Episodes

  • 20. Persia - An Empire in Ashes

    20. Persia - An Empire in Ashes
    Nov 12 2025

    In the highlands of the Iranian Plateau, a collection of enormous pillars reach up to the sky...In this episode, we tell the story of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Find out how this remarkable ancient power sprung up from the rubble of a ruined world to become the most powerful human society on earth. Hear how they raised their grand palaces and monuments, and brought an unprecedented number of people together within their borders, as well as coming into conflict and cooperation with other ancient peoples. And finally find out what happened to bring the palaces of the Persian kings crashing down in fire and flame.


    CREDITS

    Voice actors:

    Henry Stenhouse Michael Hajiantonis

    Lachlan Lucas

    Alexandra Boulton

    Simon Jackson

    Tom Marshall-Lee

    Chris Harvey

    Jack Jacobs

    Nick Denton

    Amrit Sandhu

    Paul Casselle

    Tim Stephenson

    Ameen Taher

    Readings in Old Persian were performed by Mateen Arghandepour

    In Spanish by Scott Fins

    And readings in Greek were performed by Dimitris Chavres

    Singing of the Zoroastrian gathas was performed by Ardalan

    The Theme music is Home at Last by John Bartmann

    Sound design was by Alexey Sibikin

    Historical advisor was Dr. Mateen.M. Arghandehpour at the University of Oxford

    Full list of sources available here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/145588047
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    5 hrs and 29 mins
  • 19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 2)

    19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 2)
    Dec 9 2024
    In the far east of the Eurasian steppe, the sound of hoofbeats is growing... In this episode we travel along the vast grassland corridor of the steppe, to hear one of the most remarkable and unlikely stories from medieval history – the story of the Mongol Empire. Find out how this group of nomadic horse riders united the peoples of the Mongolian steppe, and forged them into a truly unique kind of state. Discover how they conquered much of the lands of Eurasia, and brought the distant cultures of China, Persia, the Middle East and Europe into contact. And hear the story of how the world’s largest land empire finally came apart, and left the world as we know it in its wake. Voice Actors: Michael Hajiantonis Henry Stenhouse Lachlan Lucas Alexandra Boulton Simon Jackson Tom Marshall-Lee Chris Harvey, Nick Denton Amrit Sandhu Sebastian Balzarolo Matt Bidulph Paul Casselle Readings in Arabic were performed by Oussama Taher. Readings in Chinese were by Richard Teng. Readings from the secret history of the Mongols in Mongolian were performed by Uiles
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    2 hrs and 45 mins
  • 19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 1)

    19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 1)
    Dec 5 2024
    In the far east of the Eurasian steppe, the sound of hoofbeats is growing... In this episode we travel along the vast grassland corridor of the steppe, to hear one of the most remarkable and unlikely stories from medieval history – the story of the Mongol Empire. Find out how this group of nomadic horse riders united the peoples of the Mongolian steppe, and forged them into a truly unique kind of state. Discover how they conquered much of the lands of Eurasia, and brought the distant cultures of China, Persia, the Middle East and Europe into contact. And hear the story of how the world’s largest land empire finally came apart, and left the world as we know it in its wake. Voice Actors: Michael Hajiantonis Henry Stenhouse Lachlan Lucas Alexandra Boulton Simon Jackson Tom Marshall-Lee Chris Harvey, Nick Denton Amrit Sandhu Matt Bidulph Paul Casselle Readings in Arabic were performed by Oussama Taher. Readings in Chinese were by Richard Teng. Readings from the secret history of the Mongols in Mongolian were performed by Uiles
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    4 hrs and 1 min
  • 18. Egypt - Fall of the Pharaohs

    18. Egypt - Fall of the Pharaohs
    Feb 1 2024
    Far in the distance, three colossal shapes tower over the desert horizon… In this episode, we travel to the Nile Valley, and tell the story of one of the most iconic cultures ever produced by humankind – the civilizations of ancient Egypt. I want to show how this series of related cultures grew up in the floodplains of their great river, and built some of the most enduring and recognizable structures in the world. And I want to tell the story of what happened to bring the age of the Pharaohs finally and cataclysmically to an end. Credits: Michael Hajiantonis Nick Denton Paul Casselle Alexandra Boulton Tom Marshall-Lee Rhy Brignell Peter Walters Lachlan Lucas Narrated and produced by Paul Cooper Sound engineering by Alexey Sibikin Readings in Arabic by Nassim El-Boujjoufi Readings in reconstructed ancient Egyptian by Seqnenra (Mohammad Habib) and Doha Abd Allah Amin
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    3 hrs and 58 mins
  • 17. Carthage - Empire Of The Phoenicians

    17. Carthage - Empire Of The Phoenicians
    Apr 11 2023
    Buried beneath the city streets of the Tunisian capital of Tunis, an ancient city lies forgotten... In this episode, we look at one of the most dramatic stories to come down to us from the ancient world: the rise and fall of the empire of Carthage. Find out how this city rose out of the Phoenician states of the Eastern Mediterranean, and set out on voyages of discovery and settlement that put them at the centre of the ancient world. And hear how the city of Carthage was destroyed, and its memory nearly wiped from the earth. SOURCES: https://www.patreon.com/posts/sources-for-17-81369494?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Credits: Written and produced by Paul Cooper Sound engineering by Alexey Sibikin Voice actors: Michael Hajiantonis Lachlan Lucas Alexandra Boulton Simon Jackson Tom Marshall-Lee Chris Harvey, Nick Denton Paul Casselle
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    3 hrs and 38 mins
  • 16. Bagan - City Of Temples

    16. Bagan - City Of Temples
    Oct 2 2022
    In the lowlands of Burma lie the remains of thousands of crumbling temples... In this episode, we tell one of the most colourful stories of civilizational survival: the story of the Bagan Empire of Myanmar. Find out how this kingdom rose up in the Irrawaddy river valley of central Myanmar, and built one of the most remarkable series of monuments to have survived from the medieval world. Discover what life was like for the people who lived there, and find out what happened to cause its sudden and complete collapse.
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    2 hrs and 7 mins
  • 15. The Nabataeans - The Last Days of Petra

    15. The Nabataeans - The Last Days of Petra
    Jun 15 2022
    In the deserts of Jordan, a city lies hidden for centuries in a valley of rose-red stone...In this episode, we look at one of the most peculiar stories of civilizational survival to come down to us from the ancient world, the story of the Nabataeans. Find out how these once humble traders rose to become masters of the desert sands, and to defy empires. And discover what happened to finally bring down the empire of Nabataea.
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    2 hrs and 1 min
  • 14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors Of South India

    14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors Of South India
    Feb 18 2022
    On the rocky banks of South India's Tungabhadra River, an enormous ruined city lies crumbling... In this episode, we look at the Vijayanagara Empire of Southern India, a civilization that has all but faded from memory in many parts of the world. Find out how this remarkable society rose up out of an age of conflict and fragmentation, how it built one of the largest and most impressive medieval cities in the world, and developed an identity that was both South Indian in nature, and global in its outlook. With readings in Sanskrit, and the sounds of traditional Carnatic music, find out what happened to bring the great stone temples of Vijayanagara crashing down in fire and flame. ---------- Credits: Voice actors: Peter Walters Michael Hajiantonis Kim Heron Nick Denton Paul Casselle Sound engineering by Alexey Sibikin Original music performed and composed by Aruna Sairam.
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    3 hrs and 14 mins