Podcasts about Byzantium

With the Nika Riots behind them, Justinian and Theodora rebuild Constantinople and pursue a bold new agenda for the Byzantine Empire. Belisarius sails to war against the Vandal Kingdom. John the Cappadocian seeks to drive a wedge between the imperial couple.    SOURCES: Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape. 1978. Potter, David. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint. 2015. Parnell, David Alan. Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian. 2023. Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities. 2017. Sarris, Peter. Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint. 2023. Kaldellis, Anthony. The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium. 2023. Cesaretti, Paolo. Theodora: Empress of Byzantium. 2003. Procopius. The Secret History.  Procopius. The Wars of Justinian.  Phillips, Robin. West, Jeff. Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress? 2006. Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy. 2011. Evans, James Allan. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian. 2002.  Holmes, Nick. Justinian's Empire: Triumph and Tragedy. 2024.  Charles Rivers Editors. Justinian the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Byzantine Emperor. 2014. Captivating History. The Byzantine Empire. 2018 Captivating History. The Vandals. 2018 Dahm, Murray. Combat: Byzantine Cavalryman vs Vandal Warrior. 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While we mostly look to the future in this podcast, today we revisit the pivotal period following the Greek War of Independence to better understand the roots of the modern Greek state.Join host Panagiota Pimenidou in a deep and thought-provoking discussion with historian Marios Koutsoukos (University of Liverpool, Hellenic Open University, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens) as they examine the aftermath of the Revolution and the foundational years of the Kingdom of Greece.Watch also the Video premiere on Easter Sunday, 20 April 2025 at 8 p.m. EEST on YouTube: Giota PimenidouWas Greece truly free, or merely an autonomous colony of foreign powers? What role did historians, intellectuals, and early political figures play in shaping (or distorting) the Greek national identity? And how does this legacy still affect the modern Hellenic Republic today?This episode is in Greek, but don't shy away—you can watch the episode with subtitles instead of listening to the audio version on Spotify for full accessibility.

"Not even a drop of noble and undiluted Hellenic blood flows in the veins of the Christian population of present day Greece." : Jakob Philipp Fallmerayer  While we mostly look to the future in this podcast, today we delve into the past to understand the enduring identity of the Greek people. Join host Panagiota Pimenidou as she welcomes back historian Dr. Marios Koutsoukos (University of Liverpool, Hellenic Open University, National and Capodistrian University of Athens) to confront the misconception that modern Greeks are disconnected from their ancient ancestors.We'll unravel the complex relationships between ancient Greek tribes – the Dorians, Ionians, Aeolians, and Achaeans – explore their links to the Minoan and Mycenean civilizations, and investigate the distinct impact of the Argead Macedonians. We'll also delve into the legacy of Byzantium and examine the evidence that fueled the Greek War of Independence, tracing the unbroken thread of Hellenism to the modern day.Connect with Panagiota:Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Facebook: Global Greek Influence PodcastYouTube: Giota PimenidouX: @global_greekTikTok: @The Innovation Catalyst

Gary Petty and I talk about his recently published book Christendom. Available on  Amazon Here is a description of the book. For hundreds of years after the death of Jesus, the people who professed to be His followers faced persecution from the Roman Empire. Then a miracle seemed to happen to this fragmented and diverse religious movement. Emperor Constantine declared that he was a Christian, and then through the following decades attempted to create a unified Christianity. This effort to build a unified Christian church continued during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. This effort was a complex chronicle of theological debates, schisms, political intrigue, and violence, at times. The people and events intertwine with the collapse of the Roman Empire and the impact of Germanic culture on the church as well as with plagues, wars, Crusades, and repeated attempts to recreate a united Europe. The story includes Goths, Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Italians, Spanish, Vikings, Celts, Arabs, Jews, Mongols, and others whose identities have all but disappeared. Countless individuals played their parts in the events—Augustine and his mother Monica, who hailed from North Africa; Justinian and his wife Theodora from Byzantium; Charlemagne; Mohammed; and dozens of popes, peasants, aristocrats, priests, and warriors. All of them shaped the formation of Christendom—the Kingdom of God on earth—a kingdom that changed original Christianity until it would have been in many ways unrecognizable to Jesus' earliest followers. Christendom: The Kingdom that Changed Christianity is a companion book to Plato's Shadow: The Hellenizing of Christianity.   ___________   Gary Petty is an author and pastor known for his works on the historical and philosophical influences on Christianity, as well as guidance on managing personal conflicts. His notable publications include:​Better World Books+4Google Books+4ThriftBooks+4 Plato's Shadow: The Hellenizing of Christianity This book examines how Greek philosophy, particularly that of Plato, influenced early Christian teachings, leading to deviations from the original messages of Jesus and His apostles. ​Barnes & Noble The Mercy Effect: A Spiritual Guide for Managing Conflict In this work, Petty explores the spiritual roots of conflict and offers practical steps for resolving disagreements in various aspects of life, emphasizing the importance of mercy and forgiveness. ​Better World Books Christendom: The Kingdom That Changed Christianity Serving as a companion to 'Plato's Shadow,' this book delves into the transformation of Christianity during the formation of Christendom, highlighting how political and cultural shifts reshaped the faith. ​ThriftBooks+5Google Books+5Bookshop+5 These works reflect Petty's focus on understanding the historical contexts that have shaped modern Christianity and providing insights into personal spiritual growth.

The Arab siege of Constantinople in 717/718 was one of the greatest turning points in all of history. Discover why in this episode.For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.comFind my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

Hello!The island of Corfu was legendary since the homeric times for it's agreeable climate and the lush green forests. Food was abundant and the inhabidants wealthy.So what's the traditional food of Corfu and the influnces in the island?And how come and it has over five million olive trees and almost a million of them centuries and centuries old?Let's find on todays episode!With music from Pavlos KapralosThe Delicious LegacySupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-delicious-legacy. If you love to time-travel through food and history why not join us at https://plus.acast.com/s/the-delicious-legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first half of the seventh century AD, the rise of Islam seemed unstoppable. How could Byzantium survive? Luck and the invention of a medieval flame-thrower would help!For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.comFind my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For German listeners, find the German translation of the first book in my series on the 'Fall of the Roman Empire', Die römische Revolution, on Amazon.de. Finally check out my new YouTube videos on the fall of the Roman Empire.

After being crowned Emperor and Empress of the Byzantine Empire, Justinian and Theodora face their first major test as rulers, the deadly Nika Riots of 532 AD.  SOURCES: Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape. Potter, David. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint.  Parnell, David Alan. Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities.  Sarris, Peter. Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint.  Cesaretti, Paolo. Theodora: Empress of Byzantium. Procopius. The Secret History.  Phillips, Robin. West, Jeff. Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress?  Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy Evans, James Allan. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian.  Holmes, Nick. Justinian's Empire: Triumph and Tragedy Charles Rivers Editors. Justinian the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Byzantine Emperor. Captivating History. The Byzantine Empire. 2018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Horror Weekly Episode #325 This week, we've got five good ones for you! We'll start out with the new “Heart Eyes” from 2025, then we'll look at 2012's “Byzantium,” and then 2024's “Inhuman Kiss.” We'll also take a look at “The Corpse Bride” from 2005 and “The Dead Thing,” also from 2024.   And, of course, we have more excellent short films for you! The latest issue of “Horror Monthly” is now on sale! Check out all the back issues, as well as our other books, with one easy link: https://horrormonthly.com Pick up our newest book, "The Horror Guys Guide to the Academy Awards of Horror" at https://www.horrormonthly.com/horror-guys-guides/academy-awards-of-horror   Contact Info: Email:  mailto:email@horrorguys.com   Websites:  https://www.horrorguys.com  https://www.horrorweekly.com https://www.horrormonthly.com     Theme song, "Galactic Rap " Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode Dr. Jenkins concludes his discussion of early Irish Christianity but noting some possible links between the the earliest Irish Christians and influences on them that semm peculiar to eastern Mediterranean. For Dr. Jenkins new course on Byzantium: https://tinyurl.com/LuxchristiByzantium For Connie Marshner's Monastery and High Cross: https://tinyurl.com/MonasteryHighCross

This is part two of my Q&A with Father John Strickland. We talk about the Protestant reformation, Autocephalous churches and connections to Byzantium amongst other topics.John is the pastor of an Orthodox Church in Poulsbo in Washington State. He wrote a four-volume series about the history of Christian civilization called Paradise and Utopia. He's also recorded a podcast of the same name as an accompaniment to the books which you can find wherever you get your podcasts or at www.ancientfaith.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chaz Jankel came to prominence as the musical director for Ian Dury's Blockheads,  helping to steer those pub rock survivors away from punk and toward funk, disco, and pop. Chaz went further into fusion on his own, creating a stylish music that bridged the boundaries between new wave and the mainstream. When Quincy Jones spotted "Ai No Corrida" on Chaz's eponymous solo debut and decided to have Dune sing the tune, the song became an international hit, reaching 28 on Billboard's Hot 100 and 14 on the U.K. charts,. This established Jankel as a force outside of the Blockheads. Over the next decade, Chaz Jankel worked on his own, releasing a total of four solo albums in the first half of the '80s and scoring a massive dance club hit with '81's "Glad to Know You." Eventually Chaz wound his way back to Ian Dury Iserving as his chief collaborator on 98's  Mr. Love Pants and 2000's Ten More Turnips from the Tip.  Ian Dury died shortly afterward, leaving Chaz as the leader of the Blockheads, a role he'd maintain alongside his solo career.Born in 1952 in Middlesex, Chaz Jankel was drawn to music by Lonnie Donergan , the king of Britain's skiffle craze of the '60s. He had picked up the guitar as a child, then learned piano but while at boarding school, he fell in love with soul and funk. His first major band was the folk-rock group Byzantium and later he joined Jonathan Kelly's Outside, appearing on their '74 LP  Waiting on You, then he went on to play with Kilburn and the High Roads during their final days in the mid-'70s. Jankel hit it off with Kilburn leader Ian Dury, so once  the High Roads split, the pair formed the Blockheads, a punk band that supported Ian Dury on his '77 solo debut, New Boots and Panties! It wa at this time that the band steered itself towards funk and disco - a shift in direction that accentuated Chaz Jankel's musical interests.The album Do It Yourself turned into a huge hit for Ian Dury, providing momentum for Chaz to launch a solo career in 1980; although he'd continue to write with Ian Dury, notably collaborating on "Spasticus Autisticus" from 1981's  Lord Upminster. Signing with A&M, he released his eponymous solo debut Chasanova in 1981 and made inroads in the U.S. thanks to the single "Glad to Know You," which became a number one hit on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart, staying there for seven weeks. That same year, Quincy Jones covered "Ai No Corrida," Chaz's lead track.   Quincy's version became an international hit, turning the song into something of a new wave disco standard. The album Chazablanca arrived in 83 and Looking at You came out in 85.Jankel relocated to the US in the late 1980s, where he started to work as a film composer beginning with the Dennis Quaid -starring remake of the 1949 film noir D.O.A.; the latter was co-directed by Chaz's sister Annabel. Chaz eventually returned to the UK in the mid-'90s, leading to a reunion with Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Jankel and Dury collaborated on the singer's final two albums, 1998's Mr Love Pants and 2000's Ten More Turnips from the Tip. Ian Dury died shortly after this in 2000 and Chaz Jankel continued to lead the Blockheads through a number of tours and records, all the while continuing to work on a solo career of his own. Throughout the 2000s, he regularly released albums. During the 2010s, his recording projects involved the Blockheads, who released Same Horse Different Jockey in 2013 and Beyond the Call of Dury in 2017.Cherry Red Records released Glad to Knot You: The Anthology 1980 - 1986, a five-disc compilation of Jankel's recordings, in 2020 and more recently Chaz has released and reissued a recording of DOA Reimagined. Chaz joins us today to share stories from his amazing journey.#iandury&theblockheads #britishpunk #chazjankel #newwave #funk #disco

