History of the World podcast

Unscripted (52) - In this episode of the podcast, we look back at the day of the Battle of Hastings in England in 1066, the incredible geoglyphic creations of the Nazca cultures of Ancient Peru, the amazing life of the early modern King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolfus, and what happened to Egypt after the fall of the New Kingdom.

800 BCE - 1750 CE - This episode serves as a general overview of the archaeological cultures of North America and their connections to each other, as we learn more about the type of people who were living in the eastern United States before the arrival of Europeans.

1230 - 1492 - The story of the last nation of Al-Andalus is the story of the Emirate of Granada. We determine how it was formed and the sequence of events that led to its destruction.

Join us on this journey back in time to New Kingdom Egypt, Ptolemaic Egypt, Classical World China, and medieval Iceland.

1000 - 1453 - The modern countries of Europe were beginning to evolve and mature as they jostled for lands and superiority over one another. Underpinning the status of the new nations was the influence of religion with the Papacy attempting to rule supreme over the kingdoms of Europe and attempting to create a Roman Catholic bubble that may persecute other religious movements at will.

600 - 1085 - The modern nations of Europe begin to emerge as populations civilise, populate and Christianise. The Papacy becomes central to European politics.

1421 - The execution of Jan Hus caused rebellion in the Kingdom of Bohemia, when early Protestants against the Catholic Church rallied to send a message to the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope. This battle is a part of the wider Hussite Wars.

1410 - The Christianisation of the states of north-east Europe left the Teutonic Order with no neighbouring nations to conduct military missions against. As the relatively new nations of Poland and Lithuania tried to establish their status, the Teutonic Order would inevitably become involved.

A special preview of the Ancient World Cup Final between the Ancient Egyptians and The Romans

1242 - Paganism remained dominant in the north-east corner of Europe, but the race to convert the natives brought the Western Catholic Crusaders into conflict with the Eastern Orthodox Russians. The resulting conflict took place on the surface of a frozen lake.

1415 - 1431 - The incredible story of how a young peasant girl managed to convince the French royal court to show a more aggressive attitude to the wars in France and how it was able to turn the tables on the English during the Hundred Years' War.

Something completely new for the History of the World podcast.  While we wait for the new episode, we revive some of the great stories that we have already told in years gone by.  Plus the result of the first semi-final of the History of the World podcast Ancient World Cup.

1415 - King Henry V of England was committed to targetting the French and launched an attack on France to reclaim lost lands and take the hand of the French king's daughter.  Henry would actually end up in a race against time to escape France with his life.

1346 - All of the male descedants of King Philip IV of France had died out, apart from one, King Edward III of England.  The French would find a way to avoid crowning Edward in favour of a cousin and this would cause Edward to raise a massive army and invade the north of France.

1337 - 1453 - The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France and their ruling dynasties, the Plantagenets and the Capetians.  This is a whistle-stop tour of the main events that shaped the conflicts.

1346 - 1353 - It was not the first time that the bubonic plague had hit Eurasia, but this time nobody could have expected the sudden and relentless wave of devastation that affected all of the nations of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

1314 - After the death of King Edward I of England, the Hammer of the Scots, the self proclaimed Scottish king, Robert the Bruce started a campaign of seizing Scottish castles garrisoned by the English.  When Stirling Castle was about to fall to the Scots, King Edward II of England had no choice but to act.

1290 - 1314 - A series of tragedies left the comparatively stable Scottish monarchy in disarray leading to the opportunistic King Edward I of England attempting to enforce overlordship on the Scots.  William Wallace and Robert the Bruce in particular looked to oppose this action.

1166 - 1216 - The events and actions of the reign of King John of England brought about the circumstances from which the highest members of English society sought to challenge the king's authority and lay down some legal terms that would limit the power of the monarch.

1340 - The Muslim taifas of the Iberian peninsula had all been reconquered apart from Granada.  A new threat now emerged from North Africa with ambitions of creating a foothold in the peninsula and taking control of the Strait of Gibraltar.

News about the next proper episode of the podcast and a catch up with some of the e-mails and reviews.

Another festive catch up and an opportunity to discuss the notion of Boxing Day and a bit about its traditional history.

A long awaited catch up with Chris on Christmas Day, with a little look into the whole tradition of Christmas Day and why it even exists as it does.

In this week's unscripted episode, we'll be discussing why there are unscripted episodes at all, we'll be answering History of the World podcast illuminati member, Corben Havener's question about when prehistoric tribes became big enough that not all individual members could know all others, and we'll be looking ahead at the final episodes of our journey through medieval Europe.

