All right, Robin here from 2021. You can now only get bonus episodes of the podcast at patreon.com

forward slash history of Byzantium. Young Robin is about to pitch you on some more excellent

Byzantine stories, but remember Patreon is the only place to get them. Hello everyone, happy new year.

Two new Byzantine stories episodes have just gone live. The topic for this two-parter is

Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica and generally how the Empire's second city survived the intense period

of the 6th and 7th centuries and the role that the saint played in it. We get into the very dramatic

siege of the city by the Slavs and Avars and how that shaped people's memories and understanding

of the saint and why he went on to become one of the most famous figures in Byzantine history.

I think it's great. I think it connects well to the other Byzantine stories for those who've

listened to them and I'm really pleased to offer it to you. As usual, it's $7 for each episode

and as always I remind you that I'm selling these episodes because I need to raise money to keep

the podcast going for all the expenses of being a year-round podcaster but also because all the other

episodes are free. I put these episodes out there as a bonus to try and add depth to our understanding

and enjoyment of Byzantium to give you a glimpse of daily life and so that $14 if you buy both

represents all those other free episodes that go before and after these bonus ones. Anyway,

go to the website, log in with your existing account or start a new one. For $42 you can take

out a subscription that means you get 12, 13 episodes right now for free. I forget how many exactly

are in the bank now but you get them all free for a year and there'll be another 506 coming

before your subscription runs out so plenty of value for your money. I should also say that I'm

planning the Istanbul Kickstarter for March or around then depending on how things go in developing it.

I have found a video editor and we are working together on the on the pitch and yeah, I'm very excited

about the possibilities but I'm hoping you will support me. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself.

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