From 527 to 565 AD, Emperor Justinian I and his Empress Theodora ruled over the Byzantine Empire in Constantinople. Together, they reshaped the Mediterranean world, weathering political upheaval, wars of conquest, and an outbreak of bubonic plague. In this first installment of a multi-part series, we explore the early years of New Rome's greatest power couple. Rising from a disreputable background in the brothels of Constantinople, the actress-turned-informant Theodora catches the eye of Prince Justinian, heir to the Byzantine throne... SOURCES: Bridge, Antony. Theodora: Portrait in a Byzantine Landscape. Potter, David. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint.  Parnell, David Alan. Belisarius & Antonina: Love and War in the Age of Justinian Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities.  Sarris, Peter. Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint.  Cesaretti, Paolo. Theodora: Empress of Byzantium. Procopius. The Secret History.  Phillips, Robin. West, Jeff. Who in the World Was The Acrobatic Empress?  Norwich, John Julius. Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy Evans, James Allan. The Empress Theodora: Partner of Justinian.  Holmes, Nick. Justinian's Empire: Triumph and Tragedy Charles Rivers Editors. Justinian the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Byzantine Emperor. Captivating History. The Byzantine Empire. 2018 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi listener, in this episode we discuss how a couple get scammed out of $45,000 K Dollars at a fake car dealership.

This Saturday – the 8th February 2025 is the Intelligent Speech online conference. A gathering of fellow history podcasters. Who will be talking about Deception – lies and forgeries. There are 3 keynote speakers in Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, Otto English and Wesley Livesay. Along with a host of fun roundtables packed with podcasting talent. I will be on two panels. They are back to back so from 11 am – 1pm Eastern Standard time you will get all the History of Byzantium you need. I will be on a panel discussing Byzantine deception and playing a game of historical call my bluff. So come and find out how good a liar I am. Go to intelligentspeechonline.com to find out more. And use the code Sophia. As in Hagia Sophia to get a discount on your ticket. See you on Saturday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#Londinium90AD: Gaius laments the loss of Byzantium, and Germanicus explains the Byzantine Commonwealth of the 21st Century.  Michael Vlahos. Friends of History Debating Society. @Michalis_Vlahos 1600 Sabine Women

A World War 2 story of compassion, loyalty and love.By FinalStand. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.Both Men and Nations make ware, but only men make love.Introduction: The Nazi Regime was evil; the German Army of the time, the Heer, did horrible things, but in the end armies are made up of ordinary men and this is a story of ordinary men in bad situationsTwo hours before sunset Day 1.Sergeant Heinz Klausenbach pressed himself through the waist deep snow toward the outpost of the neighboring 3rd Battalion. They sat on the extreme north of his own company's position, if you could consider what was left of his command a company. Right now every one of his soldiers was praying to see New Year's Day of 1942, and a prayer was about all they had. The German Wehrmacht was reeling from the massive Soviet Winter offensive and its very existence was in danger.Heinz looked around, trying to get his bearings in the heavy snowfall. He was sure he should have crossed a sentry by now. He checked the bolt on his Mauser rifle; it still worked even in this terrible cold. He snuck up on a figure slumped against as tree. He had on a German helmet so Heinz tapped him and whispered."Hey, don't let your officers find you asleep." The man didn't move. The Sergeant placed a gloved hand on the man's shoulder and was immediately impressed with the cold emanating from him. It bit harder than the lethal winds. Heinz turned the man around and gasped. Even in the cloud-covered failing light the man was an icy blue. He was frozen solid.Heinz didn't want to think about how long the man had to have been out for this to happen. With a sense of dread he pressed on to the last known location of the battalion HQ. He soon came across more frozen corpses. Some looked like they'd died in their sleeps but a few had this look of horror on their faces, as if something had overtaken them.The German came upon the edge of the encampment and slowed down. Nothing seemed to stir in the camp. Heinz endeavored to make it to the battalion radio and relate this disaster. His entire regiment's position was compromised and it was worth his life to save his comrades. As he rounded the main tent and headed for the entrance he found a woman in bare-feet standing over a small clump of frozen men.She had on a loose white gown, cinched at the waist by a black rope. Her skin was alabaster, her hair was waist long, black and seemed to billow about the woman; her lips were a ruddy blue as were her eyes, and her breath came in deep, labored puffs."Comrade," he called out softly in German.The woman turned to face him fully. She was clearly very close to freezing to death. With a moment's hesitation he leant his rifle against the closest tree and tore off his great coat. Steam wafted off his body and the cold intensified as the woman drew close. She was reaching for him when he stepped beside her and wrapped his coat around her chilly shoulders.The woman looked at Heinz in confusion."I know you can't understand me," he continued in German, "but if I don't get you to a fire soon you will die. Let me get you some boots and a spare coat and I'll take you back to me fire."The woman silently regarded him with her dark eyes framed in her classic Slavic features.She seemed to be a very beautiful Russian woman who had experienced a rough time of late. Heinz didn't worry about any of that. If they both stayed out here too long, he would die alongside her. She was so cold it hurt his arm where she grabbed him to steady herself as he put some fur boots on her feet. He took an officer's trench coat and grabbed her chilly hands.The hands felt too bitter to hold so Heinz brought them up to his face and blew hot breath on her. A glimmer of a smile crossed the woman's lips. She said something in Russian, but he hadn't a clue what it was. When the radio proved wrecked he began to drag her back to his own men's position. The woman was careful to follow in the path he stomped through the snow. Twice he stopped to blow again on her freezing hands. Each time she gave that ghost of a smile."Halt," hissed a voice in the twilight."Gunner, I'm back. Get ready to pull back as soon as I give the word," Heinz instructed the private on picket duty."What happened?" he called out carefully. Sound carried far over the snow. "Who is with you?""The 3rd Battalion is gone," Heinz whispered back. "She's the only one I could find.""They left us? The bastards," Gunner growled."No, they are all dead. I didn't find anyone alive this side of the HQ. We need to get the hell out of here," the Sergeant said.Heinz led the woman to his own little command post. His lieutenant had gone to his own battalion HQ two days ago right before the last big push by the Soviets and hadn't been seen since. Heinz had been husbanding the lives of his remaining forty-five men. A few quick orders and his men began to move out. He wouldn't bother radioing Battalion until he'd made his move because he knew what their demands would be.He rolled in his pickets and began his retreat, Fuhrer Orders be damned. The Great Leader ordered that every German stand fast to the last bullet. That was Berlin; in Russia Sgt. Klausenbach had decided to make sure as many of his men as possible lived to see Germany once again. If he followed his conscience they might shoot him. If he stayed, the Russians would definitely kill all of them."Sir, what do we do with the girl?" one of his corporals asked. Heinz looked her over."We'll leave her at the next village we come to. If we abandon her we might as well shoot her. She'll never survive out here on her own," Heinz responded. He offered the woman his hand which she took. Together they led the little German troop in their retreat further west.Two hours later the weary men trudged up to the 'next' village. It wasn't much; twelve houses and two communal buildings. A quick scouting mission revealed that the village hand no soldiers, German or Russian, in it. Heinz had his command move stealthily into the settlement, capturing and securing the various homes as the entered.That done, the German's rounded up the male villagers. Heinz put them to work creating walk ways through the deep snows. His scroungers dug up food supplies which he had the majority of women cook into a hot meal. Using a trick he had picked up in France, Heinz fed the entire village from the prepared food. All the while he felt the eyes of the woman upon him, somehow weighing him in judgment. He was too tired to care.Unfortunately none of the Russians spoke German and the best translator in his unit could only get rudimentary things across. After some finagling, the Sergeant was able communicate to the head of the commune that he was trying to find out who the strange woman belonged to. He talked to the woman who responded in a way that he didn't like. The head man shrugged to the German's.When Heinz went out to check the men he'd placed around the outer buildings, the woman insisted in coming along, no matter how much he tried to dissuade her. When they got back he made a point to wrap her in a blanket and lay her down next to the fire. Even as he put himself up against a post in the building to grab the few hours of sleep allowed a non-com, she was still looking him over.Next sunrise Day 2:"Sergeant Klausenbach, you do realize that you have compromised our entire position," snapped the colonel's adjutant. Sergeants didn't get to talk to the real 'powers that be'. "You need to move back and reestablish the line at once.""Sir, the 3rd Battalion is all gone sir, or at least the two companies I ran across. Sir they were frozen to death. There is no way my forty-five men can plug a hole that wide.""If you fail to follow your orders Sergeant, you will be arrested and returned to Regimental command to stand trial for cowardice in the face of the enemy," the officer threatened. Heinz looked over at the few men in the communal barn with him. The woman studied him intently as well. Heinz was beginning to suspect she understood more than she was letting on."I can't do it sir," Heinz sighed. "What you want me to do can't be done and I'm not going to have all my men die trying to fulfill this insane command just to save my own life. Do what you must." There was no response for the longest time; seconds became minutes."Sergeant Klausenbach, can you defend your current position?" the adjutant asked."I'm in a small village and I've got a good view of the terrain. I can hold it against anything short of a determined attack. Is there any hope of artillery support?" Heinz asked."We will do what we can," the officer answered."Unless they throw a battalion at me, I'll hold this position Sir.""I'll get you some supplies as soon as we figure out where you are," was the man's final statement before the connection ended and Heinz was left looking at his men. One of his men stuck a hot cup of ersatz-coffee which tasted like crap but warmed the blood. He offered half of the cup to the girl who drank it and made a face that had to say 'are you trying to poison me?'Heinz quickly formed some plan for the defense of the village. Once he figured out the best building to hold on to, he moved the families into the houses closer to the center. He fortified the strongpoints and set the other buildings up to be burned if he needed to get rid of them. Convinced he was doing the best he could, he took out a small patrol east to see if he could spot the Russians but there didn't seem to be any around for miles.4 hours later Day 2:As he came back to the village from the east he heard supply trucks coming in from the west side of the village. Heinz took deep sigh and despite the icy daggers in his lungs, he felt happy. With the proper supplies in his current fortifications, he knew his men could hold out as needed. Only when the trucks came close to village did Heinz start to get a funny feeling about things.There were not enough trucks and too much protection. There was a jeep, two half-tracks guarding only two trucks. It was lavish protection for the resupply for one under-strength company. When the leader stepped out one of the soldiers with him grumbled. For Heinz it was more a matter of raw anger that came with desperate disappointment. They were an SS security detail.Everyone in the Army had heard rumors of these detachments. Their generous critics called their actions 'anti-partisan' operations; others whispered accusations of villages leveled and mass executions. Heinz had little hope he was here to help them hold off actual Russian soldiers. The leader was the SS equivalent of a Captain, though he had no rank in the Heer."Sergeant Klausenbach," the Captain said scanning the bundled up German soldiers. Heinz stepped forward."That would be me. Have you come to resupply us?" Heinz asked in even tone."No," the SS man began."Have you come to relieve us?" Heinz interrupted."No," the man continued."Then why in the hell are you in my village?" Heinz snapped. The closest armed SS guards bristled at the treatment of their officer, but the Captain merely smiled in an effete gesture."As I have been trying to tell you Sergeant, there has been a report of unusual activity and my unit is here to investigate," he smiled like a predatory cat. Heinz tried not to feel like its next meal."Like what, sir?" Heinz inquired."A whole battalion froze to death; I need to know if you noticed anything unusual when you scouted the scene," the Captain questioned. Two the closest German soldiers shot Heinz a quick look. The woman who was right behind him stayed motionless."Nothing sir, except a number of men frozen solid with a few of those clearly terrified before they died," Heinz lied."Oh, a pity; I will need you to lead me and some of my men to the site," the SS captain said with a white toothy grin."Sir, you have to realize that the whole area has to be crawling with Communists by now. I can't justify throwing the lives of my men away on such a foolish errand," Heinz protested."First Sergeant, this wasn't a request. I have orders from your regiment to accord me, my men, and my mission every available resource. Secondly, the only guide I need is you. Leave your men in safety. Finally, it shouldn't be the Russian soldiers you should be afraid of," he grinned."What does that mean?" Heinz asked."That is not important to you," the Captain pointed out, rubbing his clean shaven jawline. Heinz stepped forward and extended his hands. With a great show of forbearance the SS Captain (whose name turned out to be G Sierech) gave Heinz his orders who read them. A cold wind threatened to steal the paper away. Heinz swore under his breath."I've only now come in from patrol Captain Sierech. Let me warm myself by the fire and get a bite to eat. You and your men can join us," Heinz suggested. The SS Captain acknowledged the wisdom of the gesture and soon thirty SS men were inside the communal barn with nearly half the villagers."You need to stay here with the others," Heinz pleaded with the woman when they had a moment alone. "Listen, I don't know if you can understand any of this, but I think they are after you and if they figure out who you are they will kill you. Please understand that." She looked into his eyes then past him."Who is the woman?" Captain Sierech inquired politely having snuck up close enough to hear voices but clearly not their intent."She is my woman," Heinz offered."You have good taste in woman. Too bad she's a Slav," Sierech noted contemptuously. "Woman, do you pleasure him?""I prefer to think that she has good taste in men," Heinz countered. The woman made no sign that she understood the SS officer."She doesn't speak much German, does she?" he smiled in that chilling way of his."She doesn't need to speak for what I want," Heinz highly exaggerated. He was far too exhausted for sex and even if he had, he couldn't stomach rape or rapists.Three things happened in rapid succession. Sierech moved to snatch the woman by the hair, the woman stumbled away, and Heinz snapped up his arm and batted the officer's arm aside.The officer reached for his pistol then froze. Heinz had a knife to his throat."Be careful with your next action, Sergeant," hissed Sierech. All over the room German soldiers and SS men were pointing weapons at one another. There were more SS in the room, but it wouldn't help Sierech; Heinz would kill him. The Captain's chest heaved in anticipation."Button up your pistol Captain," Heinz said angrily. "As you said, be careful with your next action." The officer shrugged and buttoned up his holder and moved his hand away. Heinz put his knife back in its sheath and told his men to stand down."Let me finish here and I'll be ready to be your guide in five minutes, Sir."Sierech gave the Hitler salute which Heinz was obliged to follow and once he had a moment, he pulled the woman aside."Does this have anything to do with you?" Heinz asked. He got no reply. "If I got you some provisions could you make your way to the Russian lines?" Again, no reply."Damn it," Heinz pleaded, "I'm trying to save you and I know you know more about what is happening here than you are letting on." By this time the SS were gathering for the mission. "I can't be here to protect you," which brought a smile to her lips. He'd even dressed her down like one of his soldiersWhen he got into the truck he found and odd assortment of gear. Some of it was weird electronic detection units. There were also a good many White Phosphorus grenades and flame throwers. The also had light mortars and plenty of ammunition. Heinz was stepping up when the woman came running up to him. She kissed him as if we were old lovers, deep and rich and something so strong it rattled his toes. Fear, fatigue and even the cold vanished in this surge of warmth. He couldn't have appreciated it more it if had been a three day pass.Heinz convinced them that the best bet was to go around the north then trying due east along 3rd battalion designated retreat route. With the trucks left behind, the SS team made good time until they got close to the battalion parameter. They seemed interested in the frozen bodies as a matter of research and Heinz with two years of university knew just enough that something worse than the wretched winter was at work here.4pm Day 2:I quickly became clear that the soviets come this way, but decided to go around it and continued on to the north. At the camp thing were pretty much as he had left them. No sooner had they arrived the SS began searching the ground for tracks. They found what they were looking for too. Bare woman's footprints. Heinz did his best to appear skeptical without offering any explanation. After some work they determined that the woman had stalked Heinz back to his camp and then followed his troops in the direction of the village."What did you do here?" the SS Captain Sierech commanded. He had the polished wood case of a sniper rifle on his back. Somehow that choice of weapons suited him."I walked the perimeter, came in looking for survivors among that stack of bodies thinking that some survivors would have buried themselves f

