HISTORY A TO Z (7) - It's the letter E, and we are exploring the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the Edict of Milan, Edward the Confessor and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Our usual round up of news from the world of the History of the World podcast, and some brief discussion on the nature of the medieval societies of Mainland South East Asia.

HISTORY A TO Z (6) - Concluding our two parter on subjects beginning with the letter D, we discuss the Roman Emperor Diocletian, the Domesday Book, Sir Francis Drake and D-Day.

Why don't we talk more about the histories of countries not on the mainstream when they are so relevantly intertwined in the history of the world and have interesting stories to tell? Is it right for an English podcaster to attempt to speak with respect of the tonality of the nations of the east?

What a challenge this episode was! We don't necessarily know how much of the information about Srivijaya is strictly true. Let's dip into the material and methods used to construct this week's episode.

HISTORY A TO Z (5) - The first of two episodes exploring people and events that begin with the letter D. In this broadcast we feature both Darius I and Darius III of Achaemenid Persia, the great Greek orator, Demosthenes and the poignant death of Socrates.

The dangers of becoming ever dependent on AI for direction and the continuing value of books in an ever modernising society are up for discussion is this debrief episode.

The construction of the episode about Petaluma was a new and interesting challenge for somebody who has never been to California, let alone Sonoma County. We also look ahead at what to expect from the next set of Volume Four episodes.

A must listen for our American listeners and beyond. The story of the city of Petaluma, Sonoma County, California is the fascinating a unique story of a northern California settlement that was the home of indigenous Miwok peoples, New Spanish Californios, and American migrants. Petaluma's contribution to the world includes eggs and wrist wrestling.

In this special debrief episode, we celebrate the sixth anniversary of the History of the World podcast by talking a bit about the podcast and a bit about you, the podcast listeners. Plus, our usual review of the episode just published. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

HISTORY A TO Z (4) - In this episode it is the letter C. So we talk about Caesar, Cleopatra, Caligula, Claudius, Charlemagne and crusading! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

What do you think happened to the Ninth Spanish Legion? We take a look at the source material used for this episode and a look ahead at our next episode on Roman Greece. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

Our regular look at the books and websites that helped to construct the episode. Also a reflection on this year's Podcast Show in London and the legacy of the late Nick Barksdale on the History of the World podcast itself. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

HISTORY A TO Z (3) - In this episode we continue to focus on events and characters beginning with the letter B. The Battle of Marathon, the Buddha, Burebista, Boudicca and Basil the Bulgar Slayer. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

HISTORY A TO Z (2) - In this episode we focus on events and characters beginning with the letter B. The Building of the Great Pyramid, the Bronze Age Collapse, the Babylonian Captivity and Belshazzar. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

As we near the end of our medieval Far East episodes, we look at what remains for Volume 4 and there's a brief reminder about the Podcast Show 2024 in Islington, London this week. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

A look back at the sources used for this particular episode, and then an update on the redecoration of HQ, a look forward to this month's Podcast Show in London, and a question for you, the listener, about Volume Five. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

HISTORY A TO Z (1) - Let's start with the As. Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Archimedes, Augustus, Attila the Hun and Alfred the Great. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

Broadcasting alone and in a cold, bare walled studio, here is our usual review of the source material used in the construction of the latest episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

EVENTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (4) - Continuing our popular series, we explore the stories of the Greek statesman Solon and Cleisthenes, Cyrus the Great liberating the Jews from Babylon, the enlightenment of Prince Siddharta which led to him becoming the Buddha, and the exile of the last king of Rome, Tarquin the Proud. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

Looking into some of the books used for the construction of this episode, plus a closer look at the Hejnal and some chit chat about a new bookshop opening near HOTWorld podcast HQ and some redecorating scheduled. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

EVENTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (3) - For your listening pleasure we will be revisiting the founding of the city of Carthage, the introduction of the Ancient Olympic Games, the founding myth of the city of Rome, the accession of Tiglath-Pileser III to the throne of Assyria and the exile of the Jews to Babylon. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

Our usual look back at the source material for the episode alongside a description of the approached required to write such a wide ranging episode. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

EVENTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (2) - This week's magazine takes us on a journey from Ancient Egypt to the biblical Levant, starting with Akhenaten, before speaking of Ramesses II, Moses and Kings David and Solomon of Israel. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/historyoftheworldpodcast/message

Our regular look at the source material for the episode, with a look forward to future volumes and branch outs for the podcast.

EVENTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD (1) - We go way back in history to explore the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, the completion of the Great Pyramid, the creation of the Akkadian Empire, the law code of Hammurabi and the eruption of the volcano of the island of Thera.

Our usual look at the source material which although is in abundance, can still lead to confusion in piecing together the exact sequence of events. Plus some news about the Podcast Show 2024.

GREAT JOURNEYS - We explore some of the great journeys, some fruitful, others fruitless. Hannibal's famous trek across the Alps, Zhang Qian's discovery of the Silk Road, the Viking establishment of Kyivan Rus' far from their homeland and the People's Crusade led by Peter the Hermit.

A deeper look into the source material used for the podcast and an addition to the website which will help all HotWorlders access information about those sources quickly and easily. Plus, its the end of an era for the History of the World podcast.

MASTERS OF WAR (2) - We travel back in time to the 4th Century BCE and the tension filled world of the Greeks and Persians, where the greatest military commanders needed to be truly great to prevail. Featuring Epaminondas, Philip II of Macedon, Darius III of Persia and Alexander the Great.

A look at the source material for the first Mongol episode, alongside an acknowledgement of how history can change somebody's name such as that of Genghis Khan.

MASTERS OF WAR (1) - Looking back at some of the greatest military commanders and leaders in history. This week we review Egyptian Pharoah Ramesses II, Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser III, Persian Emperor Cyrus the Great and Athenian General Themistocles.

Our usual look at the source materials that we used for this week's episode, including a look at how Chat GPT has come in useful for targetting important information on the worldwide web.

HUMAN ANCESTORS (2) - We pick up from our last magazine episode and track the story of human ancestry from the emergence of the neanderthals and the first Homo sapiens, through to the events that left Homo sapiens as the last species on earth. We look at the earliest innovations of art and how humans adapted to the varying global climates.

A discussion on the source material used for the Tang Dynasty episode, plus a brief look at what's ahead in 2024, plus some information about the challenges of writing chronological medieval history and pronouncing words in different languages that you have no knowledge of.

HUMAN ANCESTORS (1) - In this episode we will be going right back to the very beginning, looking into the first upright walkers, then the australopithecines, homo habilis, homo erectus, hand tool construction, fire production and homo heidelbergensis.

UNLIKELY VICTORIES (2) - In this edition of the magazine we look back at some of history's victories in battle against the odds. Clontarf (1014), Legnano (1176), Rio Salado (1340) and Agincourt (1415).

UNLIKELY VICTORIES (1) - In this edition of the magazine we look back at some of history's victories in battle against the odds. Salamis (480BCE), Zela (47BCE) and Edington (878)

This week's journey back in time will take us to the iconic Crusader Battle of Arsuf, the apogees of the Umayyad Caliphate and the Roman Empire and to the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge.

This podcast episode of the magazine takes a closer look at Ötzi the Iceman, the Roman Emperor Vaspasian, the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in the United States and the Ayyubid Sultan, Saladin. There is also a "state of the podcast" address within this episode.

Join us on this busy little tour of history where we will be visiting the pre-historic village of Çatalhöyük, the affluent times in the middle of the second millennium BCE, the Battle of Actium which directly involved the famous Egyptian Queen Pharoah Cleopatra, and how medieval feudalism in Europe became a thing of the past.

1185 - Tension between the clans during the Heian period of Japanese history was reaching boiling point particularly after the Taira clan had expelled the Minamoto from the capital city of Heian-kyu (Kyoto). The result was the outbreak of the Genpei War, and the Battle of Dan-no-ura was the concluding episode of this war.

794 - 1180 - We are covering the period of Japan's history from the relocation of the capital city to Heian-kyō up to the outbreak of the Genpei War.

40000 BCE - 794 CE - We haven't studied Japan in too much detail until now, so it is necessary for us to introduce the story of the islands from the very beginning.

