Nomads and Empires
27 episodes - English - Latest episode: 25 days ago - ★★★★★ - 17 ratingsCharting the history of the Eurasian steppe, including the Scythians, the Gokturks, and the Mongols.
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Episodes
Episode 25: The Öltenic of Godherja
April 01, 2024 16:00 - 54 minutes - 37.4 MBOn this special First of April, we cover the nomadic peoples of the world of Godherja: the Öltenic. Please check this great mod for Crusader Kings 3! You can download the mod on its Steam page linked here or on ModDB here. Many appreciations to the Godherja team for providing me with feedback and corrections as well! Corrections: At around 13:17, I state that the Hyartan Mountains are the highest on the continent. The largest mountains are actually the Worldspine (where the Mayikrata is...
Episode 24: Scythians: Tomyris and Cyrus
March 23, 2024 16:00 - 40 minutes - 27.5 MBOn this episode, we explore the titanic clash between Cyrus of the Persians and Tomyris of the Massagetae. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/ Relevant Books: Barry Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe David Greene (trans.), The History of Herodotus Ilya Gershevitch, The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 2
Episode 23: The Modern Pontic Steppe
December 23, 2023 16:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBIn this special episode, we speak to Oleksiy Vasyliuk of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group and Tobias Muenchmeyer, European Project Lead at Green Recovery Ukraine, about the current status of Ukraine's steppes amid the ongoing war. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/ Relevant Reading from Oleksiy: Restoring Ukraine’s nature post-war: Hopes and risks Askania Nova Bio...
Episode 22: Scythians: Endings and Beginnings
October 21, 2023 15:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBAnother chapter ends, somewhat. Today, the Scythians will be pushed back to the Pontic steppe and will face those they had left behind. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/ Relevant Books: Barry Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe Denis Sinor, The Cambridge History of Inner Asia, Volume 1 Esther Jacobson, The Art of the Scythians: The Interpenetration o...
Episode 21: Scythians: Masters of Asia
September 22, 2023 07:00 - 40 minutes - 27.9 MBWe investigate the supposed Scythian "28-year reign" of the Near East, including their conquests of Media and Palestine. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/ Relevant Books: Barry Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe Denis Sinor, The Cambridge History of Inner Asia, Volume 1 Hyun Jin Kim, et al., Eurasian Empires in Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages: Con...
Episode 20: Scythians: Back to the Caucasus
July 16, 2023 16:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MBThe Scythians move through the north and south Caucasus, pushing to the borders of the ancient Near East. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/ Relevant Books: Antonio Sagona, The Archaeology of the Caucasus: From Earliest Settlements to the Iron Age Barry Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe John Boardman, et al., The Cambridge Ancient History, Volume 3...
June 2023 Update
June 11, 2023 23:00 - 1 minute - 1.24 MBQuick update on the next set of episodes. Thanks for your patience! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/
Episode 19: Scythians: Legendary and Humble Beginnings
May 22, 2023 15:00 - 34 minutes - 23.8 MBWe continue the narrative by assessing the mythological and historical origins of the Scythians. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/ Relevant Books: Barry Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe Claudia Chang, Rethinking Prehistoric Central Asia: Shepherds, Farmers, and Nomads Renate Rolle, The World of the Scythians Yulia Ustanova, The Supreme God of ...
