Share
Fan of History
What's New in History With Alex Petkas
•
From Republic to Autocracy, How Ancient Rome Warns Us About Democracy’s Fragility
Alex Petkas is a writer, entrepreneur, and the host of Cost of Glory, a podcast celebrating Western Civilization's eminent heroes. With a PhD in Classics from Princeton University, he transitioned from academia to alternative media, where he empowers professionals and entrepreneurs through educational programs and leadership retreats. Alex’s mission is to translate profound insights from Greco-Roman leaders and philosophers into actionable wisdom for contemporary achievers, fostering a deeper appreciation for historical greatness among today’s innovators.
He talks to Bernie today about a topic on many people's minds these days... How similar are current events to the final days of the Roman Republic?
The answers might surprise you! Tune in to find out!
Hook a hard-working podcaster up!
https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistory
Custom Printed Shirts in 3 days! Go to graveyardprinting.com and enter coupon code FANOFHISTORY2025 for 11% off
Links:
Alex's website
Arnold J. Toynbee is the historian I reference in the episode
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Study_of_History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gzkHhSMHIA
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/755218.Catiline_s_War_The_Jurgurthine_War_Histories
JUST READ! It's good for you
https://kwikbrain.medium.com/10-brain-reasons-to-make-reading-a-habit-aa628d4b498c
This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.
If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistory
Contact information:
E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.com
http://facebook.com/fanofhistory
https://twitter.com/danhorning
https://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/
Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.
Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020
More episodes
View all episodes
226. 500s BC The Battle of Boju
38:00|It started with exiles, legendary assassinations, and a dream of revenge. This is the opening act of the Wu–Chu War, where the state of Wu punched far above its weight — and the state of Chu didn’t see it coming.When Chu underestimated its ambitious neighbor, all hell broke loose. In Part 1, we cover the rise of Wu, the backstory of King Helü and the legendary strategist Sun Tzu - author of "The Ancient Art of War" - and how one of the great underdog campaigns in ancient Chinese history began.Thank you to all the long time fans and Supporters of this podcast! We REALLY APPRECIATE you!This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistoryContact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020225. 508 BC Greek Democracy part 4 (530s BC part 8)
38:40|In this "final" episode of our examination of ancient Greek democracy we compare it with the early Roman Republic which began "coincidentally" at the same time.This won't be the last time we refer to the structures of these political systems over the next few centuries so this episode is required listening for all Fan of History fans! (And well worth it)Thank you to all the long time fans and Supporters of this podcast! We REALLY APPRECIATE you!This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistoryContact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020What´s New In History: Sloths, Mastodons, and Armadillos the Size of Cars
19:01|New science is rewriting the story of Ice Age South America. Humans didn’t just live alongside the giants — they hunted them. Join me as we explore the lives, deaths, and legacies of the GIANT BEASTS that vanished 11,600 years ago.Please help support the show!https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryLinks to articles:https://phys.org/news/2025-10-early-humans-dined-giant-sloths.html?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx2615Mylodon - Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MylodonMegatherium - Wikipedia https://share.google/TUGQzoT3OYKGaatW7If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistory or https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryThis is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.Contact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020224. 508 BC Greek Democracy part 3 (580s BC part 7)
20:20|In this episode we talk about men that made up the fleet and army, how the courts worked (you would definitely get jury duty in this system!), and how you could be "dishonored" and thus lose your "civic honor".And you can you believe they wouldn't allow CRIMINALS to serve or lead in government?? This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistoryCustom Printed Shirts in 3 days! Go to graveyardprinting.com and enter coupon code FANOFHISTORY2025 for 11% offContact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020What´s New In History: A Hydraulic Hoax?
