Archways: Western Civilization History Podcast Doug And Marie Archway

In this captivating episode, we delve into the remarkable legacy of horse archer civilizations—the Parthians, Mongols, and Comanche—and their profound impact on Western societies. Buckle up as we ride through history, exploring their strategies, innovations, and cultural exchanges.

🏹 The Parthians: From the mid-3rd century BC until 224 CE, the Parthian Empire spanned vast territories—from the Euphrates River to Central Asia. Their skilled horse archers revolutionized warfare, employing tactics that confounded enemies. We’ll uncover their influence on the Greeks, Persians, and Romans.

🐎 The Mongols: Under Genghis Khan’s leadership, the Mongols forged the largest land empire in history. Their swift cavalry, including expert horse archers, reshaped geopolitics across Asia and Europe. Discover how their legacy echoes in Rus, Poland, and beyond.

🌾 The Comanche: On the American frontier, the Comanche—a formidable horse culture—transformed the Great Plains. Their mobility, tactics, and archery prowess challenged European settlers and left an indelible mark on American history.

Join us as we ride alongside these equestrian warriors, exploring their impact on trade, military strategy, and cultural exchange. From ancient times to the Wild West, Japan to Amarillo, their legacy gallops through the annals of Western civilization!


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In this episode we study the unique technologies and cultures that developed in the womb of the great Eurasian and American steppes. We will look at how these hearty humans adapted to their harsh environments and synergized with horses to form mobile civilizations. We will then look into how these civilizations accumulated enormous wealth and developed key horse-related technologies: the bridle, saddle, and stirrups. We will then discuss the evolution of mounted archers and the unique danger this posed to Western Civilization. This episode is focused specifically on early horse civilizations and the Scythians. Part 2 will discuss the Parthians, Mongols, Magyars, and Comanche.


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It's the time of year where romance is in the air. In this episode, we look at several ill-fated high-profile romances throughout the medieval period including...
- Prince Mal and Princess Olga of Kiev
- Constantine the VII and Regent Olga of Kiev
- Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere
- Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta
- Heloise and Abelard
Sources for this episode include:

The Primary Chronicles
http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/01/saint-buried-people-alive-burned-city-revenge/
History Tea Time Podcast
https://www.historyandwomen.com/2010/10/love-story-of-lancelot-and-guinevere.html
https://vault.hanover.edu/~battles/arthur/affair
owlcation.com/humanities/Famous-Love-Stories-in-History-Paolo-and-Francesca
abelardandheloise.com


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In this episode, we draw from the well of chess again. This time discussing five of the most popular and successful openings in Chess: the Spanish Opening, the Sicilian Defense, the Italian Game, the French Defense, and the Caro-Kann. On our journey to learn about openings, we will also learn about chess legends like Arpad Elo (the inventor of ELO), Ruy Lopez, Giulio Greco, and more. We will sink our teeth into chess history like the Gottingen manuscript and the first recorded games. Then, we will study how the greatest players of today like Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Vladislav Artemieve like to start their games. Special guest appearance from Napoleon Bonaparte.

Sources:
How to Win At Chess by Levy Grozman
Chess.com

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It is our 50th episode! To celebrate this historic milestone we are having a meta episode about the history of speaking itself. We will examine the oldest oral histories of the Indigenous Australians that have endured over 10,000 years. Then we will look at Moses and the oral law, followed by Homer and the bardic tradition. We will look at tricks bards used to memorize lengthy historical epics. After that, we will study how medieval Europe adapted the spoken word into sermons and operas, and then see how modern technology like radios, iPods, and RSS feeds launched the spoken word to new heights.



Sources:


Microphone Image Courtesy of Alvaro_cabrera / Freepik

Homer: From Oral Tradition to Canon | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)

Brief History Of The Radio From 1900 To 2023 Evolution (radio4all.org)

'Here is a story! Story it is': how fairytales are told in other tongues | Fairytales | The Guardian



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November 5th is the anniversary of the Gunpowder Treason Plot, an almost successful attempt by persecuted Catholics to blow away their Protestant opposition by detonating 36 barrels of gunpowder directly underneath the House of Lords on the opening day of parliament in 1605. Learn how crafty King James I avoided the fate of his father (being exploded), and why the man caught holding the fuse, Guy Fawkes, is an inspiration to anarchists and hackers and the origin for the word "guy." The events that would happen this night would topple the dominoes leading to Shakespeare's and Milton's greatest works as well as the colonization of America and establishment of it as a place of religious freedom.

Sources for this episode:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Guy-Fawkes
https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/parliamentaryauthority/the-gunpowder-plot-of-1605/overview/the-plot-and-its-discovery/conspiracy-and-deception/
https://www.tudorsociety.com/5th-november-1605-the-gunpowder-plot/
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/gunpowder-plot-what-history-behind-bonfire-night



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