A history of Romania
A narrative podcast telling the tale of the peoples of Romania from ancient times to the present. The story is divided into five seasons covering prehistory to 2007. Currently on Season 2, Foundations, covering the period from 602 to 1396. The show includes maps, bibliography, and information about the storyteller on its website.
Episoade
2.15 Staring down the colossus
The Frankish king Charlemagne campaigns relentlessly to expand his realm, bringing him right to the border of the khaganate—with no sign of stopping. The khagan is thus confronted with the most powerful foe his people have ever faced, and must muster all the means at his disposal to maintain their independence.Here's the map for the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat
2.14 A rising shadow
Avar society undergoes profound changes as its warriors are forced to abandon the pursuits of war and turn inwards to govern their own realm. Meanwhile, to their west, a usurper ascends the Frankish throne and makes a pact with the bishop of Rome, leading to the rise of a new regional power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.13 The collapse of concord
Decades of collaboration between the Romans and Bulgars come under threat as frictions flare on the frontier, and instead of diffusing tensions, two ambitious leaders seek to secure their legacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.12 Keystone
After centuries of living outside of the empire and in isolation from other Romance peoples, the Romanics of the Balkans develop a language of their own and transform into a new people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.11 Kaisar khan
The Bulgars fortify their new homeland, wary that the Romans may try to reclaim what they’ve lost. Yet the khan has a chance to reset relations with them when a noseless emperor comes calling for aid, and an ambitious caliph assembles all the might of the Muslim world to take Constantinople once and for all.Check out this episode's map. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.10 Melting pot
Romanic and Slavic communities both north and south of the Danube continue to influence each other, as neighbours become bilingual and introduce subtle shifts in their respective languages. Meanwhile, as these two cultures mingle, a prominent Bulgar chieftain flees the Khazar threat with his followers, seeking a new homeland — which leads them right to the Danube.Here's a map showing the Balkans i
2.09 Keeping it together
A generation after the defeat at Constantinople, the Avars readjust their way of life, all while trying to keep their remaining subjects in line.Check out the map for this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.08 No respite
The siege of Constantinople is over, with the emperor victorious over the khagan and the shah. Yet as all these combatants slink away from each other to lick their wounds, new dangers threaten to bring all three of them down – along with their realms.Check out the map for this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.07 The Queen of Cities
Having fought the Romans separately for over a decade, the Avars and Persians now join forces to strike Constantinople together and finally destroy their arch enemy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.06 Into the abyss
With the empire mired in invasions and civil war, the new Avar khagan launches a grand campaign against the Romans to prove himself as a military leader and bolster his legitimacy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.05 On the precipice
We begin this season’s narrative on the Danube where periodic raids by the Romans and Slavs simmer along the frontier—until an unexpected spark triggers a conflagration that engulfs the entire eastern Mediterranean. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.04 Village life
In this last episode of setup, we explore what daily life looked like for the farmers who made up most of the population of the khaganate, considering everything from their homes to their meals, crafts, and habits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.03 A tapestry of subjects
As we explore the khaganate in more depth, we take a look at the subject peoples who lived under Avar dominion, their ways of life, and the relationships they negotiated with their overlords to advance their own interests. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.02 The khaganate
In the year 602, the lands north of the Danube were dominated by the Avars, a little-known people from the steppes. In this episode, we take a look at their origins, values, and the khaganate they established to rival the Roman empire.You can check out the extent of their khaganate in this week's map. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2.01 The legacy of Antiquity
As we begin season two, I share what you can expect from this next chunk of narrative and then take a look at the story so far to refresh our memories and prepare us for what comes next.Check out the map for the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Extra episode: Callidromus’ story
In this standalone episode, we follow an enslaved man who served a Roman general, saw the Dacian capital in its prime, worked in the palace of the Parthian King of Kings, and staged a daring escape to gain his freedom in the midst of war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.29 Threads of beginnings
To close out season one, we discuss the impact of the Goths, Huns, and Gepids in the region, ask how we can discern ethnicity in our sources, and consider the effects of Christianity north of the Danube. We also explore some of my storytelling choices and glance at what's next for the podcast.If you can spare a few minutes, please send me an email with your thoughts and comments at ahistoryofroman
1.28 Misty myths
The story of season one is done and we have plenty to discuss: the legacy of the Dacians, Romanization in the provinces, contrasting historical theories, and what it all means for that greatest of unresolved questions — What are the origins of the Romanian people? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.27 Gentes et regna
In the last narrative episode of season one, the Avars spring out of the Carpathian Basin and into the Balkans, while Slavic tribes roam the lands on either side of the Danube seeking a permanent place to settle.Check out this episode's map. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.26 Blood feud
The Gepids reign as the most powerful people north of the Danube, but a new rival supported by the Roman empire threatens to dismantle their kingdom, all while a horrifying illness makes its appearance in the Balkans.Check out the map for this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.25 Free-for-all
The Gepids seek to retake their lost capital at Sirmium, all while dealing with a resurgent Roman empire and ambitious new players on the board.This episode's map. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.24 The board reshuffles
Having led the war of independence against the Huns, the Gepids take the wealth of their former overlords and establish a kingdom on the lands of the original province of Dacia. Their efforts then turn to securing themselves a spot in the new Mediterranean world created by the collapse of half the Roman empire.Check out the maps for this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf
1.23 Dominoes
Attila aims the full force of the Hunnic confederation against the western Roman empire, and the resulting confrontation leads to tectonic changes for the Romans as well as for the peoples beyond the frontiers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.22 When swords turn to daggers
As Attila scourges the Roman empire and outmanoeuvers its forces, the emperor in Constantinople seeks a way to stop the ongoing ravages, and so a conspiracy is hatched to assassinate the Hunnic ruler.You can read Priscus' original retelling of his dinner with Attila, or check out some highlights I've selected from his first-hand account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priv
1.21 Friends on a coin's edge
The Huns shatter Germanic kingdoms and Roman defenses as they establish their powerbase in the Pannonian Plain. Their relentless attacks devastate the Balkans and push the tribes of Europe to flee to the safety of the western empire - with disastrous consequences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.20 Cries from the other shore
Gothic chieftains seek to gain more influence in the province of Gothia, but as they work to assert their power in relation to the empire, an unexpected threat appears from the steppes to the east: the Huns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.19 Reconquest
A grand capital fit for a Christian emperor is built on the shores of the Bosphorus, and in order to ensure its safety, Constantine decides to retake the province of Dacia established by Trajan two centuries earlier.Check out the two maps for the episode here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.18 Let the gods decide
Diocletian initiates a great persecution of the Christians, and his reformed Roman empire undergoes the ultimate test as the time for succession arrives.Check out what the Chi Rho symbol looked like here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.17 Reforging
Diocletian transforms the Roman world through rational and autocratic reforms, discarding the system Augustus had built nearly three centuries earlier and forging an entirely new order.There are two maps for this episode and you can find them here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.16 The empire minus one
Aurelian campaigns relentlessly to restore the Roman empire, and the inhabitants of the former province of Dacia must negotiate a working relationship with the migratory peoples that are now settling near them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.15 Fragmentation
The Roman empire nears collapse as the Goths overrun the Balkans, the Persians invade the East, generals fight for the throne, and provinces secede to form new states, all while plague kills millions of people. As the inhabitants of Dacia stand against the chaos, messengers arrive bearing an imperial decision that will forever alter their lives.You can find the map for this episode here. Hosted on
1.14 New citizens
The character of the Roman empire evolves as all of its free inhabitants are granted citizenship, spurring ever more growth and prosperity in Dacia. Yet that very wealth draws the attention of two powerful tribes living on the periphery of the empire: the Dacian Carpi and the Germanic Goths. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.13 Iron swords for marble cities
Dacia recovers from the crisis that had defined Marcus Aurelius' reign and becomes more urban than ever before. At the same time, the province strengthens its defenses, and its soldiers grow more attached to the local communities they defend.Here's the map for this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.12 To bear this worthily is good fortune
Plague decimates the population, the frontiers are breached, and barbarians ravage Dacia as emperor Marcus Aurelius fights to overcome the empire's direst crisis in living memory.For extra content that didn't make it into the episode, head to A history of Romania's Facebook page. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.11 The allure of Rome
The diverse society of the Dacian provinces flourishes during the reign of Antoninus Pius as colonists from across the empire bring their local beliefs to the region and blend them with Roman ones. Meanwhile, the identity of the Dacians living inside the empire begins to change in relation to their ancestors as well as to their kin beyond the borders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor
1.10 The silenced masses
Hadrian's defense of Dacia is followed by fifty years of peace and growth, but the prosperity of the region is founded on the labour of tens of thousands of enslaved people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.09 Eagle and falx
The peoples beyond the frontier threaten to overrun the provinces of Dacia and Moesia Inferior, and the new Roman emperor must race to the Danube to secure the region.Check out this episode's map here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.08 A piece of the Earth for all
Having dismantled the Dacian kingdom, Trajan creates a new province out of its territory and encourages colonists from across the empire to make the land their own.You can find the map for this episode as well as some scenes from Trajan's Column here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.07 A fight for survival
Trajan leads an invasion of Dacia to annex the kingdom, and the Dacians fight with everything they have to maintain their independence.Here's the map for the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.06 Decebal
War erupts between the Dacians and Romans, and after a series of setbacks, the Dacians elect a new king to lead them to victory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.05 The people of the mountains
The Dacians prosper and develop a vibrant civilization centred around their capital of Sarmizegetusa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.04 Burebista
Burebista unites the Dacian tribes and forges the most powerful kingdom in Europe, leading to both collaboration and conflict with the Roman Republic.You can find the map for this episode here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.03 A wintry land
A skilled Getic ruler named Dromichaetes fends off Greek invasions during the chaotic period following the collapse of Alexander the Great's empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.02 Ships on the horizon
The Greeks arrive on the shores of the Black Sea and found colonies to trade with the Getae. War soon comes to the region, however, as the Persian Empire marches an army right through the territory of the Getae on its way to battling the Scythians. You can find the map for the episode here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.01 The first steps
The first narrative episode looks at the geography of present-day Romania, then follows the first nomadic peoples that arrived in the area, explains how they became a sedentary tribe called the Getae, and explores their society.You can find the map on the podcast website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1.00 Introduction
In this podcast, we'll follow the peoples of Romania from ancient times to the present. Before we begin, though, let me share a bit of what you can expect from the story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
