PODCAST · history
Oldest Stories
by James Bleckley
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.
Episodes
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The Cimmerian Horse Lords
The Cimmerians were among the first great horse nomad powers to crash into the civilizations of the ancient Near East. Emerging from the Scytho-Siberian world north of the Caucasus, they struck Urartu, devastated Phrygia and Lydia, raided deep into the Near East, and became legendary in Greek...
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Esarhaddon and the Empire That Ran Itself
Esarhaddon inherited the Neo-Assyrian Empire at the height of its power—but his kingship looked very different from that of the warrior-kings who came before him. Plagued by questions of legitimacy, surrounded by prophets and diviners, and often absent from his own military campaigns, Esarhaddon...
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The Lessons of Ahiqar
The ancient story of Ahiqar follows a legendary wise man and royal adviser at the court of the Assyrian king Sennacherib. After adopting his nephew Nadan and teaching him a long collection of proverbs, Ahiqar is betrayed, falsely accused of treason, condemned to death, and forced to hide beneath...
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Sennacherib’s Last Omen
In the final years of Sennacherib’s reign, the Neo-Assyrian Empire entered a strange period of peace. After decades of war, conquest, rebellion, and the destruction of Babylon, the greatest military power of the ancient Near East suddenly stopped expanding. Was Sennacherib simply more interested…
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The Bottom of the Mesopotamia Iceberg
An examination of the deepest level of the Ancient Mesopotamia iceberg, commonly labeled "Theories and Speculative Ideas." The video reviews each claim against primary sources from Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria, including cuneiform tablets, excavation reports, and geological data, to...
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Sennacherib Builds a Paradise in Nineveh
Sennacherib is remembered as one of the most powerful kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, but his greatest legacy may not have been conquest. It was Nineveh: a rebuilt imperial capital of canals, gardens, temples, walls, lamassu, and the famous Palace Without Rival. In this episode of Oldest…
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Lachish and How an Assyrian Siege Worked
Its the siege of Lachish, but also a much more wide ranging explanation of Assyrian siegecraft more generally. Including how it was recognizably modern and, in many ways, responsible for modernity.
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Sennacherib vs Hezekiah in 701 BCE: Isaiah and the Battle of Eltekeh
In 701 BCE, Assyrian king Sennacherib launched his western campaign against Judah, bringing him into direct conflict with King Hezekiah and the political counsel of the prophet Isaiah. The decisive field battle of that year was not at Jerusalem, but at Eltekeh, where Assyrian troops defeated an...
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Babylon Had It Coming
Babylon had survived five destructions before Sennacherib tried to erase it for good. Why did Assyria's most bookish king — a man who loved Babylonian scholarship — finally flood the city and smash its temples in 689 BCE? This is Oldest Stories, a biweekly deep dive into ancient Mesopotamia.…
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Sennacherib's Inheritance
Sennacherib is remembered in the Bible as a villain, the Assyrian king who invaded Judah and stood against Jerusalem. But that reputation, like his father Sargon’s as a world conqueror, may be misleading. Beneath the image of the tyrant is a ruler who was unusually patient, deeply pious, and more...
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The Doom of Sargon II
This episode examines the final major campaign of Sargon II of Assyria (reigned 722–705 BCE) and the long conflict with the Chaldean ruler Marduk-apla-iddina II (Merodach-Baladan) for control of Babylonia. Early in Sargon’s reign the Neo-Assyrian king suffered a serious defeat near the city of…
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AI and History
How does one "do" history, and can an AI do it? The answers:1. You don't "do" history, you feel it.2. AI can do the actions of history, but it can't feel it.Bonus rant: I never liked the idea that the point of history is to learn from the past. Yes, there is learning to be done, that can be both...
