History of the World podcast

661 - 750 - The Umayyad Caliphate grew to become the largest land empire that the world had ever seen, but such were the challenges of keeping the Islamic world united that constant civil wars would underpin this dynasty's rule of the caliphate.

632 - 661 - This episode tells the story of the life of Muhammad and his struggles to follow his life's purpose to spread the word of Islam.  We also tell the story of what the Islamic world did after the death of Muhammad and the success of their proliferation.

800 - 1600 - In this special episode we explore the culmination of many millenniums of mound building cultures in the lands of the modern United States and find out what happened to them when European colonisers arrived in the sixteenth century.

The final unscripted episode before new episodes are released from next week and a final look at what's to come in Volume Four before we start our long journey through medieval history.

Big news on this week's unscripted episode regarding the launch date for Volume Four and information about a couple of special episodes to come later this month.

Another look ahead to Volume 4 and a preview of what we can expect to hear about South East Asia.  We discuss what humans consider to be aesthetically beautiful about other human beings, and provide news regarding two upcoming special episodes.

An informal look at the Greek pantheon of Olympian deities and what they are individually best known for.  Also we present all of the usual weekly updates and correspondence from the best podcast audience ever.

Looking ahead to the next volume of podcasts, we whet our appetites with the prospect of medieval Japan and it's transition from seasonal farmers to samurai warriors.  We also catch up with your messages and reviews.

Welcome along to yet another unscripted episode where we pay particular attention to the Jews of Jerusalem and how their troublesome journey through Classical Antiquity led to numerous conflicts with the Romans and their ultimate expulsion.

Another look ahead to Volume Four where we will focus on the lands of India and China, and track the rise of Genghis Khan and the Mongols.  We hear more of your e-mail and reviews.