This episode is brought to you by Telepaideia, a collection of live online courses in Latin, Ancient Greek, and the classical humanities offered by The Paideia Institute. Visit www.paideiainstitute.org/telepaideia to browse the course catalogue and register! I interview David Hendrix the man behind the incredible website 'The Byzantine Legacy.' It was David who showed me around Istanbul when I first visited in 2018. His website is an amazing resource for anyone who wants to know what survives from Byzantium today.David is leading a tour of Byzantine Macedonia in September 2025.Check out the Byzantine Legacy website and Youtube channel. Follow David on Instagram, Facebook and X. And support him at Patreon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Saint Peter was a humble, devout and peace-loving man, unlike his father, Tsar Symeon the Warrior (d. 927), during whose reign there had been perpetual warfare. By contrast, Peter's long reign was peaceful, and notable for the restoration of good relations with Byzantium and with the West. Peter married Maria, the grand-daughter of the Emperor Romanus Lecapenus, who recognized him as basileus (tsar or king), and he obtained independence from Constantinople for the Bulgarian Church with its own Patriarch. He had a great love for Saint John of Rila (19 Oct.), whom he would often consult, and he kept in touch with renowned ascetics of the time like Saint Paul of Latros (15 Dec.). The King acted energetically against the Bogomil heresy, an offshoot of Manicheism, by which some of his people, lacking sufficient instruction in the faith, were being misled. He called a council in order to condemn the heresy and reassert Christian principles. Nevertheless, the infection was to remain active for many years in Bulgaria. Following the invasion of the north of his Kingdom by Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev in 969, Peter abdicated and became a monk. He died in the following year, having consecrated his final days to God alone." (Synaxarion)   A note on the Bogomils: The Bogomils flourished in the Eastern Europe as an organized church from the 10th to the 15th century. In theology they were dualistic, incorporating some Manichean and Gnostic ideas from the Paulicians. They were nationalistic and gained much support through their opposition to Byzantine dominance over the Slavic peoples. They disappeared as an organized body around the fifteenth century, but elements of their beliefs persisted in popular thinking for many centuries afterward.

Send us a textAfter spending six episodes covering the events happening in the Roman renegade states, we finally get to see what happened inside the walls of Constantinople. The 4th Crusaders had to elect an Emperor... the first Latin emperor in over 700 years. The choice was narrowed down between two leaders, Baldwin of Flanders and Boniface of Montferrat. The election created a rift between the two that would never mend. This episode follows the short lives of these two men before they meet their untimely deaths at the hands of their new enemies.The History of Modern Greece Podcast covers the events from Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, and the fall of Constantinople in 1453, to the years under the Ottoman Empire, and 1821 when the Greeks fought for independence... all the way to the modern-day.Website: www.moderngreecepodcast.comMusic by Mark Jungerman: www.marcjungermann.comCheck out our 2nd Podcast: www.antecedors.com

Robin Pierson, host of The History of Byzantium podcast, joins Lexie to discuss creating The History of Byzantium, the challenges and joys of podcasting about such a complex and often misunderstood period of history, how his perspectives have shifted through research, and the lack of representation of Byzantine history in popular media. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week's exciting odyssey! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.theozymandiasproject.com! Learn more about Robin's show: https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/ Check out his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrcFMTVn9N_IOj1mRM5XooQ Support his show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/historyofbyzantiumSupport us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheOzymandiasProject Custom music by Brent Arehart of Arehart Sounds and edited by Dan Maday.  Get exclusive bonus content (ad free episodes, early releases, and experimental content) on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of The Black Madonna Speaks we will continue exploring the Three Soul activities of Thinking, Feeling and Willing and how they are reflected in The Black Madonna as an artistic genre. Thinking is the activity we will focus on for this episode, I hope you enjoy! Itinerary for The Black Madonna Tour of Northern Spain, October 3 - 17 2025 https://blackmadonnaheart.blogspot.com/2024/07/transformative-darkness-recovering.html To receive updates on The Transformative Darkness with the Black Madonna 2025 Tour https://forms.gle/DpmFsv28SxyraM7k7 To make a one time donation of any amount to support the podcast, please donate to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/BlackMadonnaHeart Become a Patron for the channel at https://www.patreon.com/TheBlackMadonnaSpeaks Paid members will receive weekly updates and chapters of upcoming books, beginning the Byzantium and The Black Madonna To purchase Black Madonna Speaks extra content, please visit https://www.patreon.com/theblackmadonnaspeaks/shop #divinefeminine #sacredfeminine #virginmary #ourlady #blackmadonna #anthroposophy #spiritualjourney #pilgrimage #spirituality #soul #divinewisdom

Archaeologist Dr Helen Geake and co-host Martyn Williams take you to Sutton Hoo, where Time Team will be returning later this year. Find out more about a new theory - put forward by Dr Helen Gittos from the University of Oxford - which casts doubt on the current understanding of how opulent Byzantine treasures, found in some of the burial mounds, came to be there. Could it be that Anglo-Saxons were fighting in the Byzantine army? You'll also hear from the volunteers who are attempting to recreate the 27 metre-long longship which has made Sutton Hoo famous. How close are they to completing the project? Plus, you'll meet the Patreon volunteer who's excited to return to the Sutton Hoo site and Time Team's Derek Pitman returns with news of a brand new offering over on YouTube.

