Webinars

Why did Emperor Augustus always have a seal skin nearby? What was the most dangerous part of a chariot race? How could a wolf help with toothache?

It is animals who take a starring role in the story of Rome’s birth with Romulus the legendary first king of Rome raised by a she-wolf and fed by a woodpecker. In the ancient world a bear could be weaponized, venomous snakes could change the course of a battle at sea and chickens were consulted on whether the time was right to go to war. If you want to know exactly how to boil a crane (and who doesn’t?) or how to use eels to commit a murder, the Romans have the answer. They wove animals into poetry, sacrificed them and slaughtered thousands in their arenas, while animal skins protected shields and ivory inlays decorated the hilts of Roman swords.

Roman history takes us into a world of celebrity lions, beloved dogs, healing snakes and burning fox tails. In the high-adrenalin sport of chariot racing horses could become famous, proudly immortalized in inscriptions which declared their fame or cruelly cursed on tablets buried at gravesites. The ancient equivalent of Formula One, this no-rules, crash-bang entertainment saw rival teams of superstar charioteers and horses destroy the opposition to an audience of thousands of roaring fans. Animals could be loved: the emperor Hadrian loved his dogs and wrote a poem to his favourite horse - or they could become a symbol for the power of men: the emperor Domitian decapitated ostriches in a grand display of his hunting skills.

From much-loved dogs to talking ravens, Caroline Freeman-Cuerden, author of “Battle Elephants and Flaming Foxes” informs us who the Romans were through the fascinating relationship they had with the creatures that lived and died alongside them.

Caroline Freeman-Cuerden has an undergraduate degree in Latin and a masters in Classics and Ancient History. She has taught English in Brazil, Portugal and South Korea. A lifelong animal lover, she became even more interested in the human relationship with animals after trying to save the lives of the two dogs who lived on her Korean roof (yes, the roof). Caroline is the author of Battle Elephants and Flaming Foxes.

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We present a panorama of the most interesting sites and history of Ancient Eastern and Central Anatolia or Turkey in this pre-recorded webinar.

Istanbul: A city of magic, mystery, strategic geographical importance, and historic consequence. Sultanahmet Square is our first point of departure. The hippodrome, a horse racing stadium was built in  203 AD by the Emperor Septimius Severus, when Istanbul was still Byzantium. Nowadays the site of the hippodrome forms a central pedestrian square and the ruins of the grand stand as well as the Serpent Column, Obelisk of Theodosius and the Walled Obelisk still stand sentinel to an ancient era. Below the square are several cisterns, including the Basilica Cistern. The square is flanked by the Sultan Ahmet or Blue Mosque, and the Hagia Sophia.

Centuries before Versailles, Buckingham Palace and the Kremlin Palace, on the shore of the Golden Horn, there rose a palace of such splendour, called Topkapi, where Ottoman sultans lived in lavish luxury, entertained kings, princes and foreign dignitaries, hoarded and displayed their riches and treasures and kept a harem of 1,000 concubines.

The sun has set on Istanbul and the focus moves to eastern Turkey to visit one of the most iconic sunset locations in the world, Mount Nemrut. Antiochus I Theos claimed himself a god, but there is no denying that his royal lineage was impressive. He was the creator of Mount Nemrut and the monumental pantheon of statues of himself and the gods on the mountain summit provide ring-side seats to history unfolding on the staged landscape before them. Gazing towards the east over centuries, the headstone of Antiochus would have seen the rise and fall of the Achaemenid Dynasty, as well as the Parthians; and gazing towards the west he would have seen the advance of Alexander the Great, the rivalry between the Seleucid and Orontid Dynasties for control of Armenia and finally the Roman legions marching into his land, swallowing his little Kingdom of Commagene.

The sun sets on Mount Nemrut and but dawns on the sunrise of history at Gobekli Tepe. In 1994, German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt discovered the site now called Göbekli Tepe, which was at first thought to be a temple. It was built, unquestionably, some 12,000 years ago. As archaeological work on the project continued, and the reliefs of the pillars are interpreted, it soon became obvious that Göbekli Tepe demonstrates uncanny astronomical alignments.

From the birth of civilization, to the birth city of Abraham, Harran was located on the caravan route that ran from Nineveh to Carchemish. In the 14th, 13th and 12th centuries BC, during the Hittite Period to Middle Assyrian Period, Harran and the surrounding region became the battlegrounds of the Hittites, the Mitannis and the Assyrians. For a few hundred years Harran, called Carrhae by the Romans was ruled by the Sassanid Empire and the Byzantine Empire intermittently until finally in 640 AD, Harran /Carrhae was conquered by the Muslim Arab General 'Iyāḍ b. Ghanm.

