The AskHistorians Podcast

Continuing the conversation with Husky54 about the Book of Daniel. In this episode we cover the later chapters of Daniel before moving on to chapters and additional text considered apocryphal in some traditions.

Till 18:38 - Chapters 8-12

18:38 - Prayer of Azariah

26:28 - Susanna and the Elders

33:37 - Bel and the Dragon

43:14 - Interpretations of Daniel

Husky54 returns to the podcast for an in-depth delve into Daniel, the Book of. Approaching the work as a historical text, this episode -- the first of two -- covers the relationship of Daniel to other works in the Hebrew Bible; the language and content of the first seven chapters; and situates the book within the historical context of the time it was written.

3:20 - Background and Dating the Text

16:50 - Chapters 1 & 2

33:35 - Chapter 3

41:17 - Chapter 4

48:53 - Chapter 5

54:20 - Chapter 6 & Darius the Mede

1:05:17 - Chapter 7

James Brooks, city editor of the Juneau Empire and author of 9.2: Kodiak Island and the World's Second-Largest Earthquake, talks on four natural and manmade disasters in Alaska. Through the 1912 Katmai-Novarupta volcanic eruption, the 1925 Nome Serum Run, the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake, and the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, we get a picture of how the state of Alaska changed throughout the 20th century.

Keyilan takes on the topic of official language policy in China (both PRC and Taiwan), North and South Korea, and Japan. Dispelling some myths about languages in East Asia, he goes on to cover efforts at character simplification; efforts to promulgate "proper" language; modern linguistic differences stemming from political divisions; and why Taiwan spoke Japanese for a while, among much more.

One of our longer single episodes, China takes up most of the show, with Korea being covered around minute 56 and the section on Japan around 1 hour 20 minutes in.

AsiaExpert provides an overview of the politics and social unrest of South Korea since the end of the Korean War. Starting from the meteoric rise of Syngman Rhee and continuing up to the establishment of the 6th Republic, this episode covers everything from the April Revolution, to Park dictatorship, to the chaebol system, to some reasons why South Koreans today may be less familiar with the smell of tear gas than their parents and grandparents.

Jasfss continues our examination of the Mongols, this time on the Eastern side of Asia. We start with the socio-political -- even artistic -- state of China on the eve of the Mongol advance before moving on to Kublai's establishment of the Yuan Dynasty and the final fall of the Song. We then move on to how the Mongols dealt with finding themselves as the ruling dynasty of China and their eventual downfall.

Rakony discusses the Ilkhanate, the portion of the Mongol Empire in Persia and the surrounding areas. The reasons for the Mongol push into the area, why it did not go farther, and how the local peoples and the Mongols accomodated to each other, somewhat ironically leading to a resugence of Persian culture. Also, a surprising amoung of digging up graves.

Bemonk, host of the History of Alchemy Podcast (among others), speaks on how the practices and concepts of alchemy relate to the development of modern scientific methods and ideas. Covered in the talk are some basic pointers about what alchemy is, how long it has been around, differences between "Western" and "Eastern" alchemy, notable figures, and urine.

l_mack relates the strange tale of the Principality of Outer Baldonia, a micronation founded off the coast of Nova Scotia in the mid-20th Century by an American businessman seeking freedom from "question, nagging, shaving, interruption, women, taxes, politics, and monologues," as well as the right to stay up all night drinking, swearing and gambling. The tiny island nation ended up recieving international notice, with write-ups in a California paper and a denunciation in a Soviet journal.

Ambarenya wraps up the Komnenian dynasty, covering Alexios I finally securing the borders of the Empire, stabilizing the economy, and turning towards the West for help in the form of the First Crusade. The Crusader States, relations between the Byzantines and the Latins, and attempts to recapture lost territory are all covered as we move towards the bloody end of the Komnenian Dynasty.