Spearpoint

Malcolm Mann and Frances Joseph
  • 5.0 (4)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY

Spearpoint is a podcast about Alexander the Great. Join Malcolm Mann and Dr. Frances Joseph as they explore the life and times of one of the most extraordinary men ever to live. In thirteen short years, Alexander conquered the Persian Empire, taking his army from ancient Macedonia into India. Undefeated in battle, Alexander saw himself in the image of Achilles and Heracles. In Spearpoint, Malcolm and Frances explore not only what makes Alexander so famous, but his origins and his influence on the world, which continues even today. It's an epic tale of gods, men, glory and tragedy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. Alexander's Lovers

    04/07/2025

    Alexander's Lovers

    Who were Alexander the Great’s lovers? Meet Roxane, the Little Star, Stateira II and Parysatis, Persian princesses and daughters of Great Kings, Bagoas, a resourceful eunuch, and – most famous of all - Hephaestion, the Macedonian general who stuck by Alexander from childhood to death, through thick and thin, yet whose relationship with the conqueror is still covered in mystery.  In Alexander’s Lovers Malcolm and Francis enter the heart of Alexander’s life. They look at the famous and obscure of those who caught the king’s eye, tackle the politics, and, along the way, explore the really big issues: beards, biscuits, and debatable parental decisions made in the service of love! Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG Bluesky: @spearpoint.bsky.social Website: https://spearpointatg.com/ Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Audio Engineer Renee LeBoeuf, Green Frog Productions, LLC, Seattle WA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 9m
  2. Images of Alexander Pt. 2

    14/04/2025

    Images of Alexander Pt. 2

    In Part One of this two-part series, Malcolm and Frances explored images of Alexander from his own lifetime through to the end of the nineteenth century. In Part Two, they turn their attention to those produced in a variety of forms in the twentieth and twenty-first century: folk art and pop art, television and movies, portraits and currency are all represented – plus more! If you would like to see the images that Malcolm and Frances discuss, you can do so now on our website here. You can also view the images that they discuss in Episode 6 here. Alexander dreamed of lasting fame. The world of art has certainly given him that.   Resources on-line texts for the Alexander Historians: Arrian Curtius Diodorus Plutarch Justin About Malcolm and Frances Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”. Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life. Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG Bluesky: @spearpoint.bsky.social Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 8m

  3. 04/03/2025

    Images of Alexander Pt. 1

    No one controlled their image as much as Alexander the Great. Despite this, however, artists in antiquity produced a variety of portrayals of him: Alexander as a young man, realistic images, idealistic, and even Alexander as a divinity. This diversity only increased over the centuries following Alexander’s death. In Images of Alexander, Malcolm and Frances explore how the conqueror has been portrayed from his own lifetime, through antiquity and the Middle Ages and onwards to the late Victorian period.  If you would like to see the images that Malcolm and Frances discuss, you can do so now on our website here. Many of the older images of Alexander belong to the field of high art: sculptures, busts, paintings. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Alexander laid siege to pop art. How did he fare? Find out in Episode 7! Resources on-line texts for the Alexander Historians: Arrian Curtius Diodorus Plutarch Justin About Malcolm and Frances Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”. Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life. Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG Bluesky: @spearpoint.bsky.social Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Audio Engineer: Renee LeBoeuf, Green Frog Productions, LLC, Seattle WA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 16m
  4. Olympias: The Mother of Alexander

    08/01/2025

    Olympias: The Mother of Alexander

    Alexander the Great is a figure of such historic importance it can be easy to forget where he came from. His father, Philip II, makes himself known by his own achievements. But what about his mother, Olympias? Dynamic, ruthless, and determined; by force of personality, and the fact that the crown prince of ancient Macedonia was her son, Olympias did her utmost to bend the world to her will. In this episode of Spearpoint, Malcolm and Frances explore Olympias’ origins, her relationship with Alexander after the beginning of his war against the Persian Empire, and what part she played in Alexander’s understanding of his divinity. They also look at whether Olympias conspired to assassinate Philip II and what happened to her after Alexander’s death in 323 BCE. From court politics to clashing personalities; power struggles and assassinations, Olympias’ life has it all.   Resources on-line texts for the Alexander Historians: Arrian Curtius Diodorus Plutarch Justin About Malcolm and Frances Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”. Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life. Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG Bluesky: @spearpoint.bsky.social Blog: SpearpointATG Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Audio Engineer: Renee LeBoeuf, Green Frog Productions, LLC, Seattle WA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 2m
  5. The Man Who Became a God

