Oldest Stories
By James Bleckley
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Image by James Bleckley
Category: History
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Subscribers: 122
Reviews: 2
Episodes: 233
MALFUNKTION
Jun 4, 2026
Lisa
May 9, 2024
Great podcast for history or mythology lovers. One of my favorites to listen to at bedtime because his voice is good for falling asleep. Very mellow, but also interesting and kinda funny sometimes if you are paying attention.
Description
History and myth of the Cradle of Civilization, bronze age Mesopotamia, beginning with the dawn of writing. The show will cover the full history of Mesopotamia, from Gilgamesh to Nabonidas, a span of some 2500 years, with myths of heroes and gods, and tales of daily life peppered throughout. Sumer, Akkad, Old Babylon, Hittites, and Israel have all been covered in depth, current episodes get deep into the Assyrian Empire. New episodes every other Wednesday. Online at oldeststories.net.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
|
Sennacherib Builds a Paradise in Nineveh
|
Jun 17, 2026 |
|
Lachish and How an Assyrian Siege Worked
|
Jun 03, 2026 |
|
Sennacherib vs Hezekiah in 701 BCE: Isaiah and the Battle of Eltekeh
|
May 06, 2026 |
|
Babylon Had It Coming
|
Apr 22, 2026 |
|
Sennacherib's Inheritance
|
Apr 08, 2026 |
|
The Doom of Sargon II
|
Mar 25, 2026 |
|
AI and History
|
Mar 18, 2026 |
|
The Golden Years of Sargon II
|
Mar 11, 2026 |
|
Neo-Assyrian Imperial Administration
|
Feb 25, 2026 |
|
The Great Invasion of Urartu
|
Feb 11, 2026 |
|
The Composition of the Sargonid Army
|
Jan 28, 2026 |
|
The Environment in which the Assyrian Army Emerged
|
Jan 14, 2026 |
|
A Tour of Dur-Sharrukin
|
Dec 31, 2025 |
|
The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Dur-Sharrukin
|
Dec 17, 2025 |
|
The Ascendency of Sargon II
|
Dec 03, 2025 |
|
The Ill-Omened Origins of Sargon II
|
Nov 19, 2025 |
|
Shalmaneser the Least
|
Nov 05, 2025 |
|
Tiglath-Pileser Defeats Israel
|
Oct 22, 2025 |
|
Mesopotamia and the Occult: Discussions on the Ancient World
|
Oct 18, 2025 |
|
Mesopotamia and the Occult: The Mortal King in Depth
|
Oct 11, 2025 |
|
Mesopotamia and the Occult: Dying and Rising in Depth
|
Oct 04, 2025 |
|
Mesopotamia and the Occult: The Passionate Woman in Depth
|
Sep 27, 2025 |
|
The Four Failures of Tiglath-Pileser III
|
Aug 20, 2025 |
|
Deportation, Castration, and Education - The Foundations of Neo-Assyria
|
Aug 06, 2025 |
|
The Full Story of Ea-Nasir's Copper
|
Jul 23, 2025 |
|
Establishing Assyrian Dominance
|
Jul 09, 2025 |
|
Tiglath-Pileser's Revolution
|
Jun 25, 2025 |
|
The Assyrian Deep State
|
Jun 11, 2025 |
|
OS 168 - The Golden Age of Urartu
|
May 28, 2025 |
|
OS 167 - The Northern Wars: Etiuni, Urartu, and Diauehi