This week's magazine episode takes us back to pre-historic Europe when modern humans met the neanderthals, ancient Mesoamerica where we encounter the Olmecs, Classical Rome where we study the early years of the life of Julius Caesar, and the story of the first Europeans to visit New York City.

In this week's episode we look back on the mysterious Mitochondrial Eve, the mysterious Xia dynasty of ancient China, and the not so mysterious Battle of Carrhae between the Roman Republic and the Parthian Persian Empire.

Any opportunity for everybody to enjoy a debrief episode where we talk in further depth about the experience of making this episode and some of the sources used to get it done.

This episode essentially talks about the history of history writing, and what history writing has meant for the wider world over the timelines of history itself.

In this week's magazine episode, we will be looking at what chimpanzees can teach us about how our ancestral species communicated with each other, we will be examining the artistry of the Indus Valley Civilisation, and we will be looking at the final conflict of the Second Punic War between the Carthaginians and the Romans.

In this week's magazine we look back at Europe as the Western Roman Empire fell, the Battle of Cannae when Hannibal's Carthaginians met the Romans in battle, the fantastic story of the Trojan War, and how to make your own stone age tool using hard hammering percussion.

In this episode, we'll be looking back at the paleoanthropologist Eugene Dubois; the relationship between the Mycenaeans and the Minoans; the incredible journey of Hannibal across the Alps; and the rise and fall of the Macedonian Empire.

The complete journey from the beginnings of human occupation right through to the aftermath of the death of King Rama IX, and everything in between. We explore the reasons why Thailand has such a unique identity but also how it is a nation of divided opinions.

The History of the World podcast is five years old, so we go back and listen to an excerpt from the first ever episode, as well as looking at the modern evolution of writing, the enigmatic King Pyrrhus of Epirus and the reason why the Mayans caused some to believe that the world would end in the year 2012.

1942 - 1945 - Easy Company were such a closely knit unit of men, that they have been referred to as a "band of brothers", a phrase inspired by the writing of William Shakespeare. Follow the Second World War story of these United States army paratroopers.

1532 - 1624 - With the advent of transatlantic seafaring came the opportunity for Spain to become great. Queen Elizabeth I of England wanted to limit Spanish power and so she would grant her greatest naval commanders a free reign, bringing some great characters to the fore.

Unscripted (52) - In this episode of the podcast, we look back at the day of the Battle of Hastings in England in 1066, the incredible geoglyphic creations of the Nazca cultures of Ancient Peru, the amazing life of the early modern King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolfus, and what happened to Egypt after the fall of the New Kingdom.

800 BCE - 1750 CE - This episode serves as a general overview of the archaeological cultures of North America and their connections to each other, as we learn more about the type of people who were living in the eastern United States before the arrival of Europeans.

Join us on this journey back in time to New Kingdom Egypt, Ptolemaic Egypt, Classical World China, and medieval Iceland.

A special preview of the Ancient World Cup Final between the Ancient Egyptians and The Romans

Something completely new for the History of the World podcast.  While we wait for the new episode, we revive some of the great stories that we have already told in years gone by.  Plus the result of the first semi-final of the History of the World podcast Ancient World Cup.

News about the next proper episode of the podcast and a catch up with some of the e-mails and reviews.

Another festive catch up and an opportunity to discuss the notion of Boxing Day and a bit about its traditional history.

A long awaited catch up with Chris on Christmas Day, with a little look into the whole tradition of Christmas Day and why it even exists as it does.

In this week's unscripted episode, we'll be discussing why there are unscripted episodes at all, we'll be answering History of the World podcast illuminati member, Corben Havener's question about when prehistoric tribes became big enough that not all individual members could know all others, and we'll be looking ahead at the final episodes of our journey through medieval Europe.

1187 - After the situation settled down after the Second Crusade, the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt collapsed making way for the Muslim icon, Saladin, to become a national leader and an imperial warlord.  After bringing together a number of Muslim realms, the next target would be the infidels of Christian Outremer.

1099 - 1302 - After the conclusion of the First Crusade, four Christian nation states were established in the Levant.  These Crusader States would have to battle for their survival over the next two hundred years, and this episode focuses on that protracted battle.

