The Writings of Geoff Micks

(220 – 216 BCE · Carthage) The Narrator recaps the first half of the Second Punic War to set the scene for when Mago and Marco brought news of Hannibal’s great victory at Cannae back to Carthage.  Based on Chapter 11 of Middle by Geoff Micks. The bust of the Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca was discovered…

(~330 – ~220 BCE · Western Europe, Northern Africa & Southern Spain) The Narrator offers a brief summary of the First Punic War from the Carthaginian perspective to prepare listeners for the story of how he first met and became the patron of the Spanish bandit Marco, a man forgotten by history but destined for…

(2015 CE · Northern India) The Narrator meets the woman whose visit has haunted his dreams.  Based on Chapter 9 of Middle by Geoff Micks. A photo of Rishikesh, India taken from uphill by Vikram Singh Valera in 2021, generously made publicly available on Wikipedia.   I was not able to find the photo of Paul…

(~330 BCE · Sardinia, Marseilles, & the Sea Between) The Narrator survives a terrible shipwreck in a storm at sea, only to be rescued by a man named Pytheas who should be included among history’s greatest explorers, but sadly his name is only remembered at all because so many geographers called him a liar.  Based…

(~590 – 332 BCE · Carthage & Tyre ) The Narrator remembers with deep regret how Alexander the Great destroyed the ancient city of Tyre  whose royal women had once made a home and safe place for an immortal wanderer. Based on Chapter 7 of Middle by Geoff Micks. Alexander the Great. This depiction of Alexander’s…

(~804 – ~590 BCE · The Known World, & Parts Unknown) The Narrator recounts his three-year journey leading a joint Phoenician-Egyptian expedition to circumnavigate Africa on the orders of Pharaoh Naku, or Necho II as he is remembered today. Based on Chapter 6 of Middle by Geoff Micks.     A stone-carving of a Phoenician ship.…

(825 – 804 BCE · Tyre, Cyprus, Zembra, & Carthage) The Narrator tells how Elishat —remembered by some as Dido— founded and nurtured the great city of Carthage, and what she did to maintain its independence from King Iarbas of Numidia. Based on Chapter 5 of Middle by Geoff Micks. The Rise of the Carthaginian Empire…

(848 – 825 BCE · Tyre) The Narrator remembers the early life of Elishat of Tyre, a great woman all but forgotten today who was almost murdered in her bed one dark night years before she became a legend in her own time. Based on Chapter 4 of Middle by Geoff Micks. Dido as depicted in…

(~870 – ~848 BCE · Tyre, Israel, & Parts Further East ) The Narrator talks about Jezebel, the Phoenician princess who married King Ahab of Israel, how she came into conflict with the prophets Elijah and Elissa, and how her story differs from what is remembered in the Bible. Based on Chapter 3 of Middle by…