222 - 304 - The Roman Empire was on the verge of falling apart until some radical thinking by one particular Emperor looked like it could change the direction and save the future of the Empire.

193 - 222 - There were Five Good Emperors and then there seemed to be none. Just how did the quality of the Princeps decline so dramatically and what pressures were responsible for making it happen?

98 - 192 - The Pax Romana continues and tells a story of Roman stability through the second century. Gone are the egotistical megalomaniac emperors from the first century, or are they?

79 - The Romans could not have ever known the catastrophe that suddenly destroyed all civilisation around the Gulf of Naples in less that 24 hours.

68 - 98 - The Year of the Four Emperors came out of the chaos of the reign of Nero. Find out how Vespasian managed to steady the Roman ship and whether his two sons would be able to continue his good work in the aftermath.

14 - 68 - Although we covered the life and reign of Augustus in previous episodes, we can now explore the reigns of emperors 2, 3, 4 and 5 as we find out more about the unpredictability of Rome deciding to go back to a monarchical constitution in order to regulate the powerful Roman Senate.

509 BCE - 284 CE - A whistle-stop tour of some of the aspects of Rome and how some of them changed over time.

69 - 30 BCE - One of the most famous women of ancient and classical history, but was she the irresistible lady that we might expect?

31 BCE - The Second Triumvirate had fallen apart and once again the place of conflict would be Greece. An incredible naval battle with an unusual ending as Mark Antony and Octavian come to blows about the legacy of Julius Caesar and who would be at the forefront of its promotion.

44 BCE - 14 CE - Rome recovers after the death of Julius Caesar, and the constitution of Rome would change for good. One man emerges from all others to become the most trusted leader of the entire Roman Republic.

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.

60 - 44 BCE - The continuation of Caesar's story covering the First Triumvirate, The Gallic Wars and Caesar's Civil War. Rome could never be the same again.

100 - 60 BCE - The story of the chaotic Roman world that Caesar was born into, and what it would take for a charismatic and talented young man with connections to climb the political ladder of the Republic.

47 BCE - Veni, vidi, vici. Julius Caesar was short handed when he felt obliged to deal with the Pontic problem. Discover how Pontus still caused headaches for the Romans, even after the reign and lifetime of the great Mithridates VI.

52 BCE - The Battle of Alesia is the story of a siege under siege. We meet Julius Caesar, who had the Gallic confederation in a precarious spot. The Gallic leader, Vercingetorix, was entrusted to defend Alesia. This battle was historically signifant as this was a pivotal part of the wider Gallic Wars between Rome and Gaul.

53 BCE - The first major encounter between the Romans and the Parthians involved the mighty Roman army taking on an extremely unusual army. It was an army with absolutely no infantry. Find out what Crassus would do to deal with this unique threat.

73 BCE - The story of the first acts of rebellion by the group of slaves involving Spartacus. It would be one thing for a few dozen gladiators escaping captivity, but how did this become a problem of national significance?

146 - 44 BCE - The story of the Optimates and the Populares and the characters who witnessed Rome's gradual decline from its being the most powerful entity in the world to a republic fragmented by civil strife, and introducing the incredible life of Julius Caesar.

202 BCE - This world isn't big enough for both of us. Carthage under Hannibal takes on Rome under Scipio.

216 BCE - If crossing the Alps with 37 elephants wasn't enough to impress you, then what Hannibal achieved at Cannae just a couple of years later defies belief on the deadliest day in the history of Europe before this battle.

221 - 146 BCE - The incredible story of how Hannibal crossed the Alps with tens of thousands of men and a number of war elephants and penetrated the lands of the Romans in such a way that Rome's very existence was under threat. Who won the war and what was the ultimate consequence?

264 - 219 BCE - After King Pyrrhus of Epirus left modern Italian lands, much tension existed between the societies and the eventual escalation led to the First Punic War centred in and around the island of Sicily. See what happens to the economies of two mighty powerhouses when each of them refuses to back down.

509 - 272 BCE - With the monarchy abolished, Rome would still continue to have political and social issues as the Conflict of the Orders brought tensions between the patricians and the plebeians and threatened to halt Roman expansion before it even began.

753 - 509 BCE - The story of Romulus and Remus and the Seven Kings of Rome, but just how much of it was actually true and how much was pure mythology?

43 - 848 - When the Romans invaded Britain they discovered people who had decorated their bodies with bright colours. Who were these people and what became of them?

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 summary of the Neolithic period of human history covering the period between 10,000 BCE and 3000 BCE. An attempt to collate all that we have learned from Episodes 15 through to 23.

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.