Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
“Thinking Outside Pandora’s Box”
By Dan Carlin
https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/

Carlin is a former television reporter and radio talk show host who migrated to podcasts and blogs in 2005. His first podcast, Common Sense, discusses politics and current events. In 2006 he began Hardcore History, his unique take on history’s more “hardcore” aspects, mainly war, genocide, Armageddon and similar exciting themes.

In the most recent episode, posted in August 2017, Carlin takes a long, long look at indigenous tribal people up against the encroachment of technologically superior or organizationally superior cultures. After a long preamble, he launches into a discussion of Julius Caesar’s wars in Gaul, which he’s titled “The Celtic Holocaust.” His contention is that, unlike African or Native American tribes, “These people had a chance to win” even though they were “never the betting favorites.”

He points out that the Celts, Gauls and Germans were able to field large armies. Disease hadn’t ravaged the local populations the way it did in the Americas. And their weapons and warfare were similar, although the Romans had some missile technology the tribes didn’t. He also notes that the Romans had superior armor. But what they had most was organization.

This episode is fascinating, and Carlin backs everything up with either original source material (translations of Caesar’s works, and he notes which translation he’s using) or the opinions of experts in the subject. Sometimes he’ll read a passage from Caesar’s work, then follow it with a look at the Roman political situation. Why did Caesar want to focus on this aspect or exaggerate that number? What did it gain him back home? And where do Caesar’s justifications wear thin?

This is the only episode I’ve listened to so far. Carlin only issues two or three new episodes every year. The most recent ones are anywhere from five to seven months apart. But he makes up for this with very long episodes. Episodes 56-58 look at the ancient Achaemenid Persian empire. Those three episodes total nearly 13 hours. Episode 60, “The Celtic Holocaust” is just a few seconds shy of six hours.

It wasn’t always like this. Wikipedia says his first episode in July 2006, “Alexander Versus Hitler,” was only 16 minutes long. The next 15 episodes ranged from a half hour to just shy of an hour. After that they ranged from two to five hours in length.

Most of these are no longer available unless you purchase them from his website. Episodes 50 through 60 are available on iTunes, Stitcher and so on, as well as on his website, for free. A compilation of episodes 1-49 is $69.99, although you can purchase smaller groups of podcasts for $4.99 to $9.99. He also sells “extras,” the stuff that didn’t make it into an episode, for $1.99 each, such as “Wrath of the Khans” to accompany episode 47. (For the life of me, I can’t understand what didn’t make it into a five-episode, 8.5-hour topic.) Carlin also has a place to donate on his site, although he only mentions it at the end of the episode – very low key.

Carlin’s Hardcore History is wildly popular. Each new episode is downloaded by millions of people. And if you like the kind of long-form history that compares conditions in one time or place with another, or with contemporary issues, you’ll appreciate Carlin’s take.

At one point he notes that Caesar’s forces were blindsided in an ambush and wonders if Caesar had been killed then, would Rome’s borders have stayed much smaller? Without Caesar, would there have been an empire at all? He asks what would have happened if the Europeans in the Americas had faced a 100,000-strong native army. Would “manifest destiny” have occurred? Such thought arguments weave through his material.

At another point he implores his listeners to “imagine the human suffering” that followed a siege. He remembers the women and children, and what happens to them when their side loses. He asks what would you give your life for? Is freedom worth it? Is it worth the threat of imprisonment, slavery, rape, torture or death? He notes the Gauls risked all for freedom from Rome and went from being political slaves to actual slaves.

Each episode has its own webpage and artwork. The “Celtic Holocaust” episode’s striking artwork looks like the cover of a book. The page also includes a map of Caesar’s trips through Gaul and a list of “Tribes/Names/Places” with definitions. The first “King of Kings” episode begins with a brief video clip. That’s followed by a list of nearly 30 people and places with definitions. The third Persian episode’s webpage includes a map of the Battle of Plataea and a family tree of the ancient Persian kings. There’s pretty decent content to accompany each episode.

Carlin’s Hardcore History doesn’t follow a sequential timeline, so there’s no way to know what he’ll cover next. And it isn’t all pre-17^th century history. Episode 59 looks at the nuclear arms race and asks “What happens if human beings can’t handle the power of their own weaponry?” Episodes 56-58 head back into the ancient world but episodes 50-55 cover World War I. Carlin’s most recent podcast was episode 60, although by the time this posts he may have issued episode 61.

The British History Podcast
“History the way it is meant to be heard”
By Jamie Jeffies
https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/

Editor’s note: Share your favorite podcast with The Falcon Banner. Send your review to rex.deaver@gmail.com.