20:09|We got a letter from a listener—an actual hydraulic engineer—calling SHENANIGANS! on the big clams of building the pyramids with water power as we explored in a recent episode. So we brought Garry back to dig in. Were the ancients really hoisting massive stones with water or is this all just a scholar's "pipe dream"? he he Join us as we test the waters of ancient engineering one more time.Original Article:https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/07/archaeologists-uncover-evidence-of-high-tech-machines-used-by-ancient-egyptians-to-build-the-pyramids-thousands-of-years-ahead-of-their-time/Link to studyhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306690Ancient Roman Sewer:Systemhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloaca_MaximaPlease rate us (highly) on Apple Podcasts and SpotifyBloopers:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XYO8CrbN3VbOM7PRhNrpWedZ2fyTLkTs/view?usp=sharingHELP SUPPORT OUR SHOW!https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryIf you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistory or https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryThis is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.Contact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020223. 508 BC The Boule – 500 Random Guys and the Birth of Bureaucracy (500s BCs part 6)
45:59|This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.Democracy wasn’t just showing up and voting in Athens—it needed infrastructure, and that’s where the Boule came in. This episode explores how 500 citizens, chosen at random, met daily to steer the Athenian state, draft proposals, and make democracy happen in real time. Sound impossible? It wasn’t. And it’s probably more sophisticated than you think.If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistoryCustom Printed Shirts in 3 days! Go to graveyardprinting.com and enter coupon code FANOFHISTORY2025 for 11% offContact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020What´s New In History: A 2200 year old coin with huge implications
24:20|Welcome our newest coin guru - Leo from Classic Numismatics! Bernie and Leo unpack the significance of a 2,200‑year‑old gold coin featuring Queen Berenice II—discovering power, prestige, and politics in a single tiny disk.We are thrilled to have Leo join us in this episode set in a time of intrigue, sex, and violence. Check it out and share with your friends and enemies!Please rate us (highly) on Apple Podcasts and SpotifyLeo's Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@ClassicalNumismaticsGreat Playlists - I recommend starting with ANCIENT GREEK COINS https://www.youtube.com/@ClassicalNumismatics/playlistsLink to articlehttps://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a65872096/2000-year-old-queen-coin/HELP SUPPORT OUR SHOW!https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryIf you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistory or https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryThis is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.Contact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020222. 508 BC Democracy in Athens (500 BCs part 5)
39:27|In this first of a multi-part series set in the 500s BC, we dive deep into the nuts and bolts of early Athenian democracy. Join us as we explore how Cleisthenes' radical reorganization of the people—from 4 tribes to 10, from clans to geography—laid the groundwork for a political system that still echoes today.This is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.If you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistoryCustom Printed Shirts in 3 days! Go to graveyardprinting.com and enter coupon code FANOFHISTORY2025 for 11% offDemocracy in Athens. World's first democracy. The first democracy. Contact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020What´s New In History - Archaeologists Uncover Evidence of High-Tech Machines Used by Ancient Egyptians to Build the Pyramids
19:11|We thought we knew how the pyramids were built. Then we read this paper. When a headline claims to rewrite 4,500 years of history, you have to take a closer look.A bold new archaeological theory claims that the ancient Egyptians may have used technology far more advanced than anyone thought possible—thousands of years before such machines were believed to exist. We brought in Garry Stevens, host of History in the Bible, to help us dig into the details. Is this the next big breakthrough in Egyptology??Link to articlehttps://dailygalaxy.com/2025/07/archaeologists-uncover-evidence-of-high-tech-machines-used-by-ancient-egyptians-to-build-the-pyramids-thousands-of-years-ahead-of-their-time/Link to studyhttps://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306690HELP SUPPORT OUR SHOW!https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryIf you like what we do you can support the Fan of History project on https://www.patreon.com/fanofhistory or https://buymeacoffee.com/whatsnewinhistoryCustom Printed Shirts in 3 days! Go to graveyardprinting.com and enter coupon code FANOFHISTORY2025 for 11% offThis is a podcast by Dan Hörning and Bernie Maopolski.Contact information:E-mail: zimwaupodcast@gmail.comhttp://facebook.com/fanofhistoryhttps://twitter.com/danhorninghttps://www.instagram.com/dan_horning/Music: “Tudor Theme” by urmymuse.Used here under a commercial Creative Commons license. Find out more at http://ccmixter.org/files/urmymuse/40020