History of the World podcast

Reflections on Volume 4 and looking forward to Volume 5, including the big announcement about the name of the volume and our usual review of listener messages.

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2026

1200 - 1449 - Step into the fourteenth century, a world caught between collapse and rebirth. As the Mongol Empire fractures, new powers rise across Europe, Asia and Africa. From the birth of the Ming dynasty to the brilliance of Mali and the devastation of the Black Death, this episode explores a century that reshaped societies, ignited new dynasties and transformed the course of history.

Transcribed - Published: 25 December 2025

1000 - 1299 - From shattered empires to rising ideas, this episode traces a world in motion. Across continents, scholars, warriors and kings reshape faith, power and knowledge, while distant societies unknowingly edge toward collision. This is an age of transformation — where printing presses, crusades and conquests quietly lay the foundations of the modern world.

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2025

800 - 1099 - From Viking raids to Tang collapse, the ninth to eleventh centuries reshaped the medieval world. Charlemagne’s empire fractured, Slavic states rose, caliphates splintered, and new powers emerged across Asia and the Americas. Join us as we explore upheaval, migration, and transformation — the age that set the stage for centuries to come. History in motion, revealed!

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2025

600 - 799 - Step into the year 600, a world where empires fracture, new powers rise, and entire cultures reshape human history. Byzantium stands firm as Europe transforms, Asia surges with innovation, Africa thrives through trade, and the Americas reach remarkable heights. Across continents, belief systems shift and new forces emerge. This is a world in motion — and everything is about to change.

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2025

Alongside listener messages, in this debrief we will be discussing which topics were the most popular in Volume 4, the ongoing question of how AI influences the podcast, and the possibility of the podcast becoming a physical book.

Transcribed - Published: 3 November 2025

700 - 1610 - In this episode, we journey to the Sahel — the narrow frontier between desert and savanna where the fortunes of empires were made and lost. From its shifting landscapes emerged the Mali Empire, a realm of immense wealth and faith. Discover how geography, trade, and power shaped one of Africa’s greatest civilisations.

Transcribed - Published: 26 October 2025

1000 BCE - 1897 CE - Two kingdoms, two legacies—Ifẹ and Benin shaped West Africa’s artistic soul and political power. From sacred bronze heads to sprawling palace complexes, this episode dives into the myths, monarchs, and masterworks that defined a civilisation. Discover how divine ancestry and dynastic ambition forged two of Africa’s greatest city-states. The past isn’t buried—it’s cast in bronze.

Transcribed - Published: 18 September 2025

A look into the most recent batch of episodes about pre-colonial societies of the world and the role that AI plays in the production of the podcast. A brief explanation about the more recent slowdown in publications and some discussion about pronunciation of local names and the effect of European colonisers on the medieval age societies of the world, alongside many of your e-mails into the podcast.

Transcribed - Published: 31 August 2025

900 - 1629 - Imagine a great city in Africa, a stone kingdom so powerful its wealth flowed across oceans. Great Zimbabwe, built by the Shona people without a single drop of mortar, was a hub of sophisticated trade. Its riches in gold and ivory connected Africa's interior to a global network of merchants. This is the story of its rise, its power, and the mysteries of its decline.

Transcribed - Published: 26 August 2025

800 - 1600 - In this 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.

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

3500 BCE - 1600 CE - Uncover the ancient earthworks of North America’s Pre-Columbian Mound Builders—exploring ritual, trade, astronomy, and society from the Adena to the Mississippians, in this immersive historical journey.

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2025

700 BCE - 1497 CE - Long before European contact, North America was home to vibrant civilisations. From the Ancestral Puebloans, Hohokam, and Mogollon in the Southwest to the Adena, Hopewell, and Mississippian cultures of the Eastern Woodlands, these societies thrived. In the Arctic, the Dorset and Thule peoples adapted to the harsh northern climate, leaving behind remarkable legacies.

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2025

1325 - 1521 - The powerful Mesoamerican civilisation known for advanced city-building, military strength, religious rituals, and human sacrifices before their downfall to Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés.

Transcribed - Published: 18 May 2025

950 - 1697 - The fall of the Classic Mayan cities did not spell the end for the Mayan culture who migrated northwards, established memorable settlements like Chichen Itza, and adapted to new circumstances until the arrival of the Spanish many centuries later.

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2025

A look back on the episodes about the Incas and the Toltecs, including a discussion on the role of AI in history contact such as this podcast and the usual look back at listener correspondence, and news from behind the scenes of the podcast itself.

Transcribed - Published: 30 March 2025

950 - 1150 - Sophisticated and enigmatic, the Toltecs dominated their locality with their art, architecture and mythology. Their warrior culture inspired and was admired by the Aztecs, who claimed their own ancestry from the Toltecs.