#Londinium90AD: Gaius & Germanicus recognize the Americas as the New Byzantium to shield civlization's memory from the barbarians inside the Gates of Europe.  Michael Vlahos. Friends of History Debating Society. @Michalis_Vlahos 1882 Byzantium after the fall to the Ottomans 

#Londinium90AD: Gaius & Germanicus consider the Roman use of fires from Midas wealthy Crassus to theatrical Nero and pragmatic Byzantium. Michael Vlahos. Friends of History Debating Society. @Michalis_Vlahos 1880

News items read by Laura Kennedy include: Anglo-Saxon connections with Byzantium shown in Sutton Hoo burials (details) (details) Pottery production in Iraq shows evidence of early specialization dating back 8,000 years (details) Ancient DNA and human migrations shed light on the genetic history of Indonesia (details) (details) Strontium isotope map used to decode the mystery of the origins of wildlife and individuals in the past (details) (details)

He was born in Rome, and as a young man was chosen by the Emperor Constantine to assist in the foundation of his new capital at Byzantium. An outbreak of leprosy in the new City became so severe that the Emperor ordered that all lepers, whatever their rank, be driven from the city or drowned in the sea. Zoticus, moved by compassion for these people, went to the Emperor and asked him for a large amount of gold to buy gems and pearls to enhance the glory of the city, 'For, as Your Majesty knows, I am well-qualified in this field.' The Saint then used the gold to ransom all those being led into exile or to drowning, and to establish for them a camp on the hill of Olivet on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus. There he brought the sick and provided for their care.   In 337 Constantius, an Arian heretic, took the throne upon the death of his father. Some of Zoticus' enemies at court, seeing an opportunity, denounced Zoticus to the new Emperor, saying that he not only held subversive views, but had misappropriated public money. When he learned of these charges, Zoticus presented himself to the Emperor, finely dressed, and offered to take Constantius to see the gems and pearls that he had bought on his behalf. When they reached the hill of Olivet, Constantius was astonished to see a company of lepers coming to greet him with lighted candles, honoring and praising him and their patron Zoticus. Then the holy Zoticus said to the Emperor, 'These are the precious stones and brilliant pearls that give luster to the crown of the heavenly Kingdom that you will inherit by their prayers. I bought them for the salvation of your soul.'   Instead of being grateful, the heartless Emperor ordered that Zoticus be tied behind wild mules and dragged until dead. The mules ran down the hill, breaking the Saint's body upon the rocks and brush. Then, of their own accord, they returned to the top of the hill, still dragging the body, and, like Balaam's ass (Numbers ch. 22), spoke and proclaimed that the Martyr must be buried on that hill. The astonished and repentant Emperor ordered the Martyr buried with honor, and commanded that a hospital for lepers be built there, staffed by the best physicians and caretakers.   Saint Zoticus is also called Orphanotrophos, 'Cherisher of Orphans,' because in later years a large orphanage was added to the leprosarium. The orphanage included a general hospital and a home for the aged. The Saint was honored throughout Byzantine history as the patron of the orphanage.

Today we dig into the history of Istanbul, the city at the crossroads of East and West. Across thousands of years, the city has survived the rise and fall of empires, weathered sieges and Crusades, and remained a centre of world religion, trade and politics.With us is Jonathan Harris, Professor of the History of Byzantium at Royal Holloway and author of 'Constantinople: Capital of Byzantium'. He tells us all about the key moments that transformed the Eastern Roman capital of Constantinople into the modern-day city of Istanbul.Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.If you want to learn more about the Byzantine Empire, you could listen to our episode on its most famous leader, Emperor Heraclius - https://shows.acast.com/dansnowshistoryhit/episodes/emperor-heraclius-rome-vs-persia.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

  Please hit Subscribe/Follow and leave a 5-star positive review. Click here to go to our Patreon Page. https://www.patreon.com/c/222ParanormalPodcast Click here to go to Jens Poashmark Closet. https://poshmark.com/closet/happie22 Click here to go to Our website. https://www.222paranormal.com/   In this episode of the 222 Paranormal Podcast, hosts Joe and Jennifer delve deep into the chilling and eerie history of the Black Forest of Colorado. Known for its dense woods and ominous atmosphere, the Black Forest has long been a site of unsettling occurrences and unexplained phenomena. The hosts take listeners on a journey through the forest's dark past, exploring stories of paranormal sightings, ghostly apparitions, and strange happenings that have baffled locals for decades. OE and Jennifer discuss numerous accounts of encounters with shadowy figures, unexplained voices, and the sense of being watched that many visitors have reported while hiking or camping in the area. As they investigate the forest's eerie reputation, they touch on the region's historical significance, including Native American legends and early settler tales that suggest the forest has been a hotspot for the supernatural for centuries. The hosts also explore the idea that the energy of the land might be connected to the area's tumultuous history, with conflicts between indigenous tribes and settlers leaving behind a lingering spiritual presence. Throughout the episode, OE and Jennifer engage with listeners by inviting them to consider the Black Forest's mysterious aura, while also encouraging them to share their own experiences with paranormal activity. They delve into the psychology behind why places like the Black Forest have such a magnetic pull on the curious and adventurous, drawing people in despite the unsettling stories that surround it. By the end of the episode, listeners are left with an eerie sense of wonder, pondering whether the Black Forest is truly haunted, or if its reputation is the product of a centuries-old mystery that refuses to be solved. The Legend of the flying dog, know as Aralez. The aralez are most prominently associated with the story of the legendary Armenian king Ara the Handsome. According to this legend, the Assyrian queen Semiramis (Shamiram) called on the aralez to lick the wounds of and revive Ara the Handsome after he was killed in battle. By popular interpretation, this was the origin of the word aralez, from the name "Ara" and lez, the root of the word lizel 'to lick'. According to the Armenian history attributed to Faustus of Byzantium, after Mushegh Mamikonian was killed, his relatives placed his corpse on a tower, hoping that the aralezes would revive him.This indicates that belief in the aralez was still current in fourth- and fifth-century Armenia, following the Christianization of the country. Welcome to the 222 Paranormal Podcast, your gateway to the captivating world of the supernatural. Immerse yourself in our expertly crafted episodes, where we delve deep into a wide range of paranormal phenomena, including ghostly hauntings, cryptid sightings, and unexplained mysteries that defy logic. Each episode is meticulously researched and features engaging discussions with leading experts, seasoned ghost hunters, and renowned paranormal investigators. We cover the latest advancements in ghost hunting technology, offer practical tips for both amateur and experienced investigators, and review essential equipment for your paranormal adventures. Our podcast also explores the rich history of haunted locations, sharing true stories and firsthand accounts that will send chills down your spine. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the paranormal or just curious about the unknown, our content is designed to entertain, inform, and ignite your imagination. Stay tuned as we uncover secrets from the most haunted places around the world and analyze the most intriguing supernatural events. We also provide in-depth interviews with notable figures in the field and explore theories that challenge conventional understanding of reality. By subscribing to our Paranormal Podcast, you'll stay updated with the latest episodes, allowing you to join a community of like-minded individuals who share your fascination with the unexplained. Don't miss out on our exclusive content and special features, which bring you closer to the mysteries that lie beyond our everyday experiences. Dive into the world of the unknown with our Paranormal Podcast and experience the thrill of discovering what lies just beyond the veil of reality.  

"The Dark Truth: How Byzantine Secret Societies Control 2024 Join us for a riveting conversation with Jay Dyer as we uncover the hidden connections between ancient Byzantine mystery schools and today's power structures. From the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire to modern global events, discover how secret societies have shaped our world through centuries of careful manipulation. In this eye-opening episode, Jay Dyer breaks down the fascinating evolution of neoplatonic thought and its profound influence on modern secret societies. Learn how ancient Byzantine philosophical traditions transformed into powerful networks that continue to influence global affairs today. We explore the surprising connections between intelligence agencies, the British Empire, and contemporary power structures that most people never see. Uncover the truth about how these ancient mystery schools evolved into modern think tanks and global organizations, and understand their impact on current world events. From the Templars to modern intelligence agencies, we trace the fascinating lineage of these powerful groups and their methods of control. Whether you're interested in history, philosophy, or understanding today's global power dynamics, this conversation offers crucial insights into how ancient traditions continue shaping our modern world. Support the show by liking, commenting, and subscribing to join our community of truth-seekers working to understand these hidden forces of history." Jeremy is here https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyryanslatepodBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/jay-sanalysis--1423846/support.

