History of the World podcast

In this, the second of two unscripted episodes this weekend, we introduce the team competing in Group L of the Ancient World Cup and look ahead at what we can expect from the upcoming episodes of Volume Four.

This episode of the History of the World podcast focuses on listener media interaction by reading out your messages and reviews.

1453 - Was the Fall of Constantinople a foregone conclusion, and is it correct to regard it as the fall of the once great city?  The fascinating story of the city, the characters and the sequence of events that led to the dramatic end of Roman culture.

1071 - The Seljuk Turks came to power and threatened Byzantine territory more than any other society before.  The Byzantines required a strong leader to stand up to this new powerhouse of the Middle East, and so a battle would take place with wider reaching ramifications to the world around it.

1014 - The tensions between the Bulgarians and the Byzantines reaches the point of no return when two great military monarchs called Samuel and Basil meet in battle, and a strategical match plays out which results in the ultimate destruction of one nation.

146 BCE - 1204 CE - This is the story of the Balkan Peninsula from its post Classical Greek and Hellenistic period when it was conquered by the Roman Republic, through to the defeat of the Byzantine Empire by the Latins of the Fourth Crusade.

976 - 1422 - The glorious period of Basil the Bulgar Slayer rampaging through Bulgaria and destroying it was the last great imperial act of the Romans before their slow and painful decline began.  We even speak of a conquest of the Byzantine Empire by Crusading Christians before the rise of the Ottomans even happened.

718 - 976 - This period represents a reestablishment of the Byzantine Empire in a new world of Christian competition, and emerging nations looking to challenge Byzantine dominance and ideology.

628 - 718 - The emergence of the Arabs and the Bulgars on the fringes of Byzantine lands had a profound effect on the legacy of the Heraclian dynasty of Byzantine rulers.  The empire dramatically decreased in size and had to become familiar with a new style of existence.

395 - 628 - How did Eastern Rome and Western Rome drift apart, and how did the fall of Western Rome impact Eastern Rome?  We meet Justinian, Belisarius and Heraclius and explore the Byzantine relationship with the Sasanian Persians, the Avars, the Ostrogoths and the Lombards.

1280 - 1453 - The story of how one of the great second millennium empires of Eurasia rose to significance and put the Christian world of south east Europe on notice with its military expertise and diplomatic guile.

1037 – 1194 - From humble beginnings in the lands of the Oghuz Turks, Seljuk traveled east to become Islamised and start a movement which would conquer the lands of the Middle East and directly permanently influence the politics of Eurasia and religion.

750 - 945 - The Abbasid Caliphate marked the Golden Age of Arabic culture when Baghdad became the cultural and economical centre of the world, but many dynastic entities rose to power creating an empire of intense competition.

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.

The Xiongnu were more than a match for their powerful Chinese neighbours during the early imperial years of China.  They were the reason behind the Chinese desire to start construction of the Great Wall.  Who were they and what happened to them?

A look ahead to the material of Volume Four where the spread of Christian and Muslim societies brought them into conflict with each other, other peoples and themselves in the lead up to the Renaissance.