251 - 1221 - From the isolated hermit lifestyle of Saint Anthony in Egypt through to the medicant style of monasticism of Saint Dominic, we explore the diverse and ever changing fortunes and faces of the first millennium of Christian monasticism.

1607 - 1674 - The turbulent story of the 17th Century Dutch colony in North America which signified the birth of the modern city of New York, and saw the difficulties faced between European nations and Native American peoples.

5330000 BCE - today - We condense the history of the Mediterranean island of Crete into one episode, plotting the ages of the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Etocretans, Romans, Aghlabids, Venetians, Ottomans and Nazi Germans, as well as the ultimate mother culture of Greece itself.

150000 BCE - today - Who are the Khoisan people and why are they so different to all other human life on the planet?  How has their lifestyle been affected by the many waves of migrations into their lands?  What traditions of their culture have they carried into today's world and where do they fit into today's society?

The final unscripted episode before resuming full episodes next week.  We provide you with a summary of the upcoming episodes and then catch up with all of the latest listener messages and reviews.

A catch up on the listener messages and reviews and a brief mention on who Saxo Grammaticus was and what influence he had on Denmark and literature.

A state of the podcast address with some important and exciting news about the next full episode.  We also discuss the origin of the nation of Switzerland by looking at the alliance of cantons that symbolises the beginnings of this modern country.

The usual state of the podcast updates and all of your kind messages and reviews in one place.

A quick dive into the Scandinavian dynasty also called Gorm and Jelling, descended from Vikings and producing the mighty multi-national king Cnut the Great.

An off the cuff focus on the younger brother of King Harold II of England and his unique story.

A long awaited update from the History of the World podcast including an update on what's been going on in June, plus a look forward at what we may expect in July.

A look forward to the special episodes coming soon thanks to the ideas put forward by members of the History of the World podcast illuminati, including the latest listener messages and review.  We look forward to the Chalke Valley History Festival and the podcast's fourth birthday.

We catch up with all the listener messages and reviews from the last two weeks and welcome the new members of the History of the World Podcast illuminati.

Find out about my visit to the Podcast Show 2022 in London this past May, and we fondly remember our good friend Nick Barksdale who sadly passed away this month.

In this, the second of two unscripted episodes this weekend, we introduce the team competing in Group L of the Ancient World Cup and look ahead at what we can expect from the upcoming episodes of Volume Four.

This episode of the History of the World podcast focuses on listener media interaction by reading out your messages and reviews.

800 - 1600 - In this special episode we explore the culmination of many millenniums of mound building cultures in the lands of the modern United States and find out what happened to them when European colonisers arrived in the sixteenth century.

The final unscripted episode before new episodes are released from next week and a final look at what's to come in Volume Four before we start our long journey through medieval history.

Big news on this week's unscripted episode regarding the launch date for Volume Four and information about a couple of special episodes to come later this month.

Another look ahead to Volume 4 and a preview of what we can expect to hear about South East Asia.  We discuss what humans consider to be aesthetically beautiful about other human beings, and provide news regarding two upcoming special episodes.

An informal look at the Greek pantheon of Olympian deities and what they are individually best known for.  Also we present all of the usual weekly updates and correspondence from the best podcast audience ever.

Looking ahead to the next volume of podcasts, we whet our appetites with the prospect of medieval Japan and it's transition from seasonal farmers to samurai warriors.  We also catch up with your messages and reviews.

Welcome along to yet another unscripted episode where we pay particular attention to the Jews of Jerusalem and how their troublesome journey through Classical Antiquity led to numerous conflicts with the Romans and their ultimate expulsion.

Another look ahead to Volume Four where we will focus on the lands of India and China, and track the rise of Genghis Khan and the Mongols.  We hear more of your e-mail and reviews.

The Xiongnu were more than a match for their powerful Chinese neighbours during the early imperial years of China.  They were the reason behind the Chinese desire to start construction of the Great Wall.  Who were they and what happened to them?

A look ahead to the material of Volume Four where the spread of Christian and Muslim societies brought them into conflict with each other, other peoples and themselves in the lead up to the Renaissance.

