Explore how the Black Death reshaped Medieval Europe with its devastating impact, killing over a third of the population in just 4 years. Uncover the societal chaos, economic implications, and cultural transformations that followed this catastrophic plague. Delve into the macabre imagery, societal responses, and rise of new institutions in the aftermath of the Black Death, showcasing a paradigm shift in Europe's history.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Library at Nineveh, a treasure house of Assyrian ideas from the 7th Century BC. In 1849 a young English adventurer called Henry Layard started digging into a small hill on the banks of the River Tigris in Northern Iraq. Underneath it he found the ancient city of Nineveh. Layard unearthed extraordinary things - wonderful carved reliefs, ancient palace rooms and great statues of winged bulls. He also found a collection of clay tablets, broken up, jumbled around and sitting on the floor of a toilet. It was the remnants of a library and although Layard didn’t know it at the time, it was one of the greatest archaeological finds ever made.Conceived to house the sum of all human knowledge the library was built in the 7th century BC as the grand Assyrian Empire entered its last years. The clay tablets have proved to be a window into all aspects of Assyrian life, its literature, politics, religion and medicine – practises that are both deeply alien to us and alluringly familiar. With Eleanor Robson, Senior Lecturer at Cambridge University and Vice-Chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq; Karen Radner, Lecturer in the Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London; Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London

Exploring the history of ideas about the brain from ancient times to the 17th century, including Hippocrates and Aristotle's views. The shift in perceptions of the brain's importance and functions over the centuries. The Renaissance fascination with the internal exploration of the human body. Thomas Willis's innovative techniques in brain anatomy mapping. Literary views on the brain in 16th-century literature. The evolving understanding of the brain and life in the 17th and 18th centuries. The mysteries of phrenology and brain research, including Paul Broca's language research.

Exploring the controversial land enclosures of the 18th century, from economic progress to accusations of theft. Highlighting winners and losers, transition from communal to enclosed farming, impacts on agriculture and social dynamics. Analyzing Karl Marx's perspective on capitalism's emergence and the debate over the peasantry's independence during enclosures.

Philosophers trace the roots of materialism from ancient times to modern physics, challenging religious beliefs. The clash of materialism and Christian thought, the link between materialism and atheism, and Descartes' view on matter are explored. The podcast delves into the conflict between materialism and spiritual existence, debates eliminative materialism, and discusses consciousness, free will, and the mind.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poet W.B. Yeats and Irish politics. Yeats lived through a period of great change in Ireland from the collapse of the home rule bill through to the Easter Rising of 1916 and the partitioning of the country. In May 1916, 15 men were shot by the British government. They were the leaders of the Easter Rising – a doomed attempt to overthrow British rule in Ireland - and they were commemorated by W.B. Yeats in a poem called Easter 1916. It ends with the following lines: MacDonagh and MacBrideAnd Connolly and PearseNow and in time to be,Wherever green is worn,Are changed, changed utterly:A terrible beauty is born.Yeats lived through decades of turbulence in Ireland. He saw the suspension of home rule, civil war and the division of the country, but how did the politics of the age imprint themselves on his poetry, what was the nature of Yeats’ own nationalism, and what did he mean by that most famous of phrases ‘a terrible beauty is born’?With Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History at Oxford University and Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford; Fran Brearton, Reader in English at Queen’s University, Belfast and Assistant Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry; Warwick Gould, Director of the Institute of English Studies in the School of Advanced Study, University of London

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss ‘the Norman Yoke’ – the idea that the Battle of Hastings sparked years of cruel oppression for the Anglo Saxons by a Norman ruling class. ‘Norman saw on English oak,On English neck a Norman yoke;Norman spoon in English dish,And England ruled as Normans wish.’Taken from Sir Walter Scott’s novel ‘Ivanhoe’, these words encapsulate the idea of ‘the Norman Yoke’ – that the Battle of Hastings sparked the cruel oppression of Anglo-Saxon liberties by a foreign ruling class. Certainly, William the Conqueror proclaimed his power in great castles and cathedrals, turned the church upside down and even changed the colour of scribal ink. But was it really such a terrible time for the Anglo Saxons or was the idea of beastly Norman oppressors and noble Saxon sufferers invented later to shore up the idea of Englishness? With Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Christ Church, Oxford; Richard Gameson, Professor in the Department of History at Durham University; Matthew Strickland, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow.

Delving into Newton's Laws of Motion, the podcast discusses the monumental task Newton undertook to explain the movements of celestial bodies and everyday objects. It explores the enduring impact of his laws on classical mechanics, highlighting their role in putting Neil Armstrong on the Moon. The podcast also touches on the refinement of Newton's laws over the years and their influence on scientific evolution.

Melvyn Bragg and Michael Sherbrook discuss Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, questioning its religious and social impact. They explore the functions of monasteries, the daily life of monks, educational roles, and Henry VIII's motivations. The aftermath of the dissolution is examined, highlighting the redistribution of assets, societal shifts, and the impact on the poor and women.

The podcast explores Soren Kierkegaard's decision to end his engagement, his philosophical concepts of paradox and individual freedom, and his influence on existentialism. It delves into his critique of Hegel, views on Christianity, stages of life, faith beyond reason, perspectives on love and Christian ethics, and his modern relevance in the philosophical world.