Experts on History

Latest Episodes:

Swallow's Dance: A Minoan Story, with Wendy Orr Nov 04, 2024

Show notes

Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr is a beautiful portrait of the Aegean Bronze Age set during the time of the Theran eruption through the eyes of a young girl. This interview with our CEO Jan van der Crabben and author Wendy Orr discusses Wendy's fascination with the Minoans, Akrotiri and the Bronze Age Aegean, and how her visit to Santorini and Crete influenced her writing.

Get the book: https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1772780626/

Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home - and her family - in pieces. And the goddess hasn't finished with the island yet.

With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira has only the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety.

This podcast was produced by World History Encyclopedia (www.worldhistory.org) and first published in 2020 as a video interview.

Wendy Orr's Website: https://www.wendyorr.com/

Keywords: Aegean Bronze Age, Theran eruption, Minoans, Akrotiri, Santorini, Crete, Wendy Orr, Swallow's Dance, historical fiction, ancient history, Mediterranean.

Werewolves in Antiquity, with Daniel Ogden Oct 28, 2024

Show notes

Where did the concept of the werewolf originate from? Why did they always turn in to wolves? Daniel Ogden, the author of the book The Werewolf in the Ancient World will be answering these questions and much more, along with telling us some of his favourite werewolf stories from Ancient Greece and Rome! The werewolf has a long and continuous history that can be traced back to the ancient world, at least as far back as Herodotus!

Get the book: https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0198854315/

This podcast was produced by World History Encyclopedia (www.worldhistory.org). It was first published in 2021 as a video interview on our YouTube channel.

The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on:

https://ancientlyre.com/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9&nd=1&dlsi=a209242a5ad6403b

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Reconstructing 54 Roman Emperors, with Daniel Voshart and Joshua J. Mark Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

Working with busts, written descriptions, coins and any other available resource, Daniel has reconstructed the heads of the first 54 Roman Emperors from the Roman Empire. From Augustus Caesar to Marcus Aurelius, Maximinus Thrax and Caligula, our interview with Daniel discusses the difficulties of reconstructing the emperors and things that surprised him during the process.

Joined by Joshua J. Mark, our resident Roman history buff, we talk about the emperors that have turned out exactly how we would imagine, and the history of some of these famous Roman Emperors. This interview looks at Ancient Rome and the Roman Emperors like no other, thanks to the brilliant work of Daniel!

This podcast was produced by World History Encyclopedia (www.worldhistory.org) and first published in 2020 as a video interview.

Daniel's work :

https://voshart.medium.com/photoreal-roman-emperor-project-236be7f06c8f

Daniel Voshart’s Website - https://voshart.com/

Buy Daniel’s prints here:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/Voshart

@dvoshart

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9&nd=1&dlsi=2d8eecfa766c436e

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Keywords: Roman Emperors, Augustus Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Maximinus Thrax, Caligula, Roman Empire, Ancient Rome, historical reconstruction, Roman history.

The Life & Death of Ancient Cities, with Greg Woolf Oct 13, 2024

Show notes

The author of The Life and Death of Ancient Cities, Greg Woolf talks about the history of cities in the ancient world. Why did all cities not survive? What constitutes a city? How long have humans been creating cities? All of these questions and more will be discussed in this interview!

The Life and Death of Ancient Cities is not like your dusty old history book, but presents the history, growth and decline of cities throughout the Ancient world from the Bronze Age through to Late Antiquity. This modern take on Ancient cities around the word brings the ancient world into our modern lives with rich illustrations and Woolf’s passionate global analysis.

Perfect for history buffs, city enthusiasts, and anyone curious about the rise and fall of civilizations.

Get the Book: https://www.worldhistory.org/books/019762183X

This podcast was produced by World History Encyclopedia (www.worldhistory.org) and first published in 2020 as a video interview.

Keywords: ancient cities, Greg Woolf, history podcast, urban history, Bronze Age, Late Antiquity, city growth, city decline, ancient world, urban development.

Museum Curation & Archaeology with Jamie Fraser Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

Did you know that one of the British Museum's most famous pieces is still a mystery 90 years after it was acquired? We still don't know who the Queen of the Night depicts, or where it comes from. In this interview, Dr. Jamie Fraser tells us all about his job as a curator at The British Museum, why he chose to pursue archaeology and his very first dig site. Jamie also discusses the Queen of the Night artefact at The British Museum and his excavations of an ancient olive oil factory in Jordan!

Jamie Fraser is the Assistant Keeper (curator) of the Ancient Levant and Anatolia at The British Museum. He completed his PhD in Middle Eastern Archaeology at the University of Sydney, and has worked on archaeological projects in Jordan, Syria, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kashmir, Greece, Cambodia, and the Solomon Islands.

Join us on Patreon for Exclusive benefits! https://www.patreon.com/whencyclopedia

Check out our website for great articles and interactive content! https://www.worldhistory.org

Find our audio articles here! https://pod.co/ancient-history-encyclopedia

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Check out Michael’s new album! https://open.spotify.com/album/6JR9aABOWMwTa5TsZpEyFS?si=HU15jgeTTZmmsEnaEF1qvg

Ancient Egypt with Garry Shaw Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

Did you know that the gods were a core part of everyday life for the ancient Egyptians? In this episode Dr. Garry Shaw enthusiastically delves into being an Egyptologist, the oldest artefact he has ever found and trade between Egypt and the Middle East. Garry answers your questions about the Hyksos, Akhenaten and more!

