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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Hope you've all enjoyed the latest episode! With my wedding day imminent, I am detouring to talk about the portrayal of Hellenistic Egypt in "Assassin's Creed Origins", which I had the chance to sit down and play in preparation for my upcoming trip to Egypt later this year. Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Now reading: “Political Speeches” - Cicero A translation of a selected number of speeches produced by Rome’s greatest orator, including his prosecution of Verres, the flattering support of Pompey and Caesar, and his fiery attacks on Mark Antony in his so-called “Philippics”

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This amazing artwork was a commission done by @stephaniepepper.bsky.social , and the bookmark itself is carried on my Etsy page as a way to support the podcast! www.etsy.com/listing/1180...

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Out shopping with my fianceè for tuxedo shoes, and I came across this unusual high heel with facsimiles of Greek coins. I see a Seleucid/Ptolemaic queen, a Metapontion, a Philip II Stater, and I think a Griffin from Teos?

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Re-reading: “The Jugurthine War” - Sallust The Roman historian Sallust will become an important resource as we head into the Late Republic, but his account of the War of Jugurtha (111-105 BC) along with the history of the Numidians will be an key topic in the coming months!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

“See Antony, that general, who a moment ago, filled Actium’s waves with the vain cries of lost soldiers: infamous love commanded him to recall his ships, turn his back, and run to the furthest corner of the globe” - Propertius, “Elegies” 2.16

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

As per the newest episode, I am happy to announce that I am getting married to the future Mrs. Hellenistic Age this October! Not only that, our honeymoon will be taking place in Egypt! Alexandria, Memphis, Luxor, Philae, Kom Ombo and more await us on a 2.5 week journey.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Now Reading: “The Ancient Mariners, 2nd edition” - L. Casson A landmark study in naval history, this work surveys the maritime achievements of the various cultures of the ancient world from Egypt and Mesopotamia to the Eastern Roman Empire

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

My Alexander-Ammon cufflinks for my upcoming wedding have finally arrived. I had to add my own little flair to the wedding, my fiancée approved wholeheartedly.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Now reading: “Temples of the Last Pharoahs” - D. Arnold A survey of Egyptian temples from the Nubian pharaohs to the Roman emperors, including famous Ptolemaic examples at Philae, Dendera, Kalabsha, among others. An invaluable resource for my plans later this year… 🇪🇬

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

I hope you've enjoyed the latest episode! Next time we will take a detour from the main narrative to focus on the history of Ptolemaic activity in the Red Sea and East Africa, including elephant hunts and the Eastern Desert trade routes, but also a survey of the Meroitic Kingdom of Kush Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

According to the geographer Strabo (16.4.15) the extent of Hellenistic exploration of East African coastline took them into the Gulf of Aden, with the Ptolemaic commander Charimortos establishing an altar in "Notuceras", modern Cape Guardafui in northeast Somalia in the late third century B.C.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I rode a horse for the first time ever this past weekend while exploring Colorado. This huge SOB (I’m 5’11, 230lbs) spontaneously chose to gallop at breakneck speed, but somehow I managed to get him to stop. I have a newfound respect for the people rode these things without stirrups into battle

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I hope you've enjoyed the newest episode! Next time, we will turn back to Egypt to see out the final years of Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra II (~129-116 BC), bringing an incredibly dysfunctional period to an end, but one that sets the stage for the continuing decline of the Ptolemaic dynasty

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Now reading: “Julius Caesar and the Roman People” Rejecting the image of Caesar the ever-aspiring autocrat, Morstein-Marx presents a man working within the traditional (mostly functioning) framework of the Republic, but whose successes also conflicted with other powerful actors in that same system.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

As per my latest episode, I’m happy to announce that I have collaborated with Imperial Wares to produce a shirt inspired by the podcast and the Seleucid Empire! You can find the shirt available via ImperialWares.com and the link to the store page below: www.etsy.com/listing/4514...