The Dark Truth: How Byzantine Secret Societies Control 2024Join us for a riveting conversation with Jay Dyer as we uncover the hidden connections between ancient Byzantine mystery schools and today's power structures. From the fall of the Eastern Roman Empire to modern global events, discover how secret societies have shaped our world through centuries of careful manipulation.In this eye-opening episode, Jay Dyer breaks down the fascinating evolution of neoplatonic thought and its profound influence on modern secret societies. Learn how ancient Byzantine philosophical traditions transformed into powerful networks that continue to influence global affairs today. We explore the surprising connections between intelligence agencies, the British Empire, and contemporary power structures that most people never see.Uncover the truth about how these ancient mystery schools evolved into modern think tanks and global organizations, and understand their impact on current world events. From the Templars to modern intelligence agencies, we trace the fascinating lineage of these powerful groups and their methods of control.Whether you're interested in history, philosophy, or understanding today's global power dynamics, this conversation offers crucial insights into how ancient traditions continue shaping our modern world. Support the show by liking, commenting, and subscribing to join our community of truth-seekers working to understand these hidden forces of history.#cultofmithras #documentary #historydocumentary #occult #history #historydocumentary #americanlegends #knightstemplar #enigma #historyCHAPTERS:00:00 - Intro01:20 - Who is Jay Dyer03:36 - Byzantium and the Rise of Islam08:01 - Secret Societies and the Byzantine Empire11:14 - Neoplatonism Ideas Explained16:53 - Modern Connections to Secret Societies23:25 - Influence of Secret Societies Today27:40 - Intelligence Agencies and Secret Societies29:15 - Davos, Klaus Schwab, and Globalism30:30 - British Empire's Modern Influence33:31 - Impact of Secret Societies on Society37:06 - Intelligence Agencies and Global Control39:44 - How to Connect with Jay40:33 - Outro___________________________________________________________________________⇩ SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS ⇩THE WELLNESS COMPANY: Health without the propaganda, emergency medical kits before you need it. Get 15% off now by using our link: https://twc.health/jrsCOMMAND YOUR BRAND: Legacy Media is dying, we fight for the free speech of our clients by placing them on top-rated podcasts as guests. We also have the go-to podcast production team. We are your premier podcast agency. Book a call with our team https://www.commandyourbrand.com/book-a-call MY PILLOW: By FAR one of my favorite products I own for the best night's sleep in the world, unless my four year old jumps on my, the My Pillow. Get up to 66% off select products, including the My Pillow Classic or the new My Pillow 2.0, go to https://www.mypillow.com/cyol or use PROMO CODE: CYOL________________________________________________________________⇩ GET MY BEST SELLING BOOK ⇩Unremarkable to Extraordinary: Ignite Your Passion to Go From Passive Observer to Creator of Your Own Lifehttps://getextraordinarybook.com/________________________________________________________________DOWNLOAD AUDIO PODCAST & GIVE A 5 STAR RATING!:APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-create-your-own-life-show/id1059619918SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/5UFFtmJqBUJHTU6iFch3QU(also available Google Podcasts & wherever else podcasts are streamed_________________________________________________________________⇩ SOCIAL MEDIA ⇩➤ X: https://twitter.com/jeremyryanslate➤ INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/jeremyryanslate➤ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/jeremyryanslate_________________________________________________________________➤ CONTACT: JEREMY@COMMANDYOURBRAND.COM

It's Nick Holmes from the Byzantium and the Crusades podcast. Although I'm no longer making new episodes of this podcast, I thought you might be interested in my latest project which is a series of books as well as a new podcast on the Fall of the Roman Empire. And I'm contacting you because my latest book, and the fourth in my Roman series, called  ‘Justinian's Empire', is out now on Amazon in ebook and paperback. It will be with other distributors later and also available in audiobook probably within the next six months.  It's about the triumph and tragedy of the late Roman Emperor Justinian's reign. Triumph because Justinian's general, Belisarius, recovered North Africa and Italy from the barbarians. Justinian also created a new law code that would endure to this day. And he built extraordinary monuments, like the iconic Hagia Sophia in modern Istanbul, rivalling the great buildings of Ancient Rome. But all that glitters is not gold. There was also tragedy in his reign, especially with a mini ice-age that caused famine and bubonic plague. And I also suggest Justinian was a ruthless opportunist, and his western conquests drained the empire's wealth and critically weakened its army.So, rather than restoring Rome's greatness did he in fact pave the way for its catastrophic collapse less than a century after his death? I think the ebook is also really good value at only $4.99 in the US and £3.99 in the UK – probably cheaper than a cup of over-priced coffee! – and certainly cheaper than most other books on the Roman Empire. Paperback is obviously more expensive since I can't control the printing costs.The links to Amazon US and Amazon UK are in the notes to this and I do hope you'll take a look, and if you do buy it and you're feeling generous why not leave a review? I'd love to hear your feedback.Thanks for listening and I hope you continue to enjoy Byzantium and the Crusades!Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

He was a soldier from Byzantium, one of the defenders of Smolensk when it was besieged by the Tatars in 1238. One day the Mother of God appeared to Mercurius and told him that the Tatars were preparing a surprise attack — and, further, that he must take up arms and attack the enemy singlehandedly. Placing all his trust in God, the lone soldier threw himself against the Tatar host crying 'Most Holy Mother of God, help me!' He was quickly surrounded and cut down, and it appeared that his action had been as foolhardy as it had seemed, when a woman at the head of a glorious host, all of them surrounded by light, appeared and threw back the Tatar army. The next morning the people of Smolensk found the ground covered with the bodies of their enemies. They buried Mercurius in the Cathedral, where he has been venerated as a Martyr ever since.

Michael and Jess talk about a couple of vampire movies from Mike Mignola's list of favorite horror movies. After revisiting The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), which we'd both previously seen and disliked, we try Neil Jordan's Byzantium (2012), starring Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, to see if we like it any better.

'These Martyrs contested for piety's sake in the year 524 in Najran, a city of Arabia Felix (present-day Yemen). When Dhu Nuwas, ruler of the Himyarite tribe in south Arabia, and a Judaizer, took power, he sought to blot out Christianity, especially at Najran, a Christian city. Against the counsels of Arethas, chief man of Najran, the city surrendered to Dhu Nuwas, who immediately broke the word he had given and sought to compel the city to renounce Christ. Led by Saint Arethas, hundreds of martyrs, including women, children, and babes, valiantly withstood his threats, and were beheaded and burned. After the men had been slain, all the free-born Christian women of Najran were brought before the tyrant and commanded to abjure Christ or die; yet they rebuked the persecutor with such boldness that he said even the men had not insulted him so contemptuously. So great was their faith that not one woman was found to deny Christ in all Najran, although some of them suffered torments more bitter than most of the men. In alliance with Byzantium, the Ethiopian King Elesbaan liberated Najran from Dhu Nuwas soon after and raised up churches in honour of the Martyrs. Najran became a place of pilgrimage until the rise of Islam a century later. At the end of his life King Elesbaan, who was also called Caleb, retired into solitude as a hermit; he sent his crown to Jerusalem as an offering to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. He also is commemorated on this day as a saint. Saint Arethas' name in Arabic, Harith, means "plowman, tiller," much the same as "George" in Greek.' (Great Horologion)   Ethiopia is still a Christian nation, surrounded by Islamic states. The late Emperor Haile Selasse's name means, in Ethiopian, "Power of the Trinity."

We are delighted to speak with Anthony Kaldellis about ‘Byzantium', fabled empire full of Greek-speaking Romans which never fell until the fifteenth century, and which plays an outsize role in the history of western esotericism. Come for the historiographical debates about the term ‘Byzantine', stay for the ‘Byzantine' court astrology.

Dr. Anthony Kaldellis, a professor of Classics at the University of Chicago, joins Lexie to discuss how we define the Byzantine Empire, the multiple reinventions and conceptions of “Rome” over time, the importance of analyzing historical figures and their choices in their proper historical contexts, and the media reception of the East Roman Empire. So tuck in your togas and hop aboard Trireme Transit for this week's exciting odyssey!  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram or visit our website www.theozymandiasproject.com! Learn more about Dr. Kaldellis: https://classics.uchicago.edu/people/anthony-kaldellisListen to his podcast Byzantium & Friends: https://byzantiumandfriends.podbean.com/ Buy his new book The New Roman Empire: https://www.amazon.com/New-Roman-Empire-History-Byzantium-ebook/dp/B0CC69PLHQ?ref_=ast_author_mpbCheck out his publications on Academia: https://chicago.academia.edu/AnthonyKaldellis Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheOzymandiasProject Custom music by Brent Arehart of Arehart Sounds and edited by Dan Maday.  Get exclusive bonus content (ad free episodes, early releases, and experimental content) on Patreon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The longest aqueduct of the ancient world, the Valens aqueduct brought water to the capital of the eastern Roman empire: Byzantium or Constantinople, today known as Istanbul. Monumental sections of the aqueduct bridge still majestically stride across the city. In this episode we talk about the reasons for embarking on this colossal project, its development, decline and adaptation, and its place in the cultural heritage of today's Turkey. Speaker: Mariëtte Verhoeven. Interviewer: Edmund Hayes. Mariëtte Verhoeven is university lecturer and researcher at Radboud University specialising in  the field of late antique and Byzantine cultural and architectural history and heritage. This episode was produced by Edmund Hayes and Jouke Heringa. Further Reading Mariëtte Verhoeven, F. Gerritsen, & Özgün Özçakır, Revitalizing Istanbul's Water Heritage: The Valens Aqueduct. Blue Papers, 2(1) (2023): 154–163. https://doi.org/10.58981/bluepapers.2023.1.15 Ward, Kate, James Crow and Martin Crapper. 2017. “Water-Supply Infrastructure of Byzantine Constantinople.” Journal of Roman Archaeology 30: 175–95. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1047759400074079   --- Edmund Hayes Twitter: @Hedhayes20 https://www.linkedin.com/in/edmund-hayes-490913211/ https://leidenuniv.academia.edu/EdmundHayes https://hcommons.org/members/ephayes/   Mariette Verhoeven https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariëtte-verhoeven-ba10153   https://radboud.academia.edu/Mari%C3%ABtteVerhoeven

Today's poem is one of the most-discussed pieces of twentieth-century verse and, love it or hate it, features one of literature's best extended metaphors for eternal yearnings–the quest for the great and holy city. Happy reading. Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

