Experts on History

Michael Levy, a prolific composer of the ancient lyre and kithara, shares his inspiration and deep knowledge of these remarkable instruments. A few tortoiseshell lyres have survived—most famously the Elgin Lyre in the British Museum—and several ancient Egyptian lyres remain as well. Michael plays a replica of the Leiden Lyre, crafted by Luthieros, based on the original preserved in Leiden and dati...

In our interview with Richard Hingley, we chat all about his new book Conquering The Ocean: The Roman Invasion of Britain. What's the book about? It's about the Roman conquest of Britain, but that takes some explaining because I suppose in the mind of the public, sometimes the Roman conquest is quite a short term thing, you know, perhaps it occurs over a few years, in reality, it goes on for a lon...

The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert by John Lee is a story of a boy who grows up in poverty, facing racism and violence, a boy who seemed like he would have no opportunities. But thanks to dedicated teachers – both black and white –, his unceasing drive to learn, and the opportunities that unexpectedly presented themselves, he was able to rise from those humble beginnings...

Katherine Pangonis' new book Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule sheds light on the somewhat overlooked women, queens and princesses of Outremer (the Crusader States). The book is about a dynasty of women who ruled in the Middle East during the medieval period, specifically in the 12th century during the times of the Crusades. It starts with Morphia of Melitene. She's an Armenian Prin...

Join World History Encyclopedia as they sit down with author and historian James Lacey to chat all about Rome: Strategy of Empire, the first work to lay out Roman strategic thinking from its start under Augustus until its final demise in 476 CE From Octavian's victory at Actium (31 bc) to its traditional endpoint in the West (476), the Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years—an impressive number by...

Ian Richardson, Senior Treasure Registrar at the British Museum, explores how everyday discoveries made by the public have reshaped our understanding of Britain’s past. He explains the Portable Antiquity Scheme and the Treasure Act, showing how ordinary finds from metal detecting, gardening, or chance become part of the national record. In this talk, he shares stories of remarkable discoveries inc...

Step into the fascinating world of Elizabethan England with historian and educator Harrison Mark, as he explores the life, works, and mysterious death of Christopher Marlowe, one of the most influential—and controversial—figures in English literary history. In this conversation, Harrison shares his passion for history and literature, tracing Marlowe’s journey from his humble beginnings to his grou...

A major new history of the Eastern Roman Empire (also known as Byzantium), from Constantine to 1453 by author and scholar Anthony Kaldellis. In recent decades, the study of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Byzantium, has been revolutionized by new approaches and more sophisticated models for how its society and state operated. No longer looked upon as a pale facsimile of classical Rome, Byz...

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East by Amanda H. Podany is a unique history of the ancient Near East that compellingly presents the life stories of kings, priestesses, merchants, bricklayers, and others. Rather than chronicling three thousand years of rulers and states, Weavers, Scribes, and Kings instead creates a tapestry of life stories through which readers will...

Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace by Alexander Mikaberidze is about a character, a historical figure, but also the main protagonist of the book that many people claim to have read, but very few actually manage to get through, War and Peace. Those who are familiar with the novel know that the Russian field marshal who leads the Russian armies both in 1805 and then in the decisive showdown with Napol...

In our interview with Gordon Campbell, we chat all about his new book Norse America: The Story of a Founding Myth . The book tells two stories. One story is that of the Norse proceeding in the 10th and 11th century from mainland Scandinavia to the Faroes and Iceland and Greenland, and from Greenland they sail, hunting in many cases to what is now the Eastern Arctic in Canada. And they famously, as...

Join World History Encyclopedia as we talk to Garry Shaw, an Egyptologist and author of a brand new book Egyptian Mythology: A Travelers Guide From Aswan to Alexandria . Garry's book on Egyptian mythology starts with a journey beginning in the south of Egypt, which is the traditional border in the region of Aswan, and then you travel northward to the Mediterranean Sea, stopping at various location...