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Now reading: “Creating a Hellenistic World” - Ed. by A. Erskine and L. Llewellyn-Jones A collection of essays focusing on the early Hellenistic Age, from the development of Koine Greek to the cementing of court life and monarchy. Thank you to my anonymous donor for the book!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Every once in a while, Facebook Marketplace produces something unexpected and magical, like Miss Piggy as “Cleopigtra”

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I hope you enjoyed our latest episode! Next time, Demetrius II returns to Syria after ten years in Parthian captivity, much to the chagrin of his (former) wife Cleopatra Thea. As civil war grips the realm once again, Thea is determined to keep her long-held position at any price Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Now reading: “Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt” - G. Pinch An introductory but comprehensive account of the Ancient Egyptian pantheon, worshipped from the time of the first pharaoh Narmer (3100 BC) until Late Antiquity (400 AD).

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

It’s the summer of Egypt: Tonight’s first film is “The Mummy” (1999), and while highly fantastical, I’m sure has inspired as many Egyptologists as “Gladiator” did for ancient historians. Such an awesome movie.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

You know, with Ptolemy VIII Physcon, the more I learn about that guy, the more I don't care for him

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Now reading: “A Noble Ruin” by W.J. Tatum This recent biography tackles the life of Mark Antony, one of antiquity’s most controversial figures, whose battles with Octavian and union with Cleopatra VII fascinated later writers for centuries. So far it’s a great read, really delves into the period

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Hope you enjoyed our latest episode! Next time, Ptolemy VIII returns to Egypt after his brother’s death in 145, enacting a wave of political violence and a ménage à trois with the mother-daughter pair of Cleopatra II and III. Is it any wonder that civil war followed suit? Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Now reading: “Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny” - E.J. Watts A recent introductory overview of the Late Roman Republic from the Gracchi to the rise of Augustus. We’ve finally reached the Late Republic in the podcast, time to do a deep dive this summer

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

"Your courage and drunkenness have ruined you, O Antiochus; for you hoped that, in your great cups, you would be able to drink up the kingdom of Arsaces.” - Athenaeus, 10.439d-e A silver tetradrachm of Antiochus VII Sidetes (r. 138-129) Episode 121 is slated for release in the next few days!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Now reading: the Poems of Propertius One of the great poets of the Augustan period, Propertius composed works lauding Augustus’ achievements, but is more well known for his dramatic love poems centered around his mistress and muse, Cynthia Thank you to my anonymous donor for gifting me this book!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Now reading: “Time and Its Adversaries in the Seleucid Empire” - P.J. Kosmin A study on one of the most novel inventions of the Seleucid dynasty: the creation of the Seleucid Era, the world’s first continuous linear calendar, inspiring the Christian Anno Domini and Islamic Hijri systems

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

We’ve still got a hundred years left to cover in the podcast, meanwhile I’ve spent a lot of my recent walks planning the last episodes in my head. Even though her story has been done to death, I think the episodes around Cleopatra VII’s life are going to slap. There’s too much good material not to.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

I hope you enjoyed the newest episode! Next time, Antiochus VII "Sidetes" takes the stage as he attempts to wrangle the chaos in Syria by battling the usurper Diodotus Tryphon and the Hasmoneans in Judea, before setting his sights on recovering Babylonia and Iran from the Parthians. Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

The latest known copy of the Epic of Gilgamesh dates to 130 BC, made by a Babylonian scribe-in-training named Bel-ahhe-usur. Coincidentally, this would also be during the last year a Seleucid was recognized as king in Babylon, before it fell permanently to the Parthians.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Now reading: “A History of the Ptolemaic Empire” - G. Höbl Perhaps the best single-volume account of Ptolemaic Egypt, one I’ve relied upon for years, covering the dynasty’s 300 year history from Ptolemy I to Cleopatra VII. It’s nice to finally have a copy as I plan the messy end of the 2nd cent. BC

