The ’’Greats’’ of History

Phillip Barlag
  • 5.0 (35)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A weekly series about people who have been called “The Great,” where we try to get past the honorific and understand who they were, what they did, and why some people seem to like them so much.

  1. 12/31/2024

    Episode 38: Season one wrap up

    Hi all. I need some guidance on where to go from here. Have a listen and drop me a line.

    14 min

  2. 12/23/2024

    Episode 37: Herod, part 4

    Herod's last few years were defined by soaring monuments of unsurpassed beauty, scale and sophistication that marked him as one of the greatest builders of all time. Oh, and a bunch of frenzied killing that made him a villain of (literally) biblical proportions. But, how much of this was the "real" Herod? What was this complicated man's true legacy?

    1h 16m

  3. 12/17/2024

    Episode 36: Herod, part 3

    Herod is firmly in control. He quickly becomes hated by his people. Some try to kill him. But then, he also tries to save many through personal and - if I do say so myself - quite thoughtful action. So, is this guy awful? Of maybe misunderstood? Or, somehow, a little of both.

    35 min

  4. 12/10/2024

    Episode 35: Herod, part 2

    Let's follow along as Herod rises to become king of Judea, a development that seems to have caught everyone off guard, including Herod himself. But gaining the throne didn't end his troubles; in many ways, they were just getting started.

    54 min

  5. 12/03/2024

    Episode 34: Herod, part 1

    For the final subject of season one, let's meet Herod, and cover about 1,000 years of interesting, chaotic, and, to some, sacred history.

    55 min

  6. 11/26/2024

    Episode 33: Special Episode, One of the Worsts of History

    With Gladiator II out, let's switch things up and get to know not a great of history, but one of the very worst ever: Roman Emperor Caracalla (and briefly, his less-bad brother, Geta). Content from this chapter is drawn in part from the book Evil Roman Emperors.  https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Roman-Emperors-Shocking-Caligula/dp/1633886905/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

    43 min

  7. 11/19/2024

    Episode 32: Pompey, part 6

    The final (no, really) episode in our sprawling series on the life and career of Pompey Magnus. Let's track the culmination of his war with Caesar, and consider his life and legacy.

    34 min

  8. 11/12/2024

    Episode 31: Pompey, part 5

    The late Roman Republic was chaotic, with violence and bloodshed the norm. As the crisis reached its apex, two factions emerged: one led by Pompey, one led by Caesar. In time, of course, only one would be left standing...

    39 min
See All (44)

5
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

A weekly series about people who have been called “The Great,” where we try to get past the honorific and understand who they were, what they did, and why some people seem to like them so much.

Information