Another look forward to Volume Four and an insight into some of the episodes which take us through European politics after the fall of the Western Roman Empire through to the creation of medieval kingdoms and their Christianisation which led to the Crusades after the Seljuk Turks took control of Jerusalem and introduced a less tolerant religious attitude.

We take a brief trip to the Horn of Africa and the lands of the Blue Nile which became a significant trade centre as the gateway between the Red Sea and the oceans beyond.

A spoiler for the start of Volume 4 as we look at what to expect from the volume's opening episodes.   As ever, we read out your e-mails and reviews as well as welcoming the latest set of members into the History of the World podcast illuminati.

An informal chat about the emergence and disappearance of the ancient sporting tradition that lasted for centuries called the Olympic Games.

A look back at some of the e-mails and reviews of the week including an interesting listener question relating to negative reactions to the History of the World podcast.

2019 - Between the publication of Volume Two and Volume Three, Chris was interviewed by the man behind the successful YouTube channel, the Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Nick Barksdale.  Here is the audio version.

We continue our short break from the narative by exploring the grim and sinister act of trepanation which explores the widely practised act of boring a hole in the human skull as we try to understand the reasons behind this high risk procedure.

An informal look at the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, topped off with the usual updates from the HotWorld forums.

1523 - 1668 - The House of Vasa was predominantly the royal house of Sweden, but also of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.  Its greatest member was Gustavus Adolphus the Great.

336 - 30 BCE - A deeper look at the chronology of the Hellenistic world with special attention to some of the academic advances.

1200 - 336 BCE - From the fall of the Mycenaeans, to the rise of Alexander the Great, and everything else in between.

323 - 30 BCE - The sudden imperial expansion of Alexander the Great's Macedonian kingdom had a profound effect on the vast area's diverse cultures.  This episode explores that effect.

323 - 281 BCE - Meet Philip III and Alexander IV, Antipater, Craterus, Antigonus, Demetrius, Cassander, Eumenes, Seleucus, Polyperchon, Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Peithon among others.

331 BCE - The inevitable showdown between Alexander the Great and Darius III took place at Gaugamela, in a battle which would change the world as everyone know it forever.

333 BCE - Alexander the Great had ventured deeper into Persian territory than any other invader.  So Darius decided to make a surprise move to cut him off from his supply lines entrapping him in a narrow mountain pass.

356 - 323 BCE - In our second profile episode, we look at a man who is arguably the greatest military leader ever, the Macedonian king, Alexander the Great.

362 - 335 BCE - With the southern Balkan poleis exhausted through continued warfare, one leader in the north was holding all the cards.  This is the story of Philip II of Macedon's achievements.

510 - 323 BCE - Greek Gods, Olympic Games, Oracle of Delphi, architecture, pottery, Great Dionysia, historians, science, mathematics, philosophy and education all rolled up into one complete episode.

With Athens a shadow of its former self, the road to glory was left open to the Spartans, but an old adversary called Thebes would have something to say about it.

447 - 404 BCE - The conflict reaches a defining climax as natural events and individual decisions involve much of the Greek speaking world.  Will it be Athens or Sparta who prevails?

479 - 447 BCE - The Persians had been expelled from the Balkan peninsula. Fate deals its hand to the Greek lands as the region heads towards further conflict.

480 - 479 BCE - The Achaemenid Persians were now able to march on Athens.  Would the Athenians stay and fight, or abandon their city?  Would the Spartans assist the Athenians, or would either polis put itself in front of their alliance now that the pressure was so high?

480 BCE - Following defeat at Marathon, the Persians were back.  Had the Greeks done enough to prepare for the return and would the interminably militant force of Sparta make the difference?

490 BCE - The Achaemenid Persians had been succesfully expanding their influence across the known world, but when the Athenians supported a revolt of Greek people within the Persian Empire, the Achaemenids sought revenge.

750 - 550 BCE - For a couple of centuries, the people of the Greek poleis all jumped into their boats and scattered in all directions.  Where were they going?  What were they doing?  Why were they doing it?

565 - 493 BCE - The Peisistratid tyranny came under pressure as Athens demanded democracy so vehemently that even the mighty Spartans could not impose their authority over the Athenians.

