Let’s get this out of the way... Monty Python’s Life of Brian is a comedic and satirical masterpiece. There are so many scenes which stand out as personal favourites, but here I am focusing on a very ...

Episode 24: Can the Greek city-states set aside their long-standing differences and come together to face the overwhelming power of the incoming Persian invasion?https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier...

The appearance of three False Neros in the two decades after the emperor’s death in 68 was not the only ‘afterlife’ that Nero had. He became increasingly associated with a legend that he was not dead,...

Episode 23: Mad kings fall, heroes rise, court intrigue... just a few of things going on in Sparta during the interbellum...https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-23-interbellum-spartan-...

Confronted with rebellions by Vindex in Gaul and Galba in Spain and rumours of the allegiance of Verginius Rufus’ army in Germania, the emperor Nero panicked. Rather than face up to what was perhaps f...

While hindsight is 20/20, Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus did not appear to be the best candidate for the imperial throne in 218.  He was only 14 years old, reliant on his mother and grandmother for po...

Episode 22: With Persian war seemingly on the backburner, we take a look at the interbellum period of Athens, complete with political chaos, rivalries and back-stabbing... https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e...

We saw last time that the career of Pierius must have been significant enough before his appearance in the historical record for Odoacer to promote him to his chief bodyguard, comes domesticorum. The ...

Episode 21: Between Marathon and the next Persian invasion of Greece, the Achaemenid Empire faced ten years of upheaval, with the death of a great king, several rebellions, and the challenge of gather...

Flavius Odoacer is most famous as the man who deposed the ‘last’ western emperor Romulus Augustulus in 476, becoming the first non-Roman ruler of Italy for centuries. He did technically act as a vicer...

Episode 54 - An Athenian general returns from exile for one last hurrah... https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-54-a-sunset-with-honorA (hopefully) fun and accessible portal into Ancie...

Episode 20: A break down the impact of the battle of Marathon, its fallout, and some of the incredible stories and legends told by soldiers at the battle https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and...

The doctrinal divide that sealed the fate of Qatari’s burgeoning Azariqa statelet in Kirman was not the first instance of such internal strife. When al-Azraq was driven out of Basra by the Zubayrids, not all of his followers went with him to Ahwaz. A group under Najda b. Amir al-Hanafi disagreed with al-Azraq’s leadership and moved south-west to join the Kharijites of Abu Talut in Yamama, a region from where Najda hailed.Upon moving into Yamama, Abu Talut had established himself on a large tract

Episode 19: The first great contest between a Greek army and the Persians in Greece... https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-19-the-battle-of-marathon/ A (hopefully) fun and accessibl...

Most of the focus on the Second Fitna – the second civil war that engulfed the Arab caliphate upon the accession of Yazid I, son of Mu’awiyah I, in April 680 and lasted until late 692 – usually falls ...

Episode 17: Persia crosses the Aegean sea once more to continue exacting revenge on the Greek world, this time at the expense of Eritrea and Naxos.....Clearing the path for a mainland invasion to seek...

History is littered with instances of power being thrust upon children of a young age. Ivan the Terrible became Grand Prince of Moscow aged 3; Puyi, the last emperor of China, ascended at just 2 years...

Look at a map of the Roman Empire in 420 and you might be forgiven for thinking that talk of a decline was a little overblown. In terms of outline, the empire does not look all that different from its...

Episode 17: The Persian revenge tour begins with the arguably incorrect title of the 'First' Persian invasionhttps://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-17-the-empire-strikes-backpersia-invad...

We all make mistooks when writing. I made one in teh first sentence of this blog. And the second… (and my word processor informs me that the third is a fragment that I should consider revising…)"To er...

Episode 16: Since the burning of Sardis, things have steadily collapsed for the Ionian rebels, to the point that they are left with a last major sea battle at Lade against the Persian fleet... What ch...

Throughout its history, the Christian Church has had to deal with its own ever-developing understanding of aspects of its own faith as various thinkers raised questions that had yet to be answered. Di...

Episode 15: The Ionian Revolt kicks off in style with Persian cities burning, big bribes being made, and one of the worst Father in Laws EVER!!! https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-15...