Hello everyone,Here are 3 podcast-related things you may be interested in.Roman Graphic NovelFriend of the show Marco Capelli has made a comic book set in 6th century Italy. It follows two figures that we know about from an Ostrogothic jewellery collection that was discovered in 1938. A Roman Patrician Stephanus who marries a Gothic noblewoman Valatrud. They are subjects of King Theodoric who is trying to create a functioning Gothic-Roman kingdom in Italy. But their union comes shortly before Italy submerges into chaos. And Justinian sends Belisarius out to retake the home peninsula.You can get your hands on a copy in English or Italian. In paper or in a digital format. Plus loads of other goodies are available from Marco's Kickstarter campaign.The Kickstarter ends on October 11th so act now.Tour of GreeceLantern Jack, the host of the podcast Ancient Greece Declassified, is leading a tour to Greece.It's taking place from January 3rd to the 11th 2025. And it visits every site connected with the famous war between the Persians and the Athenians and Spartans. If you want to go you will visit the Acropolis, the Straits of Salamis, Marathon, Eubeoa, Thermopylae, Delphi, Plataea and you'll get to try on Hoplite Armour!Click here to find out moreThe History of Byzantium T-ShirtsFinally my new friend Magnus who creates Roman themed merchandise on Etsy has created an actual History of Byzantium podcast t-shirt. Or I should say t-shirts. Branded with the podcast logo you have several to choose from. I'm sure they will light up any occasion you go to with looks of confusion and bewilderment. But I think they look beautiful.Check them out here. He also has t-shirts and mugs celebrating lesser figures than me – such as Constantine, Justinian, Basil II, Marcus Aurelius and others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Plethon, Byzantium, Italy, the Eastern Roman Empire's influence on Hermeticism & the Renaissance, Venice, Venice as a refuge of the Eastern Roman Empire, Bohemia, Thirty Years War, Reformation & Counterreformation, Elizabethan England, Shakespeare, Shakespeare's role in keeping alive the occult tradition, Peter Brook, Mormonism, Mormonism's role in American metaphysics, Mormonism's role in modern New Age movement, Bush family, Reverend George Bush, Bush's Swedenborgian church, Satanism among the Romantics, Manly P. Hall, the Philosophical Research Society PRS), Hall's death and the attempted coup at PRS, Kyballion, Charles Fort, Fort's enduring influence of Ufology and Discordianism, Vice-President Henry A. Wallace, Wallace's occult interests, the Ouija board, Stephen K. Bannon, Bannon's esoteric interests, Bannon as a Discordian, Traditionalism, Rene Guenon, Julius Evola, the future of esotericism, the end of gurus & master/teacher roles Music by: Keith Allen Dennishttps://keithallendennis.bandcamp.com/Additional Music: Albert Bouchardhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B09DHX6JH7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HGDK2O22CQN0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VMOkbz1YKIA3xk8rSMaHpSyycbimuR7T39QtMhEacIW1k4NfeFjUGmWo9tMk7Gxs-ZWz1zenT14kA1K61d9ylbembad2iq1AuocgQlQAve9A6-CePCr7w0LlGSHb6O1FKMsA9QRuh0oOhVhRnmT-t8VH11kBieMDbXeALvX2cqE2uo3u0JwG5_OcIcK3YnNosDy2S0NhjT1IKCv6BUH2SRemDQPfn9cR4mrT2b7Kztc.Dh8Z1WB56eE3q2wJWz7Q1_tGT7o2ksyY6bQONn6Nc7s&dib_tag=se&keywords=albert+bouchard&qid=1726453739&s=dmusic&sprefix=albert+bouc%2Cdigital-music%2C481&sr=1-1 Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pedro Tafur ventures out from Constantinople to visit a sultan, an emperor, and the centre of the Black Sea slave trade. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on BlueSky @a-devon.bsky.social, Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Pero Tafur: Travels and Adventures (1435-1439), translated and edited with an introduction by Malcolm Letts. Harper & brothers, 1926. Barker, Hannah. That Most Precious Merchandise: The Mediterranean Trade in Black Sea Slaves, 1260-1500. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019. Gregory, Timothy E. A History of Byzantium. John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 31, 2024 is: Byzantine • BIZ-un-teen • adjective Something described as byzantine (or Byzantine) is very complicated, secret, and hard to understand. In its most literal (and always capitalized) sense, Byzantine describes that which is "of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium." // The company's byzantine accounting practices have gotten it into trouble with the government. // Works of Byzantine art filled the gallery's walls. See the entry > Examples: "Consider that California has among the strongest state privacy laws, yet tech giants such as Meta and Google, which make their homes here, are still accused of some of the most egregious privacy violations. A powerful and universal federal law is required to rein them in. It would also be more effective than the status quo of a byzantine patchwork of state laws." — Mark Weinstein, The Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2024 Did you know? Today, the city that lies on the Bosporus Strait in Turkey is named Istanbul, but it was once known as Constantinople (a name given to it when it became the capital of the Byzantine Empire, aka the eastern half of the Roman Empire), and in ancient times, it was called Byzantium. Its history is legendary—filled with mystics, wars, and political infighting—and over time the word Byzantine (from the Late Latin word Byzantinus, the name for a native of Byzantium) became synonymous in English with anything characteristic of the city or empire, from architecture to intrigue. The figurative sense used to describe that which is intricately involved and not easily understood first appeared in the early 20th century.

