Vivienne Leheny narrates with an assured voice as she guides listeners through this engrossing history of an obscure fourth-century BCE band of Theban soldiers composed of male companions. Uncovered in a mass grave in 1880, these pairs of erastes (older men) and eromenos (younger men) are contextualized within the rhythms of ancient life. Leheny's measured pace allows listeners to follow along with developments in regional politics and shifting allegiances. Kings, generals, and other figures of Ancient Greek, Persian, and Macedonian city-states are smoothly delineated through clear pronunciation. A compelling conclusion, fueled by skillful research, assembles the pieces of what may have occurred on that final battlefield as the heart of the Theban military faced the now-legendary might of Alexander the Great.
Pub Date: 2021
Duration: 9 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781797129211
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
HISTORY | ANCIENT | MILITARY | LGBTQ | GENERAL HISTORY | EXPEDITIONS
Narrator Julian Elfer has undertaken many daunting subjects: the pharmacist of Auschwitz, the Borgias, lost expeditions to the Greenland ice cap. Here, he faces down the challenge of a 300-year generational narrative in which all the principals are named either Ptolemy or Cleopatra. At the early death of Alexander, Ptolemy, his shrewdest commander, took the grandest prize: Egypt. Ptolemaic rule ended dramatically three centuries later with the suicide of Cleopatra VII in 30 BCE. Those familiar events are compressed here; the focus instead is on the skill and sagacity of Ptolemaic rule over Egypt--for example in honoring Egyptian gods and rituals, and introducing Macedonian agricultural methods to Egyptian farming. This superbly written and expertly performed narrative illuminates one of history's anomalies--and one of its high points.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 11 hrs
DD ISBN: 9781696619202
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Author/narrator William Dalrymple shares his fascination with the remarkable history of India's profound worldwide intellectual influence. His idiosyncratic and charming British speech and manner, along with his amiability and intelligence, are engaging throughout. His pacing and phrasing are natural, unaffected, and dictated by the material. He varies longish pauses--which allow the listener to absorb the sometimes complex details--with shorter sentences expressing excitement. His emphasis and shading of words, and his occasional deeply felt reactions, mirror the sense of the text and, therefore, illuminate it. The clear, unpretentious narration that takes the listener through this wide-ranging story of the spread of Indian religion, art, philosophy, mathematics, and science makes for an educational pleasure.
Pub Date: 2025
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9781639734689
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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