Not far from Harran lies Tas Tepeler. In 1997, the discovery of Karahan Tepe, revealed a structure similar to Göbekli Tepe, but perhaps even older. What is more, unlike Göbekli Tepe, it appears to be both ceremonial and a settlement. Now there are 12 other sites in the vicinity that demand the attention of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Hence the name, Taş Tepeler, or “Stone Hills.”

Old Edessa lies concealed by modern Şanlıurfa. Long before the city became Edessa, it was the Neolithic settlement of Urfa, with Balıklıgöl, a pool in the center of the town. The Urfa Man or Balıklıgöl statue, recognized as the oldest naturalistic life-sized sculpture of a human, was discovered here. Balıklıgöl is also called the Pool of Abraham, the site of the Jewish and Islamic traditions’ legendary clash between Nimrod and Abraham. Edessa was a crusader stronghold before it capitulated in 1146 and became a catalyst for the Second Crusade.

The name ‘Phrygia’ is usually associated with Alexander the Great cutting the famous Gordion Knot; as well as King Midas, the tragic greedy king, who touched his daughter and turned her into gold. But there was a historical King Midas. Does the Tomb of Midas hold the body of his father?

Tainted by regicide, usurped, regained, inspired by gods and goddesses and even cursed, the royal bloodline of the Bronze Age Hittites flowed through the plains of Anatolia, as the kings expanded and contracted the borders of their mighty empire, from their capital at Hattusa.

In pre-Christian Roman times, Göreme Valley in Cappadocia, was a burial location with rock-carved tombs and there was an ancient Hittite settlement. First century-Christians extended and transformed the existing carved structures into churches and fourth century-monks lived there and used the cells above the churches as accommodation.

About two kilometers from Gōreme lies the sleepy village of Cavusin, one of the oldest settlements in the region and a prime example of carved-rock formation homes. Dwellings were originally burrowed out of the soft volcanic tuff in the massive rock formation and inhabited by people.

But the people did not only carve homes and churches from the fairy chimneys above the ground. Long before, they burrowed down, seeking the protection of Mother Earth. Could the underground cities, such as Kaymakli in Cappadocia, date back to 12,800 years ago?

From one ancient city to another…

These days, the dusty, sunbaked ruins of Çatalhöyük in central Turkey do not receive a lot of attention, but around 9,000 to 7,000 years ago it was a busy, bustling, Neolithic metropolis, boasting a farming civilization that was both unique and important in its day.

Were returned to where we started, on the Galata Bridge of Istanbul, where we enjoy a sunset cruise along the Bosphorus taking in the wonders of Ottoman sultan fortresses and palaces such as Anadolu hisarı, Rumeli hisarı, Dolmabahçe Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, and the Küçüksu Pavilion.

Dr. Micki Pistorius editor of the Premium Ancient-Origins has doctorate’s degree in Psychology and an honors degree in Biblical Archaeology.

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In this webinar, celebrated scholar of Roman history Dr Michael Arnheim delivers a fascinating and robust exploration of the nature and significance of Rome’s fall in the West. Steeped in applications of elite theory to the later Roman Empire, the author discusses several interconnected issues, including monarchy, power structure, social mobility, religion, and the aristocratic ethos.

Dr Arnheim identifies several factors that led to the demise of the Western empire. The morale of the erstwhile invincible Roman army was depleted by the influx of “barbarians” into its ranks. The triumph of Christianity as the sole religion of the Empire by imperial fiat ended eight centuries of religious toleration and freedom of worship and replaced it with the relentless persecution not only of “pagans” and Jews but also of all “heretics” who deviated in the slightest degree from the official Nicene creed.  The power of the central government in the West was also to some extent sapped from within by the senatorial aristocracy, who now again occupied high administrative posts while building up their own countervailing local power through the spread of large estates.

Dr Arnheim describes the later Roman Empire as a fractured society rent by divided loyalties, with the result that the imperial government proved unable to withstand the "barbarian" incursions. Except for the aristocratic comeback, which was confined to the West, the same pernicious factors were also found in the Eastern half of the Empire.  So, how come the East survived for a thousand years after the fragmentation of the West?  In fact, the survival of the East is somewhat exaggerated, as it lost the bulk of its territory to the Muslims in the seventh century, and, with a few blips, its history was generally on a downward trajectory. 

