Roman Empire
period of Ancient Rome following the Republic
Episodes
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#5630: Josephus: The Priest Who Wrote From Rome's SidePriest, general, defector, Roman pensioner — how one first-century author became the lens through which we see ancient Judaism. -
#5605: From Dolium to Cup: Rome's Wine Supply ChainRome had no wine bottles — just giant buried jars, throwaway shipping pots, and a hill of 53 million smashed amphorae. -
#5586: The Ancient World Was More Connected Than You ThinkCould an ordinary person travel the Roman world? The evidence says yes — and the reasons we think otherwise are revealing. -
#5501: Pharisees vs Sadducees: What We Actually KnowTwo groups everyone has heard of, documented almost entirely by outsiders. What the sources really say about the Pharisees and Sadducees. -
#5374: Why Trades Still Say Apprentice, Journeyman, MasterA papyrus contract from 18 BC, a five-euro coin, and the German Walz — how one medieval ladder survived only in the licensed trades. -
#5835: What Do You Call the Urge to Know Obscure Things?There's no single name for the pull toward transporter bridges, strange borders, and overlooked infrastructure. The vocabulary exists — it's just s... -
#5824: Herod's Four Walls: Why Only One Became the KotelHerod built four retaining walls around the Temple Mount. Three survive today — but only one became Judaism's holiest prayer site. Here's why. -
#5809: What If Israel Had Never Fallen? A 2,000-Year Thought ExperimentHannah's question: what would Israel look like if it had stayed under Jewish rule for 2,000 years — and was antisemitism structural or circumstantial? -
#5803: Who Built Jerusalem's Old City Walls?The stone ring around Jerusalem's Old City is younger than you think — and the legend about its architects is wrong. -
#5172: Who Decides When a Dialect Becomes a Language?Languages fork like codebases — and the merge button doesn't exist. Who actually decides when a dialect becomes its own language?