|
May 14, 2025 |
|
OS 166 - The Forges of Urartu
|
May 08, 2025 |
|
OS 165 - The Kings of Urartu
|
Apr 16, 2025 |
|
OS 164 - The Rise of Urartu
|
Apr 02, 2025 |
|
OS 163 - The Birth of Urartu
|
Mar 19, 2025 |
|
OS 162 - The Rise of Phrygia
|
Mar 05, 2025 |
|
OS 161 - A Kingdom of Honey and Blood: The Suhu Rebellion
|
Feb 19, 2025 |
|
OS 160 - Graham Hancock and the Philosophy of Archeology
|
Feb 05, 2025 |
|
OS 159 - Slaves and Bronze in Iron Age Assyria
|
Jan 22, 2025 |
|
OS 158 - The Glorious Magnates of Assyria
|
Jan 08, 2025 |
|
OS 157 - Women and Horses, the Constraints of Assyria
|
Dec 25, 2024 |
|
OS 156 - The Mythical Semiramis in Ancient History
|
Dec 11, 2024 |
|
OS 155 - The Angry Puppet: Shamshi-Adad V
|
Nov 27, 2024 |
|
OS 154 - Assyrian Civil War: Magnate Edition
|
Nov 13, 2024 |
|
OS 153 - Shalmaneser Delegates Authority
|
Oct 30, 2024 |
|
OS 152 - The Smothered Spark of Babylon's Dark Age
|
Oct 16, 2024 |
|
OS 151 - The Glowing Embers of Babylon's Dark Age
|
Oct 02, 2024 |
|
OS 150 - The Battle of Qarqar
|
Aug 28, 2024 |
|
OS 149 - Shalmaneser Upends the Levant
|
Aug 14, 2024 |
|
OS 148 - Shalmaneser Takes the Throne
|
Jul 31, 2024 |
|
OS 147 - From the River to the Sea
|
Jul 17, 2024 |
|
The Early History of Near Eastern Cavalry
|
Jul 03, 2024 |
|
OS 146 - How Assyria Operated
|
Jun 19, 2024 |
|
OS 145 - The Early Neo-Assyrian Army
|
Jun 05, 2024 |
|
OS 144 - Call of Calhu
|
May 22, 2024 |
|
OS 143 - Assurnasirpal Has Too Much Energy
|
May 08, 2024 |
|
OS 142 - The Assyrian Empire Takes Shape
|
Apr 24, 2024 |
|
OS 141 - The Unintended Aramization of Assyria
|
Apr 10, 2024 |
|
OS 140- The Dawning of a New Assyrian Empire
|
Mar 27, 2024 |
|
OS 139 - An Iron King for an Iron Age
|
Mar 13, 2024 |
|
OS 138 - Erra and Ishum Threaten Destruction
|
Feb 28, 2024 |
|
OS 137 - The Oldest Dreams
|
Feb 14, 2024 |
|
OS 136 - The Fifty Shades of Marduk
|
Jan 31, 2024 |
|
OS 135 - Middle Class Demons of Mesopotamia
|
Jan 17, 2024 |
|
OS 134 - Poverty, Pessimism, and Comedy in Ancient Mesopotamia
|
Jan 03, 2024 |
|
The Theology Within History
|
Dec 27, 2023 |
|
Isaiah 55
|
Dec 25, 2023 |
|
The Witness of Lamentations
|
Dec 23, 2023 |
|
The Book of Job in a Near Eastern Context
|
Dec 22, 2023 |
|
OS 133 - Jerusalem Falls
|
Dec 20, 2023 |
|
OS 132 - Judah Ascends
|
Dec 06, 2023 |
|
OS 131 - Israel's Brutal Judgement
|
Nov 22, 2023 |
|
Oldest Stories is now a Book!
|
Nov 15, 2023 |
|
OS 130 - Israel Runs Out of Names
|
Nov 08, 2023 |
|
OS 129 - Israelite and Phoenician Prosperity
|
Oct 25, 2023 |
|
OS 128 - Israel's Moabite Neighbors
|
Oct 11, 2023 |
|
OS 127 - Israel's First Historical King
|
Sep 27, 2023 |
|
OS 126 - Israel's Great Confusion
|
Sep 13, 2023 |
|
OS 125 - Israel's Divided Kingdoms
|
Aug 30, 2023 |