Listen to the premiere episode of the second season of The Forgotten Exodus, the multi-award-winning, chart-topping, and first-ever narrative podcast series to focus exclusively on Mizrahi and Sephardic Jews. This week's episode focuses on Jews from Tunisia. If you like what you hear, subscribe before the next episode drops on September 3. “In the Israeli DNA and the Jewish DNA, we have to fight to be who we are. In every generation, empires and big forces tried to erase us . . . I know what it is to be rejected for several parts of my identity... I'm fighting for my ancestors, but I'm also fighting for our future generation.”  Hen Mazzig, a writer, digital creator, and founder of the Tel Aviv Institute, shares his powerful journey as a proud Israeli, LGBTQ+, and Mizrahi Jew, in the premiere episode of the second season of the award-winning podcast, The Forgotten Exodus. Hen delves into his family's deep roots in Tunisia, their harrowing experiences during the Nazi occupation, and their eventual escape to Israel. Discover the rich history of Tunisia's ancient Amazigh Jewish community, the impact of French colonial and Arab nationalist movements on Jews in North Africa, and the cultural identity that Hen passionately preserves today. Joining the conversation is historian Lucette Valensi, an expert on Tunisian Jewish culture, who provides scholarly insights into the longstanding presence of Jews in Tunisia, from antiquity to their exodus in the mid-20th century. ___ Show notes: Sign up to receive podcast updates here. Learn more about the series here. Song credits:  "Penceresi Yola Karsi" -- by Turku, Nomads of the Silk Road Pond5:  “Desert Caravans”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Tiemur Zarobov (BMI), IPI#1098108837 “Sentimental Oud Middle Eastern”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Sotirios Bakas (BMI), IPI#797324989. “Meditative Middle Eastern Flute”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Danielyan Ashot Makichevich (BMI), IPI Name #00855552512, United States BMI “Tunisia Eastern”: Publisher: Edi Surya Nurrohim, Composer: Edi Surya Nurrohim, Item ID#155836469. “At The Rabbi's Table”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI), Composer: Fazio Giulio (IPI/CAE# 00198377019). “Fields Of Elysium”; Publisher: Mysterylab Music; Composer: Mott Jordan; ID#79549862  “Frontiers”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Pete Checkley (BMI), IPI#380407375 “Hatikvah (National Anthem Of Israel)”; Composer: Eli Sibony; ID#122561081 “Tunisian Pot Dance (Short)”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: kesokid, ID #97451515 “Middle East Ident”; Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Alpha (ASCAP); Composer: Alon Marcus (ACUM), IPI#776550702 “Adventures in the East”: Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI) Composer: Petar Milinkovic (BMI), IPI#00738313833. ___ Episode Transcript: HEN MAZZIG: They took whatever they had left and they got on a boat. And my grandmother told me this story before she passed away on how they were on this boat coming to Israel.  And they were so happy, and they were crying because they felt that finally after generations upon generations of oppression they are going to come to a place where they are going to be protected, and that she was coming home. MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: The world has overlooked an important episode in modern history: the 800,000 Jews who left or were driven from their homes in the Middle East and North Africa in the mid-20th century. Welcome to the second season of The Forgotten Exodus, brought to you by American Jewish Committee. This series explores that pivotal moment in history and the little-known Jewish heritage of Iran and Arab nations. As Jews around the world confront violent antisemitism and Israelis face daily attacks by terrorists on multiple fronts, our second season explores how Jews have lived throughout the region for generations–despite hardship, hostility, and hatred–then sought safety and new possibilities in their ancestral homeland. I'm your host, Manya Brachear Pashman. Join us as we explore untold family histories and personal stories of courage, perseverance, and resilience from this transformative and tumultuous period of history for the Jewish people and the Middle East.  The world has ignored these voices. We will not. This is The Forgotten Exodus.  Today's episode: leaving Tunisia. __ [Tel Aviv Pride video] MANYA BRACHEAR PASHMAN: Every June, Hen Mazzig, who splits his time between London and Tel Aviv, heads to Israel to show his Pride. His Israeli pride. His LGBTQ+ pride. And his Mizrahi Jewish pride. For that one week, all of those identities coalesce.  And while other cities around the world have transformed Pride into a June version of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Israel is home to one of the few vibrant LGBTQ communities in the Middle East. Tel Aviv keeps it real. HEN: For me, Pride in Israel, in Tel Aviv, it still has this element of fighting for something. And that it's important for all of us to show up and to come out to the Pride Parade because if we're not going to be there, there's some people with agendas to erase us and we can't let them do it. MANYA: This year, the Tel Aviv Pride rally was a more somber affair as participants demanded freedom for the more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza since October 7th.  On that day, Hamas terrorists bent on erasing Jews from the Middle East went on a murderous rampage, killing more than 1,200, kidnapping 250 others, and unleashing what has become a 7-front war on Israel. HEN: In the Israeli DNA and the Jewish DNA we have to fight to be who we are. In every generation, empires and big forces tried to erase us, and we had to fight. And the LGBTQ+ community also knows very well how hard it is. I know what it is to be rejected for several parts of my identity. And I don't want anyone to go through that. I don't want my children to go through that. I'm fighting for my ancestors, but I'm also fighting for our future generation. MANYA: Hen Mazzig is an international speaker, writer, and digital influencer. In 2022, he founded the Tel Aviv Institute, a social media laboratory that tackles antisemitism online. He's also a second-generation Israeli, whose maternal grandparents fled Iraq, while his father's parents fled Tunisia – roots that echo in the family name: Mazzig. HEN: The last name Mazzig never made sense, because in Israel a lot of the last names have meaning in Hebrew.  So I remember one of my teachers in school was saying that Mazzig sounds like mozeg, which means pouring in Hebrew. Maybe your ancestors were running a bar or something? Clearly, this teacher did not have knowledge of the Amazigh people. Which, later on I learned, several of those tribes, those Amazigh tribes, were Jewish or practiced Judaism, and that there was 5,000 Jews that came from Tunisia that were holding both identities of being Jewish and Amazigh.  And today, they have last names like Mazzig, and Amzaleg, Mizzoug. There's several of those last names in Israel today. And they are the descendants of those Jewish communities that have lived in the Atlas Mountains. MANYA: The Atlas Mountains. A 1,500-mile chain of magnificent peaks and treacherous terrain that stretch across Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, separating the Sahara from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastline.  It's where the nomadic Amazigh have called home for thousands of years. The Amazigh trace their origins to at least 2,000 BCE  in western North Africa. They speak the language of Tamazight and rely on cattle and agriculture as their main sources of income.  But textiles too. In fact, you've probably heard of the Amazigh or own a rug woven by them. A Berber rug. HEN: Amazigh, which are also called Berbers. But they're rejecting this term because of the association with barbarians, which was the title that European colonialists when they came to North Africa gave them. There's beautiful folklore about Jewish leaders within the Amazigh people. One story that I really connected to was the story of Queen Dihya that was also known as El-Kahina, which in Arabic means the Kohen, the priest, and she was known as this leader of the Amazigh tribes, and she was Jewish.  Her derrogaters were calling her a Jewish witch, because they said that she had the power to foresee the future. And her roots were apparently connected to Queen Sheba and her arrival from Israel back to Africa. And she was the descendant of Queen Sheba. And that's how she led the Amazigh people.  And the stories that I read about her, I just felt so connected. How she had this long, black, curly hair that went all the way down to her knees, and she was fierce, and she was very committed to her identity, and she was fighting against the Islamic expansion to North Africa.  And when she failed, after years of holding them off, she realized that she can't do it anymore and she's going to lose. And she was not willing to give up her Jewish identity and convert to Islam and instead she jumped into a well and died. This well is known today in Tunisia. It's the [Bir] Al-Kahina or Dihya's Well that is still in existence. Her descendants, her kids, were Jewish members of the Amazigh people.  Of course, I would like to believe that I am the descendant of royalty. MANYA: Scholars debate whether the Amazigh converted to Judaism or descended from Queen Dihya and stayed.  Lucette Valensi is a French scholar of Tunisian history who served as a director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, one of the most prestigious institutions of graduate education in France. She has written extensively about Tunisian Jewish culture.   Generations of her family lived in Tunisia. She says archaeological evidence proves Jews were living in that land since Antiquity. LUCETTE VALENSI: I myself am a Chemla, born Chemla. And this is an Arabic name, which means a kind of belt. And my mother's name was Tartour, which is a turban [laugh]. So the names were Arabic. So my ancestors spoke Arabic. I don't know if any of them spoke Berber before, or Latin. I have no idea. But there were Jews in antiquity and of course, through Saint Augustin. MANYA: So when did Jews arrive in Tunisia? LUCETTE: [laugh] That's a strange question because they were there since Antiquity. We have evidence of their presence in mosaics of synagogues, from the times of Byzantium. I think we think in terms of a short chronology, and they would tend to associate the Jews to colonization, which does not make sense, they were there much before French colonization. They were there for millennia. MANYA: Valensi says Jews lived in Tunisia dating to the time of Carthage, an ancient city-state in what is now Tunisia, that reached its peak in the fourth century BCE. Later, under Roman and then Byzantine rule, Carthage continued to play a vital role as a center of commerce and trade during antiquity.  Besides the role of tax collectors, Jews were forbidden to serve in almost all public offices. Between the 5th and 8th centuries CE, conditions fluctuated between relief and forced conversions while under Christian rule.  After the Islamic conquest of Tunisia in the seventh and early eighth centuries CE, the treatment of Jews largely depended on which Muslim ruler was in charge at the time.  Some Jews converted to Islam while others lived as dhimmis, or second-class citizens, protected by the state in exchange for a special tax known as the jizya. In 1146, the first caliph of the Almohad dynasty, declared that the Prophet Muhammad had granted Jews religious freedom for only 500 years, by which time if the messiah had not come, they had to convert.  Those who did not convert and even those who did were forced to wear yellow turbans or other special garb called shikra, to distinguish them from Muslims. An influx of Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal arrived in the 14th Century. In the 16th Century, Tunisia became part of the Ottoman Empire, and the situation of Jews improved significantly. Another group who had settled in the coastal Tuscan city of Livorno crossed the Mediterranean in the 17th and 18th centuries to make Tunisia their home. LUCETTE: There were other groups that came, Jews from Italy, Jews from Spain, of course, Spain and Portugal, different periods. 14th century already from Spain and then from Spain and Portugal. From Italy, from Livorno, that's later, but the Jews from Livorno themselves came from Spain.  So I myself am named Valensi. From Valencia. It was the family name of my first husband. So from Valencia in Spain they went to Livorno, and from Livorno–Leghorn in English–to Tunisia. MANYA: At its peak, Tunisia's Jewish population exceeded 100,000 – a combination of Sephardi and Mizrahi. HEN: When we speak about Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, specifically in the West, or mainly in the West, we're referring to them as Sephardi. But in Tunisia, it's very interesting to see that there was the Grana community which are Livorno Jews that moved to Tunisia in the 1800s, and they brought the Sephardi way of praying.  And that's why I always use the term Mizrahi to describe myself, because I feel like it encapsulates more of my identity. And for me, the Sephardi title that we often use on those communities doesn't feel accurate to me, and it also has the connection to Ladino, which my grandparents never spoke.  They spoke Tamazight, Judeo-Tamazight, which was the language of those tribes in North Africa. And my family from my mother's side, from Iraq, they were speaking Judeo-Iraqi-Arabic.  So for me, the term Sephardi just doesn't cut it. I go with Mizrahi to describe myself. MANYA: The terms Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi all refer to the places Jews once called home.  Ashkenazi Jews hail from Central and Eastern Europe, particularly Germany, Poland, and Russia. They traditionally speak Yiddish, and their customs and practices reflect the influences of Central and Eastern European cultures.  Pogroms in Eastern Europe and the Holocaust led many Ashkenazi Jews to flee their longtime homes to countries like the United States and their ancestral homeland, Israel.  Mizrahi, which means “Eastern” in Hebrew, refers to the diaspora of descendants of Jewish communities from Middle Eastern countries such as: Iraq, Iran, and Yemen, and North African countries such as: Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco. Ancient Jewish communities that have lived in the region for millennia long before the advent of Islam and Christianity. They often speak dialects of Arabic. Sephardi Jews originate from Spain and Portugal, speaking Ladino and incorporating Spanish and Portuguese cultural influences. Following their expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula in 1492, they settled in regions like North Africa and the Balkans. In Tunisia, the Mizrahi and Sephardi communities lived side by side, but separately. HEN: As time passed, those communities became closer together, still quite separated, but they became closer and closer. And perhaps the reason they were becoming closer was because of the hardship that they faced as Jews.  For the leaders of Muslim armies that came to Tunisia, it didn't matter if you were a Sephardi Jew, or if you were an Amazigh Jew. You were a Jew for them. MANYA: Algeria's invasion of Tunisia in the 18th century had a disproportionate effect on Tunisia's Jewish community. The Algerian army killed thousands of the citizens of Tunis, many of whom were Jewish. Algerians raped Jewish women, looted Jewish homes. LUCETTE: There were moments of trouble when you had an invasion of the Algerian army to impose a prince. The Jews were molested in Tunis. MANYA: After a military invasion, a French protectorate was established in 1881 and lasted until Tunisia gained independence in 1956. The Jews of Tunisia felt much safer under the French protectorate.  They put a lot of stock in the French revolutionary promise of Liberté, égalité, fraternité. Soon, the French language replaced Judeo-Arabic. LUCETTE: Well, under colonization, the Jews were in a better position. First, the school system. They went to modern schools, especially the Alliance [Israélite Universelle] schools, and with that started a form of Westernization.  You had also schools in Italian, created by Italian Jews, and some Tunisian Jews went to these schools and already in the 19th century, there was a form of acculturation and Westernization.  Access to newspapers, creation of newspapers. In the 1880s Jews had already their own newspapers in Hebrew characters, but Arabic language.  And my grandfather was one of the early journalists and they started having their own press and published books, folklore, sort of short stories. MANYA: In May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded France and quickly overran the French Third Republic, forcing the French to sign an armistice agreement in June. The armistice significantly reduced the territory governed by France and created a new government known as the Vichy regime, after the central French city where it was based.  The Vichy regime collaborated with the Nazis, establishing a special administration to introduce anti-Jewish legislation and enforce a compulsory Jewish census in all of its territories including Tunisia. Hen grew up learning about the Holocaust, the Nazis' attempt to erase the Jewish people. As part of his schooling, he learned the names of concentration and death camps and he heard the stories from his friends' grandparents.  But because he was not Ashkenazi, because his grandparents didn't suffer through the same catastrophe that befell Europe, Hen never felt fully accepted.  It was a trauma that belonged to his Ashkenazi friends of German and Polish descent, not to him. Or so they thought and so he thought, until he was a teenager and asked his grandmother Kamisa to finally share their family's journey from Tunisia. That's when he learned that the Mazzig family had not been exempt from Hitler's hatred. In November 1942, Tunisia became the only North African country to come under Nazi Germany's occupation and the Nazis wasted no time. Jewish property was confiscated, and heavy fines were levied on large Jewish communities. With the presence of the Einsatzkommando, a subgroup of the Einsatzgruppen, or mobile killing units, the Nazis were prepared to implement the systematic murder of the Jews of Tunisia. The tide of the war turned just in time to prevent that. LUCETTE: At the time the Germans came, they did not control the Mediterranean, and so they could not export us to the camps. We were saved by that. Lanor camps for men in dangerous places where there were bombs by the Allies. But not for us, it was, I mean, they took our radios. They took the silverware or they took money, this kind of oppression, but they did not murder us.  They took the men away, a few families were directly impacted and died in the camps. A few men. So we were afraid. We were occupied. But compared to what Jews in Europe were subjected to, we didn't suffer.  MANYA: Almost 5,000 Jews, most of them from Tunis and from certain northern communities, were taken captive and incarcerated in 32 labor camps scattered throughout Tunisia. Jews were not only required to wear yellow stars, but those in the camps were also required to wear them on their backs so they could be identified from a distance and shot in the event they tried to escape. HEN: My grandmother never told me until before she died, when she was more open about the stories of oppression, on how she was serving food for the French Nazi officers that were occupying Tunisia, or how my grandfather was in a labor camp, and he was supposed to be sent to a death camp in Europe as well. They never felt like they should share these stories. MANYA: The capture of Tunisia by the Allied forces in May 1943 led the Axis forces in North Africa to surrender. But the country remained under French colonial rule and the antisemitic legislation of the Vichy regime continued until 1944. Many of the Vichy camps, including forced labor camps in the Sahara, continued to operate.  Even after the decline and fall of the Vichy regime and the pursuit of independence from French rule began, conditions for the Mazzig family and many others in the Tunisian Jewish community did not improve.  But the source of much of the hostility and strife was actually a beacon of hope for Tunisia's Jews. On May 14, 1948, the world had witnessed the creation of the state of Israel, sparking outrage throughout the Arab world. Seven Arab nations declared war on Israel the day after it declared independence.  Amid the rise of Tunisian nationalism and its push for independence from France, Jewish communities who had lived in Tunisia for centuries became targets. Guilty by association. No longer welcome. Rabbinical councils were dismantled. Jewish sports associations banned. Jews practiced their religion in hiding. Hen's grandfather recounted violence in the Jewish quarter of Tunis.  HEN: When World War Two was over, the Jewish community in Tunisia was hoping that now that Tunisia would have emancipation, and it would become a country, that their neighbors and the country itself would protect them. Because when it was Nazis, they knew that it was a foreign power that came from France and oppressed them. They knew that there was some hatred in the past, from their Muslim neighbors towards them.  But they also were hoping that, if anything, they would go back to the same status of a dhimmi, of being a protected minority. Even if they were not going to be fully accepted and celebrated in this society, at least they would be protected, for paying tax. And this really did not happen. MANYA: By the early 1950s, life for the Mazzig family became untenable. By then, American Jewish organizations based in Tunis started working to take Jews to Israel right away.  HEN: [My family decided to leave.] They took whatever they had left. And they got on a boat. And my grandmother told me this story before she passed away on how they were on this boat coming to Israel.  And they were so happy, and they were crying because they felt that finally after generations upon generations of oppression of living as a minority that knows that anytime the ruler might turn on them and take everything they have and pull the ground underneath their feet, they are going to come to a place where they are going to be protected. And maybe they will face hate, but no one will hate them because they're Jewish.  And I often dream about my grandmother being a young girl on this boat and how she must have felt to know that the nightmare and the hell that she went through is behind her and that she was coming home. MANYA: The boat they sailed to Israel took days. When Hen's uncle, just a young child at the time, got sick, the captain threatened to throw him overboard. Hen's grandmother hid the child inside her clothes until they docked in Israel. When they arrived, they were sprayed with DDT to kill any lice or disease, then placed in ma'abarot, which in Hebrew means transit camps. In this case, it was a tent with one bed. HEN: They were really mistreated back then. And it's not criticism. I mean, yes, it is also criticism, but it's not without understanding the context. That it was a young country that just started, and those Jewish communities, Jewish refugees came from Tunisia, they didn't speak Hebrew. They didn't look like the other Jewish communities there. And while they all had this in common, that they were all Jews, they had a very different experience. MANYA: No, the family's arrival in the Holy Land was nothing like what they had imagined. But even still, it was a dream fulfilled and there was hope, which they had lost in Tunisia. HEN: I think that it was somewhere in between having both this deep connection to Israel and going there because they wanted to, and also knowing that there's no future in Tunisia. And the truth is that even–and I'm sure people that are listening to us, that are strong Zionists and love Israel, if you tell them ‘OK, so move tomorrow,' no matter how much you love Israel, it's a very difficult decision to make.  Unless it's not really a decision. And I think for them, it wasn't really a decision. And they went through so much, they knew, OK, we have to leave and I think for the first time having a country, having Israel was the hope that they had for centuries to go back home, finally realized. MANYA: Valensi's family did stay a while longer. When Tunisia declared independence in 1956, her father, a ceramicist, designed tiles for the residence of President Habib Bourguiba. Those good relations did not last.  Valensi studied history in France, married an engineer, and returned to Tunisia. But after being there for five years, it became clear that Jews were not treated equally and they returned to France in 1965. LUCETTE: I did not plan to emigrate. And then it became more and more obvious that some people were more equal than others [laugh]. And so there was this nationalist mood where responsibilities were given to Muslims rather than Jews and I felt more and more segregated.  And so, my husband was an engineer from a good engineering school. Again, I mean, he worked for another engineer, who was a Muslim. We knew he would never reach the same position. His father was a lawyer. And in the tribunal, he had to use Arabic. And so all these things accumulated, and we were displaced. MANYA: Valensi said Jewish emigration from Tunisia accelerated at two more mileposts. Even after Tunisia declared independence, France maintained a presence and a naval base in the port city of Bizerte, a strategic port on the Mediterranean for the French who were fighting with Algeria.  In 1961, Tunisian forces blockaded the naval base and warned France to stay out of its airspace. What became known as the Bizerte Crisis lasted for three days. LUCETTE: There were critical times, like what we call “La Crise de Bizerte.” Bizerte is a port to the west of Tunis that used to be a military port and when independence was negotiated with France, the French kept this port, where they could keep an army, and Bourguiba decided that he wanted this port back. And there was a war, a conflict, between Tunisia and France in ‘61.  And that crisis was one moment when Jews thought: if there is no French presence to protect us, then anything could happen. You had the movement of emigration.  Of course, much later, ‘67, the unrest in the Middle East, and what happened there provoked a kind of panic, and there were movements against the Jews in Tunis – violence and destruction of shops, etc. So they emigrated again. Now you have only a few hundred Jews left. MANYA: Valensi's first husband died at an early age. Her second husband, Abraham Udovitch, is the former chair of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. Together, they researched and published a book about the Jewish communities in the Tunisian island of Djerba. The couple now splits their time between Paris and Princeton. But Valensi returns to Tunisia every year. It's still home. LUCETTE: When I go, strange thing, I feel at home. I mean, I feel I belong. My Arabic comes back. The words that I thought I had forgotten come back. They welcome you. I mean, if you go, you say you come from America, they're going to ask you questions. Are you Jewish? Did you go to Israel? I mean, these kind of very brutal questions, right away. They're going there. The taxi driver won't hesitate to ask you: Are you Jewish? But at the same time, they're very welcoming. So, I have no trouble. MANYA: Hen, on the other hand, has never been to the land of his ancestors. He holds on to his grandparents' trauma. And fear.  HEN: Tunisia just still feels a bit unsafe to me. Just as recent as a couple of months ago, there was a terror attack. So it's something that's still occurring.  MANYA: Just last year, a member of the Tunisian National Guard opened fire on worshippers outside El Ghriba Synagogue where a large gathering of Jewish pilgrims were celebrating the festival of Lag BaOmer. The synagogue is located on the Tunisian island of Djerba where Valensi and her husband did research for their book. Earlier this year, a mob attacked an abandoned synagogue in the southern city of Sfax, setting fire to the building's courtyard. Numbering over 100,000 Jews on the eve of Israel's Independence in 1948, the Tunisian Jewish community is now estimated to be less than 1,000.  There has been limited contact over the years between Tunisia and Israel. Some Israeli tourists, mostly of Tunisian origin, annually visit the El Ghriba synagogue in Djerba. But the government has largely been hostile to the Jewish state.  In the wake of the October 7 attack, the Tunisian parliament began debate on a law that would criminalize any normalization of ties with Israel. Still, Hen would like to go just once to see where his grandparents lived. Walked. Cooked. Prayed.  But to him it's just geography, an arbitrary place on a map. The memories, the music, the recipes, the traditions. It's no longer in Tunisia. It's elsewhere now – in the only country that preserved it. HEN: The Jewish Tunisian culture, the only place that it's been maintained is in Israel. That's why it's still alive. Like in Tunisia, it's not really celebrated. It's not something that they keep as much as they keep here.  Like if you want to go to a proper Mimouna, you would probably need to go to Israel, not to North Africa, although that's where it started. And the same with the Middle Eastern Jewish cuisine. The only place in the world, where be it Tunisian Jews and Iraqi Jews, or Yemenite Jews, still develop their recipes, is in Israel.  Israel is home, and this is where we still celebrate our culture and our cuisine and our identity is still something that I can engage with here.  I always feel like I am living the dreams of my grandparents, and I know that my grandmother is looking from above and I know how proud she is that we have a country, that we have a place to be safe at.  And that everything I do today is to protect my people, to protect the Jewish people, and making sure that next time when a country, when an empire, when a power would turn on Jews we'll have a place to go to and be safe. MANYA: Tunisian Jews are just one of the many Jewish communities who, in the last century, left Arab countries to forge new lives for themselves and future generations.  Join us next week as we share another untold story of The Forgotten Exodus. Many thanks to Hen for sharing his story. You can read more in his memoir The Wrong Kind of Jew: A Mizrahi Manifesto. Too many times during my reporting, I encountered children and grandchildren who didn't have the answers to my questions because they'd never asked. That's why one of the goals of this project is to encourage you to ask those questions. Find your stories. Atara Lakritz is our producer. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jon Schweitzer, Nicole Mazur, Sean Savage, and Madeleine Stern, and so many of our colleagues, too many to name really, for making this series possible.  You can subscribe to The Forgotten Exodus on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/theforgottenexodus.  The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC.  You can reach us at theforgottenexodus@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.