Transcribed - Published: 23 March 2025

1200 - 1533 - The mysterious and wonderful Inca demonstrate the peak of South American human development before contact with the Old World, and such is their legacy that important remnants of their culture remain part of the fabric of Peru to this day.

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2025

A look back on the episode surrounding the Middle Horizon period of pre-Columbian Peru, and we scrutinise the podcast's viability as an impartial source of information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 January 2025

110 - 1470 - In the centuries leading up to the dominance of the Inca, three notable societies existed in Peruvian lands, all with similiarities but not necessarily a common cause.

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2025

HISTORY A TO Z (8) - The letter F brings us the First Crusade, Saint Francis of Assisi, Frederick II (Holy Roman Emperor) and the Fall of Constantinople.

Transcribed - Published: 5 January 2025

A look back at the episode on the Rapa Nui of Easter Island, plus plenty of discussion about mysteries of the ancient world, the Romans and the Picts among other things on this fresh look debrief episode.

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2024

1200 - 1722 - Understanding the hazy origins of a society isolated in the Pacific Ocean and their motivations and capabilities for creating some of the most iconic stone statues in the history of humankind.

Transcribed - Published: 22 December 2024

Did Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke purposefully wait for the History of the World podcast to get to the Māori episode, before she performed her viral haka in the New Zealand parliament? Some discussion about the Māori episode and also about the podcast itself.

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2024

1250 - 1642 - Sometime before the eruption of Tarawera, Polynesians landed on the island group of New Zealand. From there, they developed a culture that would not be discovered for a few centuries, and by which time had cemented themselves as part of the fabric of New Zealand.

Transcribed - Published: 22 November 2024

Discussing the source material and digging deeper into the mysteries surrounding the hesitation of the expansion at the edge of Polynesia. Should we just assume what seems obvious, or could there be deeper reasons?

Transcribed - Published: 4 November 2024

3000 BCE - 1250 CE - The story of the population of the Pacific Ocean and beyond, including Indonesia, Philippines, Madagascar, New Guinea, Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii, New Caledonia, Tonga, Samoa, Palau, Easter Island, and the place it all began, Taiwan.

Transcribed - Published: 28 October 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 16 October 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 8 October 2024

192 - 1471 - This is the story of the resiliant polity of Champa whose story feels like a story of constant warfare, but interspersed with great piety and temple construction. How did this tribal confederation survive these brutal medieval centuries?

Transcribed - Published: 7 October 2024

802 - 1431 - The modern Cambodian flag contains a picture of Angkor Wat, an eye catching religious temple constructed by the Khmer, and the pride of Cambodian history. The religious construction was symbolic of the key fundamental priorities of Khmer rulers, ruling over this dominant South East Asian political movement.

Transcribed - Published: 16 September 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 2 September 2024

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?

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2024

968 - 1407 - Much of modern Vietnamese culture stemmed from the Red River valley, where a polity emerged called Đại Việt, that would have to survive on the southern fringes of the power of China to its north.

Transcribed - Published: 26 August 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2024

671 - 1200 - There were times when the land based Silk Road was not an easy path and the sea route was favoured. In order to get to China, one would have to navigate through the islands of South East Asia, which offered the opportunity for someone there to obtain some fortunate wealth. Let me introduce you to Srivijaya.

Transcribed - Published: 8 August 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2024

849 - 1297 - The Burmese Chronicles provide us with sources of material which describes the fortunes of Pagan, which expanded from a small city-state to an imperial force comparable to the Khmer Empire. Their kings come to life with their characters and their magnificent Buddhist temples are their legacy.

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2024

A must listen for our American listeners and beyond. The story of the city of Petaluma, Sonoma County, California is the fascinating and 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.

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2024

146 BCE - 1204 CE - This is the story of the Balkan Peninsula from its post Classical Greek and Hellenistic period when it was conquered by the Roman Republic, through to the defeat of the Byzantine Empire by the Latins of the Fourth Crusade.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2024

HISTORY A TO Z (4) - In this episode it is the letter C. So we talk about Caesar, Cleopatra, Caligula, Claudius, Charlemagne and crusading!

Transcribed - Published: 23 June 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 13 June 2024

90 BCE - 168 CE - The mysterious disappearance of the Roman Ninth Spanish Legion is a fascinating subject for historians. In this episode, we tell the story of the legion in an attempt to figure out what the likeliest reason is for the legion vanishing into history's mist.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2024

1044 - 1880 - Gunpowder changed the world and how warfare was conducted, but it didn't have the immediate impact that one might assume. So let's explore its emergence and development in this dedicated episode of the History of the World podcast.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2024

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.

Transcribed - Published: 1 June 2024