Dr Arnheim discusses the Pirenne thesis, the malaria hypothesis, Gibbon’s ‘decline and fall’ theory, and the role played by religion and the rise of the Roman Christian empire. He discusses the transition from the ancient to the medieval world, including discussions of monarchy, Diocletian and his relationship to the aristocracy, and Constantine’s reforms.

Dr Michael Arnheim (or “Doctor Mike”, as he is commonly known), is a practising London Barrister and Sometime Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. He has written 23 published books to date, including ‘The God Book’, ‘Aristocracy in Greek Society’, ‘Is Christianity True’, ‘God Without Religion: An Alternative View of Life, the Universe & Everything’, and ‘Two Models of Government’. Dr Arnheim has also written extensively on legal topics, ranging from court procedure to the common law, constitutional law, judicial power and human rights. His latest book is called: Why Rome Fell: Decline and Fall or Drift and Change?

Dr Michael Arnheim started life in South Africa entering Johannesburg’s Witwatersrand University at the age of 16, he took a first-class B.A. in History and Classics at the age of 19, first-class Honours at 20 and an M.A. with distinction at the age of 21. He then went up to St John’s College Cambridge on a scholarship, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in record time, under the title “The Senatorial Aristocracy in the Later Roman Empire”, which was published by the Oxford University Press. He was subsequently elected a Fellow of St John’s College, where he continued to do research and teach Classics, especially Ancient History.

At the age of 31 he was appointed a full Professor and Head of the Department of Classics back at his old university in South Africa. After some years in that position he returned to Britain, where he was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 1988 and continues to practice as a London Barrister.

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The Crusades dominated both the Christian and Muslim worlds during the Middle Ages. Thousands of experienced knights and ambitious hopefuls- seeking more their fortune than redemption- embarked across Europe towards Jerusalem to regain the Holy City for the Cross. But the warriors and soldiers were accompanied by an entourage of families, servants, clergy and tradesmen and -women, swelling the numbers to thousands.

Looking beyond the cross emblazoned banners, trumpeted fanfare, billowing banting and prancing horses that heralded the start of the Crusade, such a perilous long journey crossing Europe from West to East, encountering the mountain ranges of the near East, deserts and even the seas, was fraught with danger. Besides injuries, pregnancies and common ailments such as scorpion stings, the Crusading trek was beseeched by famine, plagues, leprosy, dehydration, diarrhoea, dysentery and when the fighting commenced – festering battle wounds, severed limbs, gangrene and amputations.  Armed with herbaria, crude surgical instruments, their leech books under the arm, and a prayer for a miracle in the heart, the mediciners or leech-crafters stepped up, packed their tumbrels and set off.

Their journey was not just the physical crossing of Europe into the near East, but also a scientific expedition, for in the East they encountered a far more sophisticated Islamic knowledge of healing and medicine. Through cultural cross-pollination medicines, methods, diagnoses, healing and surgery were advanced, metaphorically scaling both sides of the Walls of Jerusalem.

Author Jon G Hughes discusses medieval medicine before and during the Crusades, available leech-books (ancient Gray’s Anatomy) the pharmacopeia, herbaria and medicinal matter a leech-crafter would stock in his tumbrel, the Hospitallers and Knights of the Order of St John and advances of medicine in the Islamic world.

Jon had also followed in the footsteps of the Crusaders and in Morocco and Marakesh, Rhodes and Malta he collected peculiar remedies to treat:  Saddle sores: pounding the raw lungs of a bear to a smooth paste;   Hair loss: crush a scorpion into a fine paste, add to this black pepper and the fat of a vixen; Against flying venom, necromancy and an elf’s arrow: the tooth of a recently hanged criminal, tied around the neck on a thong cut from the hide of a bear; Recover from intoxication: if a man be intoxicated let him wrap his testicles with a cloth soaked in sour vinegar. If it be a woman, let her do the same to her nipples; Improve dwindling male libido: take the right-hand lung from a vulture, dry it very well. Put inside the dried skin of a raven that has had its feathers plucked. This is to be tied around the neck of the man and soon his appetite will return more lust-fully than before.

Jon G. Hughes is part of a lineage of Druids that has been practicing for five generations in a remote area of Wales. He teaches the tradition in Ireland and gives workshops and seminars throughout Europe. He is the director of the Irish Centre for Druidic Practices and the author of A Druid’s Handbook to the Spiritual Power of Plants and The Druidic Art of Divination, amongst other titles. He lives in Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland.  His latest book is The Healing Practices of the Knights Templar and Hospitaller: Plants, Charms, and Amulets of the Healers of the Crusades

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