The Union of Lyons had unleashed bitter division within Byzantium. We follow Michael and his son Andronikos as they try to make peace with the various factions that had opposed them. Period: 1281-1310 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Go to Harvard and study “Gender in Byzantium.”  Thanks for listening to the Daily Dennis Prager Podcast. To hear the entire three hours of my radio show as a podcast, commercial-free every single day, become a member of Pragertopia. You'll also get access to 15 years' worth of archives, as well as daily show prep. Subscribe today at Pragertopia dot com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We talk about the Latin occupied parts of Byzantium. What was life like for the conquered and the conquerors? Was the occupation a colonial enterprise?Period: 1204-61 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emperor Heraclius took the Byzantine Empire from its lowest ebb to its greatest heights. After years of turmoil at the hands of invading Persian armies, Heraclius led lightning counter-offensives that swept into Mesopotamia and devastated the Sassanid Empire. His battlefield exploits became the stuff of legend, but his success was not to last - in the Arabian Peninsula, a new religion was on the rise that would mark the end of one era and the beginning of another.Jonathan Harris, Professor of the History of Byzantium at Royal Holloway, explains how Heraclius reinstated the empire as a regional superpower, and why the rise of the Arab Muslims brought it all tumbling down.Produced by Mariana Des Forges and James Hickmann and edited by Max Carrey.Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off for 3 months using code ‘DANSNOW'.We'd love to hear from you - what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.You can take part in our listener survey here.

We talk to Dr Nicholas Morton about the arrival of the Mongols into the Byzantine world. Their confrontation with the Seljuks of Anatolia will have serious consequences.Dr Morton is Associate Professor in Middle Eastern and Global history at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. His new book The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East is available now.In it he offers a panoramic account of the Mongol invasions of the Middle East during the thirteenth century, examining these wars from the perspectives of the many different societies impacted by their conquests, including of course Byzantium. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.