1212 - A new wave of powerful Berber Muslims called the Almohads controlled southern Spain.  Castilian raids into Almohad territory brought the Almohad army from Africa, and their aggression caused the Pope to call for a crusade which climaxed with this pivotal battle.

711 - 1102 - The Christianised Visigothic Kingdom was invaded and conquered by the Islamic Caliphate.  The remnants of the Visigoths went north into the mountains and began the process of reconquest (reconquista), to bring the Iberian Peninsula back under Christian rule again.

1176 - Since the days of the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto the Great, during the tenth century, Italy was the poorer brother of Germany.  A key factor within this relationship was the Papacy, and by the latter half of the eleventh century, with the support of the Pope, the Italians had had enough of being the Holy Roman Empire's whipping boys.

1191 - The Battle of Arsuf was the conflict between two of the most celebrated military leaders, Richard the Lionheart and Saladin of the Ayyubids.  The challenges of maintaining discipline in testing circumstances for both armies are highlighted well in this particular showdown.

1187 - After the situation settled down after the Second Crusade, the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt collapsed making way for the Muslim icon, Saladin, to become a national leader and an imperial warlord.  After bringing together a number of Muslim realms, the next target would be the infidels of Christian Outremer.

1099 - 1302 - After the conclusion of the First Crusade, four Christian nation states were established in the Levant.  These Crusader States would have to battle for their survival over the next two hundred years, and this episode focuses on that protracted battle.

1099 - The climax of the First Crusade sees the remainder of the Crusader armies attempt to take control of the Holy City from its newest owners, the Isma'ili Shia Islamic Fatimid Caliphate, with devastating consequences.

1095 - 1098 - The Crusade to the Holy Land was an ambitious undertaking when considering the distance to travel to fight enemies on their own soil.  We look at the motivating factors and the politics of the age to discover why so many people decided to make this dangerous pilgrimage.

768 - 1453 - Unpacking the true meaning of feudalism by examining the different relationships between classes of people living in Western Europe during the medieval period.

739 - 1392 - After an introduction to the Papacy, we concentrate on the period from when the Pope approached the Franks for protection, through to the battles between the peoples of northern Italy who traditionally either supported the Pope or the Holy Roman Emperor.

251 - 1221 - From the isolated hermit lifestyle of Saint Anthony in Egypt through to the medicant style of monasticism of Saint Dominic, we explore the diverse and ever changing fortunes and faces of the first millennium of Christian monasticism.

500 - 1500 - Attackers and defenders evolved in parallel to each other, so we can examine the relationship of archers against armour, and siege engines against defensive walls, as well as the melee weapons of the age and the differences around the world.

300000 BCE - 1492 CE - To understand how communication was possible over long distances in medieval times, we delve into the history of travel from the ancient age, right through to the eve of the Age of Exploration.

536 - The theory of an unproven volcanic eruption that may have been one of the largest eruptions in history.  The theory is explored through writing, science and thought.

1607 - 1674 - The turbulent story of the 17th Century Dutch colony in North America which signified the birth of the modern city of New York, and saw the difficulties faced between European nations and Native American peoples.

5330000 BCE - today - We condense the history of the Mediterranean island of Crete into one episode, plotting the ages of the Minoans, Mycenaeans, Etocretans, Romans, Aghlabids, Venetians, Ottomans and Nazi Germans, as well as the ultimate mother culture of Greece itself.

150000 BCE - today - Who are the Khoisan people and why are they so different to all other human life on the planet?  How has their lifestyle been affected by the many waves of migrations into their lands?  What traditions of their culture have they carried into today's world and where do they fit into today's society?

The final unscripted episode before resuming full episodes next week.  We provide you with a summary of the upcoming episodes and then catch up with all of the latest listener messages and reviews.

A catch up on the listener messages and reviews and a brief mention on who Saxo Grammaticus was and what influence he had on Denmark and literature.

A state of the podcast address with some important and exciting news about the next full episode.  We also discuss the origin of the nation of Switzerland by looking at the alliance of cantons that symbolises the beginnings of this modern country.

The usual state of the podcast updates and all of your kind messages and reviews in one place.

A quick dive into the Scandinavian dynasty also called Gorm and Jelling, descended from Vikings and producing the mighty multi-national king Cnut the Great.

An off the cuff focus on the younger brother of King Harold II of England and his unique story.

A long awaited update from the History of the World podcast including an update on what's been going on in June, plus a look forward at what we may expect in July.

