A relaxed journey through Roman history and mythology, hopefully with plenty of tangents, sidebars and interesting distractions along the way. Our goal- even if it ends up being unrealised- is to journey from the Theogony all the way to the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and beyond. This show is just for fun, and we hope you have fun with it too!
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From about 1030 BCE, all of our sources about Alba Longa and its kings crumble into disagreement. Get ready for tales of heirs saving puppies in housefires, three kings at once, and whether the recording room of Autocrat is still haunted.Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Vol. I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59- VIII. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Sélincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Ovid (1959), Ovid's Fasti. Translated by J. G. Frazer. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Ovid (1968), The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Author unknown (date unknown), Nuremberg Chronicle: being the Liber Chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann translated in English. Morse Library, Beloit College.
92- A New Aeneas (00:09:19)
He's finally here! Aeneas II of Alba Longa! Long may he reign gloriously! Get ready for mighty battles, great conquests, soaring triumphs and... what's that? Ovid, Livy and Cassius Dio want to have a word? Well of course, I- what do you mean the history books are empty?Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59- VIII. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Sélincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Ovid (1968), The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Sextus Aurelius Victor (2004), Origo Gentis Romanae: The Origin of the Roman Race. Translated by K. Haniszewski, L. Karas, K. Koch, E. Parobek, C. Pratt and B. Serwicki. Canisius College Translated Texts 3. Canisius College, Buffalo, New York.Author unknown (date unknown), Nuremberg Chronicle: being the Liber Chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann translated in English. Morse Library, Beloit College.
91- I'm An Englishman in New Troy (00:37:06)
Pausing our narrative with the death of Silvius in 1111 BCE, we follow his exiled younger son Brutus, who winds up in Britain after a series of Odyssey-style adventures and becomes its first king. His family will rule Britain for centuries according to the mythological narrative of Geoffrey of Monmouth, taking us all the way to the epoch of Rome's founding before we circle back next week to deal with Aeneas II...Sources for this episode:Baker, R. (1670), A Chronicle of the Kings of England. London: Printed for George Sawbridge.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus: The Library (Volume II). London: William Heinemann.Geoffrey of Monmouth (1966), The History of the Kings of Britain. Translated by L. Thorpe. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Sélincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Marks, A. and Tingay, G. (date unknown), Romans. London: Usborne Publishing.Shakespeare, W. (2014), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. New York: Race Point Publishing.William of Malmesbury (1847), William of Malmesbury’s Chronicle of the Kings of England. London: Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden.Author unknown (date unknown), Nuremberg Chronicle: being the Liber Chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann translated in English. Morse Library, Beloit College.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Silvius (online) (Accessed 05/09/2024).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Totnes (online) (Accessed 05/09/2024).
90- An Alban Fairytale Prince (00:22:48)
With Ascanius gone, his half-brother Silvius- the posthumous son of Aeneas and Lavinia- steps into the narrative. This week on Autocrat, a contested royal election, murky regency timelines, and the podcast hosts declaring war on Titus Livius.Would you be interested in a discussion on what the historical founding of Rome was like outside of its mythological origins? Let us know!Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59- VIII. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Sélincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Meade, G. (2021), Romans, Religion and the Aid of the Gods: An Exploration of the Pontifex Maximus in Roman Society. Portland State University: University Honors Theses: 1035.Ovid (1959), Ovid's Fasti. Translated by J. G. Frazer. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Ovid (1968), The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Sextus Aurelius Victor (2004), Origo Gentis Romanae: The Origin of the Roman Race. Translated by K. Haniszewski, L. Karas, K. Koch, E. Parobek, C. Pratt and B. Serwicki. Canisius College Translated Texts 3. Canisius College, Buffalo, New York.Suetonius (1983), The Twelve Caesars. Translated by R. Graves. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Author unknown (date unknown), Nuremberg Chronicle: being the Liber Chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann translated in English. Morse Library, Beloit College.Sources for the pope's pontifical association (even if not outright calling him pontifex maximus):Kelly, J. N. D. (1996), Oxford Dictionary of Popes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Author unknown (1916), The Book of the Popes (Liber Pontificalis) (Volume I). Translated by L. R. Loomis. New York: Columbia University Press.