800 - 565 BCE - We walk through the journey of the Greek capital during the Archaic period and discover what this independent city did to avoid tyranny before succumbing to it.

1200 - 600 BCE - Exactly what did happen in Greece after the Late Bronze Age Collapse and the disappearance of the Mycenaean culture, and what are poleis?

609 BCE - 651 CE - What is Zoroastrianism and how did it originate?  Which belief systems did it influence and which belief systems existed alongside it in Iranian lands?  How did the Persian elite view and use Zoroastrianism in their respective empires?

226 - 651 CE - The rise of the Persians who would rule their own traditional lands once again, and the journey through the centuries which would lead them to the ultimate climax against the Romans at Constantinople.

329 BCE - 224 CE - Plotting the progress of the Persian Empire after its fall to Alexander the Great, and leading into the incredible and inevitable conflicts with the Romans.

522 - 329 BCE - A closer look at the dramatic stories of the empire under the rule of Darius the Great, Xerxes I and Darius III.

609 - 522 BCE - This episode will bridge the gap between the fall of the Assyrian Empire and the rise of the Achaemenid Empire including the life of Cyrus the Great.

With this being the last unofficial episode before next week's launch of Volume 3, we take a closer look at the period between the Bronze Age and the Classical Age.

A look forward to the subject matter for Volume 3, plus an announcement regarding when the first episode will come out.

On what date, in which year was the first day ever?

The most successful dynasty of Babylon, in terms of longevity, is not talked about enough, until now.

A light hearted look at the History of the World podcast's history on YouTube.

How does this great 15th century BCE pharaoh of Egypt stack up to the featured pharaoh of volume two of the podcast, Ramesses II?

More to fill those empty weeks between volumes with a brief reminder about who the Mitanni's were and what they did.

A new species of hominin was named in 2019 called Homo luzonensis.  What is it, and where does it fit into our story of human evolution?

A short and sweet debrief following the conclusion of volume two, and a look ahead at what is coming soon.

1750 - 700 BCE - Continuing the journey through the Bronze Age, crossing over the Late Bronze Age Collapse and into the Iron Age, to a time where history meets the origin of modern religion.

3000 - 1750 BCE - The rise of powerful kingdoms and civilisations in Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley, bronzeworking in Europe and China and long distance trade and construction in the Americas.

10000 - 700 BCE - The Neolithic Revolution was a huge leap forward for humankind, but it came at a price in regard to our health.  How did we interpret these new ailments and diseases and how did we combat them?

2500000 - 700 BCE - Why did we start killing each other and how come we were so good at it?

7000 - 700 BCE - Starting in Mesoamerica, we head south to explore the rainforests, highlands and savannah of South America, before heading to the Arctic tundra and heading south again to the grasslands and woodlands of the modern United States.

3500 - 200 BCE - In the mysterious Peruvian highlands, people were gathering from far and wide to take a psychedelic journey into a dark labyrinth to meet the ferocious looking jaguar deity of the Chavin.

1600 - 400 BCE - Just what was the Olmec fascination with rubber balls all about?  Did the Olmecs copy the Egyptians by constructing the first Mesoamerican pyramid?

1750 - 1046 BCE - Plotting the rise and fall of the Shang dynasty where archaeology meets traditional stories.  An incredible bronze age with innovative techniques and the comparison of cultural advances with the rest of the world.

7000 - 1750 BCE - What happened before the Shang dynasty?  We have the traditional stories to go by, but does it stack up against the archaeological evidence?

7000 BCE onwards - Proto-Indo-Europeans are believed to have spoken a language ancestral to over four hundred languages of the modern world.  Why do we believe this when there is no firm evidence of a Proto-Indo-European language though?

2500 - 1600 BCE - The city of Mohenjo-daro has some surprisingly modern civil aspects. This episode explores the discoveries and suggest what they can tell us about the people who lived there.

3300 - 1600 BCE - A mysterious, but peaceful and successful trading civilisation.  Their undeciphered script cannot hide some amazing and unique aspects.

1190 BCE? - The Trojan War is a mythological story about a city called Troy which was attacked after a large wooden horse was pulled into the city secretly containing Greek warriors.  Is there any chance that it could be based on truth?

