This composition is designed to be an experimental compliment to the Trailer. As the podcast series nears its finale, I wanted to collect the mnemonic tags, parodies, sound effects, foley and quotes (most but not all) from the proverbial T&J storytelling garden — to show how much it's grown.

Eunuchs were prominent figures in T&J era Byzantium, and the most notable by far was the general, Narses. But for those whose only touchstone for eunuch representation has been the character, Varys, from the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, consider this a masterclass in eunuch culture and physiology. One that explores eunuchs of both Qing dynasty and Ottoman imperial courts, as well as the singing eunuchs of post-Renaissance Europe — the castrati.

In a total antique PR disaster, the Justinianic Plague a.k.a. the bubonic plague a.k.a. the world's very first pandemic reduces the Roman Empire's population by about half and reverses some pretty ossified norms — sound familiar? We meet three Johns (and thanks to Theodora, lose one) along with an OG sea monster.

A huge swath of the world goes dim for a year and a half after a mysterious haze covers Eurasia's skies. The abrupt dip in climate creates some pretty ideal conditions for the bubonic plague. Meanwhile, T&J set out to restore the Roman Empire with less-than-desirable results.

The Nika Riots leave Constantinople a tabula rasa for Justinian's masterpiece cathedral, the Hagia Sophia. Although, not without petty rivalries, starchitects and a shrewd Hebrew king's influence along the way.

To move forward, we must first look back ... to the early days of T&J's being crowned empress and emperor, where a confluence of unfortunate policies — plus, a flawed hanging — cause the couple to come scarily close to losing everything. Thankfully, generally speaking, they have just the crew on-hand to turn things around.

Bonus episode courtesy of my new South African and Articles of Interest fans! What was the Birkin bag of the T&J era? Could someone tell the difference between a Roman and a Persian based on dress alone? Were couches and bedding like what we have today?

This episode we go deep into the color purple, marriage belts and baby tunics in a conversation all about sixth century Byzantine bling and threads thanks to the expertise of Dr. Elizabeth Dospěl Williams.

Betsy is the Curator of the Byzantine Collection at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. Her work includes programs, publications and exhibitions exploring Byzantine dress practice, gender and aesthetics.

T&J themselves owned enslaved human beings, and they were far from alone. Enslavement in the Roman Empire was the practice of both prostitutes and priests, even rabbis. Justinian hires some VIP jurists to Marie Kondo centuries of Roman law.