400 years ago, a trio of tiny kingdoms were perched on some damp islands off the coast of Europe.

Within three short centuries, these islands would become the centre of an empire which ruled a quarter

of the globe and on which the sun never set. I'm Samuel Hume, a historian of the British Empire,

and my podcast Pax Britannica follows the people and events that built that empire into a global

superpower. Learn the history of the British Empire by listening to Pax Britannica,

everywhere you find your podcasts, or go to pod.linkslashpax.

Hello folks, Dominic here. Just so you know, there are a couple of audio issues with this episode.

The sound quality is not up to my usual standard, and I apologise for that.

I have managed to resolve the issue now, and at some point in the future I will come back

and re-record these episodes for quality. But stick with me, and the sound will improve in future

episodes. Thank you.

Imagine visiting Amarna in the final year of Arcanaten. By now the city was approximately 12 years

old, and it had grown significantly. The population had skyrocketed from a tiny village to a city of

approximately 30,000 people. The streets were bustling, as throngs moved around their workplaces,

domestic areas, and did their daily chores. Smoke belched from pottery kilns and

metal furnaces, and dust lay over the northern horizon from the stone quarries.

The river banks were probably crowded with people gathering water, or unloading the hundreds of

boats that arrived daily at the town. Ships came from north and south, delivering wine,

meats, vegetables, grain, and fruit from all over the country.

In the heart of the city, not far from the palaces and temples of the king, wealthy and prominent

members of society built large, elaborate townhouses. The inner suburbs of Arcanaten are

full of estates, sizable properties belonging to families of power and influence.

...