! Mugs: https://teespring.com/new-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=658&cid=102950 Hoodies | Shirts | Tank Tops: https://teespring.com/get-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=212&cid=5819

In this episode Dr. Miano once again takes us into a fascinating and brief exploration soundbite into the very fringes of history and explores one of the most controversial and influential figures in the world of pseudoscience\ pseudoarcheology and that is Zecharia Sitchin. From discussing his background in business to his lack of expertise on the subjects he discusses such as Sumerology and how that impaired his ability to properly translate the sources such as Sumerian Texts. From poor and inaccurate translations to wildly spectacular and fictitious claims Sitchin has written a prolific amount of fake histories that when taken literally can be dangerous in distorting the actual facts and encouraging the spread of misinformation. We end this by discussing how there is nothing wrong with attempting to teach yourself ancient languages and writing scripts but that when able you need to ensure you are doing it accurately and I end it by saying there is nothing wrong with reading fringe history and pseudoscience as long as we remember it isn't trustworthy and should not be taken to seriously.  Celebrate the birthplace of civilization and get our Sumerian Shirt | Hoodie | Coffee Mug today! CLOTHES: https://teespring.com/Sumerian-Clothing?pid=212&cid=5818 COFFEE MUGS: https://teespring.com/sumerian-coffee-mug?pid=658&cid=102908 Subscribe to the channel of Dr. Miano at World of Antiquity here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64TYItcUS940vNWhQRnJWg Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDavidMiano Get his free online book "Why Ancient History Matters" here: https://mailchi.mp/a402112ea4db/why-ancient-history-matters Academia Profile: https://ucsd.academia.edu/DavidMiano Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antiquorum Video Attribution: kristina gaboyan in 60°C visiting the ziqqurat Chogha Zanbil & The Palace of Susa The Ancient Middle East Every Year by the awesome Ollie Bye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oys6EQtpCJk Check out our new store! https://teespring.com/stores/the-history-shop Get your Sea Peoples | Late Bronze Age Merch below! Mugs: https://teespring.com/new-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=658&cid=102950 Hoodies | Shirts | Tank Tops: https://teespring.com/get-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=212&cid=5819

In this episode Dr. Miano from the YouTube channel "World of Antiquity" in a fun and masterful way guides us through the subject of "Ancient Handbags" that has produced a variety of books, tv episodes and conspiracy theories. He explains that most of the misconceptions and conspiracy theories surrounding these ancient bags is based on a lack of understanding of ancient art, iconography and the development of human cultures and civilizations. From discussing Assyrian reliefs, Native American imagery, Mesopotamian mythology, archaeology and so much more we touch on a variety of points in a very short time to clear up the misinformation being spread online by those pursuing pseudoscience and encouraging conspiracy theories. Check out the Ancient Handbag episodes done by Dr. Miano here:  Mystery of the Sumerian Handbags SOLVED https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub3FBLUgxfY Mystery of the Gobekli Tepe "Handbags" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjQKvxbLojA Celebrate the birthplace of civilization and get our Sumerian Shirt | Hoodie | Coffee Mug today! CLOTHES: https://teespring.com/Sumerian-Clothing?pid=212&cid=5818 COFFEE MUGS: https://teespring.com/sumerian-coffee-mug?pid=658&cid=102908 Subscribe to the channel of Dr. Miano at World of Antiquity here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64TYItcUS940vNWhQRnJWg Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDavidMiano Get his free online book "Why Ancient History Matters" here: https://mailchi.mp/a402112ea4db/why-ancient-history-matters Academia Profile: https://ucsd.academia.edu/DavidMiano Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antiquorum

In this episode Dr. Miano takes us into the very heart of modern pseudoscience and its attempts to appeal to audiences around the world in the form of a show on the History Channel called Ancient Aliens. This controversial and often fact lacking series constantly twists history and archaeology to fit their narrative and hidden agenda which is to ignore and leave out the achievements and greatness of ancient men \ women and the accomplishments of their cultures and civilizations. Celebrate the birthplace of civilization and get our Sumerian Shirt | Hoodie | Coffee Mug today! CLOTHES: https://teespring.com/Sumerian-Clothing?pid=212&cid=5818 COFFEE MUGS: https://teespring.com/sumerian-coffee-mug?pid=658&cid=102908 Subscribe to the channel of Dr. Miano at World of Antiquity here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC64TYItcUS940vNWhQRnJWg Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrDavidMiano Get his free online book "Why Ancient History Matters" here: https://mailchi.mp/a402112ea4db/why-ancient-history-matters Academia Profile: https://ucsd.academia.edu/DavidMiano Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/antiquorum Video Attribution: kristina gaboyan in 60°C visiting the ziqqurat Chogha Zanbil & The Palace of Susa The Ancient Middle East Every Year by the awesome Ollie Bye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oys6EQtpCJk Check out our new store! https://teespring.com/stores/the-history-shop Get your Sea Peoples | Late Bronze Age Merch below! Mugs: https://teespring.com/new-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=658&cid=102950 Hoodies | Shirts | Tank Tops: https://teespring.com/get-sea-peoples-mediterranean?pid=212&cid=5819 Get your Hittite Merch below! Mugs: https://teespring.com/HittiteEmpireMug?pid=658&cid=102950&sid=front Shirts | Tank Tops | Hoodies: https://teespring.com/hittite-empire-shirt?pid=2&cid=2397 Trojan War Merch Below! Mugs: https://teespring.com/trojan-war-coffee-mug?pid=658&cid=102950 Tank Tops | Shirts | Hoodies: https://teespring.com/TrojanWarShirt?pid=2&cid=2397 To support the channel, become a Patron and make history matter! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/The_Study_of_Antiquity_and_the_Middle_Ages Donate directly to PayPal: https://paypal.me/NickBarksdale Enjoy history merchandise? Check out affiliate link to SPQR Emporium! http://spqr-emporium.com?aff=3 *Disclaimer, the link above is an affiliate link which means we will earn a generous commission from your magnificent purchase, just another way to help out the channel! Join our community!  Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/THESTUDYOFANTIQUITYANDTHEMIDDLEAGES/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickBarksdale Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/study_of_antiquity_middle_ages/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/164050034145170/