Afleveringen
-
Today we witness the transformation of Urartu—called Biainilli in its own time—from a fledgling mountain kingdom into a formidable Iron Age empire that would challenge Assyria itself. Following Sarduri’s founding of Tushpa, his successors Ishpuini and Menua laid the military, economic, and administrative foundations of a true state.
We explore the first co-regency in Urartian history, Ishpuini’s early conquests and fortress-building campaigns, and Menua’s monumental engineering projects—especially the Menua Canal, a 50-mile aqueduct that functioned until the 20th century. From strategic agriculture and logistics to fortress towns and tribal diplomacy, this episode uncovers how Urartu expanded rapidly despite difficult terrain and limited farmland.
Today we are looking at: The rise of Ishpuini and the god Khaldi, Expansion to Lake Urmia and the Caucasus, Co-rule with Menua and innovations in governance, The engineering marvel of the Menua Canal, Tribal Centers and highland integration strategy, Comparisons with Assyrian military and economy. It will be great.
I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories on Reels, Tiktok, and Youtube.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
In this episode, we explore one of the most dramatic and mysterious transformations in ancient Near Eastern history: the sudden rise of the Kingdom of Urartu—known to its own people as Biainilli—under the leadership of Sarduri I, son of Lutipri. From roughly 835 BCE, Sarduri doesn't merely shift a capital; he constructs an entire state system seemingly from the ground up on the eastern shore of Lake Van.
We examine the enigmatic origins of the Bia people, Sarduri’s audacious construction of the fortress city of Tushpa, the revolutionary engineering and water management systems he introduced, and the profound Assyrian influence embedded in his kingship. Drawing from sparse but powerful inscriptions, including one carved into Tushpa’s very walls, we uncover a kingdom that appears almost overnight—built with massive cyclopean stones, complex administrative systems, and a new vision of political unity.
Also discussed is the religious unification initiated by his successor, Ishpuini, and the powerful adoption of the warrior god Khaldi from the holy city of Ardini, a site now lost to history.
Urartu’s rise isn’t just the birth of a kingdom—it’s a case study in statecraft, innovation, and resilience at the edge of empire.
Keywords: Urartu, Sarduri I, Tushpa, Lake Van, Biainilli, Ishpuini, Khaldi, Musasir, Assyrian Empire, ancient Near East, Iron Age, Armenian Highlands, archaeology, ancient engineering, lost cities, Oldest Stories podcast
I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories on Reels, Tiktok, and Youtube.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
Explore the fascinating rise of Urartu, an ancient kingdom forged in the crucible of war and environmental hardship. In just two decades during the mid-9th century BCE, this mountainous backwater transformed into a powerful and advanced state, boasting fortress cities, aqueducts, and cutting-edge metallurgy. How did the disparate Hurrian tribes of the Armenian Highlands unite under King Sarduri I, defying Assyrian aggression to build one of the ancient world's most enigmatic civilizations?
We’ll trace Urartu’s origins, from its mysterious Nairi predecessors and the brutal campaigns of Shalmaneser III, to the explosive pressures that forged an empire. Discover how Urartu defied Mesopotamian norms, resisted literacy for centuries, and developed a unique, highly organized state capable of astonishing feats of engineering.
Why is Urartu often overlooked in discussions of ancient history? And why do modern political movements still invoke its legacy? Join us as we uncover the forgotten marvels of Urartu—a kingdom so advanced that some have speculated about ancient aliens or time travelers.
I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories on Reels, Tiktok, and Youtube.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
In the wake of the Bronze Age Collapse, a new power emerged in central Anatolia—the Phrygians. This episode examines their origins, tracing their migration from the Balkans and their settlement in the lands west of the former Hittite heartland. Drawing from archaeology and historical sources, we explore how the Phrygians established themselves as skilled wool workers, metalworkers, and cavalrymen, ultimately rising to prominence under the legendary King Midas.
Despite their influence, the Phrygians remain an understudied civilization, often viewed through the perspectives of their more well-documented neighbors—Assyrians, Greeks, and Neo-Hittites. We investigate the cultural and economic structures that defined Phrygia, the debates surrounding their script and language, their religious devotion to Kybele, and their role as a possible bridge between the eastern and western Mediterranean worlds. Finally, we trace their decline, from the height of their power to their downfall at the hands of the Cimmerians in 696 BCE.
