This week, it’s time for our annual Christmas podcast.

And in keeping with recent Quillette tradition, it’s going to have a historical theme.

Specifically, we’ll be talking about the Christmas tradition—and much else besides—in the Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, also known, to us, by the lovely name of Byzantium.  

This was the continuation of the original Roman Empire that survived the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD.

And this eastern Byzantine Greek-speaking empire, though more obscure to many of us as compared to the original Roman empire based in Rome, actually lasted for a thousand years—until its capital, Constantinople, fell to the Ottomans in 1453.

With me to discuss Byzantine traditions is Robin Pierson, the London-based voice behind the popular History of Byzantium podcast, which I’ve been listening to for years.

The History of Byzantium Podcast

“The History of Byzantium” is a podcast dedicated to the story of the Roman Empire from the collapse of the West in 476 to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Byzantine history is fascinating, world changing and largely forgotten. Listen and discover who they were. Find out more at https://www.thehistoryofbyzantium.com In 2018 the listeners of the podcast funded a Kickstarter to send me to Istanbul. I documented many of the surviving Byzantine sites and have made videos about them. I am slowly posting them all on this channel along with some of the podcasts. Contact me at thehistoryofbyzantium at gmail.com.

YouTube

Over a period of 13 years, Robin produced more than 330 podcast episodes about Byzantium, beginning with its origins during the era of Constantine the Great in the third century AD, on through the sixth-century regime of the legendary Justinian, who built the legendary Hagia Sophia cathedral, which still stands in Istanbul, as Constantinople is now called.

Our conversation will begin with a discussion of Christmas in Byzantium, but then proceed to a more general discussion of Byzantine theology, which would eventually turn into the Orthodox branch of Christianity in later centuries—following numerous schisms, including vigorous debates over the permissibly of icons.

Robin and I will also discuss how Byzantium’s identity was shaped by its many centuries of war with the Persians and then the Muslim Arabs, who play a major role in Robin’s lengthy podcast series.

Finally, I’ll talk to Robin about his improbable decision to become a profession podcaster in the first place. Like me, Robin was a devoted listener of Mike Duncan’s famed History of Rome podcast—whose timeline ended once the Italian peninsula fell to the Goths 15 centuries ago.

The Podcaster Who (Single-handledly) Made Me Love History

A huge part of Duncan’s appeal is his humble, layman’s approach.

QuilletteJonathan Kay

At the time, I learned, Robin was already a podcaster—except his subject wasn’t history. It was television. How did Robin make the extraordinary career pivot from delivering hot takes on sitcoms such as Frasier and Friends, to diving deep into Byzantine history?

You’ll find out in this final 2025 episode of the Quillette podcast.