History of the World podcast

1185 - Tension between the clans during the Heian period of Japanese history was reaching boiling point particularly after the Taira clan had expelled the Minamoto from the capital city of Heian-kyu (Kyoto). The result was the outbreak of the Genpei War, and the Battle of Dan-no-ura was the concluding episode of this war.

794 - 1180 - We are covering the period of Japan's history from the relocation of the capital city to Heian-kyō up to the outbreak of the Genpei War.

40000 BCE - 794 CE - We haven't studied Japan in too much detail until now, so it is necessary for us to introduce the story of the islands from the very beginning.

This week's magazine episode takes us back to pre-historic Europe when modern humans met the neanderthals, ancient Mesoamerica where we encounter the Olmecs, Classical Rome where we study the early years of the life of Julius Caesar, and the story of the first Europeans to visit New York City.

1206 - 1526 - After the Ghurids crossed the Khyber Pass, Islam fast became a major religion of the Indian subcontinent, adding to the cultural diversity of these lands, but would this change be short lived or permanent?

In this week's episode we look back on the mysterious Mitochondrial Eve, the mysterious Xia dynasty of ancient China, and the not so mysterious Battle of Carrhae between the Roman Republic and the Parthian Persian Empire.

Any opportunity for everybody to enjoy a debrief episode where we talk in further depth about the experience of making this episode and some of the sources used to get it done.

848 - 1070 - From humble beginnings in the far south, the Chola initially took advantage of territorial expansion before taking to the seas and establishing more power away from mainland India. This episode plots the rise and fall of the Cholas.

This episode essentially talks about the history of history writing, and what history writing has meant for the wider world over the timelines of history itself.

In this week's magazine episode, we will be looking at what chimpanzees can teach us about how our ancestral species communicated with each other, we will be examining the artistry of the Indus Valley Civilisation, and we will be looking at the final conflict of the Second Punic War between the Carthaginians and the Romans.