We’ve got some news

First the bad news: we’re taking a break.

Genn and I are taking the rest of August off. We’re still new at this process, and figuring out how to fit podcasting in with other demands in our lives—jobs, families, and other important projects.

We both got home from traveling, took a realistic look at our workload, and decided we needed some breathing room. And this may actually be how we do things from now on–a season of 10-12 loosely connected episodes (or maybe one big arc if we get super ambitious), and then a month or so off.

That’s the bad news. The good news is, we’re coming back on September 13 with some epic stories.

The real-life ancient world Stark family

Genn’s working on the life and tragic downfall of a loving, tight-knit family in the Julio-Claudian line; two devoted parents and six siblings.

The head of this family was Germanicus—Genn’s ancient-world crush—and like Ned Stark from Game of Thrones, he was too honorable for the world he lived in. This series of three episodes shows how nothing good can survive the political riptides of ancient Rome.

Amazons and more Amazons

And I’m working on a three-part series on Amazons. The first episode takes a close look at some of the most well-known Amazon myths of Ancient Greece—and what these myths could have meant in context.

In the second episode, we look at the real-life warrior nomad culture that lived right next door to Greece, where the women fought in battle alongside the men—and how these fierce warrior women inspired the Amazon myth.

And in the third, we tell the stories of five warrior queens and generals who led armies into battle, fighting both for and against ancient Greece and Rome.

Poisoning and poison assassins

We also have a one-parter coming up that we’re really excited about. It’s all about poison in the ancient world, and the story of Rome’s deadliest poison assassin, also a woman. This might be the episode we lead with on September 13, or maybe not–depending on how things shake out.

So catch up with us on September 13. And in the meantime, we’re still on social—come talk to us on Twitter at @AncientHistFan, or check out our Instagram. Plus, we have a backlog of episodes by now—so if you haven’t listened to all of them, here’s your chance to catch up.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!