The Fall of the Roman Empire Episode 124 "Byz...

In the first half of the eighth century, Byzantium stemmed the Arab advance into Europe. Critical to this achievement were two emperors: Leo III and Constantine V. In this episode, I explain why I think these two men were heroes of the Dark Ages who changed history. And their lac ...  Show more

In this episode, we’ll hear about one of the most chilling rulers of Byzantium – the empress Eirene. She was Byzantium’s only empress to take on the reins of government in a sole capacity. Her reign is controversial because she took sole power only after she’d killed the reigning ...  Show more

Although I’m no longer making new episodes of this podcast, I thought you might be interested in my latest book, called The End of Antiquity, which relates particularly well to the content in this podcast since it’s about the rise of Islam in the seventh century AD and the collap ...  Show more

In the 10th century, a succession of Byzantine rulers reversed centuries of strategic policy by embarking on a series of campaigns that dramatically reshaped their empire. This effort and its consequences for the history of the region is the focus of Anthony Kaldellis‘s Streams o ...  Show more

By 410 AD, over 450 years after Julius Caesar first landed on its shores, the Romans had formally withdrawn from Britain. Burdened by military threats and political upheaval on the continent, the empire began to contract in on itself. The Romano-Britons were left to fend for t ...

The Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires in the ancient world.  It left us a host of languages based on Latin, as well as many cultural institutions which still exist. While the Roman Empire is gone, when exactly did it cease to exist?  Learn more about exactly when th ...  Show more