Dead Ideas: The History of Extinct Thoughts and Practices

The Sacred Band of Thebes, comprised entirely of gay male lovers, was Ancient Greece’s original response to the gays in the military question. What was that like? How did it function? And what was its lasting legacy? That’s what we’re going to find out today, just in time for Pride Month. Here to help us do it is classicist James Romm, author of The Sacred Band: Three Hundred Theban Lovers Fighting to Save Greek Freedom. By the way, the New Yorker article referenced in the episode is "Ancient Greece's Army of Lovers" by Daniel Mendelsohn. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/btnewberg and get a hand-drawn portrait. Research, writing, editing, and production by B. T. Newberg. Music and Logo Design by Rachel Westhoff. Additional credits, references, and more at www.deadideas.net.

My city is on fire today. This is day four of the riots in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. And everyone around me is saying, “I’m angry too, but why destroy your own community? It doesn’t make sense.” But is there another way to look at it? In this episode, I share first-hand reports of the riots as well as experiences of income disparity in local schools. By looking behind the violence to the roots of disadvantage, can we turn confusion into empathy?

This episode goes out to all of you at home out there during this pandemic, but we want to dedicate it especially to listener Owyn in Toronto, Canada. He’s faced a string of tough challenges recently, and now there’s the covid challenge on top of it all, but on the bright side, Owyn: it’s your 19th birthday today! Happy Covid 19th, Owyn! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/btnewberg to get your portrait drawn! Music by Rachel Westhoff. Pics, references and more at http://www.deadideas.net.

Did you know America spawned its very own homegrown fascist movement in the 1930s? Yup. The Silver Legion's William Dudley Pelley was the original Man in the High Castle. Or... at least he dreamed himself to be. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

TRIGGER WARNING: Politics. Today we explore what characterized early 20th-century fascism, and then ask whether it's fair to call Trump fascist. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

It's here! It's finally here! After a full year of development, our new show the History of Sex is here. Cruise on over to The History of Sex on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get podcasts. Also, an announcement: next month, we will have more Dead Ideas!

It's another best of the best for you! This one has it all: romance, plunder, mimes - and it all ends in a bloodbath! This was our first mashup and it's still one of my favorite episodes. What are your faves? Let me know at [email protected] or on Facebook at @deadideaspod. Also, an update on our upcoming show The History of Sex: we're looking at a release date in October! It's coming up fast! This episode features a rockin' soundtrack by Brooklyn band Twin Guns. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Maps, pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net. Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern.

We’re trying something new here on Dead Ideas. We have a sizeable back-catalog of episodes, many of which new listeners may never have heard, and which long-time listeners may have forgotten. So, we’re reprising classic episodes that are among the best of the best. One of my personal favorites is the finale episode from our cuneiform series. It’s a mash-up juxtaposing the story of the Sumerian hero Gilgamesh with the cyberpunk feel of the thriller Ghost in the Shell. See, one of the things I loved about studying the Sumerians, world’s oldest known city-building culture, is how surprisingly modern they feel. Thanks to the preservation of cuneiform tablets, we know more about them than, say, the Vikings or the Mongols. We even have their letters, giving us their most intimate thoughts and feelings, and that makes them feel strikingly recent – hence the futuristic cyberpunk elements. If you want more on the history of the Sumerians, by all means go back and listen to our full cuneiform series, which still stands as one of our best, but today’s episode stands on its own as a complete self-contained story. The oldest of the old meets the newest of the new in this Cyber-Sumerian retelling of the world’s most ancient epic. Enjoy. Featuring a haunting soundtrack by Belgian industrial band Militia. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Maps, pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net. Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Map by Adam McKithern.

When was the last time you put a city to the sword? It's not something we do much anymore today. But there was a day and age when it was quite normal to slaughter every last man, woman, and child in a captured city. Neil Eckart of the podcast War and Conquest returns to the show today to talk about Julius Caesar's slaughter of the Gaulish city of Avericum. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

What will Game of Thrones be remembered for? I would argue it's not its supposed character realism, nor it's moral ambiguity. Rather, it will be its depiction of unusual gender identities in fantasy. No other major fantasy show that I can think of does that. In the spirit of our upcoming show the History of Sex, let's talk about gender in Game of Thrones! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

What's it like to make a podcast? Sam Hume of the new show Pax Britannica talks with me about all the ups and downs of podcasting. Check out Sam's show. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

The end is nigh! Or so they've been saying since the year 1000 A.D. Today, Neil Eckart of the podcast War and Conquest tells us about millenarianism, the medieval idea that the world was coming to crashing halt at the end of the millennium. So, how did medieval folks party like it was 999? They went crusading! Discover the connection with the crusades in today's episode. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Last time we delved into the History of History Podcasting, and now we are giving you the full interview with none other than the host of Hardcore History, Dan Carlin. For the rest of the full interviews, check out our Patreon feed at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod. Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff.

