Category: Yesterday

Posted on

Byzantium And The Crusades - BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT – ‘Justinian’s Empire’ Book 4 in The Fall of the Roman Empire

It’s Nick Holmes from the Byzantium and the Crusades podcast. Although I’m no longer making new episodes of this podcast, I thought you might be interested in my latest project which is a series of books as well as a new podcast on the Fall of the Roman Empire.
And I’m contacting you because my latest book, and the fourth in my Roman series, called  ‘Justinian’s Empire’, is out now on Amazon in ebook and paperback. It will be with other distributors later and also available in audiobook probably within the next six months. 
It's about the triumph and tragedy of the late Roman Emperor Justinian’s reign. Triumph because Justinian’s general, Belisarius, recovered North Africa and Italy from the barbarians. Justinian also created a new law code that would endure to this day. And he built extraordinary monuments, like the iconic Hagia Sophia in modern Istanbul, rivalling the great buildings of Ancient Rome.
But all that glitters is not gold. There was also tragedy in his reign, especially with a mini ice-age that caused famine and bubonic plague. And I also suggest Justinian was a ruthless opportunist, and his western conquests drained the empire’s wealth and critically weakened its army.
So, rather than restoring Rome’s greatness did he in fact pave the way for its catastrophic collapse less than a century after his death?

I think the ebook is also really good value at only $4.99 in the US and £3.99 in the UK – probably cheaper than a cup of over-priced coffee! – and certainly cheaper than most other books on the Roman Empire. Paperback is obviously more expensive since I can’t control the printing costs.
The links to Amazon US and Amazon UK are in the notes to this and I do hope you’ll take a look, and if you do buy it and you’re feeling generous why not leave a review? I’d love to hear your feedback.
Thanks for listening and I hope you continue to enjoy Byzantium and the Crusades!

Please take a look at my website nickholmesauthor.com where you can download a free copy of The Byzantine World War, my book that describes the origins of the First Crusade.

Posted on

Curious City - ‘Indigenous Chicago’ project shows the city has always been a Native place

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the history, culture and contributions of Indigenous people in our country. If you look around Chicago, you see echoes of Native American history in names like Washtenaw, Skokie and Wabash. But Indigenous history is often presented from a settler or non-Native perspective. Today, we get into a project out of the Newberry Library called “Indigenous Chicago.” Through art, education and collaboration, its goal is to change the dominant narratives about Chicago’s history with the overarching message: Chicago is, and always has been, a Native place. It all began a few years ago with conversations within the Native community. “One of the things we heard over and over again was this issue of invisibility,” said Rose Miron, director of the D’Arcy McNickle Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies. “Native community members found that there were far too many people who didn’t understand the long history of Chicago as an Indigenous place, but also didn’t realize that there was a large contemporary community here today.” “Indigenous Chicago” is a collaboration between representatives of tribal nations and includes multimedia art, oral histories, public programs, educational curriculum and an exhibition. Curious City’s Erin Allen spoke with curators Miron and Analú María López, the Ayer Librarian and assistant curator of American Indian and Indigenous Studies.
Posted on

Curious City - Bodegas, ‘The Bear’ and why family business is the ‘backbone of the economy’

When you think of a family business, one of two images probably comes to mind: either the mom and pop shop around the corner or the dysfunctional family from “Succession.” But actually, “it could be anything,” says Jennifer M. Pendergast, family enterprise consultant and professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Last episode, we looked into the oldest family business in Chicago. And this got us thinking about family enterprise in general: Why do family members end up in business together? What happens when they do? Should they? Curious City’s Erin Allen sat down with Pendergast to talk about this, plus why she says family business is the “backbone of the economy.”
Posted on

Curious City - ‘So many connections:’ Chicago indicator species are trying to tell us something

A Curious City listener wanted to know about the decline of frogs in our area. We looked into what’s been happening with these species over the last couple decades in Chicago. It turns out, frogs are some of the animals we call “indicator species.” How well or poorly they’re doing in their habitat can tell us about the health of our own. And they’re not the only ones; there are numerous plants and animals that serve as nature’s alarm system, so to speak. Erin Allen talks with conservation researcher, Dr. Allison Sacerdote-Velat, about the indicator species that are most vital to us in the Chicago area and why we should be paying attention.