In Greek Sicily, the rule of law was dominated by the tyrant, and no tyrant was more infamous than Agathocles (361 - 289 B.C.). For over three decades he ruled the city of Syracuse as both a tyrant and king, bringing it into a golden age. At the same time, Agathocles enacted political massacres and acts of brutality to ensure his control, and he waged war against the Phoenician city-state of Carthage, taking the battle to the shores of Africa in a bloody campaign that served as a precursor to the Punic Wars.

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039: Agathocles of Syracuse - Tyrant & King

History

Society & Culture

As the first episode in our series on science and technology, we begin by looking at the advancements in medicine during the Hellenistic Age. In Alexandria, Herophilus and Erasistratus became the first doctors to practice human dissections in any significant capacity until the Middle Ages, greatly improving our understanding of anatomy and physiology. Developments in pharmacology followed the botanical work of Theophrastus, while Mithridates VI of Pontus performed diabolical experiments with poisons and antidotes. From OBGYN to trepanation, there is bound to be something in here that will make you squeamish.

Episode Notes:
(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/096-hellenistic-science-medicine-and-the-healing-arts/)

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(https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2024/04/096-hellenistic-sciences-medicine-and-the-healing-arts-transcript.pdf)

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096: Hellenistic Science - Medicine and the Healing Arts

Twenty years of chaos in the Ptolemaic kingdom come to an end during the reign of Ptolemy V Epiphanes (204-180). His marriage to the Seleucid princess Cleopatra I Syra confirmed the loss of Coele Syria to Antiochus III, yet she proved to be a good match and helped secure the future of the dynasty. Haronnophoris and the Great Revolt are finally put down in 186, but the Alexandrian government is forced to give concessions to the Egyptians, as the Ptolemies must now come to terms with their new status as a second-class power in the Mediterranean. We also delve into the history of the Rosetta Stone, the Hellenistic period's most famous document, and its role in the decipherment of Ancient Egyptian.

Episode Notes:
(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/03/10/095-ptolemaic-egypt-the-two-lands-restored/)

Episode Transcript:
(https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/095-ptolemaic-egypt-the-two-lands-restored-transcript.pdf)

Ptolemy V Family Tree:
(https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/reign-of-ptolemy-v.pdf)

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095: Ptolemaic Egypt - The Two Lands Restored

Rome hoped that the Peace of Apamea would instill some sort of order over the eastern Mediterranean, allowing them to return to Italy after decades of warfare. Yet the vacuum of power left behind in a post-Seleucid Asia Minor would lead to fierce competition, with those like Eumenes II of Pergamon and Pharnaces I of Pontus waging war against their neighbors. The desire of the Achaean League to dominate the Peloponnese would lead to the end of an independent Sparta and the butting of heads with the Republic. While this was happening abroad, the consequences of Rome’s new role as hegemon over the Mediterranean would begin to rear its ugly head on the Senate floor, and the final years of the 180s would see the departure of three key figures of the day: Hannibal Barca, Philopoemen of Megalopolis, and Scipio Africanus.

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(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/01/22/094-the-senate-vs-scipio-africanus/)

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094: The Senate vs Scipio Africanus

The defeat at the Battle of Magnesia brings the war between Antiochus III and the Roman Republic to a close. Forced to evacuate all territory north of the Taurus Mountains and saddled with an enormous indemnity, Antiochus' career comes to an abrupt end in Elymais after an unprecedented 35 years on the throne, leaving the Seleucid Empire at a crossroads for the coming generations.

Episode Notes:
(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/12/05/093-the-seleucid-empire-the-peace-of-apamea/)

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(https://hellenisticagepodcast.files.wordpress.com/2023/12/093-the-seleucid-empire-the-peace-of-apamea-transcript.pdf)

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093: The Seleucid Empire - The Peace of Apamea

On invitation from the Aetolian League, Antiochus III invades the Greek mainland in September 192 and declares war against the Roman Republic. Though he held many victories under his belt, Rome proved to be a fiercer opponent than anticipated, forcing Antiochus to go on the defensive and take the fight back to Asia. A final confrontation on the plains of Magnesia (modern Manisa) would determine who was to be the dominant power of the Hellenistic world.

Episode Notes:
(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2023/11/27/092-the-seleucid-empire-magnesia/)

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039: Agathocles of Syracuse - Tyrant & King

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