This is an interesting podcast that I just began listening to, so I’m still in the period of the Roman occupation of Britannia. It’s a period of England’s history I know less about, so I can’t speak to Jeffries’ accuracy, to whether he glosses over too much or leaves essential bits out. Perhaps when I get to the Anglo Saxons I’ll have a better idea of how accurate he is. But so far he hasn’t said anything I know was incorrect. And his approach is engaging, so I’ll keep listening. Jeffries began his podcast in May 2011 and currently is at episode 265.

Jeffies is a Brit with an American accent. He was born in the UK but grew up in the states. I’ll be listening along, lulled by his accent into forgetting this until he says  something about “here” or “just a few miles from my home,”  suddenly reminding me that he’s British.

Jeffries explained that he learned history at the knee of his grandfather, who told him tales of the land of his birth. Jeffries wants to make history that interesting for his listeners, and I think he succeeds to some extent. It may not be the thrilling tales he learned as a child, but it moves along at a decent clip.

He began with Ice Age Britain, spending an episode looking at what we know from paleontology and archeological finds. The next few episodes look at Julius Caesar’s trips to Britannia, then other Roman emperors’ interactions, and of course on to Claudius. By episode 22 we’re up to the crisis of the third century and the rebellions in Gaul. This should give you an idea of how fast (or slow) the podcast is moving.

Jeffies likes to include the archaeological record, sometimes disputing accepted canon. He’ll note that the number of people killed in a certain battle has to be wildly exaggerated. After all, where are the bodies? He also looks at the various walls built, noting when they were abandoned, reoccupied and so forth, to determine if the northern tribes might have made inroads at certain times.

Jeffries also throws in comments about pop culture, mentioning movies that cover this period of history. (For example, he loves Gladiator and hates The Eagle). He also discusses problems with the historical record or competing theories about how or why something happened. His discussion of the disappearance of the 9^th Legion should be of interest to a lot of folks.

And he interacts with his listeners. Like many podcasters, he asks for and answers questions submitted on Facebook or his webpage. Or he says something to acknowledge others might disagree with him. When he describes how Scotland’s rocky, hilly landscape full of waist-high thistles made the area less appealing to the Romans, he’ll make a comment like, yes, Tom, I know the north is beautiful, but that wasn’t why the Romans wanted to go there.

Jeffries’ primary fundraising is through monthly memberships on his website. For $4.99 a month members receive access to members-only episodes, timelines, transcripts and members-only boards. For example, members-only episodes offered during the early time period I’m listening to include one on Celtic literacy and another on the Hallstatt culture. I haven’t done this, but might. He has at least 90 members-only podcasts available by the 10^th century.

The website also has some value. There’s a good list of sources, a massive family tree of early English rulers, and maps. There are maps of Britannia during different eras, Anglo-Saxon migrations, the locations of various battles and where Hadrian’s wall was.

My only real complaint is his choice of music. During one battle between the Romans and Celts he played some kind of stylized Native American music – not real Native American music, but some kind of odd take that involved a lot of screeching. At other times he plays 21^st century music that’s a bit jarring. One time he just played cows mooing to indicate nothing was happening in Britannia. And some of his episodes are quite short. When you wait two weeks for something, it would be nice if it was more than 20 minutes long.

The British History podcast currently is in the early 10^th century, just after the battle of Tettenhall.

The History of Byzantium
“A Podcast Telling the Story of the Roman Empire from 476 AD to 1453”
By Robin Pierson
https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/

Editor’s Note: Do you have a favorite history podcast? Send a review to rex.deaver@gmail.com.

Pierson loved the popular History of Rome podcast and was saddened that Mike Duncan didn’t continue past 476 AD. Pierson believes – as many SCA folk do – that “Rome” only ended in the West. In fact, he calls the people of the Eastern Empire “Romans” throughout and only named his podcast “The History of Byzantium” to avoid confusion. He began his podcast in May 2012 and currently is at episode 159.

Pierson says he wanted to continue Rome’s history because “Byzantine history is fascinating, world changing and largely forgotten.”

I had not listened to The History of Rome before binge-listening Pierson’s podcast, so I will simply present his statement about it:

“I have tried to remain faithful to Mike’s structure of half-hour installments told from a state-centric perspective. My innovation is to pause the narrative at the end of each century to take time to cover wider issues to do with Byzantium”

I particularly like this approach. After several episodes of battles all over Anatolia and the near east, or discussions of warring factions inside the Theodosian Walls, I can hear about everyday people, learn what’s been happening in the Caliphate and Europe, and hear Pierson’s answers to listener questions.