|
OS 124 - Israel's Wisdom and Wealth
|
Aug 16, 2023 |
|
OS 123 - Israel's Great High Priest
|
Aug 02, 2023 |
|
OS 122 - Israel's King David
|
Jul 19, 2023 |
|
OS 121 - Israel's Favorite King
|
Jul 05, 2023 |
|
OS 120 - Israel's Habiru King
|
Jun 21, 2023 |
|
OS 119 - Israel's Young Shepherd
|
Jun 07, 2023 |
|
OS 118 - Israel's First Failed King
|
May 24, 2023 |
|
OS 117 - Israel's First King
|
May 10, 2023 |
|
OS 116 - Israel's United Monarchy
|
Apr 26, 2023 |
|
OS 115 - The Place of Faith in Biblical History
|
Apr 26, 2023 |
|
OS 114 - Israel's Judges and Defeats
|
Apr 12, 2023 |
|
OS 113 - Israel's Settlements and Philistine Neighbors
|
Mar 29, 2023 |
|
OS 112 - Israel's Conquest and Integration in Canaan
|
Mar 15, 2023 |
|
OS 111 - Israel's Wandering and Settlement
|
Mar 01, 2023 |
|
OS 110 - Israel and the Hebrews
|
Feb 15, 2023 |
|
OS 109 - Israel's Numbers Problem
|
Feb 01, 2023 |
|
OS 108 - Israel's Formation and the Historical Exodus
|
Jan 18, 2023 |
|
OS 107 - The Bible as History and Skeptical Views
|
Jan 04, 2023 |
|
OS 106 - The Fate of Anatolia
|
Dec 21, 2022 |
|
OS 105 - Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad
|
Dec 07, 2022 |
|
OS 104 - Arameans Everywhere
|
Nov 23, 2022 |
|
OS 103 - The Babylonian Aristotle, Esagil-Kin-Apli
|
Nov 09, 2022 |
|
OS 102 - A Bit More Tiglath-Pileser
|
Oct 26, 2022 |
|
OS 101 - A Short Assyrian Burst of Activity
|
Oct 12, 2022 |
|
OS 100 - The Babylonian Theodicy
|
Sep 28, 2022 |
|
OS 99 - The Legend of Nebuchadnezzar
|
Sep 14, 2022 |
|
OS 98 - Nabu-Kudurri-Usur
|
Aug 31, 2022 |
|
OS 97 - Ashur-Dan and the Isin Dynasty
|
Aug 17, 2022 |
|
An Overview of Bronze Age Mesopotamia
|
Aug 03, 2022 |
|
Industry 5 - The Bronze of the Age
|
Jul 20, 2022 |
|
Industry 4.5 - Last Century's Fashions (pt 2 of 2)
|
Jul 06, 2022 |
|
Industry 4 - The Fabric of Civilization (pt 1 of 2)
|
Jun 29, 2022 |
|
Shamash, the Sun
|
Jun 15, 2022 |
|
Passionate Daughter Ishtar
|
Jun 01, 2022 |
|
Industry 3 - Liquid Bread
|
May 18, 2022 |
|
Industry 2 - The Stuff of Life
|
May 04, 2022 |
|
Industry 1 - The Earthen World
|
Apr 20, 2022 |
|
Listener Questions
|
Apr 06, 2022 |
|
Sumer in Genesis
|
Mar 23, 2022 |
|
Canaan 9 - Baal and Mot
|
Mar 09, 2022 |
|
Canaan 8 - The Feast of Baal
|
Feb 23, 2022 |
|
Songs 1 - Ancient Akkadian Love Songs
|
Feb 13, 2022 |
|
Canaan 7 - The Baal Cycle
|
Feb 09, 2022 |
|
Canaan 6 - Aqhat and Daniel
|
Jan 26, 2022 |
|
Canaan 5 - The Legend of Kirta
|
Jan 12, 2022 |
|
Canaan 4 - Ugarit's Final Century
|
Dec 29, 2021 |
|
Canaan 3 - The City of Ugarit
|
Dec 15, 2021 |
|
Canaan 2 - The Amarna Age in Canaan
|
Dec 01, 2021 |
|
Canaan 1 - Bronze Age Levant
|
Nov 17, 2021 |
|
The Oldest Games
|
Nov 03, 2021 |
|
Elamite 4 - Elamite Religion
|
Oct 20, 2021 |
|
