The doctrinal divide that sealed the fate of Qatari’s burgeoning Azariqa statelet in Kirman was not the first instance of such internal strife. When al-Azraq was driven out of Basra by the Zubayrids,...

Episode 20: A break down the impact of the battle of Marathon, its fallout, and some of the incredible stories and legends told by soldiers at the battle https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-...

Flavius Odoacer is most famous as the man who deposed the ‘last’ western emperor Romulus Augustulus in 476, becoming the first non-Roman ruler of Italy for centuries. He did technically act as a...

Episode 21: Between Marathon and the next Persian invasion of Greece, the Achaemenid Empire faced ten years of upheaval, with the death of a great king, several rebellions, and the challenge of...

Episode 54 - An Athenian general returns from exile for one last hurrah... https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-54-a-sunset-with-honorA (hopefully) fun and accessible portal into...

History is littered with instances of power being thrust upon children of a young age. Ivan the Terrible became Grand Prince of Moscow aged 3; Puyi, the last emperor of China, ascended at just 2...

Episode 17: Persia crosses the Aegean sea once more to continue exacting revenge on the Greek world, this time at the expense of Eritrea and Naxos.....Clearing the path for a mainland invasion to...

Most of the focus on the Second Fitna – the second civil war that engulfed the Arab caliphate upon the accession of Yazid I, son of Mu’awiyah I, in April 680 and lasted until late 692 – usually falls...

Episode 19: The first great contest between a Greek army and the Persians in Greece... https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-19-the-battle-of-marathon/ A (hopefully) fun and accessible...

We all make mistooks when writing. I made one in teh first sentence of this blog. And the second… (and my word processor informs me that the third is a fragment that I should consider revising…)"To...

Episode 17: The Persian revenge tour begins with the arguably incorrect title of the 'First' Persian invasionhttps://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar-17-the-empire-strikes-backpersia-in...

Look at a map of the Roman Empire in 420 and you might be forgiven for thinking that talk of a decline was a little overblown. In terms of outline, the empire does not look all that different from...

Episode 16: Since the burning of Sardis, things have steadily collapsed for the Ionian rebels, to the point that they are left with a last major sea battle at Lade against the Persian fleet... What...

Throughout its history, the Christian Church has had to deal with its own ever-developing understanding of aspects of its own faith as various thinkers raised questions that had yet to be answered....

Episode 15: The Ionian Revolt kicks off in style with Persian cities burning, big bribes being made, and one of the worst Father in Laws EVER!!! https://mncvgk.podbean.com/e/a-soldier-and-a-scholar...

The Vestal Virgins are one of the most evocative establishments of Ancient Rome. They might not know exactly what they were or what they did, but the name of Vestal Virgin can spark something in many...

It may have been short, but Julian’s reign as sole emperor was nothing if not eventful: dispelled fear of war with Constantius II, overseeing his predecessor’s funeral, convening a tribunal to look...

Episode 14: On this episode, we tell you the story of a man named Aristogoras....A man who set into motion the most pivotal period of events in Western Civilization via a series of.....Screw ups....