Key topics include Phrygian origins, Balkan migrations, Iron Age Anatolia, the Neo-Hittite states, early cavalry warfare, the Phrygian alphabet, Tumuli burial practices, Kybele worship, and the role of Phrygia in regional trade networks.
I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories on Reels, Tiktok, and Youtube.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
Suhu is a only modestly important region, and the independant kingdom that lived on the Middle Euphrates from perhaps 775 BCE to 744 BCE is barely more than an historical footnote. And yet, because they wrote their stories on stone stele, we can talk about the two kings Shamash-Resha-Usur and Ninurta-Kudurri-Usur. They loved their tiny nation and lived for its prosperity, building orchards, canals, and cities, even introducting honeybees into the region for the betterment of their citizenry. How nice it must have been to have a king that loved his land. We also discuss the mysterious condemnatio of Nergal-Eresh, the Assyrian governor who lost this province to the migratory indigenous armies.
I am also doing daily history facts again, at least until I run out of time again. You can find Oldest Stories on Reels, Tiktok, X, and Youtube.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
Graham Hancock is a complicated man. On one hand, he is exposing a lot of people to some of the most cutting edge archeological investigations and open questions in history, and doing it in a way that is engaging, entertaining, and gets non-experts excited about the field. On the other hand, his methodology is fundamentally unsound, to the point that even if he is right in his thesis of an ancient lost civilization with unexpectedly high technologies, his methods are insufficient to prove himself. So today we are not going to necessarily debunk any of his claims, I don't think that is very worthwhile, but instead we are going to talk about the Philosophy of Archeology and the historical method. We will use some of his examples, like the Piri Reis map and Gobekli Tepe, to help flesh out what he should be doing that he often is neglecting to do.
Also, I did largely forget about the whole academic consensus aspect of this as I was writing, because honestly I am pretty disconnected from academia and have the perspective that someone can engage with a field pretty solidly with a good internet connection, but here is the link to Dr. David Falk, a fellow who himself passes in and out of respectability based on the circles you travel in, talking about the challenge of breaking into a fairly ossified field. And honestly, I do get the sense that archeology is rather more rigid in its scientific consensus than many other fields of study, so its not like Mr. Hancock doesn't have a point here. https://youtu.be/yE6Blwt-QIE?si=4tA952zPewVsghti
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
Reading 2800 year old slave documents, we learn a great deal about what concerned the people of Assyria on a day to day basis, at least the ones who lived in and around the major cities. From these documents we can see how the economy is changing, and how many parts of life are just as they have always been, for better or worse.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
Today we talk about the governors Nergal-Erish and Mannu-ki-Mat-Assur as they play their part in building the Assyrian empire in a number of often unheralded and underappreciated ways. Then we look at important developments in Babylonia related to the Chaldeans and Itu'eans.
Mannu-ki-Mat-Assur's archives: https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/atae?zoom=67&bkmk=P527340
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
Today we blame the decline of Assyria on horses, and look at Adad-Nirari's desperation to get more of them. Also we see more of the historical Shammu-Ramat, the source of the Semiramis myth. There is also a brief discussion of the uncertain Messiah of 2 Kings 13.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
The tale of Semiramis is one of those myths that everyone used to know, and many people used to take quite seriously. It is a tale from the Greek era which purports to tell the whole story of the great and ancient Babylonian and Assyrian empires, ultimately based on a now-lost set of legends that grew around the historical queen Shammu-ramat, wife and Queen of Shamshi-Adad V and mother of Adad-Nirari III. It will be for next episode to see the height of her power in real history, but it is worthwhile to pause and consider what was thought of her and of Mesopotamia throughout much of the late classical and medieval periods. To read from the horse's mouth, a good translation can be found here:
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/2A*.html
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
The angry and impotent king Shamshi-Adad would accomplish quite little during his reign of the Neo-Assyrian empire, but he would manage to completely annihilate the resurgent Babylonians and set them back a full century, while also marrying Shammu-Ramat, the inspiration for the mythical Semiramis, and allowing the Assyrian Empire to descend fully into the Age of the Magnates, or Assyrian Feudal Period.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
Youtube and Patreon members get access to bonus content about Egyptian culture and myths.