Episode 18: Scythians: Arts
May 06, 2023 16:00 - 21 minutes - 15 MBWe analyze the artistic and material culture of the Scythians, and put a critical eye on the term "Scytho-Siberian Culture." Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NomadsandEmpires Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/
Episode 17: Scythians: Religion
April 22, 2023 16:00 - 34 minutes - 23.7 MBWe examine the religious beliefs of the Scythians, as well as thoughts of the afterlife. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/
Episode 16: Rhûn: The Wainriders and Balchoth
April 01, 2023 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MBOn today, April 1, we assess the nomads of Middle Earth, the peoples who reside in far eastern Rhûn. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/
Episode 15: Scythians: Warfare
March 11, 2023 16:00 - 28 minutes - 19.6 MBWe look into the weapons, armor, and tactics of Scythian warfare. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/
Episode 14: Scythians: The Scythian World
February 25, 2023 17:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBIn this episode, we broadly examine the different Scythian groups from the grasses of Ukraine to the highlands of the Sayan-Altai. We meet peoples like the Pazyryk, the Massagetae, and the Saka. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/
Episode 13: Scythians: An Introduction
February 11, 2023 18:00 - 21 minutes - 14.5 MBToday, we introduce the Scythians. This episode provides a brief overview and dives a little into the historiographical development of Scythian studies. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NomadEmpiresPod Substack: https://nomadsandempirespodcast.substack.com/
Tales from the Steppe: Boktu-Kirish, A Tuvan Tale
October 23, 2022 18:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBIn this side episode, part of the Tales from the Steppe bonus episodes, we dive into the tale of Boktu-Kirish, a story that derives from the Tuvan people. Come listen as we hear about the exploits of a young woman on a quest to bring her dead brother back to life.
Episode 12: Kimmerians: Sundered and Scattered
October 15, 2022 15:00 - 33 minutes - 23 MBOn today's episode, we track the movements of the Medes, the Scythians, the Lydians, and the Kimmerians, as we finally end this leg of our journey.
Episode 11: Kimmerians: The Beginning of the End
August 02, 2022 23:00 - 32 minutes - 22.1 MBWe chart the Kimmerians as they launched attacks against the Kingdom of Lydia, placing us closer to the eventual end of the Kimmerians.
Episode 10: Kimmerians: To Phrygia and Beyond
May 22, 2022 22:00 - 34 minutes - 23.9 MBWe examine the Kimmerian migration to Anatolia in the aftermath of Urartian and Assyrian invasions. We then chart the emergence of conflict between the Kimmerians and the Phrygians.
Episode 9: Kimmerians: The Ancient Near Eastern Cold War
March 28, 2022 18:00 - 42 minutes - 29.6 MBToday, we explore the years 720-714 BCE as the Near Eastern states of Assyria and Urartu duke it out in a grand geopolitical struggle. All the while, the Kimmerians are making their way further and further into the region.
Episode 8: Kimmerians: Through the Caucasus
February 19, 2022 18:00 - 33 minutes - 23.1 MBWe finally start the narrative and introduce our first named historical group: the Kimmerians.
Episode 7: The Khan of Arzhan 1
January 24, 2022 00:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBWe assess environmental and sociocultural changes of the 1000s BCE and track how these changes would culminate in the kurgan of Arzhan 1.
Episode 6: The Indo-European Migrations
January 08, 2022 17:00 - 38 minutes - 26.7 MBToday, we chart the emergence of the proto-Indo-Europeans and their subsequent migrations across Eurasia, including groups like the Indo-Iranians and proto-Tocharians.
Episode 5: The Prehistoric Steppe
December 09, 2021 22:00 - 32 minutes - 22.3 MBWe explore the prehistoric Eurasian steppe and assess the changes emerging after the global Ice Age.
Episode 4: The Historiographical Context
November 02, 2021 20:00 - 22 minutes - 15.2 MBToday, we look at the historiography of the Eurasian steppe and address the complexities, problems, and major historical trends of academic research in this part of the world.
Episode 3: The Western and Central Steppes
November 02, 2021 19:00 - 50 minutes - 34.5 MBWe examine the geography of the western and central Eurasian steppes and assess major trends and summarize historical developments.
Episode 2: The Eastern Steppe
November 02, 2021 18:00 - 36 minutes - 25.1 MBIn this episode, we explore the geography of the eastern Eurasian steppe, an area encompassing modern day Mongolia and southeastern Siberia.
Episode 1: The Eternal Blue Sky
November 02, 2021 17:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBIntroducing the Nomads and Empires podcast. Here, we talk about the structure, major themes, and important considerations of this show.