1600 - 1070 BCE - Mythology and archaeology are the ingredients of a good ancient period story and the Mycenaeans are no exception.  The rise and fall of the first civilised mainland Greeks.

2000 - 1450 BCE - Our first European civilisation takes us to the island of Crete in the Mediterranean where we learn of bare breasted ladies, bull-leaping, huge palaces and the ferocious Minotaur in the labrynth.

1200 BCE - 900 CE - Alphabets emerged from early writing systems and were so practical that they evolved and supplanted many of the systems in place around the world.  Find out how.

3300 - 1200 BCE - What is writing and why did people start doing it?  We analyse the earliest known writing systems and read between the lines.

3150 - 30 BCE - A rapid, rollercoaster ride through three thousand years of drama, dynasties, deities, disputes and development.  Who can resist?

1213 - 525 BCE - Just what caused the New Kingdom to collapse and what did Egypt become in the one thousand years between this and Cleopatra?

3100 - 30 BCE - The complex pantheon of Egyptian deities and their links to everyday life and other cultures are explored.

1274 BCE - The Hittites have control of the city of Kadesh, but the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II wants it back.  Find out what happens when Ramesses takes 20,000 men and 2000 chariots into the lands of modern Syria to conquer the city.

1303 - 1213 BCE - This is first of our special profile episodes which focus on an historical individual.  This time we are looking at Ramesses II, otherwise known as Ramesses the Great, Pharaoh of the New Kingdom of Egypt.

1620 - 1324 BCE - More specifically the story of the Eighteenth Dynasty, a golden age in Egyptian history.  However, keeping it in the family may not have necessarily been beneficial to the Royal Family.

2600 - 1525 BCE - An attempt to decipher the mystery of the last remaining wonder of the ancient world, The Great Pyramid of Giza, as well as all the other pyramids, the people who built them and their motives and methods.

2040 - 1640 BCE - A new kingdom emerges in the Egyptian lands, but things are slightly different this time, with the Pharaohs needing to build their reputation by displaying those strong leadership qualities that are needed to keep the Egyptian society bonded together.

3150 - 2134 BCE - From the unification of the Egyptian kingdom through its journey through great prosperity and a golden age of pyramid building, right through to its subsequent fall towards the end of the third millennium BCE.

3000 - 700 BCE - We walk together through the entire journey of Mesopotamia, eastern Anatolia and the Levant during the two thousand year plus ancient era of the Near East.

1200 - 516 BCE - Digging deeper into the spiritual side of the geographical area which gave birth to Judaism and how polytheism turned into monotheism.  We try to uncover the true identity of God.

1200 - 264 BCE - The expert Mediterranean traders that the Greeks called the Phoenicians, who established the important colony of Carthage, the principal centre of Phoenician politics.

701 BCE - Assyria under the rule of Sennacherib needed to subjugate the Kingdom of Judah under the rule of Hezekiah.  Sennacherib wanted the Judean capital city of Jerusalem, but first he would need to take the city of Lachish.

2000 - 610 BCE - The incredible story of an empire that survived the Late Bronze Age Collapse and then dominated the Near East like no other before, with iron age technology and an aggressive foreign policy.

1200 - 1050 BCE - All of the societies of the Near East either weakened considerably or disappeared altogether.  What could have possibly happened to cause this dramatic turn of events?

1700 - 1200 BCE - The first Indo-Europeans documented arrived in Anatolia and completely changed the face of the Near East, even going toe to toe with the mighty Egyptians, as well as the revived Assyrians.

1900 - 1595 BCE - Semitic speakers from the west had established their own kingdoms throughout Mesopotamia.  The Babylonians became the most powerful of the first half of the second millennium BCE especially under the lawmaker king, Hammurabi.

3000 - 2000 BCE - The fascinating rise and fall of this iconic Sumerian city-state and a look at the incredible work of Sir Leonard Woolley.

2300 - 2083 BCE - Sargon the Great conquered Sumer and extended what some refer to as the first Empire.  This is the story of the earliest known civilised Semitic speakers.

3000 - 2340 BCE - The first known civilisation of Mesopotamia.  Separating fact from myth within the first cuneiform writings, and the Sumerian conquest and decline.