This is it: the first ever attempt at a history of our genre, history podcasting. I've interviewed nearly a dozen podcasters and spoke to dozens more to bring you this story, which comes to you with our characteristic Dead Ideas quirk (would you expect anything less?). Today I present, not a dead idea but a live idea: history podcasting. Guest list: Bob Packett, Lars Brownworth, Cam Reilly, Lara Eakins, Robin Pierson, Roifield Brown, Jordan Harbour, Travis Dow, Glen Gibbs, Liz Covart, and Dan Carlin Check out our Patreon feed for the full interviews at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod Theme music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Sound clip credits at www.deadideas.net. This episode is released under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Now that you know ancient Rome fell just shy of an industrial revolution, why not enjoy a world where Rome does industrialize? That's Jordan Harbour's Rome Industrial setting, which he is here to talk to us about today. Jordan is the host of Twilight Histories, an alternate history podcast you should listen to in the dark. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Custom map of Rome by Adam McKithern. Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Success is at hand for Andre's character Pyrrho. But it is a Pyrrhic victory, for after that we recount the history of the backward slide of science from the Roman conquest into the Middle Ages, until its final rebirth in the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Custom map of Rome by Adam McKithern. Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Arriving at the Great Library of Alexandria, Andre's character Pyrrho of Pergamum searches for the secret plans for the floating statue. But in order to get his hands on them, he must first solve several science and engineering challenges. Along the way, we learn a great deal about the Library of Alexandria and its marvelous discoveries. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Custom map of Rome by Adam McKithern. Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

So Roman tech was pretty surprising, but still more surprising is that all that was developed centuries earlier in the Hellenistic period. What's up with that? Today we explore the development of Hellenistic science, then go deep into that world with a roleplay that will continue in the following episodes. Today we visit Pergamum and Rhodes, discovering all about Hellenistic learning along the way. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Custom map of Rome by Adam McKithern. Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

So why didn't Rome undergo an industrial revolution? Today, we take a look at some of the contributing factors for 18th-century Britain and see how Rome stacks up. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Custom map of Rome by Adam McKithern. Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

For our final series, we're doing the steam technology of the ancient world that died and had to be resurrected in 18th-century Europe. How close was Rome to being able to construct a working steam locomotive? That may sound silly, but you won't think so after this episode! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Custom map of Rome by Adam McKithern. Music by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Is the surface of Mars criss-crossed by lines so long and straight they can only be constructions of an advanced alien civilization? Many astronomers in the late 19th and early 20th century thought so. Join us in this jaunt into the frailty of human perception. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

In the early 20th century, the word "vampire" was used to mean something quite different: a female sexual predator. And no one struck more fear into the hearts of men than cinema's first sex symbol, silent film actress Theda Bara. Happy Halloween. Featuring piano music by Kevin MacLeod, used by Creative Commons License Attribution 3.0. Be sure to support us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Theme music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Find pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net.

What can the sex lives of Byzantines tell us about court eunuchs? Find out today in these sizzling chariot-cab confessions. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Today, we're talking Vikings in Byzantium with special guest Robin Pierson of the History of Byzantium podcast. What were these big-bearded warriors doing standing next to beardless eunuchs? And why were both Vikings and eunuchs entrusted with such important positions? Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphics design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

How awkward is it for the Roman Empire to not control Rome? Uh, yeah, this cannot stand. Anna's back today to finish the story of eunuch general Narses, as he completes Justinian's reconquest of the Eternal City! Be sure to support us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Today, Anna takes the lead with the story of the eunuch general Narses! In this episode, we get an overview of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora, and then we see Narses make his first appearance in quelling the infamous Nika Riots. Finally, he heads to Italy to reconquer Rome. Be sure to support us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Happy anniversary! We're getting cranky today with our 5 biggest peeves of history podcasting - what we consistently get annoyingly wrong. We call out our fellow podcasters, with plenty of self-deprecating humor as well. Last, we talk a little more about our upcoming new show on the history of sex. Be sure to support us on Patreon at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. www.deadideas.net

Did you know that Byzantine culture recognized three genders? This begins our new series on Byzantine court eunuchs, and today it's all about different constructions of gender. That, and cutting off your junk to get ahead! Follow the spectacular rise and fall of the court eunuchs of Byzantium. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Forget heroine chic. This is tuberculean chic! This episode, courtesy of Dig: A History Podcast, features a most peculiar fashion "look" inspired by the White Plague, i.e. tuberculosis. For credits, show notes, and further reading see digpodcast.org. Show your support at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod. Dead Ideas music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net.

