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Writing History

Writing History

Written by: David Erland Isaksen
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About this listen

 Writing History is a podcast about the writers of ancient history and what they may have been trying to do with their writing, what prompted them to record these events, and the implicit argument they may have been making to their audiences about their past, present, and future.© 2025 David Erland Isaksen
Episodes
  • Deciphering the Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings

    Deciphering the Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings
    Nov 20 2020
    Dr. Tomas Jose Barrientos Quezada, Dean of the Department of Archeology at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, joins us to discuss the "Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings," including the evolutionary creation of humans, the hero twins who became Venus and the Sun, the dawn over all people, the god who promised fire in exchange for human blood, and the reverence in Mayan culture for nature as messengers of the Father and Mother of Creation.
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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Buried Treasures of the Ancient World: Graves, Deposits, and the Social Significance of Monumental Grave Mounds

    Buried Treasures of the Ancient World: Graves, Deposits, and the Social Significance of Monumental Grave Mounds
    Nov 6 2020
    Archeologist Christina Leverkus from Midgard Viking Centre joins us for a discussion about buried treasures mentioned in ancient texts and archeological discoveries at Borre, which has the largest gathering of monumental mounds in Northern Europe. What do these burial mounds tell us about the people who made them and their societies? Learn more about the Midgard Viking Center here https://vestfoldmuseene.no/en/midgard-viking-centre/
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • Rewriting History for Peace: Reading Jordanes' "Getica - Origin and Deeds of the Goths" as a Rhetorical Intervention to End a War

    Rewriting History for Peace: Reading Jordanes' "Getica - Origin and Deeds of the Goths" as a Rhetorical Intervention to End a War
    Oct 27 2020
    Dr. Brian Swain, Assistant Professor of History, joins Dr. Isaksen to discuss Jordanes' "Getica: Origin and Deeds of the Goths" and how it might have been written as a rhetorical intervention to reconcile the Romans and the Goths and end the war that had been going on for 17 years.
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    1 hr and 40 mins
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