We take a brief look at the unignorable prehistoric cave art of Lascaux and why it could have been created.

We take a brief but closer look at some of the diverse theories relating to the construction and meaning of Göbekli Tepe.

History of the World podcast welcomes in the New Year with some of your valued messages, an update on the performance of the podcast, and most importantly of all, an announcement about the start of Volume 2.

Put on your tuxedo or your evening gown for the prestigious 2018 History of the World podcast awards ceremony.

We discuss the incredible story of Piltdown Man as well as provide updates relating to the state of the podcast.

A brief look forward to the next volume of podcasts focusing on the Ancient World.

A vital look at how the drying out of the Sahara desert forced populations to congregate and adapt along the Nile's banks forcing powerful leaders to take the future of Egypt into their own hands.

We explore how all of the Neolithic advances and environmental changes affected the prehistoric peoples and cultures of Mesopotamia previous to the ancient dynastic Sumerian period.

We explore two very fundamental changes to village life in and around the rivers of the Fertile Crescent. Irrigation and the emergence of a class based society.

This week's podcast centres around Stonehenge, but in order to try to understand this most famous of megaliths, we discuss the Neolithic wonders of the Orkney Islands and the Carnac Stones of Brittany.

Göbekli Tepe in the Fertile Crescent appears to have marked the start of a megalithic period which ultimately spread across Europe.  Clouded in mystery, we endeavour to uncover the facts.

Humans of the Fertile Crescent appear to have started mastering the ability to use metals during the Neolithic period.  We meet Ötzi, who was one of the first coppersmiths of Europe.

A look at some of the correspondence and other podcasts that have inspired the History of the World podcast.

A brief look at the history and the future of the History of the World podcast.

We talk about the emergence of sedentary lifestyles of the Mesolithic and early Neolithic with the interesting story of Tell Abu Hureyra, before tackling the hugely famous sites of Çatalhöyük and Jericho.

The big question to be answered, did farming spread or emerge?  We travel to Europe, the Indus Valley, the Far East and the Americas to find the answer.

We try to unravel the mystery of the human transition from the success of nomadic hunter-gathering, to the laborious risks of sedentary agriculture and farming.

We look at at the previous 13 episodes and explore some of the aspects as yet undiscussed including the changing cultures of Old Europe.

Red ochre, shark teeth, ostrich eggs, lion men, hand stencils, cannibalism, friendly wolves, ritual burials, animal masks and big buttocks.

A look back at our changing diet and the ways and means in which we had to evolve ourselves and our technologies to succeed in the ever changing and differing environments of the world.

Modern humans expand to Japan, America and Europe, but what happened when they met the neanderthals for the final time?

This podcast is heading for Australia, stopping at Israel, Denisova, Flores and Wallacea.  Please remember to pick up all of your belongings.

Social media indicates that we love talking about ourselves, so let's do it.  Let's talk about ourselves, the modern human, and how it all started from 300,000 years ago in Africa.

Find out about the geological science behind glaciation studies, the effect that ice ages have had on our ancestors and the story of Napi being chased across Canada by a sixteen thousand tonne quartzite rock.

The highly anticipated neanderthals, our rugged cousin who appeared to be quite brutish but was surprisingly intelligent.  Quite possibly someone who would be up for going to a pub quiz with you.

How is it that we can talk?  Why are we the only animal that can successfully produce audio podcasts that can be listened to and understood?  And who wants to get to know Washoe the chimpanzee?

Let us put some flesh on the bones of our prehistoric hominin story, and discover what our ancestors created to get carved flesh from the bones of animals. We investigate the technological advances from over three million years ago up to the last million years.

Homo erectus, as the name would suggest, is the first fully upright human and it was definitely a migratory species.  Find out more about the journeys and advancements of human evolution in this episode.

Homo habilis is thought to be the first species of human to have lived.  Find out who he was and who else lived around him.

They were alive from around 5 million to 2 million years ago, slowly evolving in East Africa and trying to become human.

This episode introduces the podcast and begins our journey from 66 million years ago through to the first ancestors of modern humans around 6 million years ago.