Curious to know what it’s like to walk the length of Hadrian’s Wall in northern England and experience the monument the way the ancient Romans did (on foot!)? Join Emily and Cam as they describe what there is to see and do along the first 38 miles of Hadrian’s Wall Path National Trail. You’ll hear about Roman soldiers from Mesopotamia, a Smell-o-Rama (yes, really!), the modern worship of the ancient god Mithras, and what Cam thinks about Real Ale (spoiler: he loves it!).

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1. https://havetogawilltravel.com

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00:10 - Introduction

00:44 - Hadrian’s Wall Path

1. 01:34 - Our experience on the Trail
2. 02:12 - The history of the Trail and the English footpath system
3. 03:32 - How we came to walk the Wall
4. 05:00 - The three main sections of the Wall

06:20 - Arbeia (South Shields)

1. 06:49 - The fort and its garrison: the Tigris rivermen
2. 10:43 - Some fun on the Newcastle Metro

11:53 - Wallsend and Segedunum

1. 12:02 - Latin everywhere!
2. 12:44 - Exploring Segedunum Roman Fort
3. 15:35 - The Wall Passport and Segedunum’s guest book

16:53 - Newcastle and Newburn

1. 16:59 - Tyneside and its industries
2. 18:26 - The bridges of Newcastle
3. 19:49 - Newburn: Keelman’s Lodge and Big Lamp Brewery
4. 21:48 - Cam’s digression on Real Ale

22:58 - Heddon on the Wall

1. 23:19 - Blackberry season!
2. 24:06 - The wall re-emerges
3. 25:36 - Living with livestock along the Wall

27:19 - The Portgate and Dere Street

1. 28:25 - A digression on Sticky Toffee Pudding

29:50 - Corbridge and Corstopitum

1. 30:25 - A strategic junction: Dere Street, the Stanegate, the Tyne
2. 31:50 - The Roman site and the museum
3. 33:43 - Getting to Corbridge from the Wall
4. 33:47 - Making friends along the trail

37:00 - Heavenfield

1. 37:13 - St. Oswald’s Way
2. 37:39 - Bede and the Battle of Heavenfield

38:38 - Planetrees

1. 39:06 - The Broad Wall meets the Narrow Wall
2. 39:45 - Why does the Narrow Wall exist?

40:55 - The North Tyne, Chollerford, Chesters

1. 41:22 - The Roman bridge across the North Tyne
2. 42:26 - Chesters Fort: the site and its inhabitants
3. 45:54 - Greencarts, the AD122 bus, and why doing the Trail in 2 days is a bad idea

48:15 - The Mithraeum at Carrawburgh

1. 49:34 - Mithras: the Romans reimagine an Iranian god
2. 50:07 - Mithraism and other mystery cults
3. 51:19 - The Mithraeum and its remains
4. 52:14 - An encounter with a modern devotee of Mithras

54:55 - Wrap-up

Join Emily and Cam as they discuss the Romans in Britain from the time of Caesar to the emperor Hadrian, and then talk about Hadrian’s monumental wall—what it was, how it was built, what it was for, and why some bits of it still survive today.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

1. https://havetogawilltravel.com

Links

1. David Keys, “Roman Invasion Beach Found in Kent”, The Independent (Friday October 3, 2008).

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00:11 - Introduction

01:58 - The Romans in Britain, from Caesar to Hadrian

1. 02:22 - Caesar’s campaigns in Gaul and Britain, and their aftermath
2. 03:35 - Claudius “defeats” Caratacus and conquers southern England
3. 13:37 - Boudicca’s Rebellion
4. 18:54 - Vespasian and the governorship of Agricola
5. 22:05 - Hadrian visits the frontier

23:31 - Building Hadrian’s Wall

1. 23:25 - The route: from Segedunum to Maia
2. 25:41 - The wall and its features: stone, turf, milecastles, turrets, and outworks
3. 28:57 - Why build part in stone and part in turf?
4. 29:28 - The legions and the process of building the wall
5. 32:25 - Changing plans: wall gauges, wall forts, and turf replaced by stone

