How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today?
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.
Three great religions have come out of Persia and all of them have influenced world history. First there was Zoroastrianism, the first monotheistic religion, which had significant influence over Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Then there was Mithraism. It began in Persia but, through conquest, it filtered into the Roman pantheon. As a result, there are shrines to it as far away as Hadrian’s Wall. Lastly, there is Manichaeism. The religion that is fundamentally rooted in the struggle between good and evil, which is itself a Zoroastrian idea. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Vesta Sarkosh Curtis to discuss Persian religion and all its influence.
For bonus episodes, ad-free listening, reading lists, book discounts, a weekly newsletter, and a chat community. Sign up at https://empirepod.supportingcast.fm/
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Born in Siberia to a peasant family, Rasputin was an incredibly charismatic, physically striking, and politically savvy figure. He was a holy man, a mystic, who found his way to the centre of Imperial Russian power. Once he met Nicholas and Alexandra, he gained a central place in the court as the only man who could stop the tsarevich, Alexei, from bleeding. As his influence grew, his reputation among the Russian aristocracy declined. In the end, they felt they had to act. And so, on the night of the 29th December, 1916, he was lured to the Yusopov basement…
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
