The AskHistorians Podcast
The AskHistorians Mod Team
The AskHistorians Podcast showcases the knowledge and enthusiasm of the AskHistorians community, a forum of nearly 1.4 million history academics, professionals, amateurs, and curious onlookers. The aim is to be a resource accessible to a wide range of listeners for historical topics which so often go overlooked. Together, we have a broad array of people capable of speaking in-depth on topics that get half a page on Wikipedia, a paragraph in a high-school textbook, and not even a minute on the History channel. The podcast aims to give a voice (literally!) to those areas of history, while not neglecting the more commonly covered topics. Part of the drive behind the podcast is to be a counterpoint to other forms of popular media on history which only seem to cover the same couple of topics in the same couple of ways over and over again.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 21, 2014 • 1h 18min
AskHistorians Podcast 024 - Mongols: Ilkhanate
Rakony discusses the Ilkhanate, the portion of the Mongol Empire in Persia and the surrounding areas. The reasons for the Mongol push into the area, why it did not go farther, and how the local peoples and the Mongols accomodated to each other, somewhat ironically leading to a resugence of Persian culture. Also, a surprising amoung of digging up graves.
Nov 7, 2014 • 1h 2min
AskHistorians Podcast 023 - Alchemy and the History of Science
Bemonk, host of the History of Alchemy Podcast (among others), speaks on how the practices and concepts of alchemy relate to the development of modern scientific methods and ideas. Covered in the talk are some basic pointers about what alchemy is, how long it has been around, differences between "Western" and "Eastern" alchemy, notable figures, and urine.
Oct 24, 2014 • 46min
AskHistorians Podcast 022 - Principality of Outer Baldonia
l_mack relates the strange tale of the Principality of Outer Baldonia, a micronation founded off the coast of Nova Scotia in the mid-20th Century by an American businessman seeking freedom from "question, nagging, shaving, interruption, women, taxes, politics, and monologues," as well as the right to stay up all night drinking, swearing and gambling. The tiny island nation ended up recieving international notice, with write-ups in a California paper and a denunciation in a Soviet journal.
Oct 10, 2014 • 1h 37min
AskHistorians Podcast 021 - Byzantines: Macedonian and Komnenian Dynasties, Part 2
Ambarenya wraps up the Komnenian dynasty, covering Alexios I finally securing the borders of the Empire, stabilizing the economy, and turning towards the West for help in the form of the First Crusade. The Crusader States, relations between the Byzantines and the Latins, and attempts to recapture lost territory are all covered as we move towards the bloody end of the Komnenian Dynasty.
Sep 26, 2014 • 1h 30min
AskHistorians Podcast 020 - Byzantines: Macedonian and Komnenian Dynasties
Ambarenya discusses with 400-Rabbits the two dynasties that formed the golden age of the medieval Byzantine Empire, albeit a golden age that was fraught with internal dissent and encroaching enemies on all sides. Part 1 covers the Macedonian dynasty, primarily examining their later period and decline, before seguing ino the turmoil that eventually gave rise to Alexios Komnenos as the first of the Komnenian dynasty.
Sep 12, 2014 • 1h 54min
AskHistorians Podcast 019 - Assyrian State Archives
Daeres speaks to 400-Rabbits about a collection of cuneiform documents known as the Assyrian State Archives. The interview delves into texts relating to everything from high level political arrangements to land purchases to hectoring bureaucratic memos to one poor official who was simply not very good at spelling. Insights into Assyrian life and historiography occur amidst this textual conversation.
Aug 29, 2014 • 1h 2min
AskHistorians Podcast 018 - A (Brief) Textual History of the Hebrew Bible
Husky54 speaks to 400-Rabbits about the Hebrew Bible. They cover what exactly the "Hebrew Bible" really is, when it was written, who was doing the writing, the historical precursors, corresponding epigraphy, textual intricacies, and, of course, Richard Dawkins.
Aug 15, 2014 • 47min
AskHistorians Podcast 017 - Golden Age of Pirates, Part 2
DavidAOP and EternalKerri continue their talk on all things piratical. This second of two parts focuses more on the meta-conversation of the study of pirates, their portrayals in popular media, the place as cultural icons, and, of course, that famous accent, before wrapping up with why and how this era came to an end.
Aug 1, 2014 • 1h 3min
AskHistorians Podcast 016 - Golden Age of Pirates
400-Rabbits moderates a discussion with DavidAOP and EternalKerri over the Golden Age of Pirates. Did a Pirate Code exist? What about pirate cities? What did pirates actually do all day and how did they go about finding booty for plunder? Just how common was being made to walk the plank? Why is EternalKerri so excited about keelhauling? All these topics and more get covered. Part 1 of 2.
Jul 18, 2014 • 1h 29min
AskHistorians Podcast 015 - Battle of France
AC_7 speaks to 400-Rabbits on the topic of the infamous early action of World War 2, the Battle of France. The preparations for the Nazi invasion of France, the vaious plans, opening moves, the motivations of both sides, and the ultimate aftermath are all covered.