Pierson occasionally interviews someone, such as a grad student studying the period or Mike Duncan. He asks for and answers questions listeners send him during the end-of-century episodes. Once he did an episode completely from the viewpoint of a soldier. It’s the only time he’s done a fictionalized episode.

Pierson’s approach to fundraising is one I like. Rather than ask for monthly donations, every year or two he does an episode you must pay for. He did this for episodes 28, 77 and 129. You can always skip them.

He also offers side episodes that you can purchase. He did several on John of Chrysostom, a couple on the life of Porphyrius the Charioteer, one on Symeon the Stylite, a couple on Procopius, who wrote a biography of Justinian and a secret history full of snipe and spite. He did a sale episode on the origins of Islam early on, and the most recent two are on Roman healthcare. The early episodes are available for $5 each and the later ones for $7.

Pierson now offers a $42 yearly subscription to all these pay episodes and promises six new side episodes each year. If you want to listen to all these, and want to see them just appear in your feed, this is a good choice. But it’s a bit rich for my blood. I’ve bought the fundraiser episodes to ensure I don’t miss anything and skipped the rest. I’m up to episode 130 now.

Except for those three pay episodes, he continues the chronological narrative for free.

I also like the website. It includes his Audible recommendations, his recommended sources and maps. Since I generally listen to podcasts while doing other things, I’m not always near the computer to review the maps he provides. As a result I often am in the dark about exactly where the Romans are until later. Byzantine history is an area I’m not familiar with, so the names, and particularly the place names, tend to pass me by until I have time to look at the map, but others may not have this problem. For example, I don’t have this problem when listening to English history podcasts. I’m guessing some of you would not need his maps at all.

The History of Byzantium is currently in an end-of-century overview for the period 913-1025 AD. (Note: He breaks his centuries unevenly in order to line up with the change in emperors.) The most recent episode was about Byzantine funeral practices and where the emperors are buried.

Editor’s Note: Do you have a favorite history podcast? Share it! Send your review to the Falcon Banner at rex.deaver@gmail.com

The History of English
“The Spoken History of a Global Language”
By Kevin Stroud
http://historyofenglishpodcast.com/

If you’ve ever looked at an Old English document and wondered how we got from that to now, you’ll love this podcast. Stroud has made what could have been a mind-numbingly boring topic into a fascinating podcast. The podcast began in June 2012 and currently is at episode 106.

He begins with our language’s proto-Indo-European roots, discussing how the people who spoke it came to spread it all over Europe and beyond. He explains how pronunciation shifts occurred, things like how “p” became “f” (like how “pater” became “father”) and how we can trace the development of the language through those consistent changes.

He really hits his stride when he gets to Old English, which he must have studied at some point. Stroud’s a lawyer by profession, but his love of language is plain. He pronounces Old English and Old Norse words clearly, making the subtle differences distinct. His section on pronouns – which are Old English and which are Old Norse – was really good.

In order to show how English evolved, Stroud covers a lot of straight-up history. He discusses what led to the Magna Carta, what conditions led to the publication of the first law books in English, which wars caused which demographic shifts, and so on. He tells the history of England in order to tell the history of English.

Stroud’s website is good, too. He has entries for all his episodes. Some include maps that show migrations or areas where certain languages were prevalent. A couple have audio samples, such as Gregorian chants and a group singing “Sumer Is Icumen In.” I expect as he progresses into the later centuries he’ll have more such resources available.

Stroud also plans to include samples of various English speakers’ accents in future episodes to illustrate the evolution of modern English accents and dialects. On his website he has a place for people to leave a voice sample, asking everyone to list the place where they acquired their accent and say the same 13 sentences, such as “The ten steel beams are still supporting the tin roof” and “The goose took a bath in the mill pond.”

The History of English has an active community who ask questions, offer corrections, and generally comment on the interesting bits of information we learn every two weeks. Most of this is on the website, but there’s also a Facebook page.

Like many podcasters, Stroud has a Patreon page for donations. But his approach to fundraising is low key. He has two audio books for sale, one on Beowulf and the other on the alphabet. “Beowulf Deconstructed: The Old English of Beowulf” is available for $6 or $0.99 each for six chapters. “The History of the Alphabet” is in two parts, each $3.

I listened to the Beowulf audio book, and I liked it, but if you know much about it, or about Old English, it may feel like he’s covering well-tread ground. His focus is on the language, after all. But the best reason to buy these episodes is to support a podcaster who provides his main chronological narrative completely for free. This is especially true of Stroud, who has no ads on his podcast or website.

The History of English podcast currently is in the early 13^th century. Recent episodes looked at the Ancrene Wisse, discussed prefixes and suffixes, and the most recent episode looked at the early medieval book trade.