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The Golden Years of Sargon II
Oldest Stories Album available here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/oldeststoriesmusic/oldest-stories-vol-1 but also possibly on your favorite music distributor service also. Check it out! This episode examines the middle years of the reign of Sargon II of Assyria (r. 722–705 BCE) during a…
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Neo-Assyrian Imperial Administration
This episode explores how the Neo-Assyrian Empire actually functioned at the administrative level under Sargon II, focusing on imperial bureaucracy, logistics, and governance. Using surviving Assyrian letters and court records, we examine the real machinery of empire: provincial governors, royal...
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The Great Invasion of Urartu
In this episode of Oldest Stories, we cover Sargon II of Assyria and his most famous campaign: the Great Invasion of Urartu (714 BCE), centered on the extraordinary Assyrian text known as Sargon’s Letter to Ashur. This episode examines the Neo-Assyrian Empire, Assyrian military strategy,...
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The Composition of the Sargonid Army
In this episode, we break down the composition of the Neo-Assyrian Army under the Sargonid dynasty (Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, and their successors) and explain why Assyria’s battlefield dominance in the 8th–7th centuries BCE was not just “more men” or “more brutality,” but a specific…
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The Environment in which the Assyrian Army Emerged
In this episode of Oldest Stories, we step back from the famous conquests of the Neo-Assyrian Empire to ask a more fundamental question: what did ancient warfare actually look like on the ground, and how did the Assyrian army emerge from thousands of years of evolving combat traditions? Focusing…
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A Tour of Dur-Sharrukin
Today we attempt an immersive historical reconstruction of Dur-Sharrukin, the short-lived but astonishing capital built by Sargon II of Assyria in the late eighth century BCE. Set primarily in 706 BCE, this episode takes the listener on a guided tour of the city at the height of its splendor…
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The Rise and Fall and Rise Again of Dur-Sharrukin
Apologies for my voice and the lack of graphics. Been sick again and barely got this out today. Episode 179 examines the founding, construction, abandonment, and rediscovery of Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad), the short-lived royal capital built by Sargon II of Assyria in the late eighth century BCE.…
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The Ascendency of Sargon II
Sargon II of Assyria faces a crisis of legitimacy after a humiliating defeat, but transforms potential disaster into triumph through military genius and calculated brutality. This episode chronicles his desperate 720 BCE campaign from Mesopotamia to the Levant, where he perfects combined arms...
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The Ill-Omened Origins of Sargon II
Listen all the way to the end for a special musical feature about Sargon II. This episode explores one of the most pivotal and least understood turning points in Neo-Assyrian history, examining the rise of a king whose origins, motives, and very name remain contested even after a century of...
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Shalmaneser the Least
In 727 BCE, the death of Tiglath-Pileser III—one of Assyria’s greatest reformers and conquerors—brought to the throne his son Ululayu, known to history by his regnal name Shalmaneser V. This episode of Oldest Stories examines the short, poorly documented, yet pivotal reign of Shalmaneser the…
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Tiglath-Pileser Defeats Israel
Yes, there are more important things in the Syro-Ephraimite war than Israel's defeat, but the whole three year campaign is hugely important in world history, even if the things we consider to have been important were really just sort of side shows to the main action. We follow the full campaign…
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Mesopotamia and the Occult: Discussions on the Ancient World
Nathaniel Heutmaker of the Grail Sciences Podcast and James Bleckley of the Oldest Stories podcast sat down to discuss Mesopotamian myth from an occult perspective. But they ended up sitting for hours and hours over multiple days and got off track more than once. Because I find a bunch of it...
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Mesopotamia and the Occult: The Mortal King in Depth
Gilgamesh is the oldest and greatest hero of recorded human legend. The epic as a whole questions what it means to be human, warns of the dangers of spurning a beautiful woman, and meditates deeply on the meaning of immortality. All that plus a good adventure story at the same time! James…
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Mesopotamia and the Occult: Dying and Rising in Depth
Dumuzid, the oldest known exemplar of the dying and rising king, is also in many ways the most exceptional. Lover of Inanna, he was apparently quite done with her passionate antics and celebrated when she died, only to be dragged into the underworld for his impiety. But what does it really mean…
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Mesopotamia and the Occult: The Passionate Woman in Depth
Inanna, queen of heaven, who descended into the underworld. It is among the oldest stories of the mythology of the world, but also one of the most significant. James Bleckley of the Oldest Stories Podcast sits down with Nathaniel Heutmaker of the Grail Sciences Podcast to discuss this ancient…
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The Four Failures of Tiglath-Pileser III
In this episode of Oldest Stories, we explore the later reign of Tiglath-Pileser III, one of the most transformative kings of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. By the late 8th century BCE, Assyria’s power seemed unstoppable, yet beneath the victories lay structural weaknesses. We examine four key failures...
