Alexander the Great has gone down in history as one of the greatest military leaders of all time, despite only living to the young age of 32. During this time, due to his battle tactics he was able to conquer land stretching from Greece to northwestern India.For this mega episode we've compiled the definitive list of Alexander the Great's biggest battles: The Battle of Granicus, the Battle of Gaugamela and the Battle of the Persian Gate. We hope you enjoy this episode and let us know if you agree or disagree.You can email the podcast at theancients@historyhit.com or leave us a review.You can also take part in our listener survey here.
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episode 14: Kingdom of Kush
Along the banks of the River Nile, directly south of ancient Egypt and hundreds of miles away from the Mediterranean, there was a flourishing kingdom. The Kingdom of Kush. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Nabataeans, Libyans, Romans, and not to mention countless African kingdoms - the Kushite domain boasted a remarkable history with all these ancient civilisations throughout its long history. Its existence spanned centuries; its cities were bustling centres for inter-continental trade; its art and architecture continues to amaze visitors to this day.
I was delighted to be joined by Luke Pepera (@LukePepera), a historian, archaeologist and anthropologist with a passion for African history. In this podcast he shines a light on the Kingdom of Kush's history, particularly focusing on the ancient kingdom's often-overlooked interactions with Imperial Rome. He explains how the death of Cleopatra and the demise of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt paved the way for a major conflict between the Kushites and Romans, where the Kushite warrior queen Amanirenas led her armies against the Emperor Augustus' legions. Nevertheless, despite this hostile beginning, over the following centuries relations between the Kushites and Romans improved, with both kingdoms co-existing in relative harmony until the former's demise in the mid 4th century. This was a fascinating chat and I hope you enjoy.
Luke has recently starred in two History Hit documentaries covering African history: 'The Kingdom of Benin' and 'Africa: Written Out of History'.
Notes: Cornelius Gallus' campaign in Arabia Felix was against the Arabians, not the Assyrians!