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Ep 205 - Constantinople 2: The Golden Years
🕑 Added 2025-02-05 13:00:12 +0000 UTCpatrons, here is this week's ad-free regular ep for your enjoyment, we answered questions from Ollie Cant and Evelyn in this one.
folks, we're continuing our series on Constantinople. last time we introduced the city via its geography, Constantine making it the capital of the Roman Empire, and the Theodosian Walls. this time, we get into the early Medieval history of the city, which also happens to be the real golden age for Constantinople. beginning under Emperor Justinian I, Constantinople took the mantle of "Rome" seriously and began a long revanchist campaign to take back parts of the former Western Roman Empire, turned it into a religious and cultural capital, made it unbelievably wealthy, and had some zany fun on the way too. everything after Justinian I's rule is the long, slow decline toward 1453 and the Fall but it takes a while before anyone notices, so the Golden Age continues for at least a couple of more centuries. we talk about all that today!
Comments
Elsie Hupp
I had an old apartment that faced onto a tall rectangular courtyard that amplified every sound from the sidewalk like a perfectly tuned concert hall. (This is why tall courtyards are sometimes trapezoidal or kite shaped.)
Elsie Hupp
That gentleman under your window really makes a good case for emptying the night soil.
