Despite the humiliation at Eleusis in 167 and the troubles in Judea, Antiochus organizes an enormous festival in Daphne to rival the games of Lucius Aemilius Paulus in Amphipolis, showcasing the prosperity of the empire that looked as strong as it ever had before. He would follow this celebration with an anabasis into the Upper Satrapies, but would die in Iran in November 164, and the dynasty would begin on a dark path towards its eventual decline.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/09/04/109-the-seleucid-empire-a-sinful-root/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/109-the-seleucid-empire-a-sinful-root-episode-transcript.pdf)

Family Tree - Seleucus IV to Antiochus IV

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/reign-of-seleucus-iv-to-antiochus-iv.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The tension between the various factions vying for power in Jerusalem leads to a crisis, when Antiochus IV retaliates by attacking the city and plunders its famed Temple in 168. A wave of persecutions against Jewish religion and customs inspires a rebellion, spearheaded by Judas Maccabee (“the Hammer”) and the Hasmonean family, who achieve victories against the Seleucid crown to reclaim and purify the Temple, later the basis for the holiday of Hanukkah.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/08/26/108-the-seleucid-empire-the-maccabean-revolt/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/108-the-seleucid-empire-the-maccabean-revolt.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

In this episode, we delve into the history of the Jews – both in the homeland of Judea and the many communities of the Diaspora. From the conquests of Alexander, the Jews navigated through a new paradigm that favored “Greekness” and embraced many aspects of Hellenistic culture, while also trying to uphold the Laws of Moses that linked them back to the glory days of Solomon and David. The flowering of diasporic literature, such as the creation of the Septuagint, was one byproduct of Judeo-Greek interaction. Yet tensions with the Hellenistic monarchies could lead to severe unrest, as will eventually culminate in the Maccabean Revolt.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/07/30/107-jews-and-judaism-from-alexander-the-great-to-antiochus-iii/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/107-jews-and-judaism-from-alexander-the-great-to-antiochus-iii-transcript.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Historian and broadcaster William Dalrymple (“The Company Quartet“, “Empire“) joins the podcast to discuss his latest book “The Golden Road“. A survey covering from antiquity to the early medieval period, the book seeks to address India’s far-reaching (and often forgotten) influence across the entirety of Eurasia, from tracking the spread of religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, investigating the growing evidence of Indo-Roman trade, and even down to the invention of “Arabic” numerals based on Indian scripts and mathematics.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/06/15/interview-the-golden-road-how-ancient-india-transformed-the-world-with-william-dalrymple/)

William Dalrymple:

https://williamdalrymple.com/

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/golden-road-9781639734146/

https://x.com/DalrympleWill

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Among the various peoples of the ancient Mediterranean, few cultures possess such a extensive surviving corpus of texts as the Jews. With the conquest of Alexander and the widespread introduction of Greek culture, Jewish authors voiced their grievances against the Hellenistic kingdoms while celebrating the antiquity of their own history, offering us a valuable perspective of the period at large. We will be discussing selected key texts: the apocalyptic visions of Daniel, the dynastic histories of I and II Maccabees, and the extensive writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/05/31/106-jewish-literature-in-the-hellenistic-age/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/106-jewish-literature-in-the-hellenistic-age.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

“Cleopatra” (1963), a four-hour epic starring Elizabeth Taylor as the titular queen, is legendary in the history of filmmaking. Its notoriously troubled production made it one of the most expensive movies ever made and brought 20th Century Fox on the verge of collapse, but Taylor’s portrayal has defined the image of Cleopatra in pop culture for over sixty years. We look back on the history of the film itself, assess its presentation of Hellenistic Egypt, and talk about the problems of telling the story of powerful woman whose life was so entangled with that of the men around her.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/bonus-elizabeth-taylors-cleopatra-1963/)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

BlueSky (https://bsky.app/profile/hellenisticpod.bsky.social)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

War over Coele Syria breaks out yet again. With the death of Cleopatra I, her three very young children (Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy VIII, and Cleopatra II) are raised to the throne by their ambitious ministers Eulaios and Lenaios, who lead campaign of reconquest against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. It turns into a disaster, with the Syrian king launching two successful invasions into Egypt and besieging Alexandria. It seems the Ptolemaic kingdom is on the verge of collapse and Antiochus poised to be master of Egypt... that is unless the Roman Republic has something to say about it.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/03/14/106-the-sixth-syrian-war-and-day-of-eleusis/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/105-the-sixth-syrian-war-and-day-of-eleusis.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

The Seleucid realm experienced twelve unusual years of peace during the reign of Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175), but his alleged murder by a corrupt court official paved the way for Antiochus IV Epiphanes (“God Manifest”) to usurp the throne of Syria from his nephew. An incredibly polarizing figure, Antiochus was renowned for his generous donations towards cities and temples, often in honor of his new patron deity Zeus Olympios, but his behavior earned him the scorn of those like Polybius, who nicknamed him Epimanes (“The Madman”).

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/02/06/104-the-seleucid-empire-madness-and-the-divine/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/104-the-seleucid-empire-madness-and-the-divine-transcript.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

After Rome’s declaration of war in 171, Perseus desperately attempts to stand his ground. When the “Third Macedonian War” drags on longer than anticipated, the consul Lucius Aemilius Paulus is called in and destroys the royal army at Pydna in 168, leading to the end of the Antigonid dynasty and the Macedonian kingdom.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/01/13/103-antigonid-macedon-the-first-domino-falls/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/103-antigonid-macedon-the-first-domino-falls-transcript.pdf)

Family Tree - Reign of Perseus:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/reign-of-perseus-1.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)

Despite a controversial rise to the throne, King Perseus showed himself to be an able ruler. Continuing his father’s policies of restoring the strength of Macedonia, he earned a positive reputation across the Greek world through his philanthropy and general good behavior. His rising popularity earned the enmity of those like Eumenes II of Pergamon, who accused Perseus of secretly carrying out plans for a war against the Roman Republic, inheriting his father's schemes. Tensions would soon boil over, and the king would find himself in the crosshairs of the Senate, leading to the Third Macedonian War.

Episode Notes:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/11/21/102-antigonid-macedon-sins-of-the-father/)

Episode Transcript:

(https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/102-antigonid-macedon-sins-of-the-father-transcript.pdf)

Social Media:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod)

Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/)

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/)

Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/hellenisticagepodcast)

Show Merchandise:

Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod)

Redbubble (https://www.redbubble.com/people/HellenisticPod/shop?asc=u)

Donations:

Patreon (https://patreon.com/TheHellenisticAgePodcast)

Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast)

Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)