Garry Shaw is the author of eight books on Ancient Egypt, and gained his PhD in Egyptology from the University of Liverpool. He writes on North Africa and Middle Eastern cultural heritage for The Art Newspaper; is editor of Al Rawi: Egypt’s Heritage Review; and has developed an online Egyptology course for Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education. His latest book, Egyptian Mythology, A Traveller's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria has just been published by Thames & Hudson.

Join us on Patreon for Exclusive benefits! https://www.patreon.com/whencyclopedia

Check out our website for great articles and interactive content! https://www.worldhistory.org

Find our audio articles here! https://pod.co/ancient-history-encyclopedia

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Check out Michael’s new album! https://open.spotify.com/album/6JR9aABOWMwTa5TsZpEyFS?si=HU15jgeTTZmmsEnaEF1qvg

Caribbean Colonialism with Carrie Gibson Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

Why do many people still believe that the British Empire was a good thing? How does that relate to British identity? Dr. Carrie Gibson discusses colonialism and its effects , the meaning of the term ‘Hispanic,’ and the involvement of the United States in Latin America as well as other questions sent in by you!

Carrie received her PhD in history from Cambridge and has worked as journalist for the Guardian and the Observer newspapers as well as the BBC. She has travelled extensively in North and South America and the Caribbean and is the author of El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America (Grove Press UK, 2019) and Empire’s Crossroads: A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day (Pan Macmillan, 2014).

Join us on Patreon for Exclusive benefits! https://www.patreon.com/whencyclopedia

Check out our website for great articles and interactive content! https://www.worldhistory.org

Find our audio articles here! https://pod.co/ancient-history-encyclopedia

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Check out Michael’s new album! https://open.spotify.com/album/6JR9aABOWMwTa5TsZpEyFS?si=HU15jgeTTZmmsEnaEF1qvg

Ancient Persia with John Tidmarsh Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

Did you know that the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism is still alive? Dr. John Tidmarsh tells us all about some lesser-known Persians including Persian women, the Zoroastrian religion and whether he thought Xerxes was actually mad or not, along with more of your questions!

Dr. John Tidmarsh is both a medical doctor and holds a PhD in archaeology. He is a co-director of the University of Sydney’s excavations at Pella in Jordan and co-director of the ANU/ University of Melbourne excavations at Jebel Khalid in Syria. He has previously excavated in Greece and Cyprus. His main areas of interest are the archaeology of Alexander the Great’s conquests, the Hellenistic Period in the Near East and Asia, and the Islamic world.

Join us on Patreon for Exclusive benefits! https://www.patreon.com/whencyclopedia

Check out our website for great articles and interactive content! https://www.worldhistory.org

Find our audio articles here! https://pod.co/ancient-history-encyclopedia

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Check out Michael’s new album! https://open.spotify.com/album/6JR9aABOWMwTa5TsZpEyFS?si=HU15jgeTTZmmsEnaEF1qvg

Mesopotamian Religion with Louise Pryke Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

Did you know that many religions had flood myths, not just Gilgamesh and Noah? In this interview Dr Louise Pryke answers your questions that include the role of Marduk in Babylonian society and Mesopotamian narratives such as The Epic of Gilgamesh and flood narratives. She also tells us how her love of stories brought her to study the oldest stories in the world.

Dr. Louise Pryke has a PhD in Ancient History and is the author of four books. Louise has taught courses in ancient languages and literature at Macquarie University and the University of Sydney and is the author of Scorpion (2016), Ishtar (2017), Gilgamesh (2019), and Turtle (2021).

Join us on Patreon for Exclusive benefits! https://www.patreon.com/whencyclopedia

Check out our website for great articles and interactive content! https://www.worldhistory.org

Find our audio articles here! https://pod.co/ancient-history-encyclopedia

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Check out Michael’s new album! https://open.spotify.com/album/6JR9aABOWMwTa5TsZpEyFS?si=HU15jgeTTZmmsEnaEF1qvg

Alexander the Great & Philip II with Ian Worthington Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

Did you know that Alexander's father laid the plans to invade Asia? Prof. Ian Worthington delves into the nitty gritty of Philip II of Macedon and tells us why he is more interesting than his son Alexander the Great, as well as discussing Solon, Greek democracy and the rise of the Roman Empire.

Professor Ian Worthington received his PhD from Monash University in Australia and specializes in Greek history and oratory. He is a prolific author having written eight books, as well as co-authoring and editing another ten and he has translated two volumes of the Greek orators (in the University of Texas Oratory of Classical Greece series), and written over 100 articles and essays on Greek history, oratory, epigraphy, and literature.

Join us on Patreon for Exclusive benefits! https://www.patreon.com/whencyclopedia

Check out our website for great articles and interactive content! https://www.worldhistory.org

Find our audio articles here! https://pod.co/ancient-history-encyclopedia

https://www.ancientlyre.com

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A

Check out Michael’s new album! https://open.spotify.com/album/6JR9aABOWMwTa5TsZpEyFS?si=HU15jgeTTZmmsEnaEF1qvg