89- Pig City (00:38:51)
Alba Longa is here! Pig City! Or Long White City. Or Longtown... The etymology is disputed. As is pretty much everything else from the reign of Ascanius! Join us for revisions of our timeline from episode 77, a wine obsession on the part of Dionysus of Halicarnassus, and far too much of our Auto-cat Felix disrupting recording.Sources for this episode:Appian (1972), Appian’s Roman History in Four Volumes (Vol. I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dio (1961), Dio’s Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59- VIII. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Eutropius (1760), Eutropius; Epitome of the Roman History. London: Printed for W. Johnston et al.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Sélincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Ovid (1968), The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Sextus Aurelius Victor (2004), Origo Gentis Romanae: The Origin of the Roman Race. Translated by K. Haniszewski, L. Karas, K. Koch, E. Parobek, C. Pratt and B. Serwicki. Canisius College Translated Texts 3. Canisius College, Buffalo, New York.Virgil (1976), The Aeneid. Translated by W. F. J. Knight. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Wilkinson, P., Carroll, G., Faulkner, M., Field, J. F., Haywood, J., Kerrigan, M., Philip, N., Pumphrey, N. and Tocino-Smith, J. (2018), The Mythology Book. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.Author unknown (date unknown), Nuremberg Chronicle: being the Liber Chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann translated in English. Morse Library, Beloit College.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Dionysus of Halicarnassus (online) (Accessed 23/11/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Falerna (online) (Accessed 23/11/2025).
88- Death or Divinity? (00:09:51)
Everyone has their time come sooner or later- and that time has come for Aeneas. The new king of the Latins shuffles off this mortal coil, either to die and head down to Hades, or else to transform into the god Indiges. Either way, it's time for us to leave a character we've accompanied since the Iliad behind and travel on with his descendants!Sources for this episode:Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59-VIII. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Sélincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Ovid (1968), The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.
87- Francus, Hispalus and Norix, Oh My! (00:13:40)
Now that we have finished the Aeneid- and indeed the epic narratives surrounding the Trojan War- we pause the narrative for a quick intermission before we finish off Aeneas. So, join us for three more stories of Greco-Roman protagonists founding nations of their own!Sources for this episode:de Ronsard, P. (1572), Les Quatre Premiers Livre de la Franciade, au Roy Tres-Chrestien, Charles, Neufieme de ce nom. Paris: Gabriel Buon.Hoffman-Beckering, D., History of the Germans (2025), Episode 204- Rudolf IV- Forger and Founder (online) (Accessed 20/08/2025).Ritter, R. and Tapie, V.-L., Encyclopedia Britannica (2025), Henry IV king of France (online) (Accessed 20/08/2025).Roulliere, A. (date unknown), Ronsard and the ghost of Astyanax. Trinity Hall College, University of Cambridge (thesis).Seznec, J. (1995), The Survival of the Pagan Gods: The Mythological Tradition and Its Place in Renaissance Humanism and Art. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
86- Aeneid Part VI: A Warrior Princess Steals the Show (00:21:01)
Aeneas has his final stand-off with Turnus, but that seems almost tangential in comparison to a daughter of a king called Camilla who carves a path of destruction and intimidation through the Trojan lines. As we wrap up the Aeneid and indeed the cycle of epics about the Trojan War and its aftermath, join us for vengeance for Pallas, military circle time and anti-prayers.Sources for this episode:Virgil (1976), The Aeneid. Translated by W. F. J. Knight. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Wilkinson, P., Carroll, G., Faulkner, M., Field, J. F., Haywood, J., Kerrigan, M., Philip, N., Pumphrey, N. and Tocino-Smith, J. (2018), The Mythology Book. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.
Bonus XVI- The Man Who Hated the Gods (Halloween Special) (00:12:20)
Pentheus is a man with a simple feeling- he does not think this Dionysus kid is all that. He really doesn't. No, it doesn't matter that he's already caused sailors to turn into dolphins and made them hallucinate all sorts of crazy stuff. He doesn't care it will see him get torn to pieces- wait, what was that last one?Sources for this episode:Ovid (1968), Metamorphoses. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Our thanks to various Pixabay artists for the special effects.