37:56 - The Purpose of Hadrian’s Wall

1. 38:25 - Some puzzling features of Rome’s northern frontier
2. 39:07 - A zone of transition: the Roman Empire and British social structures
3. 44:22 - The Romans, the Wall, and the transformation of Britain

46:24 - The Wall after Hadrian

1. 46:42 - The Wall from Antoninus Pius to Septimius Severus
2. 49:04 - The Wall in the time of Bede
3. 51:17 - The 17th and 18th centuries: Hadrian’s Wall and the Military Road
4. 53:19 - John Clayton
5. 54:39 - The National Trust and UNESCO

55:20 - Wrap-up

Emily and Cam chat about whether Monty Python's Life of Brian is truly the greatest movie about ancient Rome (as Cam claimed in the last episode). They also explore what "truths" the movie might expose about life under Roman occupation, and contemplate the Pythons’ love for Aristophanes.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

1. https://havetogawilltravel.com

Cover photo adapted from an image by Grufo (Wikimedia Commons).

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00:11 - Introduction

01:54 - Monty Python: A Primer

1. 02:25 - Five Brits and an American: Monty Python comes together (probably at a bar)
2. 04:00 - The Pythons venture into feature-length films

06:56 - Production, Release, Reception

1. 06:58 - On location in Tunisia
2. 08:00 - The man they call Brian: the basic plot of the movie
3. 09:52 - George Harrison to the rescue!
4. 11:13 - Brian banned!
5. 12:08 - The peculiar case of Aberystwyth, Wales

13:38 - Some cringey bits: viewer beware!

1. 13:53 - Blackface and ethnic slurs
2. 15:20 - Stan / Loretta: mildly transphobic, or surprisingly progressive?
3. 16:56 - Some ableist-seeming jokes

19:02 - The Pythons do history hilariously

1. 20:45 - Women and agency
2. 22:59 - Businesspeople and professional pride
3. 24:36 - Gladiator games, Python-style
4. 28:10 - British and Roman imperialism, or what have the Romans ever done for us?
5. 32:54 - Ridiculous resistance groups (Splitters!)
6. 37:33 - Everyday acts of genuine resistance
7. 41:21 - Prophets, saviors, and messiahs—in Roman Judea and elsewhere

45:08 - The Pythons as PhDs of Comedy

1. 45:42 - Learned spoofs of literature and film: The Iliad and Spartacus
2. 48:15 - Silly costumes, silly names, silly plots: the Pythons pay homage to Plautus and Aristophanes
3. 54:39 - Romanes eunt domus!
4. 56:55 - The art of nudity: the Pythons spoof Zeffirelli

59:14 - Wrap-up

In the final installment of a four-part series on the Greeks and the Persians, Emily and Cam discuss both the Battle of Salamis and the Battle of Plataea, and finish off with some remarks about the Serpent Column—a living monument to the accomplishment of the Greeks.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

• https://havetogawilltravel.com

Links

• Our Blog Post on the Serpent Column.
• The first episode in this series (The Persians and the Greeks, Part I: The Rise of the Persian Empire).
• The second episode in this series (The Persians and the Greeks, Part II: Darius, Great King, King of Kings).
• The third episode in this series (The Persians and the Greeks, Part III: Xerxes and the Road to Thermopylae).

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00:12 - Introduction

00:58 - Xerxes on the Acropolis

• 01:18 - The aftermath of Thermopylae and Artemision: Xerxes in Central Greece
• 04:22 - The Athenians face a dilemma
• 07:03 - The Pythia, the wall of wood, and the evacuation of Athens
• 12:46 - The Persians in Athens

14:52 - Blessed Salamis

• 15:26 - Dissension among the Greeks
• 19:21 - Xerxes, his commanders, and Artemisia the wise advisor
• 24:29 - Themistokles’ Gambit
• 32:21 - The Battle of Salamis
• 36:17 - Xerxes puts Mardonius in charge and heads for home

39:15 - The Campaign and Battle of Plataea

• 39:19 - Mardonius, Alexander, and an offer to the Athenians
• 41:11 - Spring 479: Mardonius’ capture of Athens, and its aftermath
• 43:23 - All roads lead to Plataea
• 48:21 - The Battle of Plataea

56:09 - Epilogue: the Serpent Column, from Delphi to Istanbul

61:07 - Wrap-up

Emily and Cam dive into Xerxes’ decision to invade Greece, and tell the story of his expedition as far as the Battle of Thermopylae. (Featuring a very brief digression on "300".)