Elamite 3 - The Grand Regents of Elam
|
Oct 06, 2021 |
|
Elamite 2 - Elamite Renaissances
|
Sep 22, 2021 |
|
Elamite 1 - Back to the Beginning
|
Sep 08, 2021 |
|
OS 96 - Fall of the Hittite Empire
|
Sep 01, 2021 |
|
OS 95 - Hattusili Secures His Legacy
|
Aug 25, 2021 |
|
OS 94 - Hattusili the Peace Maker
|
Aug 18, 2021 |
|
OS 93 - Hattusili's Palace Drama
|
Aug 11, 2021 |
|
OS 92 - Nergal and Ereshkigal
|
Aug 04, 2021 |
|
OS 91 - A Muddy Mesopotamian Mess
|
Jul 28, 2021 |
|
OS 90 - Tukulti-Ninurta's Victories
|
Jul 21, 2021 |
|
OS 89 - The Peaceful Decline of Kassite Babylon
|
Jul 14, 2021 |
|
OS 88 - The Destruction of Mitanni
|
Jul 07, 2021 |
|
OS 87 - Rebirth of an Old City
|
Jun 30, 2021 |
|
OS 86 - The Battle of Kadesh
|
Jun 23, 2021 |
|
OS 85 - New Cities and New Villains
|
Jun 16, 2021 |
|
OS 84 - Mursili's Plague
|
Jun 09, 2021 |
|
OS 83 - Vengeance, Mortal and Divine
|
Jun 02, 2021 |
|
OS 82 - Suppiluliuma Irritates Egypt
|
May 26, 2021 |
|
OS 81 - King Tushratta Begs and Runs Away
|
May 19, 2021 |
|
OS 80 - The Storm Before The Calm
|
May 12, 2021 |
|
OS 79 - Magic and Medicine in Hattusa
|
May 05, 2021 |
|
OS 78 - Foreigners and Vassals of Hatti
|
Apr 28, 2021 |
|
OS 77 - Idrimi's Adventure and Tudhaliya's Invasion
|
Apr 21, 2021 |
|
OS 76 - The Amarna Mailbag
|
Apr 14, 2021 |
|
OS 75 - Building Babylonia
|
Apr 07, 2021 |
|
OS 74 - A New Dawn for Babylon
|
Mar 31, 2021 |
|
OS 73 - Corruption in Nuzi
|
Mar 24, 2021 |
|
Bonus 4 - Akitu New Year Special
|
Mar 17, 2021 |
|
OS72 - Lawyers of Nuzi
|
Mar 10, 2021 |
|
OS 71 - Hurrian Wisdom
|
Mar 03, 2021 |
|
OS 70 - Mighty Monsters of Mitanni
|
Feb 24, 2021 |
|
OS 69 - Kumarbi Strikes Back
|
Feb 17, 2021 |
|
OS 68 - The Song of Kumarbi
|
Feb 10, 2021 |
|
OS 67 - Late Bronze Age Warfare
|
Feb 03, 2021 |
|
OS 66 - Enter the Arena
|
Jan 20, 2021 |
|
OS 65 - Disorder in the Court
|
Jan 13, 2021 |
|
OS 64 - Village Economics
|
Jan 06, 2021 |
|
OS 63 - Village People
|
Dec 30, 2020 |
|
OS 62 - The Man Who Changed The World, Mursili I
|
Dec 23, 2020 |
|
OS 61 - The Conqueror's Triumph and Death
|
Dec 16, 2020 |
|
OS 60 - Telipinu, the Vanishing God
|
Dec 09, 2020 |
|
OS 59 - The Conquering Lion, Hattusili I
|
Dec 02, 2020 |
|
OS 58 - Rise of the Hittites
|
Nov 25, 2020 |
|
OS 57 - Ancient Anatolia
|
Nov 18, 2020 |
|
OS 56 - Obscure Struggles in Assyria
|
Nov 11, 2020 |
|
Bonus 3 - Lament for Ur
|
Nov 04, 2020 |
|
Bonus 2 - Fanciful Notions of Antiquity
|
Oct 27, 2020 |
|
OS 55 - Days of Quiet Prosperity
|
Oct 21, 2020 |
|
OS 54 - Soldier of Babylon, Ubarum
|
Oct 14, 2020 |
|
OS 53 - Poem of the Righteous Sufferer
|
Oct 07, 2020 |
|
OS 52 - Theogony of Dunnu and The Education of Scribes
|
Sep 30, 2020 |
|
OS 51 - The New Order
|
Sep 23, 2020 |
|
OS 50 - Hammurabi's Code of Laws
