The Silk Road was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the East and West.  The spice trade involved historical civilizations in Asia, Northeast Africa and Europe. Spices such as cinnamon, cassia, cardamom, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, star anise, clove, and turmeric were known and used...

In this podcast Professor Kevin MacDonald (University College London) examines the history of the Mali Empire, discusses the importance of using both oral history and archaeology to construct this history and also reflects upon the empire’s legacy. The Mali Empire was an empire in West Africa from c. 1226 to 1670. The empire was founded by Sundiata Keita (c. 1214...

In this podcast Professor Andrew Jotischky of Royal Holloway University of London, discusses some of the key historians and interpretations of the Crusades. Professor Jotischky explores the influences and thinking that informed different historian's research, approaches and traditions and looks at how this has transformed the study and understanding of...

In this podcast Dr Nicholas Morton of Nottingham Trent University examines how the Mongols consolidated their vast empire, the impact of their domination on the cultures of the conquered, their defeat to the Mamluks at the Battle of Ayn Jalut and how internal disputes led to the division and disintegration of...

In this podcast, Dr Nicholas Morton of Nottingham Trent University, looks at the rise of Chinggis Khan and the Mongol Empire and the impact it had on the civilisations of the Near East. The podcast examines some of the themes and perspectives that he covers in his book: The Mongol Storm: Making and...

In this podcast Dr Anna Chrysostomides of Queen Mary University of London discusses some of the current research on women and gender in medieval Islam, examines the changing role and status of women in the early years of Islam and looks at the lives of some of the key historical figures of...

In this podcast, Professor Jonathan Phillips of Royal Holloway, University of London, provides an introduction to the Fourth Crusade.

In this podcast, Professor Jonathan Phillips of Royal Holloway, University of London, provides an introduction to the Third Crusade.

In this podcast Dr Natasha Hodgson of Nottingham Trent University discusses the development of the Crusader States, the role and influence of the Genoa, Venice and Pisa on this development and examines the origins and significance of the Holy Military Orders. Hodgson discusses what daily life was like and the role of the...

In this podcast Dr Natasha Hodgson of Nottingham Trent University discusses the role and experience of women during the Crusades.  For Mediterranean women on the eve of the Crusades, life varied greatly depending upon their status. Women in positions of lordship were involved in all levels of strategy, and although women couldn’t...

In this podcast, Nick Holmes, suggests that the Crusades formed part of amedieval world war that stretched from Asia to Europe. At its centre was the ancient empire Byzantium. Nick Holmes links three great events that changed history: the fall of Byzantium in the eleventh century, the epic campaign of...

In this podcast Professor Rebecca Rist of the University of Reading provides an overview of medieval Europe and the Near East on the eve of the First Crusade.

In this podcast Professor Peter Frankopan, University of Oxford, looks at the causes of the First Crusade through Eastern sources (Greek, Syriac, Armenian, Arabic and Hebrew), rather than Western (Latin) sources. Professor Frankopan discusses the different interpretations these sources provide and highlights the key role of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos and the rapid...

In modern times, occultists have spoken of a specifically western tradition of ceremonial magic, which has been continuously handed down through the millennia, in secret, from an original starting point in ancient Egypt. Although professional historians have become increasingly interested in the history of magic in general, there has not...

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, also called Five Dynasties, was an era of political upheaval in 10th-century imperial China. During this period, five states quickly succeeded one another in the Chinese Central Plain, while more than a dozen concurrent states were established elsewhere, mainly in south China. Traditionally,...

In this podcast Lance Pursey, Chen Xue and Jonathan Dugdale of the University of Birmingham look at the culture, influence and the significance of the Tang Dynasty (618-907)

In this podcast Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith looks at the initial and long term effects of Crusades and examines how they have been treated by both western and eastern historians and thinkers over time.

In this podcast Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith gives an outline of events and causes of the First Crusade.

In this podcast Dr Francois Soyer, of the University of Southampton, looks at the establishment of an Islamic Spain, the transmission of knowledge from the Islamic world to Latin Christendom and the Reconquista

In this podcast Dr Tom Asbridge of Queen Mary, University of London examines Saladin's rise to power, his motivations, his achievements and his legacy.