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Deportation, Castration, and Education - The Foundations of Neo-Assyria
What do mass deportation, smashed testicles, and elite boarding schools have in common? In this episode, we take a hard look at the shockingly effective—and horrifyingly brutal—bureaucratic machine that powered the Neo-Assyrian Empire. With the rise of Tiglath-Pileser III in the 8th century BCE,...
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The Full Story of Ea-Nasir's Copper
You have seen the memes, and maybe you are even familiar with them, but today we look at who was the famous Ea-Nasir, why people would buy from him, and what scams he was probably running. We ask how often Mesopotamians complained about things, and we learn a bit along the way. In this episode…
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Establishing Assyrian Dominance
In 743 BCE, Tiglath-Pileser III—known in the Bible as Pul—led the Assyrian Empire into its most powerful and centralized form. This episode of Oldest Stories chronicles the dramatic military and political resurgence of Neo-Assyria as it faced two major threats: the rising Urartian kingdom of...
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Tiglath-Pileser's Revolution
This episode is the essential starting point for understanding the Neo-Assyrian Empire. In 745 BCE, a relatively obscure man named Tukulti-Apil-Esharra—better known by his biblical name Tiglath-Pileser III—seized the Assyrian throne in what would become one of the most transformative moments in...
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The Assyrian Deep State
This is where to start for the Neo-Assyrian Empire’s epic tale. In this foundational episode, we return to the heartland of Assyria at its lowest point—between the conquests of Shalmaneser III and the revolutionary rise of Tiglath-Pileser III. It is a time of political decay, military paralysis,...
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OS 168 - The Golden Age of Urartu
In this episode of Oldest Stories, we return to the Armenian Highlands in 786 BCE to witness the death of King Menua of Urartu (Biainilli) and the rise of his son Argishti I—a transition that begins the golden age of the Urartian kingdom. Explore the geopolitics, warfare, urbanization, and social...
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OS 167 - The Northern Wars: Etiuni, Urartu, and Diauehi
Buy the Oldest Stories books!: https://a.co/d/7Wn4jhS :In this episode of Oldest Stories, we explore the complex military and political history of Urartu during its northern campaigns in the early 8th century BCE. As King Menua consolidates power and expands Biainilli influence into the Armenian...
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OS 166 - The Forges of Urartu
Sorry for the late post - Spotify had this scheduled, but didn't post it on the correct day. Today we look at the daily life and industry of the Armenian highland kingdom of Urartu through the eyes of three Hurrians, a miner, a smelter, and an iron worker. This is a historical fiction, but it is...
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OS 165 - The Kings of Urartu
Today we witness the transformation of Urartu—called Biainilli in its own time—from a fledgling mountain kingdom into a formidable Iron Age empire that would challenge Assyria itself. Following Sarduri’s founding of Tushpa, his successors Ishpuini and Menua laid the military, economic, and...
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OS 164 - The Rise of Urartu
In this episode, we explore one of the most dramatic and mysterious transformations in ancient Near Eastern history: the sudden rise of the Kingdom of Urartu—known to its own people as Biainilli—under the leadership of Sarduri I, son of Lutipri. From roughly 835 BCE, Sarduri doesn't merely shift…
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OS 163 - The Birth of Urartu
Explore the fascinating rise of Urartu, an ancient kingdom forged in the crucible of war and environmental hardship. In just two decades during the mid-9th century BCE, this mountainous backwater transformed into a powerful and advanced state, boasting fortress cities, aqueducts, and cutting-edge...