85- Aeneid Part V: From Mercy to Fury (00:34:09)
Virgil may be slowly unravelling as Augustus forces him to write propaganda into the Aeneid, but Aeneas is charging full steam ahead into his conflict against the Rutulians. Join us for duels, ancient world macchiatos and a boat-based answering machine. Oh, and a tangent exploring who exactly these Etruscans are we will be hearing so much about.Sources for this episode:Dudley, D. (1978), Roman Society. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Evelyn-White, H. G. (1943), Hesiod: The Homeric Hymns and Homerica. London: William Heinemann Ltd.Herodotus (1971), The Histories. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Marks, A. and Tingay, G. (date unknown), Romans. London: Usborne Publishing.Matyszak, P. (2008), Chronicle of the Roman Republic: The Rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.Mountford, P. (date unknown), Aeneas: An Etruscan Foundation Legend. ASCS 32 Proceedings.Oglivie, R. M. (1976), Early Rome and the Etruscans. Glasgow: William Collins & Sons, Ltd.Oltermann, P. (ed.) et al. (date unknown), The Ancient World Day 3: Rome. The Guardian, The Observer and the British Museum.Pellecchia, M., Negrini, R., Colli, L., Patrini, M., Milanesi, E., Achilli, A., Bertorelle, G., Cavalli-Sforza, L. L., Piazza, A., Torroni, A. and Ajmone-Marsan, P. (2007), The mystery of Etruscan origins: novel clues from Bos taurus mitochondrial DNA. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274(1614): 1175-1179.Suetonius (1983), The Twelve Caesars. Translated by R. Graves. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Thucydides (1971), History of the Peloponnesian War. Translated by R. Warner. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Woolf, A. (2014), A Short History of the World: The Story of Mankind from Prehistory to the Modern Day. London: Arcturus Publishing Ltd.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Odysseus (online) (Accessed 20/10/2025).
84- Aeneid Part IV: War Unleashed, Destiny Forged (00:29:33)
Now in Italy, Aeneas gets a new wife called Lavinia- and rivalry for her hand starts a war against the king of the Rutilians. Join us for more prophecies and visions of Rome than you can shake a stick at, Venus magicking shields into Aeneas' tent, and just whether Aeneas is an introvert.Catch Tsar Power wherever you get your podcasts, and thanks to Roberto and Aurora for collaborating with us!Sources for this episode:Drummond, A. 2015), Evander. Oxford Classical Dictionary (online) (Accessed 19/10/2025).Graves, R. (1981), Greek Myths: Illustrated Edition. London: Cassell Ltd.Moorton, R. (1988), The Genealogy of Latinus in Vergil's Aeneid. Transactions of the American Philological Association 118: 253-259.Papaioannou, S. (2003), Founder, Civilizer and Leader: Vergil's Evander and His Role in the Origins of Rome. Mnemnosyne Fourth Series 56(6): 680-702.Rosivach, V. J. (1980), Latinus' Genealogy and the Palace of Picus (Aeneid 7, 45-9, 170-91. The Classical Quarterly 30(1): 140-152.Virgil (1976), The Aeneid. Translated by W. F. J. Knight. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Wilkinson, P., Carroll, G., Faulkner, M., Field, J. F., Haywood, J., Kerrigan, M., Philip, N., Pumphrey, N. and Tocino-Smith, J. (2018), The Mythology Book. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Battle of Actium (online) (Accessed 18/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Evander of Pallantium (online) (Accessed 18/10/2025 and 19/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Latinus (online) (Accessed 18/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Janus (online) (Accessed 18/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Shield of Aeneas (online) (Accessed 18/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Temple of Janus (online) (Accessed 18/10/2025).Incidentally, Aphrodite's Wikipedia informs me that the story of her cheating with Ares comes from Book VIII of the Odyssey. So, the reference for the Odyssey is:Homer (1983), The Odyssey. Translated by E. V. Rieu. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
83- Aeneid Part III: Echoes of the Dead (00:30:28)
