To mark the fiftieth episode of After Alexander, we're going to go back in time all the way to the first wars of the successors to focus on Alexander IV. Specifically, we will focus on a point in his life we didn't mention the first time around- Alexander the Little was married!

Sources for this episode:

It doesn't feel like that long ago that we were here last, but Syrian War III is here- seven years after the first settled on Syrian War II. Get ready to see Ptolemy III rampage through Syria and the Middle East in a way Egyptian kings haven't done since Thutmose III more than a thousand years previously. Something tells me it's not going well for the Seleucids...

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur (eBook).

• Casson, L. (1993), Ptolemy II and the Hunting of African Elephants. Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-2014) 123: 247-260.

• Drower, M. S. and Dorman, P. F. (2023), Thutmose III (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2019), Horemheb (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

• Gilbert, N. (2010), African elephants are two distinct species. Nature.

• Gowers, W. (1947), The African Elephant in Warfare. African Affairs 46(182): 42-49.

• Gowers, W. (1948), African Elephants and Ancient Authors. African Affairs 47(188): 173-180.

• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook).

• Mariette, A. (1892), Outlines of Ancient Egyptian History. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

• Murison, R. G. (1951), History of Egypt. Edinburgh. T. & T. Clark.

• Philips, A. K. (1977), Founder of the XIXth Dynasty? O: Cairo 25646 reconsidered. Orientalia 46(1): 116-121.

• Rawlinson, G. (1871), A Manual of Ancient History, From the Earliest Times to the Fall of the Western Empire. Comprising the History of Chaldea, Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Lydia, Phoenicia, Syria, Judaea, Egypt, Carthage, Greece, Macedonia, Parthia, and Rome. New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers.

• Redford, D. B. (2003), The Wars in Syria and Palestine of Thutmose III. Leiden/Boston: BRILL.

• TED-Ed, YouTube (2014), The pharaoh that wouldn’t be forgotten (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).
• Watson, J. S. (1853), on Attalus (date unknown), Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus' Philippic Histories (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

• Author unknown, The Calculator Site (date unknown), What is 5’2’’ in cm? (Accessed 01/11/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Battle of Raphia (online) (Accessed 23/10/2023).

We've dealt with Antiochus the Unfortunate, but now let's circle round to Egypt and deal with Ptolemy III. What were his motivations? How had his sister Berenice and her rival Laodice reacted to their husband's death? Most importantly- how does all of this connect to the upcoming Third Syrian War?

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur.
• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2019), Antiochus II Theos (online) (Access date unknown, c.22/01/2022).
• Grainger, J. D. (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook) (Accessed 22/01/2022).
• Komnene, A., (2009), The Alexiad. London: The Penguin Group.
• Justinus, Attalus (date unknown), Justinus: Epitome of Pompeius Trogus’ “Philippic histories” (online) (Access date unknown).
• Lendering, J., Livius (created 2006, last modified 2020), Berenice Phernophorus (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Littlewood, I. (2002), The Rough Chronicle Guide: France. London: Penguin Group Ltd.
• Rawlinson, G. (1869), A manual of ancient history from the earliest times to the fall of the Western Empire, comprising the history of Chaldea, Assyria, Media, Babylonia, Lydia, Phoenicia, Syria, Judea, Egypt, Carthage, Persia, Greece, Macedonia, Rome, and Parthia. Oxford: Clarendon Press (eBook) (Access date unknown).
• TED-Ed, YouTube (2021), How a concubine became the ruler of Egypt - Abdallah Ewis (online) (Accessed 07/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown) Antiochus II (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Berenice II of Egypt (online) (Accessed 07/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Berenice Syra (online) (Accessed c. 22/01/2022).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Demetrius the Fair (Accessed 07/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Laodice I (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).

Introducing my newest venture- being one half of the Autocrat podcast! Autocrat is a podcast which aims to explore Roman civilisation from beginning to end. Beginning with the mythology and the stories of Aeneas and Romulus, the podcast will trace the journey through the Roman Kingdom, the Republic, the Empire and all the way to 1453 and beyond. Who knows if we'll make it that far, but we hope to have fun with it!

The podcast can be found at https://open.spotify.com/show/30Muilr1O66yA4UDcj76SW?si=891136d533c446a5 or on YouTube at youtube.com/@autocratpodcast. If the show sounds fun, feel free to come and join us!

