Constantinople part I: The city of the world's desire

After nearly half a year adrift on the seas of medieval history, it is finally time for Olivia and Aran to wash ashore on the hospitable shores of a little town called CONSTANTINOPLE. Join us for part 1 of 2 about the great medieval megalopolis as we explore the city from its prehistoric foundation to its siege by Catholic crusaders. And be sure to stay tuned for part 2, the incredible story of the Ottoman siege! Also discussed are worm biology, the elusive water sheep, and the viking urge to inscribe rocks.Interesting web links:Chinese accounts of Rome http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/texts/weilue/weilue.htmlViking graffiti in the Hagia Sophia https://sites.nd.edu/manuscript-studies/2020/06/05/varangian-guards-and-their-traces-in-istanbul-runic-inscriptions-in-hagia-sophia/A translated excerpt from The Book of the Prefect https://www.uwyo.edu/lawlib/blume-justinian/_files/docs/Book-1PDF/Book%201-28.pdfFurther reading:Richard Fidler, Ghost EmpireJudith Herrin, Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval EmpireBettany Hughes, Istanbul: A Tale of Three CitiesThe music used in this episode's intro is a public domain recording of the Greek folk song Απ' τον καημό μου πίνω (I drink because of my sorrow)https://archive.org/details/78_title-in-greek_contributors-in-greek_gbia0033944aAdditional music clips used throughout are from that song and another Greek folk song Πειραιώτισσα (The girl from Piraeus/Piraeotissa)https://archive.org/details/78_title-in-greek_contributors-in-greek_gbia0033944b