History of the World podcast

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.