|
Sep 16, 2020 |
|
OS 49 - Hammurabi's Death and Legacy
|
Sep 09, 2020 |
|
OS 48 - Hammurabi's Women and Slaves
|
Sep 02, 2020 |
|
Bonus 1 - The Slaying of Illuyanka
|
Aug 30, 2020 |
|
OS 47 - Hammurabi's Rebels and Oracles
|
Aug 26, 2020 |
|
OS 46 - Hammurabi's Northern Conquests and Agricultural Power
|
Aug 19, 2020 |
|
OS 45 - Hammurabi's Medicine and Justice
|
Aug 12, 2020 |
|
OS 44 - Hammurabi's Military and Elamite War
|
Aug 05, 2020 |
|
OS 43 - Hammurabi's Siegecraft and Diplomacy
|
Jul 29, 2020 |
|
OS 42 - Hammurabi's Kingdom and Character
|
Jul 22, 2020 |
|
OS 41 - Shamshi-Adad and the Upper Mesopotamian Empire
|
Jul 15, 2020 |
|
OS 40 - Barbarian Kingdoms and Biblical Patriarchs
|
Jul 08, 2020 |
|
OS 39 - The Merchants and Families of Assyria
|
Jul 01, 2020 |
|
OS 38 - Rim-Sin the Pretty Good
|
Jun 24, 2020 |
|
OS 37 - Petty Kings
|
Jun 17, 2020 |
|
OS 36 - The Founding of Babylon
|
Jun 10, 2020 |
|
OS 35 - Middle Bronze Age Warfare
|
Jun 03, 2020 |
|
OS 34 - Age of Chaos
|
May 27, 2020 |
|
OS 33 - A Time of Ritual and Law
|
May 20, 2020 |
|
OS 32 - Lay of the Land
|
May 13, 2020 |
|
OS 31 - First Men
|
May 06, 2020 |
|
OS 30 - The Tablet of Destinies
|
Apr 29, 2020 |
|
OS 29 - The Enuma Elish
|
Apr 22, 2020 |
|
OS 28 - The Chamorros of Saipan
|
Apr 15, 2020 |
|
OS 27 - The Study of Sumer and Ancient Aliens
|
Apr 08, 2020 |
|
OS 26 - The Oldest Debates
|
Mar 31, 2020 |
|
OS 25 - The Last Sumerian, Ibbi-Sin
|
Mar 25, 2020 |
|
OS 24 - The Rebirth of Sumer
|
Mar 18, 2020 |
|
OS 11 - Instructions Manual
|
Mar 17, 2020 |
|
OS 10 - King Shulgi's Mailbag
|
Mar 16, 2020 |
|
OS 23 - The Fall of Akkad
|
Mar 11, 2020 |
|
OS 22 - Slanderous Legends of Naram-Sin
|
Mar 04, 2020 |
|
OS 21 - Surpassing Sargon with Naram-Sin
|
Feb 26, 2020 |
|
OS 20 - Sargon, the Next Generation
|
Feb 19, 2020 |
|
OS 19 - Sargon at war
|
Feb 12, 2020 |
|
OS 18 - Sargon at Peace
|
Feb 05, 2020 |
|
OS 17 - Sargon Rising
|
Jan 29, 2020 |
|
OS 16 - Reform and Corruption in Lagash
|
Jan 22, 2020 |
|
OS 15 - Kings and Wars in Lagash
|
Jan 15, 2020 |
|
OS 14 - Ea, Tales from Creation
|
Jan 08, 2020 |
|
OS 13 - The God of Action Heroes Ninurta
|
Jan 01, 2020 |
|
OS 12 - Enlil, Lord of Wind
|
Dec 25, 2019 |
|
OS 09 - Ishtar and Dumazid
|
Dec 04, 2019 |
|
OS 08 - Ishtar Gains Power
|
Nov 26, 2019 |
|
OS 07 - Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim, and Immortality
|
Nov 20, 2019 |
|
OS 06 - Gilgamesh and the Bull of Heaven
|
Nov 20, 2019 |
|
OS 05 - Gilgamesh Has Adventures
|
Nov 13, 2019 |
|
OS 04 - Gilgamesh vs Humbaba
|
Nov 10, 2019 |
|
OS 03 - Gilgamesh Tames Enkidu
|
Nov 04, 2019 |
|
OS 2.5 - Before the Beginning
|
Oct 31, 2019 |
|
OS 02 - Lugalbanda's Adventures
|
Oct 30, 2019 |
|
OS 01 - Enmerkar and Aratta
|
Oct 28, 2019 |