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Now reading: “Cleopatra’s Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to African Queen” by J. Draycott (@jldraycott.bsky.social) This biography covers the life of Cleopatra Selene II, who despite being overshadowed by her famous parents enjoyed successful reign as queen of Mauretania in post-Hellenistic world.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Heracles of Behistun: a stone carving on the face of Mt. Behistun in Iran. Dating to June/July of 148, the statue and inscription are in honor of Cleomenes, a Seleucid satrap who battled the Parthians in Media. Ironically, the region would be conquered by Mithridates I of Parthia in the next year.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

After 50 hours, I finally completed AC: Origins. There are major flaws with the story and pacing, but I absolutely love the way they portrayed Ptolemaic Egypt. The map is so detailed and varied, and there are a lot of little nice touches that I was able to catch. Some of the locations were gorgeous

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Now reading: “The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt: 300 BC - AD 700” - J. McKenzie A thorough examination of the visual and architectural landscape of Egypt from the Ptolemaic dynasty through Late Antiquity, particularly the city of Alexandria, the most renowned in the Hellenistic period

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Obviously the late Green published this over 30 years ago, but as recently as 2024, L. Llewellyn-Jones’ “The Cleopatras” states that all the Seleucids “resembled a family of hard-edged mobsters” (p. 46).

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

One amusing thing I’ve noticed with British classical studies is the pervasiveness of physiognomy, esp. in numismatics. Peter Green in “Alexander to Actium”: “The early kings of Pontus resemble nothing so much as a family of escaped convicts: Pharnaces I has the profile of a Neanderthal…”

A silver coin of King Pharnaces I of Pontus

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

I had this gem on my Greco-Bactria compilation video last month, classic

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Hope you enjoyed our newest episode! Next time, we return to Syria, as the recently enthroned Demetrius II Nicator contends with another usurper, Diodotus “Tryphon”. Meanwhile, the instability in the west allows Mithridates I of Parthia to launch an invasion of Media and Babylonia Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

One year ago today, I was exploring the ruins of Petra in Jordan, one of the greatest and awe-inspiring experiences of my life. No major trips are on my immediate horizon, but perhaps at the end of the year I’ll be somewhere with a little more…pyramids

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Looks like the pretense of protecting Iranians from the abuses of their government has gone fully out the window by this point. Even if this is the president blustering, it is utter madness, no matter whether you’re right or left. My heart goes out for the people of Iran affected by this chaos.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Hope you enjoyed our newest episode! Next time we’ll turn back east to chronicle the earliest years of the Arsacid Parthian Empire, which by 141 BC was poised to conquer the Iranian Plateau and Mesopotamia in the face of Seleucid civil wars. Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Now reading: “Beyond Alexandria: Literature and Empire in the Seleucid World” by M.S. Visscher Overshadowed by their Ptolemaic rivals, the Seleucid dynasty was just as committed to the patronage of the literary arts, using poetry and historical works to help articulate their imperial vision

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

I hope you all enjoyed our newest episode! Next time we meet, we’ll cover the final days of an independent Greece as the Roman Republic and Achaean League butt heads, leading to the destruction of Corinth and a permanent Roman presence. Stay tuned!

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Now reading: “Polybius” by F.W. Walbank A concise but illuminating landmark study of Polybius of Megalopolis, the greatest historian of the Hellenistic period and among all Greek historians perhaps only second in rank among Thucydides, written by one of his foremost experts.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

I hope you enjoyed our newest episode! Next time, we return to Greece to learn that Macedonia, having been deprived of a king for seventeen years, is taken over by a pretender named Andriscus who claims Antigonid heritage and briefly restores the monarchy. Understandably, Rome does not approve.

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Now reading: “Berenike and the Ancient Maritime Spice Route” - S.E. Sidebotham A survey of Berenike Troglodytica, one of the most important Ptolemaic (and later Roman) ports situated along the coast of the Red Sea, famed for its role in the Indo-Roman trade network that emerged in the 1st cent BC

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Derek | The Hellenistic Age Podcast @hellenisticpod.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

Now reading: “Party Politics in the Age of Caesar” - Lily R. Taylor A landmark text about the (mis)understandings of factions and parties during the Late Roman Republic, going beyond the dichotomy of “optimates” and “populares”.

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