A look forward to the special episodes coming soon thanks to the ideas put forward by members of the History of the World podcast illuminati, including the latest listener messages and review.  We look forward to the Chalke Valley History Festival and the podcast's fourth birthday.

We catch up with all the listener messages and reviews from the last two weeks and welcome the new members of the History of the World Podcast illuminati.

Find out about my visit to the Podcast Show 2022 in London this past May, and we fondly remember our good friend Nick Barksdale who sadly passed away this month.

1066 - Both the Kingdom of England and the Duchy of Normandy had matured into states that faced each other across the English Channel, and had their futures entwined with each other as a consequence.  One powerful duke of Normandy called William had great ambitions for his neighbours across the water.

845 - 1194 - The Normans take up a much larger role than many initially know and this episode looks to tell the entire story of the Normans of Normandy.

1014 - The story of the history of Ireland and the Irish folklore legend of Brian Boru and how he managed his unlikely inheritance in a medieval world of fierce competition on both local and national levels.

878 - The inevitable showdown between the Danish Vikings whose intensity against the Anglo-Saxons reached breaking point.  We discover more about King Alfred the Great and how he set the foundations for the nation that would become England.

1179 - 1241 This episode tells the life story of the Icelandic saga  writer and statesman who lived during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries during the closing years of Icelandic independence.

862 - 1242 - The story of the creation of the medieval nation state that was the birth of a unique modern culture with a rich history that would have a fortune changing influence on European and global politics.  The fusion of Viking and Slavic cultures.

793 - 1035 - Glorious literature tells us that the Vikings were savage raiders who sailed the seas and plundered from others.  This episode investigates what we do know about the Vikings and their history and whether those preconceptions are completely fair.

410 - 939 - From the abandonment of Britannia by the Romans, the island became a place of tribal warfare for many centuries, but from the chaos emerged the beginnings of a modern English nation.

43 - 848 - When the Romans invaded Britain they discovered people who  had decorated their bodies with bright colours.  Who were these people  and what became of them?

955 - East Francia was a struggling new nation facing the threat of new European invasions from the peoples of the steppe.  It would take military intelligence and bravery for East Francia to be able to deal with the threat of the Hungarians on this occasion.

778 - The battle that involved Charlemagne and gave us a surprising result.  It is immortalised by the Song of Roland, but this episode looks to revise the later medieval romantic poetry and find out the truth from the contemporary voices.

715 - 987 - Early Medieval France was as important as any nation of Europe in its history.  This episode deals with the rekindling of kingship through the Carolingians and their relationship with the Papacy, and how their succession tradition proved to damage the empire and make way for the fragmentation of the Frankish Empire.

732 - The Frankish expansion was impressive but the Umayyad expansion was intercontinental and seemingly unstoppable.  It would fall on the shoulders of a man called Charles Martel to unlock the solution to the insatiable desires of the Muslims.

451 - 718 - A number of culturally linked Germanic tribes were initially united by King Clovis who expanded their realm significantly.  The kings would gradually lose power, to be led by their senior statesmen until the time when Asiatic peoples entered Europe, this time from the west.

476 - 774 - The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 did not signal the end of romanitas in the Italian peninsula, but it does signal the injection of Germanic culture there.  It should have added depth to the peninsula, but instead it brought bloodshed and poverty.

238 - 712 - The Visigoths were one of two major branches of Gothic tribes who originated in eastern Europe and migrated to the west where they carved out their own fortune and cemented their place in the evolution of the modern countries of the Iberian peninsula.

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.

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.

Another look forward to Volume Four and an insight into some of the episodes which take us through European politics after the fall of the Western Roman Empire through to the creation of medieval kingdoms and their Christianisation which led to the Crusades after the Seljuk Turks took control of Jerusalem and introduced a less tolerant religious attitude.

We take a brief trip to the Horn of Africa and the lands of the Blue Nile which became a significant trade centre as the gateway between the Red Sea and the oceans beyond.

A spoiler for the start of Volume 4 as we look at what to expect from the volume's opening episodes.   As ever, we read out your e-mails and reviews as well as welcoming the latest set of members into the History of the World podcast illuminati.

An informal chat about the emergence and disappearance of the ancient sporting tradition that lasted for centuries called the Olympic Games.

200 - 600 - The Sasanians were firmly in control of their Silk Road branch while Rome and China languished.  This period saw the rise of the Gupta, Maya and Aksumites but was also the age of the mysterious Hunnic tribes of the Eurasian Steppe.