Aeneas holds some surprise funeral games in honour of his father, as he unexpectedly remembers that it's been one year since his father Anchises died. Not only that, but he must also venture deep into the bowels of the underworld to go and speak to that same father- and receive a prophecy about the future of his lineage and the people he will found. But does the underworld have any snack machines?Thanks again to Roberto from the History of Saqartvelo Georgia for collaborating with us! Check out his show wherever you get your podcasts.Sources for this episode:Virgil (1976), The Aeneid. Translated by W. F. J. Knight. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Wilkinson, P., Carroll, G., Faulkner, M., Field, J. F., Haywood, J., Kerrigan, M., Philip, N., Pumphrey, N. and Tocino-Smith, J. (2018), The Mythology Book. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.Author unknown, University of Leeds (date unknown), Inferno, Major Themes: Virglin (online) (Accessed 14/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Christian interpretations of Virgil's Eclogue 4 (online) (Accessed 14/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Dante Alighieri (online) (Accessed 14/10/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Inferno (Dante) (online) (Accessed 14/10/2025).Drum sound effect: Sound Effect by Adhi Mahadi from Pixabay
82- Aeneid Part II: The Path to Italy is Paved With Graves (00:20:22)
Aeneas takes a break from finding Italy to find love- and then destroy it all in a life-ending tragedy that will set up the Punic Wars. Join us for recollections of the cyclopes Odysseus fought, Virgil standing up for family values and just quite how romantic spelunking was in the ancient world.NOTE: We mention the mythical founding of Carthage being centuries apart from the supposed date of the fall of Troy in the episode. Ancient authors do not really agree with each other about the date, so we get anywhere from 50 years after Troy falls to 65 years before Rome is founded as the date.Sources for this episode:Odgers, M. M. (1925), Some Appearances of the Dido Story. The Classical Weekly 18(19): 145-148.Virgil (1976), The Aeneid. Translated by W. F. J. Knight. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Wilkinson, P., Carroll, G., Faulkner, M., Field, J. F., Haywood, J., Kerrigan, M., Philip, N., Pumphrey, N. and Tocino-Smith, J. (2018), The Mythology Book. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Mount Etna (online) (Accessed 05/10/2025).
81- Aeneid Part I: The Beginning (Kind Of) (00:25:24)
We set off from the burning rubble of Troy again- but this time instead of Odysseus, it's everyone's favourite serial kidnap victim Aeneas we are following! Join us for Carthage, Dido, very fast mural painters with very up-to-date information and Neptune advocating beaurocracy.Sources for this episode:Virgil (1976), The Aeneid. Translated by W. F. J. Knight. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
80- Odyssey: Don't Annoy Poseidon! (feat. the Jingle-Jangler) (01:47:43)
Odysseus. The man we accused of being a failure all throughout the Iliad and the Posthomerica. But will we like him any better during his own spin-off show? Join us for an extra long episode hosted by Vince's sister the Jingle-Jangler- who has studied the Odyssey and can help us condense it. Will Vince get increasingly frustrated at the inconsistency of Greek omens? Will Cassie have to employ increasing levels of sarcasm against Odysseus' flaws? Will the hosts become enraged at Odysseus, misogyny in the Greek world and Greek mythology in general? Find out with us!NOTE: This episode is a bit of a longer one, so it has been split into three sections with musical interludes at 35:39 and 01:13:50 for those who need a break.Sources for this episode:Homer (1983), The Odyssey. Translated by E. V. Rieu. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Majdic, G. (2021), Graceful Swan: A Symbol of Love. Chapter in: Soul Mate Biology: p. 93-102.
Update- August 2025 (00:02:50)
This weekend was meant to be the release date for episode 80 on the Odyssey, but that has had to be pushed back because one of the hosts currently isn't in the country! The perils of international travel and its unexpected delays... In the meantime, this is a bit of a refresher on what our schedule is going to look like (as it's changed a fair bit over the last few months) and when you can expect episode 80 to air.
79- Oresteia: What Goes Around Comes Around (00:49:17)
Agamemnon comes home to find consequences waiting for him in Argos. This sets off a chain reaction resulting in a cycle of violence swirling around Orestes, son of Agamemnon. We get scenes of Furies chasing him from Argos to Athens where his fate will get decided by a trial- with Apollo's only contribution being an attack on all women...Sources for this episode:Aeschylus (1977), The Oresteia. Translated by R. Fagles. London: Penguin Books Ltd.The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (date unknown) Zygote (online) (Accessed 27/08/2024).Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus: The Library (Volume I). London: William Heinemann.Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus: The Library (Volume II). London: William Heinemann.Graves, R. (1981), Greek Myths: Illustrated Edition. London: Cassell Ltd.Ovid (1968), Metamorphoses. Translated by M. M. Innes. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Erinyes (online) (Accessed 27/08/2024).
