History of Africa

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Season 2 Episode 15 - The Somali Maritime Era May 24, 2021

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After centuries of thoroughly dominating the commerce and trade of the Red Sea, the powerful merchants of Aksum have finally met their match. After a devastating raid from the caliphate on the port city of Adulis, the Somali merchants will finally gain the opportunity they need to equal and even surpass the Aksumite trade monopoly.
To learn more about the topic and African history more generally, check out the new blog post.

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Season 2 Episode 14 - The Rise of Islam (From the Aksumite Perspective) May 10, 2021

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Facing the threat of persecution from the polytheistic elite of Mecca, the early followers of the Prophet Muhammad are forced to leave the city. They find refuge in the Empire of Aksum. However, not all is well in the empire. The current negus, Armah (more often known as Al-Najashi) is struggling to put down the rebellion of the treacherous general Hatsani Danael.
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Season 2 Episode 13 - The Aksumite-Persian War Apr 26, 2021

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A triumvirate of a disgraced Aksumite prince, a Persian death-row prisoner, and an Arab-Jewish nobleman threaten to permanently kick the Aksumites out of their Yemeni client kingdom Learn more about the Aksumite-Persian war (or about African history as a whole (on our accompanying blog.
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Season 2 Episode 12 - The Year of the Elephant and the First Plague Apr 12, 2021

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In the 530s AD, a mysterious disease swept across the Aksumite territories of Ethiopia and Yemen. The black plague, with mysterious origins somewhere in the interior of East Africa, would soon spread on the ships of Aksumite merchants across the world. To make matters worse, a surge in volcanic activity caused a drop in global temperature, causing further chaos in the agrarian economy of Aksum. Meanwhile, as Abraha's kingdom of Aksumite Arabia struggled to recover from the plague, the former general concocts a plan to restore his economy through ancient religious tourism, only to have his scheme ruined by a single elephant.

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Season 2 Episode 11: The Aksumite Civil War Mar 29, 2021

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The Aksumite invasion of Yemen was a success! The Himyarite king had killed himself, and the entirety of the Himyarite kingdom was under Aksumite control. Now what?
Two Aksumite generals: the prince-general Ariat and the slave-turned-general Abraha, disagreed strongly as to what they should do next. These disagreements, over such different matters as forced conversions, which villages should be raided, and how much power should be given to a puppet king, all eventually escalate into a catastrophic civil war.
Learn more about African history on our blog

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Season 2 Episode 10 - Saint Kaleb, the Conqueror Mar 15, 2021

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Kaleb was never meant to be king. For his entire life, he wanted to live a scholarly and humble life as a monk. However, when his father died at a young age, he was forced onto the throne with only his trusted slave-turned-advisor, Abraha, to help him. Upon hearing news of brutal persecution of his fellow Christians in the Arabian Kingdom of Himyar, Kaleb leaps into action, assembling the largest army that Aksum had ever seen to finally conquer his Arabian enemy.

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Season 2 Episode 9 - Aksum’s Zealot King and the Nine Saints Mar 01, 2021

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After Saizana's death, a mysterious man named Mahedyas takes the throne of Aksum. He begins a crusade to rid Aksum of the holdovers from its polytheistic past, and consolidates the church under his direct control. Later, a group of refugee priests land in Aksum and begin revolutionizing the Aksumite church.

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Season 2 Episode 8: Ezana’s Conquest of Nubia Feb 15, 2021

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The Ancient Nubian kingdom of Meroe had existed before Aksum's foundation as a city, and was the preeminent power in East Africa for most of its existence. But, by the year 360, the tables had turned. Nubia was a kingdom in decline, while Aksum was the hot new hegemon in the region. After dealing with many internal struggles within the Aksumite Empire, King Ezana has set his eyes on ending the ancient kingdom to his North.
To learn more and view images from the episode, visit our blog at https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com

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Season 2 Episode 7 - The Great King Ezana Feb 01, 2021

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King Ezana of Aksum is widely regarded among scholars of Aksumite history as the greatest ruler in the empire's history. He transformed the empire religiously, politically, and economically in a way that is unmatched by other Aksumite rulers. In this episode, we will focus on his childhood, upbringing, and the early years of his reign. Learn about how Ezana heightened Aksum's economic power, subdued his neighbors, and began the process of Christianizing the empire.
To learn more about African history and see maps and artifacts mentioned in this episode, click here

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Season 2 Episode 6: The Aksumite Empire’s Greatest Defeat Jan 18, 2021

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In the aftermath of the great conquests of king Gadarat, Aksum was left in a vulnerable position. Diplomatically isolated, militarily exhausted, and limited only to Najran and its immediate surroundings, Aksum will soon find itself trapped in a series of perpetual conflicts in Arabia. And, in one of these many wars, Aksum will suffer the worst military defeat in its entire history.

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