Cover image of Dead Ideas: The History of Extinct Thoughts and Practices

Dead Ideas: The History of Extinct Thoughts and Practices

We explore ideas and practices once believed to be true but no longer. Each dead idea is explored in all its glorious eccentricity.For example, discover miasma, the theory that plague comes from stink... Read more

Ranked #1

Podcast cover

Put That City to the Sword: Julius Caesar Slaughters Avaricum, Feat. Neil Eckart – Roman History

Put That City to the Sword: Julius Caesar Slaughters Avaricum, Feat. Neil Eckart – Roman History

When was the last time you put a city to the sword? It's not something we do much anymore today. But there was a day and... Read more

26 May 2019

Ranked #2

Podcast cover

Berserkers I: Shield-biting Badasses of the Viking Age – Viking History

Berserkers I: Shield-biting Badasses of the Viking Age – Viking History

They were the howling, shield-biting badasses of the Viking Age! Who were these frightening fighters? What were they rea... Read more

13 May 2018

Similar Podcasts

Ranked #3

Podcast cover

Self-mummification I: Buddhist Mummies of Japan – Japanese History

Self-mummification I: Buddhist Mummies of Japan – Japanese History

That's right: *self*-mummification, mummifying yourself through a special 3000-day diet and regimen of spiritual exercis... Read more

12 Nov 2017

Ranked #4

Podcast cover

Court Eunuchs I: Third Gender of Byzantium – Byzantine Roman History

Court Eunuchs I: Third Gender of Byzantium – Byzantine Roman History

Did you know that Byzantine culture recognized three genders? This begins our new series on Byzantine court eunuchs, and... Read more

2 Sep 2018

Most Popular Podcasts

Ranked #5

Podcast cover

Steampunk Rome I: An Ancient Industrial Revolution (Almost) – Roman History

Steampunk Rome I: An Ancient Industrial Revolution (Almost) – Roman History

For our final series, we're doing the steam technology of the ancient world that died and had to be resurrected in 18th-... Read more

25 Nov 2018

Ranked #6

Podcast cover

Titoism I: Slovenia from Prehistory to Tito – Balkan History

Titoism I: Slovenia from Prehistory to Tito – Balkan History

Today begins our series on the ideology of the communist dictator of the former Yugoslavia, Tito, and I'm telling it spe... Read more

23 Jul 2017

Ranked #7

Podcast cover

The Topless Renaissance – French History, Women’s History

The Topless Renaissance – French History, Women’s History

It's our first-ever dead fashion: the Reniassance trend of showing one boob! Believe it or not, that was an actual fashi... Read more

6 May 2018

Ranked #8

Podcast cover

Court Eunuchs II: Call of Duty: Narses in the Nika Riots and Beyond – Byzantine Roman History

Court Eunuchs II: Call of Duty: Narses in the Nika Riots and Beyond – Byzantine Roman History

Today, Anna takes the lead with the story of the eunuch general Narses! In this episode, we get an overview of Emperor J... Read more

16 Sep 2018

Ranked #9

Podcast cover

Titoism III: The Tito-Stalin Split (Feat. Kristaps Andrejsons) – Balkan History

Titoism III: The Tito-Stalin Split (Feat. Kristaps Andrejsons) – Balkan History

This week you get TWO episodes! This is our first-ever crossover episode going on both Dead Ideas *and* Eastern Border. ... Read more

6 Aug 2017

Ranked #10

Podcast cover

Self-mummification II: The Perfect Samurai and the Farmer Fuck-up – Japanese History

Self-mummification II: The Perfect Samurai and the Farmer Fuck-up – Japanese History

It's story time! Today we hear two stories of monks who self-mummified, one starting out as the perfect samurai, the oth... Read more

26 Nov 2017

Ranked #11

Podcast cover

Titoism II: Tito – Bond or Bond Villain? – Balkan History

Titoism II: Tito – Bond or Bond Villain? – Balkan History

Was Tito more of a James Bond or a James Bond villain? A romanticizable hero, demonizable villain, or both? That's the q... Read more

6 Aug 2017

Ranked #12

Podcast cover

Balance of Power I: Never Again a Great War! – European History

Balance of Power I: Never Again a Great War! – European History

The balance of power system in place prior to WWI was meant to prevent a great war from ever happening again. Then what ... Read more

30 Apr 2017

Ranked #13

Podcast cover

Halloween in Scotland and at Sea in 1886 – PDT3K – Scottish History

Halloween in Scotland and at Sea in 1886 – PDT3K – Scottish History

Curious who your future lover will be? Or what it's like to celebrate Halloween at sea in the 19th century? Then you bet... Read more

30 Oct 2017

Ranked #14

Podcast cover

Cuneiform I: You’ve Got Mail – The World’s First Writing – Sumerian History

Cuneiform I: You’ve Got Mail – The World’s First Writing – Sumerian History

We're going all the way back to ancient Sumer! Our new epic series is about the world's oldest writing system, which rev... Read more

4 Jun 2017

Ranked #15

Podcast cover

Titoism IV: Tito – Hero or Anti-hero? – Balkan History

Titoism IV: Tito – Hero or Anti-hero? – Balkan History

Today we look at Tito's post-war regime in which the ideas of Titoism take shape, namely workers' self-management and po... Read more

20 Aug 2017

Ranked #16

Podcast cover

Tuberculean Chic: A 19th-cen. Fashion Inspired by Tuberculosis – featuring Dig: A History Podcast

Tuberculean Chic: A 19th-cen. Fashion Inspired by Tuberculosis – featuring Dig: A History Podcast

Forget heroine chic. This is tuberculean chic! This episode, courtesy of Dig: A History Podcast, features a most peculia... Read more

26 Aug 2018

Ranked #17

Podcast cover

Best of the Best: Ghost in the Tablet – Gilgamesh/Ghost in the Shell Mashup – Sumerian History

Best of the Best: Ghost in the Tablet – Gilgamesh/Ghost in the Shell Mashup – Sumerian History

We’re trying something new here on Dead Ideas. We have a sizeable back-catalog of episodes, many of which new listeners ... Read more

30 Jun 2019

Ranked #18

Podcast cover

F*** You, History Channel! – One-Year Anniversary Special

F*** You, History Channel! – One-Year Anniversary Special

http://media.blubrry.com/deadideas/ia600805.us.archive.org/27/items/DeadIdeas56FYouHistoryChannelOneYearAnniversary_2017... Read more

3 Sep 2017

Ranked #19

Podcast cover

The Canals of Mars – American History, Science History

The Canals of Mars – American History, Science History

Is the surface of Mars criss-crossed by lines so long and straight they can only be constructions of an advanced alien c... Read more

11 Nov 2018

Ranked #20

Podcast cover

Balance of Power II: Frederick the Great, Cabinet Warrior – European History

Balance of Power II: Frederick the Great, Cabinet Warrior – European History

The Cabinet Wars were a period of supposedly restricted warfare, and no one was a greater Cabinet Warrior than Frederick... Read more

7 May 2017

“Podium: AI tools for podcasters. Generate show notes, transcripts, highlight clips, and more with AI. Try it today at https://podium.page”