78- Summary of Chapter II: The Trojan War (00:30:10)
Now that the Iliad and the Posthomerica are both behind us, it is time for a recap of the craziness that has been the Trojan War! Join us for two mini quizzes, another opportunity to dunk on Achilles and a reminder that all that terrible nonsense the House of Tantalus got up to existed.
Bonus XV- Coins and the Roman World (feat. Dean Kinzer) (01:02:00)
Autocrat sat down with Dean Kinzer, the President of Kinzer Coins, to discuss what coins from the Roman and ancient worlds can tell us about what it was like to live in those worlds. Join us for tales of devaluation in the third century, the lack of silver mines in the Byzantine period, and just whether Antoninus Pius was into bobbleheads.
Bonus XIV- In Other News: Ancient Egypt (feat. The History of Egypt) (01:13:42)
Dominic Perry from the History of Egypt podcast joins us on the show to discuss the mythology of Egypt, its early history, and the state of Egyptian history at around about the time the fall of Troy is set in the 1180s BCE. Expect tales of conspiracies against Ramesses III, Sea Peoples, strife, and a look ahead at later Egyptian history and the last hieroglyphic inscriptions...Thanks so much to Dominic for appearing on the show! Find his podcast here:YouTube: @AncientEgyptHistWebsite: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.comInstagram: @egyptpodcastTikTok: @ancientegypthisSources and further reading for this episode:Blakemore, E., National Geographic (2024), Who killed Ramesses III? How science solved an Ancient Egyptian murder mystery (online) (Accessed 13/07/2025).Hawass, Z., Gad, Y. Z., Ismail, S., Khairat, R., Fathalla, D., Hasan, N., Ahmed, A., Elleithy, H., Ball, M., Gaballah, F., Wasef, S., Fateen, M., Amer, H., Gostner, P., Selim, A., Zink, A. and Pusch, C. M. (2010), Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun's Family. JAMA 303(7): 638-647.Hawass, Z., Ismail, S., Selim, A., Saleem, S. N., Fathalla, D., Wasef, S., Gad, A. Z., Saad, R., Fares, S., Amer, H., Gostner, P., Gad, Y. Z., Pusch, C. M. and Zink, A. R. (2012), Revisiting the harem conspiracy and death of Ramesses III: anthropological, forensic, radiological, and genetic study. BMJ 345: e8268.Salah El Dien, M. M., Assem, R. and Joseph, A. (2023), The Harem Conspiracies of Ancient Egypt. Wong, J. Y. (2025), The afterlife of Hatshepsut’s statuary. Antiquity 99(405), 746-761.
77- Posthomerica Part VII: The Sack of Troy (00:27:16)
It's all a done deal once that horse gets through the gates. Let's watch Troy crumble- and a heinous crime get committed which ultimately sees the Greek fleet scattered and broken as they set off for home. Oh, and some minor Trojan prince gets away from the burning city, but I'm sure that won't be relevant.Sources for this episode:Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities (Vol. I). Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Fitton, L. and Villing, A., The British Museum (2019), The search for the lost city of Troy (online) (Accessed c.24/06/2025).Frazer, J. G. (1921), Apollodorus: The Library (Volume II). London: William Heinemann.Homer (1983), The Odyssey. Translated by E. V. Rieu. London: Penguin Books Ltd.Maher, M. (2011), Fall of Troy VII: New Archaeological Interpretations and Considerations. Totem: The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology 11(1): 8.Robertson, J. (1788), The Parian Chronicle, or the Chronicle of the Arundelian Marbles; with a Dissertation Concerning its Authenticity. London: J. Walter, Charing Cross.Quintus Smyrnaeus (1934), The Fall of Troy. Translated by A. S. Way. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Ussher, J. (1658), The Annals of the World. Printed by E. Tyler in Fleet Street.Author unknown (date unknown), Nuremberg Chronicle: being the Liber Chronicarum of Dr. Hartmann translated in English. Morse Library, Beloit College.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Eratosthenes (Accessed 24/06/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Hermione (mythology) (Accessed 30/05/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Molossians (Accessed 30/05/2025).Sound effects sampled and used under Pixabay licence:https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/fire-sound-334130/https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/crowdpanic-6442/https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/sword-against-sword-6341/
76- Posthomerica Part VI: Horsing Around (00:23:40)