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

1. https://havetogawilltravel.com

Links

1. The first episode in this series (The Persians and the Greeks, Part I: The Rise of the Persian Empire).
2. The second episode in this series (The Persians and the Greeks, Part II: Darius, Great King, King of Kings).
3. Our episode on Aeschylus’ Persians (Aeschylus’ “Persians”: The OG Greek Tragedy).
4. Our episode on heroes in the ancient Greek world (Holding Out for a Hero—in Ancient Greece).

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00:12 - Introduction

01:18 - The Last Years of Darius

02:38 - Xerxes, King

1. 02:59 - Xerxes and the Many Sons of Darius
2. 04:57 - Xerxes Quells Rebellions in Egypt and Babylon

05:39 - Xerxes’ Project: The Invasion of Greece

1. 06:08 - Herodotus’ Understanding of Xerxes’ Motivations
2. 08:47 - A Persian Perspective?

10:31 - Planning Xerxes’ Campaign

1. 11:00 - The Mt Athos Canal and Supply Depots in the Northern Aegean
2. 12:39 - Ships and Cables
3. 14:07 - Mustering the Army

14:28 - Xerxes Travels from Susa to Sardis

1. 16:59 - Early Greek Responses to Xerxes’ Plans
2. 17:15 - Initial Rumors
3. 18:02 - Xerxes Demands Earth and Water
4. 20:00 - The Range of Greek Responses: Submission, Accommodation, Resistance
5. 25:35 - Greek Spies in Sardis
6. 26:04 - Strategy and the Problems of Interstate Rivalries

27:28 - The Coming Storm

1. 27:54 - Xerxes Crosses the Hellespont: the Pontoon Bridges
2. 29:51 - Xerxes Counts his Forces (and why we should doubt Herodotus’ numbers)
3. 34:27 - The March to Therma and the Kingdom of Macedonia
4. 37:14 - The Greeks at Tempe and the Submission of the North

39:46 - Thermopylae and Artemision: Greek Plans and Preparations

1. 40:10 - The Geography of Thermopylae and Artemision (with a digression on “300”)
2. 43:04 - The Greek Forces

48:33 - Thermopylae and Artemision: The Battles

1. 48:58 - Spartan Hairstyles and Xerxes’ Frustrations
2. 51:56 - The First Day of Fighting: Stalemate
3. 43:30 - The Second Day of Fighting: Xerxes, Ephialtes, and the March of the Immortals
4. 57:23 - The Third Day of Fighting: The Last Stand

65:12 - Wrap-up

Emily and Cam continue their discussion of the conflict between the Persians and the ancient Greek world. In this episode, they chat about Cyrus’ son Cambyses, about the rise to power of Darius, and about Darius’ relationships with Greeks on the western frontier of his empire.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

1. https://havetogawilltravel.com

Episode Links

1. The first episode in this series (The Persians and the Greeks, Part I: The Rise of the Persian Empire).
2. Part I of our series on the Athens Marathon, which includes a discussion of the Battle of Marathon and the legend of Pheidippides.
3. Wikipedia’s article on Darius’ Bisitun Inscription, which includes photos.

Image credits:

1. Cover / instagram image adapted from a photo by Lee van Dorp (Wikimedia Commons), which shows a closeup of Darius as he is depicted on the Bisitun Inscription.
2. Social sharing image adapted from a photo by Korosh091 (Wikimedia Commons), which shows the Bisitun Inscription's main relief.