Nancy Marie Brown, author of The Real Valkyrie: The Hidden History of Viking Warrior Women joins us to talk all about female Vikings, warrior women and women in the Viking Age. Nancy uses two very different kinds of sources in The Real Valkyrie: medieval texts and modern archaeology. The Real Valkyrie is a book that attempts to recreate the life and times of one warrior in the Viking Age, and that...

Meet Elodie Harper, author of The Wolf Den , a riveting book that explores life in ancient Pompeii... in a brothel. Sold by her mother. Enslaved in Pompeii's brothel. Determined to survive. Her name is Amara. Welcome to the Wolf Den... Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father's death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii's infamous brothel, owned by a man she des...

In this episode we interview author Jennifer Saint about her book Ariadne and the myth behind it. As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos's greatest shame and Ariadne's brother - demands blood every year. When Theseus, Pr...

In this interview with Leyla & Soren Johnson we explore the strategy game Old World, a 4X game set in ancient times. The creators at Mohawk Games worked hard to bring antiquity to life, incorporating many events inspired by real history. Play as a real leader of an ancient empire, make choices for your empire and grow it into a successful and prosperous entity. This dynamic game is different f...

Swallow's Dance by Wendy Orr is a beautiful portrait of the Aegean Bronze Age set during the time of the Theran eruption through the eyes of a young girl. This interview with our CEO Jan van der Crabben and author Wendy Orr discusses Wendy's fascination with the Minoans, Akrotiri and the Bronze Age Aegean, and how her visit to Santorini and Crete influenced her writing. Get the book: https://www.w...

Where did the concept of the werewolf originate from? Why did they always turn in to wolves? Daniel Ogden, the author of the book The Werewolf in the Ancient World will be answering these questions and much more, along with telling us some of his favourite werewolf stories from Ancient Greece and Rome! The werewolf has a long and continuous history that can be traced back to the ancient world, at...

Working with busts, written descriptions, coins and any other available resource, Daniel has reconstructed the heads of the first 54 Roman Emperors from the Roman Empire. From Augustus Caesar to Marcus Aurelius, Maximinus Thrax and Caligula, our interview with Daniel discusses the difficulties of reconstructing the emperors and things that surprised him during the process. Joined by Joshua J. Mark...

The author of The Life and Death of Ancient Cities, Greg Woolf talks about the history of cities in the ancient world. Why did all cities not survive? What constitutes a city? How long have humans been creating cities? All of these questions and more will be discussed in this interview! The Life and Death of Ancient Cities is not like your dusty old history book, but presents the history, growth a...

Did you know that one of the British Museum's most famous pieces is still a mystery 90 years after it was acquired? We still don't know who the Queen of the Night depicts, or where it comes from. In this interview, Dr. Jamie Fraser tells us all about his job as a curator at The British Museum, why he chose to pursue archaeology and his very first dig site. Jamie also discusses the Queen of the Nig...

Did you know that the gods were a core part of everyday life for the ancient Egyptians? In this episode Dr. Garry Shaw enthusiastically delves into being an Egyptologist, the oldest artefact he has ever found and trade between Egypt and the Middle East. Garry answers your questions about the Hyksos, Akhenaten and more! Garry Shaw is the author of eight books on Ancient Egypt, and gained his PhD in...

Why do many people still believe that the British Empire was a good thing? How does that relate to British identity? Dr. Carrie Gibson discusses colonialism and its effects , the meaning of the term ‘Hispanic,’ and the involvement of the United States in Latin America as well as other questions sent in by you!  Carrie received her PhD in history from Cambridge and has worked as journalist for the...

Did you know that the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism is still alive? Dr. John Tidmarsh tells us all about some lesser-known Persians including Persian women, the Zoroastrian religion and whether he thought Xerxes was actually mad or not, along with more of your questions! Dr. John Tidmarsh is both a medical doctor and holds a PhD in archaeology. He is a co-director of the University of...

Did you know that many religions had flood myths, not just Gilgamesh and Noah? In this interview Dr Louise Pryke answers your questions that include the role of Marduk in Babylonian society and Mesopotamian narratives such as The Epic of Gilgamesh and flood narratives. She also tells us how her love of stories brought her to study the oldest stories in the world. Dr. Louise Pryke has a PhD in Anci...