Archways: Western Civilization History Podcast

Marie is back! This episode discusses the origins of playing cards and tarot cards in the Middle Ages. We discuss the origins of suits, the games you could play and what they tell us about Medieval life.

Sources
A Cultural History of Tarot by Farley
Pleasure and Leisure in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age by Classen
Random Riches by Zollinger

Master of the Playing Cards | The Queen of Flowers | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org)


We’re going on a bear hunt - Medieval manuscripts blog


ace | Etymology, origin and meaning of ace by etymonline


Karnöffel Game Rules - How to Play Karnöffel the Card Game

In this episode you will learn about a Roman fort that turned into a retirement community for veterans of the legions. They moved out of the mountains and into the valley, establishing a key trading hub that became the gateway to northern Italy. For this reason, the city was quarreled over by the Ostrogoths and the Byzantines. Eventually, their fighting reduced the city to rubble. Fortunately, visionary and faithful leaders like Charlemagne, Hugh the Great, and Contessa Matilda would see to it that Florence rise again. It would become the capital of Tuscany, and it would become the Pope's choice city to oversee his banks. Florence would then become the mint for the world's monetary standard: the gold florin. In this time of prosperity, Florence decided to give power to its people and guilds. They established a unique democracy with incredibly short terms of service for government officers. Immediately, the nobles and external powers such as the Pope and the Holy Roman Empire sought to take advantage of the little democracy. Yet, the people of Florence continually succeeded in fighting to preserve the fledgling institution. The one thing their democracy could not survive, however, was internal division. In this episode we will discuss the sorry state of their democracy when they exiled Dante Alighieri, one of their greatest citizens. In spite of the wickedness of this act, it actually galvanized Dante to process how this could happen to him, inspiring him to write one of the greatest poems ever created: the Divine Comedy. The success of this poem gave rise to the Florentine dialect, resulting in all of Italy speaking in the Florentine way. Even today, modern Italian is derived from Florentine.

In this episode we will dive into what life was like for a medieval Benedictine monk. We will talk about the vows they made and the codes they abode by like the Vows of Stability, Conversion, Obedience, Chastity, Poverty, and Silence. We will also discuss their daily schedule including what they did for prayers and work. We will learn about the different occupations monks found themselves in such as farmers, cheesemakers, brewers, butchers, builders, bookbinders, scribes, historians, and teachers. Last of all, we will discuss the discoveries monks made in their various occupations and in their spare time such as creating the field of genetics and paleography; breeding a new type of bee; and inventing the motor, the steam engine, and tennis.
Sources for this episode:
The Daily Life of Medieval Monks - World History Encyclopedia
Medieval Monks: The Life and Times of God’s Men in Robes | Ancient Origins (ancient-origins.net)
The Rule - Friends of Saint Benedict (benedictfriend.org)
Benedictine Vows – Saint Martin's Abbey (stmartinsabbey.org)

In this episode, Doug examines quite literally the last chapter (or two) of Paul's life. Starting from his difficult and terrifying sea voyage across the Mediterranean, we will then explore how Paul used his time under house arrest in Rome, and finally learn about how his meeting with murdering psychopath Emperor Nero went (not well). We conclude the episode by closing this chapter of Christianity by learning about the end of the Acts, the end of the Apostles, and the destruction of the temple. We also get into what's the deal with that number of the beast in Revelation 13 (trust me: it's relevant). We wrap up by reading a summary of Paul's life in his own words.

Learn about Paul's Second Missionary Journey in this second part of our three part series on St. Paul. In this episode, Paul will get in an argument with Peter, circumcise someone, break out of prison (and baptize the warden), travel to Greece and Macedonia, debate the Stoics and Epicureans of Athens, and acquire new missionary companions and co-authors such as Silas, Timothy, Luke, and Sosthenes.

