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Radio War Nerd EP #106 — Byzantine-Sassanid Wars + Patrick Cockburn on Kurdistan Fustercluck (Patreon)

Published:
2017-10-25 15:47:58
Imported:
2026-06

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Content

Guests: Robin Pierson, podcaster + Patrick Cockburn, correspondent & author

KUALA LAMPUR—We know far too little about the Byzantine Empire (ie Roman Empire, East Division) and even less about the great Persian empires like the Sassanid Empire. The War Nerd talks Robin Pierson, host of the excellent History Of Byzantium podcast, about the monumental Byzantine-Sassanid wars culminating in the late 6th and early 7th C AD...

In the second half, we talk to Patrick Cockburn of the Independent about the disastrous fallout of the Kurdish independence referendum, and we ask: What the Hell was Barzani thinking? Turns out even smart folks, seasoned survivors, can make catastrophically stupid mistakes...Make sure to get a copy of Cockburn's latest book "The Age of Jihad: Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East" now out in paperback...

Finally, we look the Mogadishu truck bombs that killed over 350 people, and some dumb takes on the Green Berets killed in Niger...

Maps & images:

* Map of Byzantine & Sassanid Empires

* Map of battles 611-624

* Byzantine-Sassanid Battle of Satala (530 AD, near Armenia) 

Total time: 2:28:41

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here 

Files

Comments

David Andrews

Great episode with two solid guests. Thanks

Enre

Great episode guys! This was fascinating . To echo the commenter above me, keep the episodes and especially the interviews long! I've really appreciated the long-form conversation so far.

AG

Byzantine Empire AND Patrick Cockburn in the same Ep. Kicking goals RWN.

Richard Kim

Great to see two of my favourite podcasts come together. It's too bad you guys didn't have the time to go super in-depth about the war or the time period because there's a lot of really interesting side elements, especially concerning the role of tribal allies for both the Byzantine and Sassanid states. Too often, the Byzantine-Sassanid war gets thought of purely in terms of two massive empires slugging it out, leaving the role of Gokturks, for example, under-emphasized, which is unfair since the Gokturks also contributed very large forces that were at least several tens of thousands strong. Or looking more geographically South, the role of Arab tribes such as the Ghassanids and Lakhimids is also frequently glossed over. It’s a real shame too, because there’s been some tantalizing research over the past few decades that suggest how crucial these Arab allies were not just to the war, but in how they influenced the receding of Byzantine/Sassanid power from the Levant/Mesopotamia regions and the rise of Arab power with the onset of Islam.

Brady Eklund

Robin Pierson is one of my favorite podcasters, and it is all kinds of awesome that you have collaborated with him. I wandered around Italy for a week listening to the first half of his podcast, and it was hugely valuable in filling the gaps in the history I had learned in school. It's great to see my internet intellectual heroes collaborate.

Ivan

Incredible episode, I just wish both interviews were longer! :( I vote that you shouldn't worry about going over time, I'd listen to interviews with your amazing guests for hours and hours on end if I could

MoldyTolge

I love when you guys have long episodes, they're always filled with excellent digressions, keep War Nerd lengthy!

Robert Davison

Really good show guys - one of the best yet. There are so many amazing stories to tell in history that are practically forgotten about. I'd never heard about any of this stuff before. Makes me wonder what else there might be out there waiting to be discovered. I could see a great movie being made out of the final war between the Byzantines and Sassanids too. Nobody will ever do it - but they should! Almost embarrassed to be only paying $1 per show at this point - keep up the great work guys.

Fabian Destouches

Great episode. Can't wait for the next episode with Robin Pierson. And bring back Jack Murphy: Even if he spends the whole episode accusing Mark of being a Kremlin stooge it would still be fun ;).

Carl Zha

What a Great Episode! Just finished the 1st half with Robin Pierson. I had so much fun listening to the amazing summary of Byzantine-Sassanid wars, that I will do an episode on the rise of Avars on CLASH! to complement this material. on how a nomadic people from edge of China came to eventually besiege the great city of Constantinopole!

Carl Zha

Gokturks really enter the story in a big way AFTER the period just covered by Robin Pierson. I hope they bring him back to finish the story. If not, I will do an episode on CLASH! on the Rise and Fall of Western Gokturk Khaganate, the Roman-Turk Alliance and Gokturk invasion of Persian Empire. In the meantime, I will do an episode on rise of Avars on how a nomadic Central Asian people on the edge of Chinese empires came to besiege the great city of Constantinople. On a related note, Richard, I would really love to have you on my show to talk about Gojoseon and rise of Goguryeo. How would I get in touch with you? my email is at carlzha@gmail.com

Richard Kim

Oh sure, richardisat@gmail.com

Carl Zha

awesome, send you an email. Also we realize you are right the Gokturks role seem to be overlooked. We are going to fix that!

Joel

You really need to address the eXile stuff making the rounds on twitter. I love the show, but "it was satire" just doesn't cut it for me. The content needs to be dealt with.

Wyrd

Democracy.... Donkey. I think I just had an aneurysm.

Ed Mac

Or better still, don't engage with any bullshit that's making the rounds on twitter, and focus on making interesting podcasts.

Joel

Doesn't have to be on the air, but they've engaged with loads of attempted smears on the podcast. Don't see how this is different. The accusations are serious and already being repeated in hack mainstream outlets. I wasn't around for the eXile, and I want to understand the context. The show has a very intimate and honest quality, so, at least for me, Mark's take is relevant.

realBriannaWu

Seems like a sufficient response to me.

michiganpizza

Robin Pierson is great. Thanks for another amazing guest! Please do have him back.

Benjamin Glover

I don't think you should feel bad at all for what you think is "rambling" or attempt to keep the conversation artificially short or edited. It's always suited the tone of the war nerd to go off on tangents - plus it also helps immensely in trying to understand the topics at hand.

Pete Smith

Loved the episode! And I like the shorter interviews ... I know it's tempting to explore deeper and deeper, but it's OK to stop short, that leaves more stuff I can read about later!

Andy Cassidy

Great episode, Robin Pierson was a really interesting guest definitely have him back sometime. And Cockburn is always revealing, a real highlight.

mark

Just got around to listening to this. What a great show and what an excellent guest Pierson is. I was thinking maybe you can consider listeners asking questions to the guests? It doesn't have to be in audio. Just a sentence would do. It could help you guys have a more comprehensive questions list for your guests. Just a thought.