Oldest Stories Podcast

14/05/2025

History and Myth from Babylon and the Amorites is now available from the Oldest Stories! This is the best, most complete, and most accessible book on the market covering the whole of Middle Bronze Age Mesopotamia; history, war, daily life, and epic myth all in a single volume.

For many people, "Babylon" is just Hammurabi and maybe some poorly remembered bible verses. But the Middle Bronze Age is one of the most transformative periods of western civilization. This period saw the arrival of horses and Indo-Europeans, the petty wars of the Isin-Larsa period that involved the weaponization of entire rivers, and the dramatic rise of Hammurabi the Great as he came to control the entirety of history's first Great International Order.

But this book isn't just kings and wars. We look at some of the most distinct and influential myths, from the rise of the god Marduk to the legends of the First Men that influenced biblical tradition. And we also look at daily life, with overviews of law, medicine, magic, and the social order, as well as a more granular deep dive into the life of a particular actual person, and a full and visceral look at ancient warfare, from the logistical theory to the stresses of the front lines.

It just came out, so if you are interested in the book, or if you want to support the Oldest Stories, now is the time to pick it up. Purchases in the first week do the most to boost visibility. Thanks to all who have been supporting the channel!

https://a.co/d/gBNplk3

01/05/2025

This week only! My first book, "History and Myth from Sumer and Akkad" (By James Bleckley, that's me) is on sale on Amazon, lowest price ever. I think the sale runs until May 7 or 8, but it is one of those Amazon sales where the price goes up the longer the sale continues, so grab it today if you can. This is a great opportunity if you have been meaning to pick the book up, or if you haven't listened to my Sumer and Akkad stuff, or if you have listened and just want to have it in an edited and collectible format! Makes a great gift for graduates and history fans!

Direct link here:

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05/02/2025

Graham Hancock is one of the most controversial figures in history and archaeology today. His theories captivate millions, but do they hold up under scrutiny?

I don’t think Hancock is a fraud, and I don’t think mainstream archaeology is flawless. But I do think there’s a deeper conversation to be had—one about method, evidence, and what it really takes to uncover the past.

In this episode of Oldest Stories, I take a fair, responsible look at where Hancock is asking the right questions, where he’s cutting corners, and where mainstream archaeology might not be as open-minded as it should be.

🔍 Are Hancock’s ideas groundbreaking or just good storytelling? Is mainstream history really as closed-minded as he claims?

Find out in this balanced deep dive—because if we want to understand the past, we need to get the methods right.

🎧 Listen now: https://youtu.be/y8sJYNdrDqA
👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments—whether you're a fan or a skeptic, I want to hear from you!

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 quest...

24/09/2024

For those who don't check other pages, this is why I have been busy, then why I got quiet and now the future of the show.

Get more from James Bleckley on Patreon

03/07/2024

Today's episode covers the early history of cavalry in the ancient Near East. Total War: Pharaoh claims that cavalry was in use during the bronze age collapse. Pretty much everyone realizes that this is nonsense, but the reasons why are far more interesting than I realized, and the impact of the chariot to cavalry transition between about 1200 - 800 BC had significant implications, extending into the political and social realms as well as the military.

That thumbnail illustration, by the way, is one of the oldest horse rider illustrations from Greece, which potentially does date into the late bronze age, so the matter is rather more complicated than most assume.

Total War Pharaoh introduced cavalry anachronistically into the bronze age. This full lore breakdown explains the actual history of cavalry, goes deep into t...

05/06/2024

The core of the early Neo-Assyrian Army was Armored Assault Archers. It sounds odd, but check out the full episode this week to get the run-down on the mindset and lifestyle of the soldiers, equipment and tactics, and the big-picture military strategy of the early kings.

https://youtu.be/pJ-fDbdpoWo

Also, if you know anyone interested in ancient military history, I would appreciate it if you could forward this to them. I don't make any appreciable amount of money from the show, but the small amount I do get really helps keep me going, and your support in sharing the show makes all the difference in the world.

Today we pause and look at the early Neo-Assyrian army itself, the arm of the empire that was doing all the conquering. It is an infantry focused force, but ...

24/04/2024

Check out the astonishingly violent Neo-Assyrian empire as it rises to power on the Oldest Stories podcast, the most in-depth and accessible ancient Mesopotamia podcast. The framework is the kings and conquests, but from this we get to take long side tracks to consider why the empire grew the way it did, the effect it had on the people and the ancient world, and what it meant for ancient culture.

You can start out at the link here, but the Oldest Stories podcast is available pretty much anywhere. The Assyria series starts with episode 139: An Iron King for an Iron Age.

28/02/2024

Get ready for Assyria, with Assurnasirpal's royal titulary! First Assyria history episodes drop March 13

Watch, follow, and discover more trending content.

21/01/2024

I am trying reels now, will upload some old tiktoks, but also make new stuff. like and subscribe, I guess?

04/01/2024

We are back to Mesopotamia! Our year of Israel has ended! I enjoyed Israel, I know some of you did and some didn't, but we have some really fun stuff coming up now that we are back to the main story, and will probably stay there for quite a long time to come. For a taste, the next five episodes are:
- Pessimistic ancient comedy (already released, see link, or check your Oldest Stories Podcast feed)
- Demons! Tons of Demons and the magic they were involved with.
- Names! Tons of names! 50 to be exact, involved in the worship of Babylon's Patron Deity.
- Dreams! Ancient dreams are a lot like our dreams, it turns out, and were a factor in decision making from farmers to kings.
- Destruction! The entire world gets destroyed! Warhammer fans will know the story of Nurgle and Isha, historically it is half based on the dynamic of the god Nergal and his wife Mami, and also kind of takes a bit from the grand tale of Nergal (Erra) and Ishum
And after that, we will finally start back up with the history of Assyria, beginning with Assur-Dan II. I am super excited. If you are also excited, send this post to all your friends, the first of these is already out - just search Oldest Stories on your favorite podcast player, or check out the youtube link below:

Today we read through the Dialogue of Pessimism and the Poor Man of Nippur. Both are comedies with a bit of edge to them, though in very different formats, s...

24/11/2023

My first book, History and Myth from Sumer and Akkad, is now available on Amazon for purchase! Available in Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback, and Hardcover, the book is a fantastic introduction to the earliest history and culture of Mesopotamia. The writing is clear and engaging for the casual reader to simply enjoy as a great set of old stories, but also deep enough and with enough discussions of implications and meaning that even long time students of the region will find some new insights. The text is mostly the content from the show, organized and edited, but I have included a number of nice little features like maps and illustrations to liven things up even more. The audio version is the first 27 episodes of the Oldest Stories podcast, which are always free and available on most podcast apps, but for those who prefer to read, or want a handy reference, or want to give a bespoke gift to a history lover, or just want to support the show, check out the amazon link: https://a.co/d/eijHSk8

Thanks so much!

History and Myth from Sumer and Akkad: The Oldest Stories