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OS 162 - The Rise of Phrygia
In the wake of the Bronze Age Collapse, a new power emerged in central Anatolia—the Phrygians. This episode examines their origins, tracing their migration from the Balkans and their settlement in the lands west of the former Hittite heartland. Drawing from archaeology and historical sources, we...
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OS 161 - A Kingdom of Honey and Blood: The Suhu Rebellion
Suhu is a only modestly important region, and the independant kingdom that lived on the Middle Euphrates from perhaps 775 BCE to 744 BCE is barely more than an historical footnote. And yet, because they wrote their stories on stone stele, we can talk about the two kings Shamash-Resha-Usur and...
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OS 160 - Graham Hancock and the Philosophy of Archeology
Graham Hancock is a complicated man. On one hand, he is exposing a lot of people to some of the most cutting edge archeological investigations and open questions in history, and doing it in a way that is engaging, entertaining, and gets non-experts excited about the field. On the other hand, his...
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OS 159 - Slaves and Bronze in Iron Age Assyria
Reading 2800 year old slave documents, we learn a great deal about what concerned the people of Assyria on a day to day basis, at least the ones who lived in and around the major cities. From these documents we can see how the economy is changing, and how many parts of life are just as they have...
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OS 158 - The Glorious Magnates of Assyria
Today we talk about the governors Nergal-Erish and Mannu-ki-Mat-Assur as they play their part in building the Assyrian empire in a number of often unheralded and underappreciated ways. Then we look at important developments in Babylonia related to the Chaldeans and Itu'eans. Mannu-ki-Mat-Assur's...
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OS 157 - Women and Horses, the Constraints of Assyria
Today we blame the decline of Assyria on horses, and look at Adad-Nirari's desperation to get more of them. Also we see more of the historical Shammu-Ramat, the source of the Semiramis myth. There is also a brief discussion of the uncertain Messiah of 2 Kings 13. If you like the show, consider...
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OS 156 - The Mythical Semiramis in Ancient History
The tale of Semiramis is one of those myths that everyone used to know, and many people used to take quite seriously. It is a tale from the Greek era which purports to tell the whole story of the great and ancient Babylonian and Assyrian empires, ultimately based on a now-lost set of legends that...
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OS 155 - The Angry Puppet: Shamshi-Adad V
The angry and impotent king Shamshi-Adad would accomplish quite little during his reign of the Neo-Assyrian empire, but he would manage to completely annihilate the resurgent Babylonians and set them back a full century, while also marrying Shammu-Ramat, the inspiration for the mythical…
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OS 154 - Assyrian Civil War: Magnate Edition
The final years of Shalmaneser III's reign over the Neo-Assyrian Empire, was a pivotal period marked by civil war, political intrigue, and shifting power dynamics. As Shalmaneser aged and relied more on his top general, Dayan-Assur, did his appointment of his younger son, Shamshi-Adad, as…
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OS 153 - Shalmaneser Delegates Authority
The latter half of Shalmaneser's reign is less celebrated, but no less important. We see major campaigns against Urartu, Que, and Parsua, but more importantly we see some of those campaigns led by an unexpected figure, Dayan-Assur. We are rapidly building up to the civil war that opens the…
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OS 152 - The Smothered Spark of Babylon's Dark Age
Today we see the political aspect of Babylon during its dark age, focusing on the 10th to 9th centuries BCE. Highlights are reigns of kings like Nabu-Mukin-Apli, Nabu-Shuma-Ukin, and Nabu-Apla-Iddina, tracing the political fragmentation, famine, and external threats faced by the city. The episode...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
HOSTED BY
James Bleckley
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Oldest Stories have?
Oldest Stories currently has 239 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Oldest Stories about?
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,...
How often does Oldest Stories release new episodes?
Oldest Stories publishes regularly with 239 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Oldest Stories?
You can listen to Oldest Stories on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Oldest Stories?
Oldest Stories is created and hosted by James Bleckley.
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