The grand finale to our series is a tale chock full of no less than 19 berserkers, all villains. And just like the movie Suicide Squad, we're telling it from the bad guys' perspective. So, get ready for Suicide Swords: Berserker Battallion! With a soundtrack by Finnish composer Antti Martikainen! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

We're joined today by the host of the Viking Age Podcast, Lee Accomondo. Together, we're turning back the clock to the early Viking Age today to ask: what got this whole thing started? Why leave the farms and fjords to risk life and limb on some foolish raid abroad? Why go a-Viking in the first place? Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

We go down the rabbit hole today as we explore the possible deep origins of berserkers in initiatory cults and Indo-European wolf traditions. Buckle in - it's going to be a bumpy ride! Special thanks to Faoladh for pointing us at some of the more obscure connections between medieval werewolves and ancient wolf warrior cults. www.faoladh.blogspot.com/ Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

We're continuing to explore the Viking world, and today we ask: did Viking women really fight? Were they truly badass? Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Andre's character Snorri Ankle-grabber shows up at the Althing, the greatest assembly of Iceland, and attempts to convict his stepfather for manslaughter. Will this game of law devolve into a violent duel? Find out today on... Berserker Court! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Happy Father's Day, everybody. Today I'm telling stories of my father's side of the family. It's a tale of adventure, tragedy, murder, loss, and triumph. Join me as we explore what it means to try to live up to the expectations of those that have gone before you. Featuring music by Ed Newberg. Intro music by Rachel Westhoff.

Today we experience life as a berserker in medieval Iceland on the cusp of Christianization. In this roleplaying epsidoe, Andre faces some tough choices on his road to vengeance! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Today we explore the Viking world of the berserkers, from the Rus to Scandinavia and Iceland, covering everything from longship warfare to romance with dubious queens. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

They were the howling, shield-biting badasses of the Viking Age! Who were these frightening fighters? What were they really like? We’re exploring all that and more in our new epic series on Viking berserkers! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Custom map by Adam McKithern. Pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

It's our first-ever dead fashion: the Reniassance trend of showing one boob! Believe it or not, that was an actual fashion among court ladies in France and beyond. That's right, we're really classing it up today. We're talking about the topless Renaissance. Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net.

Technocracy isn't dead! Today we talk to a card-carrying modern technocrat, Justin Lazzara. How has the movement grown and changed? Find out with us today. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

What if the Technate succeeded? Today, we indulge in a bit of alternate history, constructing a timeline where North America joins into one nation ruled by experts. Then we explore what life might be like in 2018 in that alternate timeline world. Welcome to the Technate! Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

It gets snarky today with snippets of articles from a 1937 Technocratic magazine, and it gets visionary with excerpts from Harold Loeb's visionary book Life In a Technate: What It Might Be Like. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Our new series is a 1930s vision of techno-topia! It's not only from the 30s, though - while long past its heyday, a small Technocracy movement still exists today, which only makes this all the more interesting. This movement that proposed all of North America should be one unified country governed by scientists and experts. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Today we put Mohist principles to the test. Andre's character returns to his home province and is forced to face complicated challenges of family, politics, and intrigue as a newly-trained Mohist. Featuring a soundtrack by Lunar Synth. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

Train with the Mohists! This week is a roleplaying episode in which Andre's character experiences what life is like as a Mohist-in-training in the Warring States Era. We read snippets from the actual text of the Mozi and struggle to grasp its ideas. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

It's Valentine's Day, and this is a valentine to humanity, sort of. In honor of last week's Falcon Heavy Launch by SpaceX, we're reading a space exploration article from 1920. What was it like to imagine reaching space at such an early date? Let's find out together in this episode of Public Domain Theater 3000. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

I still haven't taken that damn city! We're continuing our Mohist military defense tactics mini-series in which I am attempting to take a city and Andre is using Mohist tactics against me. This time I'm sure to succeed! Or not... Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net

The enemy is attacking - call the Mohists! Andre Sólo gives us the skinny on the military defense tactics for which the Mohists were so famous. And he gives me the fool's errand of attacking a city defended by a Mohist scholar. Woe is me. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.

We have a very special episode today: the first ever not hosted by me! Join guest host Kelly Nussbaum and me (as co-host) as we talk about all the ways women have tried to keep the bun out of the oven. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Pics, references, and more at www.deadideas.net. Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff.

How did the Mohists see the world differently in the Hundred Schools of Thought era? We find out today, as we explore their particular perspective as working class philosophers. We also learn lots about the early Confucians. Be sure to support the show at www.patreon.com/deadideaspod to get your portrait drawn! Music and graphic design by Rachel Westhoff. Maps, pics, references and more at www.deadideas.net.