100 BCE - 200 CE - The emergence of the Silk Road saw the rise and fall of four great global empires and the spread of trade encouraged the spread of philosophy and religion across the whole of the Eurasian landmass.

400 - 100 BCE - Classical cultures flourished very quickly during this period.  Empires grew to significant proportions and this time, not just in one area of the world.

700 - 400 BCE - From the time when the Assyrians were the greatest power on the planet, a sudden surge of culture and learning from east to west would bring the world forward from a relative dark age to an age of modern thinking.

250 - 900 - Before the canoe building Mayans that Europeans encountered, Mayan ancestors dominated the Guatemala highlands hidden in the dense rainforest and building great temples and palaces to honour their traditions and rituals.

600 BCE - 750 CE - The greatest multi-pyramid site of the Americas and a very mysterious home to some of the most comfortable regular citizens of the entire ancient world.

500 BCE - 750 CE - Ethnic Zapotecs make up part of the modern Mexican population today, but they were once the dominant civilisation of Mesoamerica.  The Classical Age Zapotec Empire ruled from the stratified city of Monte Albán.

A look back at some of the e-mails and reviews of the week including an interesting listener question relating to negative reactions to the History of the World podcast.

100 BCE - 800 CE - The Nazca and the Moche were the two main cultures to emerge in the remnant of the Chavín.  We will explore the incredible large geoglyphs that were created on the desert landscape and take a closer look at what the temple sites can tell us about the lifestyle of these people.

30 - 230 - The episode required to tie together all of the previous seventy episodes of this volume.  East meets west as Han China negotiates the Kushan Empire and the Parthian Empire to develop a trade relationship with the Roman Empire, with the same intention occurring in the reverse direction.

220 - 581 - The incredibly complex period of Chinese history which was distinguished by the pushing of centralised power to the south and the establishment of competing kingdoms of various ethnicities in the north.  This is the story of how China eventually reunified after the fall of the Han.

208 - This is the legendary story of the Three Kingdoms of China and how the warlords Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Quan could not overcome one another, meaning that China would have to be split into three separate kingdoms, Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu.

108 BCE - 208 CE - While trade and subjugation brings wealth, corruption and warfare brings expense, and The Han Dynasty's later years tells the story of this precarious balancing act and its consequences.

210 - 108 BCE - Some of the great characters of ancient China lived through this period such as Liu Bang and his consort Empress Lu, the great patriarchal leader of the Xiongnu Empire, Modu Chanyu, and then later on the Emperor Wu with his well traveled envoy Zhang Qian.

900 - 210 BCE - How the outlying Qin state come to rule over the whole of China, and the unique story of the first emperor and how this short lived dynasty has left an immortal legacy for the emperor who wanted to be immortal.

1046 - 256 BCE - The longest of all dynasties in Chinese history but certainly not the strongest.  This episode covers the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period with special reference to Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism.

From the beginning of human nature, the aspect of religion has accompanied us through our evolutionary journey, but what started religion and what factors turned it into what we know today?

2019 - Between the publication of Volume Two and Volume Three, Chris was interviewed by the man behind the successful YouTube channel, the Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Nick Barksdale.  Here is the audio version.

1300 BCE - 900 CE - History has seen repeated tensions between the three Abrahamic religions whose history is intertwined and all come from the same original theory of there being one almighty God.  The different interpretations of God's teachings have divided the monotheistic followers into distinct religions and sects of those religions too.

3300 BCE - 570 CE - How did Hinduism and Buddhism emergence and how did each religion cope with the fragmentation or their followers?  Why do we see so little of Buddhism in India despite the continued protection and preservation of the Bodhi Tree there?

320 - 570 - Indian lands ruled by Indian people.  The lands of the subcontinent moved forward into their own prosperous Classical Age.  Find out what they did and how this era came and went.

30 - 375 - They migrated across the steppe as nomads and then plugged a gap between all of the mightiest empires of the world.  They controlled the interesting new trade route between east and west, but no-one talks about them much by comparison.  That is until this week!

304 - 232 BCE - One of history's most profoundly affected emperors who would have to turn to religion in order to combat his guilt.  Find out how Ashoka affected Buddhism and how Buddhism affected Ashoka.

600 - 185 BCE - It's time to bring our story of the Indian subcontinent up to date with particular focus of Chandragupta Maurya, Chanakya and Ashoka the Great, and the emergence of the early Vedic religions.

451 - In an era of kings and commanders, all of central Europe picked their side and clashed on the Catalaunian plains.  The battle was so brutal that it never ended.

