Great resource, well researched with sources very available for further reading.

Overall a great listen with lots of details and interesting facts. Starts slow but once the author finds his footing and gets comfortable you won’t be disappointed. Thank you for putting this together!

Well researched and informative history podcast on a fascinating and neglected era. In addition, I appreciate the lack of ideology. Just history here. However, the host reads from a script with a monotone delivery. An unnecessarily low volume also detracts from the overall podcast quality.

My title says it all. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I just found this podcast and I’m very much enjoying it. The style and flow are easy on the ears, and what I mean by that did you get listen to it in the car, working out, or just out on the porch with a beverage and enjoy it. So many of these history podcasts require intense attention to follow - and are typically very dry. The delivery is conversational. I especially have enjoyed the episodes on Alexander the Great and his generals splitting up the Asian empire.

Bret Devereaux was a great guest. Very informative comparing how Hellenistic and Roman armies were products of their societies and political structures. Also comparing the armies equipment and operations. Very very good guest.

Hellenistic era from Alexander to Actium and Roman dominance is the most interesting time. Almost All the "wonders of the world" were Hellenistic constructions. The problem is Influential Greeks of Greece themselves thought this era one of decline. To them the 400s were the best; certainly the peak of Athenian playwrights. Fun fact: Most elder People in all eras of history believe this to be true; the Roman Golden age wasn't appreciated until Civil wars and invasions made Roman survival life precarious. The problem was the death of democracy and rule by military monarchs descended from a part of Greece the Greeks hated. They'd probably have felt the same if Athens took everyone's freedom. Giant empires had once powerful greek cities as playthings. Which is exciting stuff for us who didn't lose our sovereignty!

I have been listening to Derek for almost four years now. I’ve listened to many history podcasts since then and I still have not been able to find a history podcast as good as his. He explains events and topics in a straightforward way that the general audience can understand without oversimplifying it. He has a great respect for nuance and historiography and still manages not to get bogged down in pedantry and pointless digressions. I love how the show has both chronological and thematic episodes, along with interviews from academics. And also, his voice is just a great narrator’s voice. I can’t recommend this podcast enough. The Hellenistic Age podcast has basically become the gold standard when it comes to history podcasts, for me at least. It’s that good.

This pod is truely the best! I’ve taken to searching the interviewees on the intertubes and at the library - never disappointed. This pod should be degree granting.

I’m not deeply educated in the Hellenistic age so I thought this might be a good podcast to listen to but it’s just not for a casual audience. I’m sure it’s well researched but it’s not meant for people who don’t already have an in-depth knowledge of the history and major players during the time. The host seems to assume everyone is as knowledgeable as they are which makes this podcast really unenjoyable.

I am only up to Pyrrhus but so far am really enjoying this podcast. It provides great detail about a period in history that’s often mentioned but not deeply explored.

I’d have given a 5 star if it wasn’t for the pronunciation mistakes… they are distracting and annoying and finally made me stop listening. I though a couple of episodes in the author would have corrected them already but its Episode 41 and they are all still happening, and with the same names too… the problem with it is you end up not trusting somebody who doesn’t even know how to pronounce the names of people and places he’s supposed to have researched to do the show…

The podcast’s volume is so low that I have to crank my car’s volume, but then if I’m also using a map app for directions, the directions almost blow my speakers. Also he is clearly reading from a script, which would be fine if he read well. Instead, he reads with a mouth full of marbles, glides past punctuation, and stumbles over pronunciation. I tried to live with it, but my ears couldn’t take it any longer.

Great job overall. Will researched, created, produced and presented. You will learn a lot. 5 stars!!

Alexander is left out of many history courses and surveys primarily because so much happens over so much geography in such a relatively short time that he just doesn’t fit in the foci of the various lenses of history chosen. This podcast rectifies that by devoting the space to detail and context. This bridges the gap between Classical Greece and Rome and many other gaps besides. Essential for a full picture of the ancient world and a better understanding of the modern one.

Great show please keep it up

Just discovered the podcast and I cannot wait to dive deeper into more shows. Keep up the great work.

Lots of well researched, detailed history is presented. It complements other historical info & podcasts while giving details others may skip over. I appreciate the academic approach, with one criticism. Please, wish Derek would slow down his speech- he almost always sounds like he’s rushing to get out his script and getting breathless. Personally I’m a fast talker but as someone who does a lot of presentations learned to better regulate my speech. His pace, sound is actually disturbing to my husband so I have to listen after he’s asleep! That said, the interview episodes are great, Derek asks good gyrations, guides the chat well and speaks at a well measured, understandable pace! Really good podcast, just wish he’d relax a bit so the presentation doesn’t feel so anxious.