It's finally time! As the Trojans are chased into the city, some bright spark (obviously it's Odysseus) suggests that we build a farmyard animal out of wood and push it in front of the Trojan gates! Let's shove some warriors in it and pretend to leave, then the Trojans will surely drag it into the city. But don't worry, there's no way they're foolish enough to actually go for it... Surely?Sources for this episode:Brown, S. P., West, S. A., Diggle, S. P. and Griffin, A. S. (2009), Social evolution in micro-organisms and a Trojan horse approach to medical intervention strategies. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 364: 3157-3168.Desmedt, Y. (2025), Trojan Horses, Computer Viruses, and Worms. Chapter in: Encyclopedia of Cryptography, Security and Privacy (p. 2649-2651).Quintus Smyrnaeus (1934), The Fall of Troy. Translated by A. S. Way. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Testudo formation (online) (Accessed 24/06/2025).Credit for the lightning noise: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/heavy-thunder-sound-effect-no-copyright-338980/ (free for use under the Pixabay Content Licence, https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/).
75- Posthomerica Part V: We Won't Always Have Paris (00:16:32)
Our alternative title today is Goodbye Paris. Either way, you can probably guess how this is going to go. But before we say farewell to everyone's favourite princess-kidnapper, let's see how his ex-wife feels about saving him! I'm sure there will be no hard feelings there... Right? Please? Oenone?Sources for this episode:The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2015), Philoctetes (online) (Accessed 24/06/2025).Quintus Smyrnaeus (1934), The Fall of Troy. Translated by A. S. Way. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Author unknown, Google Maps (online) (Accessed 06/07/2025).Author unknown, Philoctetes (date unknown), Story of Philoctetes (online) (Accessed 24/06/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antenor (online) (Accessed 24/06/2025).Fire sound effect (clipped and some fading added second time):https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/fire-sound-334130/. Free for use under Pixabay Content Licence (https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/) (Accessed 07/07/2025).
74- Posthomerica Part IV: Everyone Loves Achilles Jr. (00:15:19)
Eurypylus has been killing like there's no tomorrow- and it's up to a boy from Scyros to sort it out. Let's introduce Neoptolemus son of Achilles onto the world stage and watch him wreak havoc while the gods dance in between the lines.Sources for this episode:Quintus Smyrnaeus (1934), The Fall of Troy. Translated by A. S. Way. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Smith; W. (ed.) (1867), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. In Three Volumes (Vol. 1-3.). Boston: Little, Brown, And Company.Author unknown, Google Maps (online) (Accessed 23/06/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Peleus (online) (Accessed 23/06/2025).
73- Posthomerica Part III: A Madman and a Mad Lad (00:14:48)
Priam reaches out for help to yet another ally- this time the grandson of Heracles. Meanwhile, over in the Greek camp- or Greel if you believe Vince's mangled pronounciation- Ajax and Odysseus get into an argument over who gets Achilles' armour. I'm sure that will go swimmingly...Sources for this episode:Marks, A. and Tingay, G. (date unknown), Romans. London: Usborne Publishing.Quintus Smyrnaeus (1934), The Fall of Troy. Translated by A. S. Way. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.Smith; W. (ed.) (1867), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. In Three Volumes (Vol. 1-3.). Boston: Little, Brown, And Company.Author unknown, Johns Hopkins Medicine (date unknown), Cholecystitis (online) (Accessed 21/05/2025).Author unknown, NIH News in Health (date unknown), Can You Recognize a Heart Attack or Stroke? (online) (Accessed 21/05/2025).Author unknown, Theoi (date unknown), Quintus Symrnaeus 6 (online) (Accessed 21/05/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Ajax the Great (online) Accessed 21/05/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Astyoche (online) Accessed 21/05/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Oileus (online) Accessed 21/05/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Phobos (online) Accessed 21/05/2025).Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Teucer (online) Accessed 21/05/2025).
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