In this episode, we look at the mixed Roman and Jewish milieu in which Saul of Tarsus was raised. Saul's legal status as a Roman and his education as a merchant and a Pharisee made him exceptionally qualified for his later life mission. Unfortunately, for many years he was doing the opposite of what his life mission would be. He was a fervent supporter of the Hellenized Sadducees and led efforts in persecuting and executing Christians in farcical trials. This culminated in the martyrdom of Stephen and Saul's famous journey on The Road to Damascus. On that path, Saul was visited by an unexpected visitor who turned his life around. Saul ended up becoming one of the most devout Christian disciples and one of the greatest defenders of Christians and their faith. He had a special gift for teaching Gentiles, and he became one of their most ardent supporters, standing up for them in Christian counsels in Jerusalem. One letter of his name also changed.

This episode is the first of a three-part series on Saul/Paul. Episode 1 covers his early life, the first mission, and the interim before his second mission comprising Acts 6-15.

This episode is the conclusion of Doug's trilogy on Slavery in Ancient Rome. In it, we discuss the Third Servile War. Particularly, its bold leader Spartacus, and his foil, the evil Crassus. Learn of the cat and mouse games these two played with armies of tens of thousands across the Italian peninsula. And how their struggle brought the Roman Republic to its knees... ushering in a new era. THE ROMAN EMPIRE!

Continuing our exploration of slavery in Rome, in this episode, Doug Archway explores the surprising lives of Roman gladiators (half of whom were not slaves). He will look into the strange rules and classes of this absolutely insane sport. You'll be surprised at how much it shares with modern-day pro-wrestling and luchadors. It will also surprise you that hating and blaming referees is a tradition that goes back 2100 years.

In this episode, Doug takes us through a brief rundown of slavery in Mesopotamia, the Levant, and the Mediterranean. Then, we dive straight into how it worked in Roman times. In Rome, one out of six people were slaves. The origins of slaves were as diverse and varied as their jobs and treatment. Some slaves were Celtic or Germanic prisoners of war who suffered in the mines. Others were orphaned Romans who worked their way up to managing farms and properties. Still, others were highly educated physicians, accountants, secretaries, and foremen who had their own slaves and lived luxurious lifestyles. There may have been one slave who was a famous troll philosopher. Regardless of treatment, the practice was not always popular. Stoics and Christians publicly denounced it. And some slaves and ex-slaves were desperate enough to go to war to put an end to it. Live free or die.

The morality, legality, and ethics of abortion has been pondered ever since it began being practiced in Egypt in 1500 BC. The Assyrians banned it. The Greeks encouraged it. The Bible teaches killing children is wrong, but apparently instructs how to perform an abortion - or does it? How did Jews and early Christians feel about the practice? How did early legal systems and Common Law manage abortion? What traditions carried on to colonial America? What did first wave feminists have to say about it? Is it an enshrined constitutional right or basically murder? What will happen now that Dobbs v Jackson has overturned Roe v Wade?
In this episode, Doug Archway discusses these topics and many more.

In this episode, Doug discusses the origins of stoicism in the philosophical milieu of axial age Athens. Originally developed by a shipwrecked merchant and former cynic, stoicism soon became the dominant philosophy of Athens. A few hundred years later, it was adapted to the honor-bound culture and practicality of the Romans, and quickly became a hit. The first emperor to be directly influenced by a stoic philosopher was Nero, but he later rejected Seneca, the philosopher, and had him killed. Seneca's words lived on though, and found purchase in the mind of a new emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Marcus would go on to become a stoic philosopher in his own right and live up to the dream of Plato for a philosopher-king. Hugely influential, the works of stoics like Seneca and Marcus would go on to inspire Christian writers, the American founders, Hollywood, and even Bill Clinton. This is the first of a two-part series on stoicism. Tune in next week when we discuss the tenets of stoicism.

In this episode, Doug explores the life of one of Rome's most important and controversial historians: Flavius Josephus. Josephus started his life in the first century as a brilliant Jewish scholar and Pharisee. He was familiar with the Jewish sects and Roman leaders who opposed Jesus and John the Baptist, and he saw the beginnings of Christianity. He later fought as a general in the war for Jewish independence against Rome up until he was captured. Like Joseph of Egypt, he befriended his captors and soon became a friend and ally to them. An ambitious Roman general, Vespasian, appreciated Josephus so much that he adopted Josephus into his own family and bequeathed upon Josephus lands, properties, and a steady income. Josephus then watched the war from the Roman perspective. Later, Josephus dedicated his life to writing down all that he saw. His books on Judaism, the Jewish Revolt, and his autobiography have since become invaluable tools for understanding the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Judaism, the Holy Land, the politics of first century Rome, and the Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus.
Because he was a man who appreciated both the philosophy of the Judeo-Christian religion and the law of Greco-Roman tradition, Josephus (like St. Paul) was one of the very first men of Western Civilization.