I am currently writing a novel that takes place around the dissolving of the Yuezhi and the beginning of the Kushan. I look forward to any further expansion upon these entities in the future.

I was captivated by the first series of episodes on the life of Alexander The Great and the events that followed his dealtje along with the associated historical questions. Other installments were well well researched and presented and the series on Rome and Carthage again has me hanging on every word. I’m up to about the 40th installment and looming forward to the almost 2 years worth of material ahead of me. The supplemental material on the website is also available along with a bibliography and reading recommendations. Enjoyable and informative about sums it up for me.

Started listening 3 days ago and I’m hooked!!

Good content but pronunciation errors can be very distracting.

I’m a listener on Spotify and felt compelled to come here and share my review of this podcast with you here as well! The podcast is a very detailed and informative yet compelling/engaging narrative covering the Hellenistic age and wars of the successors. I appreciate the well researched material and good narrative presentation. It’s a fine line to tread between overwhelming historical references, names, places, and maps but I think this podcast does a great job making the material easy to listen to and engage with while remaining thorough. Give it a shot!

Expertly sourced and pleasantly narrated, this is a truly excellent podcast where there’s always something new to learn.

Derek weaves a incredible narrative out of a disjointed and sometimes under appreciated period in history. He has many kingdoms and time periods to cover but does so in a way that isn’t confusing or rushed. I look forward to ever new episode.

Greek/Hellenistic History is expansive. I appreciate the scope of the podcast. Cheers.

A straightforward breakdown of a complicated bit of history. Derek keeps the cast of characters distinct so that the complicated narrative is easier to follow. The maps and supporting website are really helpful. Looking forward to more!

I love this podcast! I’m sad that I’m blowing through it so fast, I wish the episodes were longer. The audio is great quality and it’s easy to understand. Pretty fast paced, but I don’t know if I’d want it to slow down.

Thanks for this great Hellenistic overview.

This is just mainlining information. Love it.

He had a good voice; a naturally engaging person. I wish the content went deeper. Most material is generalized, missing a personal argument. For example, when discussing the Celts in the late Bronze Age, no mention of their oral culture - their only written records were the runes. The Greeks called them Keltoi, “The Other” (Barbarians of the North). Herodotus referred to them in the 4th century BC as Keltoi. The Celts would have adopted that name from the Hellenes. I personally like the depth of scholarship in Melvyn Bragg’s “In Our Time” podcast, from the BBC. -SSki

This is a fantastic podcast and is equal parts interesting, engaging, and thought provoking and I love the narrative the host presents as well as the diverse array of interviews with various perspectives and subjects matter experts as well included in the show. This is a wonderful podcast for anyone with a topical interest in the Hellenistic era or any part of the ancient or classical worlds. Well done!

Ever wonder what’s going on OUTSIDE of Rome? Greece, Persia, Egypt all just seem to disappear in the history books at this time. Get a non-Romano-centric account here.

Having listened to many podcasts that spent time on the same time period, this one feels like it is bringing me a unique presentation of things I felt I knew

I recently read the fiction book Memoirs of Cleopatra and obvious it’s fiction but it reignited my love for the Hellenistic age and world. I have read Michael Grants Cleopatra and From Alexander to Cleopatra: The Hellenistic World a long time ago and this show has reminded me why I love this era so much. Keep up the good work!

Great little podcast. More fun than a raw hootenanny!

It’s engaging, it’s informative and so detailed. I love this podcast.

I really wanted to love this podcast. The subject matter is a big interest of mine, and from what I was able to hear, the narrator has done his homework and provided some really interesting material. However, he's recorded it at such a low volume, I can't hear it when I'm listening to it on my mp3 player on the light rail train for my commute to and from work. I even turned the volume up all the way and could still barely hear it. So regretfully, I'm unsubscribing from this podcast. If Derek ever decides to record it at a higher volume, I'd love to re-subscribe again.

This podcast presents the Hellenistic Age in a highly engaging way! The host is passionate, knowledgeable, and a great presenter. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to this amazing history podcast!

This is a great podcast about the Hellenistic world. The focus has mostly been on Alexander so far, setting up the fragmentation and eventual collapse of the Macedonian dynasty. The author (narrator?) does a great job and is fun to listen to. Great podcast and good episode length. I’m looking forward to many more episodes!

Absolutely wonderful podcast on a chronically under-discussed period of history. I am thoroughly enjoying the current episodes on Alexander and very much look forward to the age of the Diadochi

The Hellenistic Age is such a fascinating, yet slightly overlooked period in history. I continue to learn so much from this show with every new episode, so please keep this up! The host is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about this subject!