-
The final years of Shalmaneser III's reign over the Neo-Assyrian Empire, was a pivotal period marked by civil war, political intrigue, and shifting power dynamics. As Shalmaneser aged and relied more on his top general, Dayan-Assur, did his appointment of his younger son, Shamshi-Adad, as successor trigger a bitter seven-year conflict (827–820 BCE) with his elder son, Assur-Danin-Apli? This poorly documented Assyrian civil war pitted the royal family against a rising class of powerful governors, or magnates, signaling a transition into what historians call the Assyrian Feudal Era or the Age of the Magnates. Key figures like Dayan-Assur and the Babylonian king Marduk-Zakir-Shumi played critical roles in this dramatic succession crisis, which reshaped Assyrian politics. As the war culminated with Shamshi-Adad V's victory and Babylon’s intervention, the episode examines the shift from centralized royal rule to a more feudal structure that would define Assyria’s future. Join us as we explore ancient Assyrian politics, Shalmaneser's Black Obelisk, and the transition from monarchy to magnate governance in this pivotal moment in Mesopotamian history.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
-
The latter half of Shalmaneser's reign is less celebrated, but no less important. We see major campaigns against Urartu, Que, and Parsua, but more importantly we see some of those campaigns led by an unexpected figure, Dayan-Assur. We are rapidly building up to the civil war that opens the Assyrian Feudal Era, with epic poetry, political dynamics, and lots and lots of hard to remember names!
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
-
Today we see the political aspect of Babylon during its dark age, focusing on the 10th to 9th centuries BCE. Highlights are reigns of kings like Nabu-Mukin-Apli, Nabu-Shuma-Ukin, and Nabu-Apla-Iddina, tracing the political fragmentation, famine, and external threats faced by the city. The episode also highlights Babylon's struggle against Aramean raids, the rise of new dynasties, and the city's complex relationship with Assyria. Key topics include Babylonian kingship, religious traditions, military campaigns, and the region's cultural resilience during this turbulent period.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
-
Today we talk about why, exactly, Babylon was unique and look at how during this dark age they were still creating unique and interesting literary works. This gets pretty wide ranging, from defense to omen texts to political reform to the origins of the Chaldeans. The podcast has gone back to audio-only, the video side of things was taking too much away from the important parts of the show. Advice to a Prince can be read here: https://www.ebl.lmu.de/corpus/L/2/5/SB/-
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
-
The lead-up to and significance of the first great battle of the iron age. Qarqar changed the equation for the Assyrian empire, which has until now been expanding without serious resistance. We will learn about the geopolitical significance of Damascus and Israel, watch the Assyrians struggle and grow as a result, and reach the peak of early Neo-Assyrian military achievement.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
-
Today we examine the situation in the Levant from the Bronze age Collapse to the entry of the Assyrians, and then follow Shalmaneser's levantine campaigns as they reshape the region through violence and indigenous reactions. We reach the end of Ahumu the Aramean's anti-Assyrian activities, and ponder some of the big questions of the series, like what motivates Shalmaneser and what happens to civillians in a conquered Assyrian territory.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
-
A big transition of power as Shalmaneser peacefully takes the crown from his psychotic father, then immediately heads north for some war crimes. Big discussion today about how the Assyrian empire really works, what holds it together, and how Shalmaneser heralds a new phase in near eastern history. I even have a new background to mark the new era, for those watching on video.
Also, for those not on youtube, I have been doing some more Pharaoh:Total War content, including a historically focused Let's Play, so look that up if it interests you.
If you like the show, consider sharing with your friends, leaving a like, subscribing, or even supporting financially:
Buy the Oldest Stories books: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS
Donate here: https://oldeststories.net/
or on patreon: https://patreon.com/JamesBleckley
or on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCG2tPxnHNNvMd0VrInekaA/join
-
From the Tigris River to the Mediterranian Sea, Assurnasirpal completes the greatest campaign any Mesopotamian king has managed since the time of Sargon the Great, nearly 1500 years prior. Made possible through logistics, a firm grip on his Mesopotmaian heartland, and his own personal spark of genius, our psycho king turns up the charm to travel further than blade alone could allow, reshaping the near eastern political landscape, and setting in motion events that would alter human history forever.
-
Bonus episode today, a bit of a crossover with the bronze age stuff I am doing on Youtube about the video game Total War Pharaoh. Despite that, I think it will be of general enough interest to go on the podcast feed because the history of cavalry and the evolution and impact of the horse is keenly relevant here in the iron age, ironically more so than in the bronze age that the game is trying to shoehorn it into. This full lore breakdown explains the actual history of cavalry, goes deep into the dynamics of the bronze age collapse, and explains why it matters that cavalry was never a force in the archaic near-east.
- Laat meer zien