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00:13 - Introduction

01:31 - Sources for the reigns of Cambyses and Darius

1. 01:49 - Herodotus’ Persian stories
2. 02:41 - Inscriptions and papyri documenting Persian kings

03:01 - Cambyses, son of Cyrus: portraits of his Reign

1. 03:27 - Herodotus’ take on Cambyses: a mad and murderous king
2. 11:59 - A more sympathetic take: the Apis inscriptions, the Udjahorresnet inscription, and what they tell us about Cambyses

16:35 - The Death of Cambyses and the rise of Darius

1. 17:01 - Herodotus’ tale of the usurper Smerdis and the (Persian) Magnificent Seven
2. 21:06 - Darius’ Bisitun Inscription and the “Official” story of his rise to power

28:02 - Darius and the Greeks

1. 28:41 - Darius’ Scythian Expedition and the Greeks of Ionia and Aeolia
2. 32:01 - The Ionian Revolt and its causes: Aristagoras and Naxos, plus the problem of tyranny, tribute, and triremes
3. 39:39 - The Athenians and the sack of Sardis
4. 43:00 - The Marathon Campaign: Darius seeks revenge

44:58 - Wrap-up

Emily and Cam talk about the ancient Persians and the growth of their empire in the first episode of a series on the conflict between the Persians and the ancient Greek world.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

1. https://havetogawilltravel.com

Cover photo adapted from an image by Jakub Hałun (Persian Warriors, Pergamon University, Berlin)

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00:12 - Introduction

01:07 - Who were the Persians?

1. 01:11 - The ancient Persians, the ancient Iranians, and the Indo-European dispersion
2. 02:52 - The Old Persian language (and a digression on Persian names)
3. 08:35 - Zoroastrianism and the religion of the ancient Persians

13:59 - The Rise of the Persian Empire

1. 14:23 - The Middle East in the 6th Century BCE: Persia and its neighbors
2. 16:29 - Herodotus and the legend of Cyrus the Great
3. 20:06 - Cyrus the Great and his conquests
4. 24:04 - Cyrus’ successors: Cambyses and Darius
5. 24:48 - The Persian Empire in 500 BCE

25:12 - The Structure of the Persian Empire

1. 25:25 - Cooperative local elites and the obligations of empire
2. 26:35 - Satraps, provinces, and the Iranian diaspora

28:45 - The Ideology of the Persian Empire

1. 29:04 - Cyrus as champion of local gods in Babylon and Judah
2. 30:49 - Darius as champion of Ahura Mazda

32:47 - The Mechanics of Empire in the Age of Darius

1. 32:52 - Imperial ideology and imperial violence
2. 34:00 - Local elites and imperial entanglements: the story of Syloson of Samos

38:04 - Wrap-up

Emily and Cam break down “The Persians”—the oldest surviving Greek tragedy, which offers a surprisingly sympathetic take on the enemies of Athens.

Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:

1. https://havetogawilltravel.com

Cover photo adapted from an image of the Salamis Soldiers' monument, by Ziegler175:

1. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SalamisPaloukiaSchlacht2.jpg

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00:10 - Introduction

01:43 - Aeschylus and his historical context

1. 01:56 - The subject of the play (and its peculiarity)
2. 03:06 - The Battle of Salamis and the Persian Wars
3. 05:10 - Aeschylus’ Career

06:22 - The Persians in performance

1. 06:30 - The Dionysia of 472 BCE and Aeschylus’ tetralogy
2. 08:35 - Pericles as producer (choregos)
3. 09:09 - A synopsis of the play
4. 11:12 - The structure of Greek Tragedies (or, how do we know that the Persians only needs two actors apart from the chorus?)

14:03 - Interpreting the play: sympathy for the Persians?

1. 15:06 - The survival of the play: evidence of its popularity?
2. 16:04 - Triumphalism vs. a recognition of common experience
3. 17:06 - Differences between Greek and Persians in the play: archers vs. spearmen, autocracy vs. autonomy, proskynesis and lamentation
4. 20:36 - Aeschylus argues for common experiences: the Persians as Homeric heroes, the horrors and the costs of battle, and Aeschylus’ rejection of the “effeminate Persians” trope

26:37 - The play’s main theme: empire and hubris

1. 27:00 - Xerxes and his bad decisions
2. 27:56 - The gods’ desire to punish Xerxes
3. 28:53 - The hubris of Xerxes, or the hubris of the Empire? (Featuring Emily’s rant about hubris in ancient and modern thought)
4. 34:27 - Aeschylus, the gods, and Athenian imperialism
5. 36:55 - The social function of tragedy: thinking through big problems
6. 37:28 - What staging the Persians can tell us about the play

39:12 - Wrap-up