
The Herods
Murder, Politics, and the Art of Succession
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Narrated by:
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Paul Heitsch
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By:
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Bruce Chilton
About this listen
Until his death in 4 BCE, Herod the Great's monarchy included territories that once made up the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. Although he ruled over a rich, strategically crucial land, his royal title did not derive from heredity. His family came from the people of Idumea, ancient antagonists of the Israelites.
Yet Herod did not rule as an outsider, but from a family committed to Judaism going back to his grandfather and father. They had served the priestly dynasty of the Maccabees that had subjected Idumea to their rule, including the Maccabean version of what loyalty to the Torah required. Herod's father, Antipater, rose not only to manage affairs on behalf of his priestly masters, but to become a pivotal military leader. He inaugurated a new alignment of power: an alliance with Rome negotiated with Pompey and Julius Caesar. In the crucible of civil war among Romans as the Triumvirate broke up, and of war between Rome and Parthia, Antipater managed to leave his sons with the prospect of a dynasty.
Herod inherited the twin pillars of loyalty to Judaism and loyalty to Rome that became the basis of Herodian rule. He elevated Antipater's opportunism to a political art. During Herod's time, Roman power took its imperial form, and Octavian was responsible for making Herod king of Judea.
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- Birthplace of the Modern Mind
- By: Justin Pollard, Howard Reid
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.
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A good listen
- By Jeffrey on 10-02-08
By: Justin Pollard, and others
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The Twelve Caesars
- By: Suetonius
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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As private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, the scholar Suetonius had access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eyewitness accounts) to produce one of the most colorful biographical works in history. The Twelve Caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero and the recovery that came with his successors.
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Heavily modified and softly translated
- By NeoAtreides on 12-03-15
By: Suetonius
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Antiquity
- From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire
- By: Norman F. Cantor
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Best-selling author Norman Cantor delivers this compact but magisterial survey of the ancient world - from the birth of Sumerian civilization around 3500 BC in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (present-day Iraq) to the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476. In Antiquity, Cantor covers such subjects as Classical Greece, Judaism, the founding of Christianity, and the triumph and decline of Rome.
By: Norman F. Cantor
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The Tragedy of Empire
- From Constantine to the Destruction of Roman Italy
- By: Michael Kulikowski
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The Tragedy of Empire begins in the late fourth century with the reign of Julian, the last non-Christian Roman emperor, and takes listeners to the final years of the Western Roman Empire at the end of the sixth century. Kulikowski traces 200 years of Roman history during which the Western Empire ceased to exist while the Eastern Empire remained politically strong and culturally vibrant.
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A Great History of the Roman Empire in Late Antiquity
- By Josh on 01-09-25
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Ghost on the Throne
- The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire
- By: James S. Romm
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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When Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea in the west all the way to modern-day India in the east. In an unusual compromise, his two heirs - a mentally damaged half brother, Philip III, and an infant son, Alexander IV, born after his death - were jointly granted the kingship. But six of Alexander's Macedonian generals, spurred by their own thirst for power and the legend that Alexander bequeathed his rule "to the strongest," fought to gain supremacy.
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ends a bit short
- By RIR on 06-14-21
By: James S. Romm
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Northmen
- The Viking Saga AD 793-1241
- By: John Haywood
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Northmen is there to tell the tale, to pay homage to what was lost and celebrate what was won. Focusing on key events, including the sack of Lindisfarne in 793 and the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, medieval history expert John Haywood recounts the saga of the Viking Age, from the creation of the world through to the dwindling years of halfhearted raids and elegiac storytelling in the 13th century.
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Boring 😴
- By Anonymous User on 09-24-21
By: John Haywood
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Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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This thorough guide explores those civilizations that have faded from the pages of our textbooks but played a significant role in the development of modern society. Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World covers the Hyksos to the Hephthalites and everyone in between, providing a unique overview of humanity's history from approximately 3000 BCE-550 CE. Each entry exposes a diverse culture, highlighting their important contributions.
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Gripping and seamless
- By Mike Heim on 05-13-21
By: Philip Matyszak
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The Fall of Rome
- And the End of Civilization
- By: Bryan Ward-Perkins
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Fall of Rome, eminent historian Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the "peaceful" theory of Rome's "transformation" is badly in error. Indeed, he sees the fall of Rome as a time of horror and dislocation that destroyed a great civilization, throwing the inhabitants of the West back to a standard of living typical of prehistoric times. Attacking contemporary theories with relish and making use of modern archaeological evidence, he looks at both the wider explanations for the disintegration of the Roman world and also the consequences for the lives of everyday Romans.
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best book ever on Fall of Rome
- By james m. on 01-30-22
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The Last Crusade
- The Epic Voyages of Vasco da Gama
- By: Nigel Cliff
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Historian Nigel Cliff delivers a sweeping, radical reinterpretation of Vasco da Gama's pioneering voyages, revealing their significance as a decisive turning point in the struggle between Christianity and Islam. Perfect for fans of Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, Galileo's Daughter, and Atlantic, this first-ever complete account of da Gama's voyages includes new information from the recently discovered diaries of his sailors and an extraordinary series of letters between da Gama and the Zamorin, a king of modern-day Kerala, India.
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Way too PC
- By Danvil on 02-08-21
By: Nigel Cliff
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Maimonides
- The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds
- By: Joel L. Kraemer
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 19 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The first definitive biography of Moses Maimonides, one of the most influential intellects in all of human history, illuminates his life as a philosopher, physician, and lawgiver. Recalling such bestsellers as David McCullough's John Adams and Walter Isaacson's Einstein, Maimonides is a biography on a grand scale, brilliantly explicating one man's life against the background of his time.
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Great book. Distracting pronunciation errors.
- By Rabbi Eitan Levy on 04-06-09
By: Joel L. Kraemer
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Atlantic Wars
- From the Fifteenth Century to the Age of Revolution
- By: Geoffrey Plank
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In a sweeping account, Atlantic Wars explores how warfare shaped the experiences of the peoples living in the watershed of the Atlantic Ocean between the late Middle Ages and the Age of Revolution.
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A scattered selection of micro-theses
- By Dylan Becker on 11-01-21
By: Geoffrey Plank
This is a great book
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well documented ancient family
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But I was fascinated by Chilton'[s filling in the facts of the Herodian period. Chilton makes clear the relations of Antipater and Herod with Roman leaders and emperors. The gospels have some major discrepancies (such as John placing the Last Supper on a different day than the others to emphasize what he feels the gospels should convey), so reading them as true historical fact can be misleading. Chjilton attempts to be factual (I just wonder about his sources). and that expanded my comprehension of Roman politics, particularly during the second triumvirate. He also shows that several of the Judean procurators used their office to loot, if not pillage, Judea. Sounds very Roman from what I have read about other Roman governors. I was exposed to many new facts.
So I do recommend this book to those who want a better understanding of what was happening, particularly politically, than one gets from the Bible.
expanding history
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Highly enjoyed this read, and the fabulous documentation within. It was nice to have reference points to go back to, and mark.
Royal Intrigue and Death
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Good
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Fascinating history
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based on a true story
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competent recital of sources without too much of a deep analysis
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This is a very interesting book for those interested in a little bit of the political history regarding Judea and Rome.
Interesting Look at Kings Who Tried to Kill Jesus
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