Fan of History

27/05/2026

A failed expedition. A frightened tyrant. A restless Greek world under Persian rule. The Ionian Revolt did not begin with grand ideals, but with fear, ambition, and political chaos. Bernie and Dan begin a new multi-part series covering the revolt that would eventually draw Athens, Sparta, and Persia into generations of war.

Along the way we're going to meet some amazing characters. In this one we meet the GRANDFATHER of History and a little girl who will one day be one of Sparta's most famous women.

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · May 26 · 39m

13/05/2026

We left the last episode with a cliffhanger and this episode is chock full of action, adventure, and narrow escapes!

Oh and Barbarians!

Dan explains how the Republic nearly dies in its infancy as ordinary Romans abandon the city and refuse military service, the Senate faces a nightmare it cannot solve with armies alone. The result will permanently change Roman politics — and unleash the legendary story of Coriolanus.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/237-the-legend-of-coriolanus/id958058555?i=1000767542366
or
https://pod.fo/e/414986

/Eva, admin.

06/05/2026

An intervoew with Andrew Rowen, author of ISABEL, ANACAONA & COLUMBUS’S DEMISE: 1498–1502 Retold, a historical novel grounded in primary sources and anthropological research that reconstructs from both European and Native perspectives the period of Caribbean history when permanent European colonial settlement began, commencing with Columbus’s third voyage.

Bernie has a conversation with Andrew to discuss what actually happened from 1498 to 1502 and how the actions of Spain’s Queen Isabel, the Taíno Indian Chieftain Anacaona, and Columbus shaped events. This is the least studied period of Columbus’s voyages and one of the most brutal phases of Americas’ conquest history, presaging and influencing centuries of oppression and conflict thereafter.

29/04/2026

“If your name is Manius Valerius Maximus, you’re either saving Rome… or conquering something.”

22/04/2026

The algorithm gods served me a video with hard evidence that the Northmen didn't just stop in for a quick visit and leave.

New research into Viking-age wood is shedding light on something much bigger: how often the Greenland Norse were really crossing into North America—and for how long.

So I texted Thomas, who knows his way around Scandinavian timber, to break down what the wood evidence tells us about Viking trade, travel, and survival. And he gives us a LOT more than that!

And then we get to the big question: what actually happened to the remaining Norwegians in Greenland?

Did they disappear… or did some of them make their way into the New World for good?

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · April 22 · 1h 7m

17/04/2026

The Monarchy Strikes Back! The young republic isn't safe just yet. We have an an action packed episode for you today: barbarians, single combat, and a tradition that will last for centuries is born. Dan leads on this first of multiple episodes on Rome in the 490s BC.

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · April 16 · 51m

08/04/2026

Wow! 40,000 years ago... that's a lot earlier than we thought. Is this just click bait or is there something to this. Dan and Bernie break it down. The final conclusions may surprise you. Plus we have 18 foot bears to deal with!

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · April 7 · 16m

01/04/2026

From East to South to North to West and everywhere in between, Dan finishes off the story of the last half millennia. He takes us through Southeast Asia, the Scandinavian lands, Central Africa, THRACE (!!) It goes on! Even the Finn's get a part.

Enjoy.

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · April 1 · 35m

25/03/2026

A war trumpet shaped like a snarling animal head, buried for nearly 2,000 years, has just been pulled out of the ground in Britain—and it may connect directly to the people who fought Rome under Boudicca.

In this episode, Bernie and Garry unpack the discovery, the culture behind it, and the role of sound, fear, and spectacle in Iron Age warfare.

Because sometimes, the most powerful weapon isn’t what you swing—it’s what you hear coming.

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · March 25 · 24m

18/03/2026

Our final episode on the America's in the 500s BC delivers all the details and fun you expect from a Fan of History episode. Before the Inuit. Before the Pueblo cities. Before the great trade networks of later centuries.

Across the northern half of the Americas, very different societies were adapting to some of the most challenging environments on earth.

In this episode we explore:
• The Dorset culture of the Arctic — among the most skilled cold-climate hunters in ancient history
• The rise of complex chiefdoms among the hunter-gatherers of the Pacific Northwest and California
• Early farmers and mobile societies across the Great Basin, Southwest, and Plains
• The continental trade networks moving shell, obsidian, copper, jade, feathers, and more across vast distances

Long before famous civilizations appeared, the Americas were already deeply connected.

Podcast Episode · Fan of History · March 18 · 41m