Here at After Alexander, we go through the narrative of the Hellenistic Era chronologically without a focus on individual stories. However, if you feel like listening to a funny, well-sourced show which focuses on individual monarchs' stories, feel free to listen to the Alexander Standard. Taking after the Rex Factor started in 2010, the Alexander Standard ranks all the successors to Alexander III of Macedon from Perdiccas to Cleopatra VII. If you want a different take on the same story, feel free to give them a listen!

They can be found on:

This week, I thought we'd try a mathematical way to assess how stable the Seleucid dynasty has been so far. To do so, we're going to compare average reign length and longest reign length with other dynasties from history. Prepare for some well known names- including a cameo from the Sun King himself, Louis XIV of France...

Sources for this episode:

• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2022), Constantine VIII (online) (Accessed 02/08/2023).
• Goldsworth, A. (2016), Pax Romana: War, Peace and Conquest in the Roman World. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson.
• Hussey, J. M., Encyclopedia Britannica (2023), Basil II (online) (Accessed 02/08/2023).
• Jones, D. (2013); The Plantagenets: The Kings Who Made England. London: William Collins (eBook accessed 03/08/2023).
• Littlewood, I. (2002), The Rough Guide Chronicle: France. London: Penguin Group Ltd.
• Norwich, J. J. (2013), A Short History of Byzantium. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
• Van Loo, B. (translated by Forest-Flier, N.) (2019, translated 2021), The Burgundians, A Vanished Empire- A History of 1111 Years and One Day. Head of Zeus Ltd.
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Constantine VIII (online) (Accessed 02/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Elizabeth II (online) (Accessed 02/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), House of Valois-Burgundy (online) (Accessed 03/08/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), List of longest-reigning monarchs (online) (Accessed 03/08/2023).

Hello everyone, just a quick note that the YouTube comments are active on all videos and in the community tab. Feel free to drop me a line there as an alternative to the show's email address and stay tuned for extra features such as polls in future!

This week, we're going to witness some of the fallout from the death of Antiochus II in 248 BCE. We don't just have one new monarch Seleucus II, but we have three- his full brother Antiochus Hierax will come to claim the crown from Anatolia and there is his half-brother Antiochus the Younger (the son of Berenice Syra) to contend with as well. Seleucus II will have to deal with the chaos of multiple people claiming the crown, as well as the stage being set for the Third Syrian War...

Sources for this episode:

• Bevan, E. R. (1902), The House of Seleucus (Vol. I). London: Edward Arthur.
• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2019), Antiochus II Theos (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Grainger, J. D., (2014), The Rise of the Seleukid Empire (323- 223 BCE), Seleukos I to Seleukos III. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (eBook) (Accessed 22/01/2022).
• Lendering, J., Livius (created 2006, last modified 2020), Berenice Phernophorus (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Antiochus II Theos (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Authors unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Berenice Syra (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Laodice I (online) (Accessed c.22/01/2022).

It's time for another mini-series! This time, we're going to look ahead to some scattered stories from Greek history in the centuries and millennia after the fall of the Hellenistic kingdoms. Today, we're jumping forward to the 1860s CE to witness how a Danish prince was chosen to be King of the Hellenes as Georgios I. His family ruled over Greek- with some intermissions- until Konstantinos II was deposed in 1973...

Sources for this episode:

• Chisholm, H. (1911), 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica (A-M).
• The Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica (2023), George I (online) (Accessed 18/06/2023).
• Herrin, J. (2008), Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire. London: Penguin Books Ltd.
• Norwich, J. J. (2013), A Short History of Byzantium. London: The Penguin Group.
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Constantine I of Greece (online) (Accessed 20/06/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Frederick VIII of Denmark (online) (Accessed 20/06/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), George I of Greece (online) (Accessed 18/06 and 20/06/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Greek royal family (online) (Accessed 18/06/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale (online) (Accessed 20/06/2023).
• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Seleucid empire (online) (Accessed 20/06/2023).

Hello everyone, Vince here with a quick update on how the podcast schedule is probably going to work from now on. I'm likely as not going to try out a monthly schedule- meaning that a new After Alexander will show up on the first Saturday of every month and a Biopedia on the third Sunday- although that may vary depending if I have more or less time for it in a given month. Who knows, there may well be more than one episode a month if I'm lucky!

There may also be some extra content in the 'Community' tab of the podcasts' YouTube pages as well. I'm trying this new schedule in order to walk the line between not releasing any content at all and burning out due to trying to juggle everything at once. I'm also releasing this update on Biopedia's feed.