Marie discusses the Roman Civil War, the first triumvirate, and how Julius Caesar became dictator of Rome.
Other topics:
Crassus, Rubicon,

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In this episode, Doug examines the moons, asteroids, and dwarf planets of our solar system along with some constellations we see in the night sky. And he determines how alike these bodies are with their Greek and Roman mythological namesakes.
Learn about how Jupiter placed two constellations to torture Orion, the hunter. Discover how the pettiness of Eris caused the discord of the Trojan war, and how the discovery of the dwarf-planet, Eris led to the discord of revoking Pluto's planetary status. Learn about Icarus the daring teenage boy, Icarus the asteroid that comes dangerously close to earth, and how you can have your own Icarus experience on one of Saturn's moons (I'm talking about being able to strap wings onto your arms and actually flying). Discover why there is a constellation of an eagle, a cup, and two fish tied together all next to each other.

In this special linguistic episode, Doug discusses the importance and lasting impact that the Latin language has had on our Western culture. To give you an idea of how many Latin words, expressions, and abbreviations you use and hear without even realizing, Doug takes you through a situation where you find yourself graduating from college, getting a job, and then being accused of homicide (man-killing). Through the situation you will see how much Latin gets bandied about in ordinary (and extraordinary) contexts. Hopefully, your mind explodes just a bit as you finally realize what all of these things you've been saying for years really mean.

Join us as we learn about the broke farmer who was granted unlimited power by his government to save Rome from disaster. After a two week military campaign and victory celebration, Cincinnatus gave back all the power he was given, and went back to his plow. The story is iconic. So iconic in fact, that George Washington modeled his whole career after Cincinnatus. We conclude the episode comparing Washington and Cincinnatus, and discuss a leadership attribute that we can glean from the two of them.

In this episode, Doug takes a step back from the history to expound on the structure and roles of the Roman Republic. And you will see how many features of our republic today are copied and pasted from the Romans' homework: the rule of law, inalienable rights, checks and balances, veto powers, bicameral legislatures, and representative democracy to name a few.
In this episode, you will also learn about a lot of terms we use to talk about government today: demagogues, dictators, censuses, tribunals, plebeians, patricians, prerogatives, and vetoes. Oh my!

In this extra special episode, join us as Doug gives the Spartan side of the story in the Greco-Persian War. He will discuss Spartan beliefs, culture, and economy as a prelude to discussing their efforts in resisting the Persians. These efforts culminated at the battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan soldiers stood with 7,000 other Greeks to fend off tens of thousands of Persians. This battle would not have been possible without the support of the Greek navy that held off the Persian triremes with their 30,000 marines at Artemisium. Though the battle ended in defeat, the 300 Spartans and around 700 other brave Greeks valiantly sacrificed themselves to save the thousands of other Greek soldiers and sailors, buying them time to fortify other cities and straits.

In this episode, Doug talks about how the Greeks invented the idea of the West during the epic conflict of the Greco-Persian Wars. We then explore what "The West" has evolved to mean today, and how we ought to study and look back on the Greeks. Prior to the industrial revolution, children in school and youths in college could read and speak Greek, and knew the stories, myth, history, philosophy, and science. This training gave them the tools to run our civilization, protect us from tyranny, think critically, and be lifelong learners. It is imperative that we revive that formation today.

Was Santa a little more passionate than you thought? Did he punch a guy in the face? A few of Marie's favorite stories about St. Nicholas of Myra aka Santa Clause.

Just in time for the holidays, we dive into the history of Turkey (the country (not the food made of bird)). Ancient Turkey, called Anatolia, served a key role in classical Greek, Persian, Roman, and Byzantine civilization. In this podcast we tour 7 of its most influential ancient cities and see what we can learn about how they changed the West forever. The 7 cities are Urfa, Constantinople, Sardis, Pergamum, Nicaea, Ephesus, and Troas.