Here's a free trial you definitely don't want to sign up to... This week we're covering arcane laws, from trial by fire and water, to dealing with ancient arsonists.
Tom kicks us off with a look at some of the medieval ordeals - religious trials against adversity involving fire, water, or sometimes just hanging around a murder victim to see if they'd wake up. The idea was that if they were innocent, God would usually save them. Or sometimes let them die so they could enter heaven. It really was pretty much down to whoever was conducting the trial, to be honest.
Meanwhile Sam takes a look at the Nesilim law code - the laws of the ancient Hittite empire in the Middle East - which covered everything from your sex life (be that with relatives, slaves or pigs) to what to do with someone who burns down your house, and how much you should be paying for shoes. And like all good law codes, it shows that the Hittites had some very specific and slightly disgusting problems.
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This week we also gave a shout out to The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong - they are a great podcast and you can find them here or on your app of choice: https://www.constantpodcast.com/
Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. A 12-hour time difference. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.
Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history but lives in New Zealand), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.
From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.
We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).
Check us out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!
That Was Genius is produced by Glorious Republic Broadcasting.
The Soily Fondue Jazz Quartet (Treasure week) - That Was Genius Episode 45
A Triple Suplex in the Name of Love (Badass Women week) - That Was Genius Episode 44
Brazilian Samba Dancing Nurses with Incredible Moustaches (Charlatans week) - That Was Genius Episode 43
One Dead President and a Scottish Woman's Bottom (Spooky week) - That Was Genius Episode 42
Thomas the Self-Pleasuring Engine (40 week) - That Was Genius Episode 41
Toilet Paper of the Ancients (discovery week) - That Was Genius Episode 40
Revenging the Nazi Tap-Dance Troupe (Badass week) - That Was Genius Episode 39
A Noble and Historic Parking Lot Brawl (Revenge week) - That Was Genius Episode 38
Hold Me Closer Zombie Dancer (Health week) - That Was Genius Episode 37
He's Not The Messiah, Hes a Very Naughty Serial Killer (The Law week) - That Was Genius Episode 36
Watch Where You Waggle That Broomstick (Pope week) - That Was Genius Episode 35
Sam Meets History With Hilbert - The Other Genius Episode 1
The Gassy Floridians Are Coming By Sea (Ships week) - That Was Genius Episode 34
Welcome to That Was Genius - A Rather Silly History Podcast
When in Rome, do as the Chinese do (Silk Road week) - That Was Genius Episode 33
One Monkey, Two Giant Balls, and 6,000 Eastern Europeans (Japan Week) - That Was Genius Episode 32
The Purple Headed Wibbler in the Garden (Vegetables Week) - That Was Genius Episode 31
Attack of the Burping Lecherous Bum Otters (Rivers Week) - That was Genius Episode 30
Attention Passengers This Is Your Toilet Speaking (Plane Crash Week) - That Was Genius Episode 29
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