Dethroned Emperor: The Fall of Valerian, Part...

So what exactly IS cotton candy and how does this curious confectionary concoction tie into other culinary traditions, including China’s Dragon’s beard candy? Find out in this classic episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind. (originally published 1/30/2025) (part 1 of 2)See omnystudio ...  Show more

In this episode of STBYM’s The Monstrefact, Robert discusses the xenomorph queen from the “Alien” universe…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In the late 4th century and early 5th centuries two massive largely-Germanic confederations arrived on Roman borders, having been uprooted from their homelands by the Huns. These were the Goths and the Vandals. Both peoples would become prime enemies of the Roman Empires in the E ...  Show more

The story of the Roman emperor Heliogabalus is filled with sex, death, decadence and religious extremism, but it also touches on some key questions about imperial Rome. What were the limits of political power? How far should a ruler intervene in the life of his subjects? And what ...  Show more

For centuries, the Roman Empire commanded unparalleled control over the world around it. It expanded its borders through trade and conquest, sucking resources from the periphery into its thriving centre - Rome. And then, suddenly, everything changed. The Empire entered a state ...

From Gladiator to Rome Total War to Star Wars, today the Praetorians are one of the most distinctive military units of Imperial Rome. It was their job to protect the Roman Emperor and his household, a task for which they hold a somewhat ‘chequered’ record (especially when we focu ...  Show more