    02/10/2024

    The Man Who Became a God

    In the winter of 331 BCE, Alexander the Great visited the famed Oracle at Siwa in the Egyptian desert. There, it is said, he discovered an amazing truth: he was not the son of Philip II but of the god Zeus-Ammon. This news did not come out of the blue. Alexander had grown up close to the gods. Through his ancestors Herakles and Achilles, they were even part of his family. In The Man Who Became a God, Malcolm and Frances explore these links, what Alexander made of the Oracle’s news, and Alexander’s connection to Dionysus. Their conversation takes them from a snake in the Macedonian palace to a drunken revel in India, from war against Tyre to a scandal in Bactria. Stepping beyond the literary sources, they also dive into what Alexander’s coins say about his supposed divinity and how it was used by his successors after Alexander’s death.   Resources on-line texts for the Alexander Historians: Arrian Curtius Diodorus Plutarch Justin About Malcolm and Frances Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”. Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life. Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG X: @SpearpointATG Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    53 min
  6. From Alexander to The Great

    02/10/2024

    From Alexander to The Great

    Alexander the Great not only conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire, but also many nations in Central Asia and parts of ancient northwest India. In ten years of campaigning, he did not lose a single battle. He became the richest man in the world, and was regarded by many as a god.  Despite this, none of his men, indeed, no ancient Macedonian, ever called him ‘the Great.’ So, where did this title come from? What was Greatness when it came to a king? What role might a monk in his cell during the age of Charlemagne might have played in its story? And is it appropriate for us today to still call Alexander, ‘the Great?’ All of these questions, and more, are answered as Malcolm and Frances explore the origin and history of Alexander’s enduring epithet. Resources on-line texts for the Alexander Historians: Arrian Curtius Diodorus Plutarch Justin About Malcolm and Frances Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”. Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life. Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG X: @SpearpointATG Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
  7. Alexander and the Sources

    02/10/2024

    Alexander and the Sources

    Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) is one of the most influential men ever to live. Through his conquests, he changed the world forever, politically, socially, and even physically.  Today, our knowledge of what Alexander achieved comes from five writers, known collectively as the Alexander historians, all of whom wrote their accounts of the conqueror’s life between three and five hundred years after his death.  These writers all provide important insights into Alexander’s story, his world, and what others thought about him.    Beginning with the Alexander historians, Malcolm and Frances trace Alexander the Great’s story back to those who rode with him on his journey of conquest. It’s a world changing narrative rooted in fact, that finds expression in fiction, and is enlarged by mythology  Resources on-line texts for the Alexander Historians: Arrian Curtius Diodorus Plutarch Justin About Malcolm and Frances Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”. Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life. Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG X: @SpearpointATG Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    46 min
  8. Welcome to Spearpoint

    02/10/2024

    Welcome to Spearpoint

    Malcolm Mann and Frances Joseph like nothing better than thinking and talking about Alexander the Great. Why? Check out this pre-episode to hear their brief personal introductions and find out who they are and where their interest in the legendary king and conqueror comes from. Resources on-line texts for the Alexander Historians: Arrian Curtius Diodorus Plutarch Justin About Malcolm and Frances Malcolm spends his days with his head in books and his heart in faraway lands, especially ones conquered by Alexander. When he looks at maps of Alexander’s empire, his go-to response remains “Crikey”. Frances is an academic who specialises in Hellenistic numismatics. She is currently writing a novel about Alexander’s first wife, Roxane, bringing life to the woman who existed in the shadow of a man who was larger than life. Spearpoint Socials Facebook Instagram: @spearpointATG Threads: @SpearpointATG X: @SpearpointATG Malcolm Instagram: @thesecondachilles Facebook: @alexander.of.macedon Frances Instagram: @futuristichistorian Email: spearpointatg@gmail.com Intro + Outro Music Epic by Hot_Dope (pixabay.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    21 min
  • 8 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Spearpoint is a podcast about Alexander the Great. Join Malcolm Mann and Dr. Frances Joseph as they explore the life and times of one of the most extraordinary men ever to live. In thirteen short years, Alexander conquered the Persian Empire, taking his army from ancient Macedonia into India. Undefeated in battle, Alexander saw himself in the image of Achilles and Heracles. In Spearpoint, Malcolm and Frances explore not only what makes Alexander so famous, but his origins and his influence on the world, which continues even today. It's an epic tale of gods, men, glory and tragedy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Malcolm Mann and Frances Joseph
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Malcolm Mann and Frances Joseph
  • Show Website
    Spearpoint