370 - 469 - Attila the Hun was a very real threat to both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.  How could a simple leader of the barbarian confederation cause so much terror to the most dominant players in Europe?

1000 - 100 BCE - Who's in for a round of drug-fueled blood drinking, alongside cutting chunks out of your own ears and fastening as many human scalps as possible onto your horse's bridle to see who the greatest warrior of the Steppe is?

300 - 570 - In an episode that could turn out to be worse than a sports programme reporting on a draft or a transfer window, we find out who was going where and at what price during the middle of the first millennium in Europe.

378 - A vital crossroads in the timeline of the Roman Empire comes when thousands of Germans come flooding across the Roman border looking for refuge and Romans look to exploit the situation.  Many interesting factors will contribute to the outcome which will leave scars in the minds of everyone involved.

450 BCE - 60 CE - The original barbarians to the Romans, with their appetite for war and their mysterious past.  There are bound to be a thing or two that you never knew about these peoples whose legacy is just as strong as the Romans.

41 - 476 - The story of the Principate and the Dominate which includes the struggles of the Jews and the rise of Christianity as well as the pressures from the barbarians and the factors that led to the ultimate split of the Empire and the fall of the West.

753 BCE - 14 CE - From the foundation of Rome by King Romulus to the beginning of the Empire with Emperor Augustus and everything in between.

337 - 476 - The fall of the western Roman Empire is the story of how barbarian tribes had learned and evolved from the empire on its doorstep, and when the Huns arrived in Europe, how those tribes were forced to pressurise the Romans and the subsequent consequences.

312 - Was this the battle that caused Christianity to become the globally mighty religion that we know today, or did the Christian scribes of history use Constantine as a propaganda tool to push the word of Jesus into the consciousness of everybody?

305 - 330 - This period begins with the retirement of Diocletian to the opening of the new capital city of Constantinople.  What is Constantine the Great's true legacy to history and was this the end of Classical Rome?

222 - 304 - The Roman Empire was on the verge of falling apart until some radical thinking by one particular Emperor looked like it could change the direction and save the future of the Empire.

193 - 222 - There were Five Good Emperors and then there seemed to be none.  Just how did the quality of the Princeps decline so dramatically and what pressures were responsible for making it happen?

98 - 192 - The Pax Romana continues and tells a story of Roman stability through the second century.  Gone are the egotistical megalomaniac emperors from the first century, or are they?

79 - The Romans could not have ever known the catastrophe that suddenly destroyed all civilisation around the Gulf of Naples in less than 24 hours.

68 - 98 - The Year of the Four Emperors came out of the chaos of the reign of Nero.  Find out how Vespasian managed to steady the Roman ship and whether his two sons would be able to continue his good work in the aftermath.

14 - 68 - Although we covered the life and reign of Augustus in previous episodes, we can now explore the reigns of emperors 2, 3, 4 and 5 as we find out more about the unpredictability of Rome deciding to go back to a monarchical constitution in order to regulate the powerful Roman Senate.

69 - 30 BCE - One of the most famous women of ancient and classical history, but was she the irresistible lady that we might expect?

31 BCE - The Second Triumvirate had fallen apart and once again the place of conflict would be Greece.  An incredible naval battle with an unusual ending as Mark Antony and Octavian come to blows about the legacy of Julius Caesar and who would be at the forefront of its promotion.

44 BCE - 14 CE - Rome recovers after the death of Julius Caesar, and the constitution of Rome would change for good.  One man emerges from all others to become the most trusted leader of the entire Roman Republic.

We continue our short break from the narative by exploring the grim and sinister act of trepanation which explores the widely practised act of boring a hole in the human skull as we try to understand the reasons behind this high risk procedure.

An informal look at the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, topped off with the usual updates from the HotWorld forums.

100 - 60 BCE - The story of the chaotic Roman world that Caesar was born into, and what it would take for a charismatic and talented young man with connections to climb the political ladder of the Republic.

47 BCE - Veni, vidi, vici.  Julius Caesar was short handed when he felt obliged to deal with the Pontic problem.  Discover how Pontus still caused headaches for the Romans, even after the reign and lifetime of the great Mithridates VI.

52 BCE - The Battle of Alesia is the story of a siege under siege.  We meet Julius Caesar, who had the Gallic confederation in a precarious spot.  The Gallic leader, Vercingetorix, was entrusted to defend Alesia.  This battle was historically signifant as this was a pivotal part of the wider Gallic Wars between Rome and Gaul.

53 BCE - The first major encounter between the Romans and the Parthians involved the mighty Roman army taking on an extremely unusual army.  It was an army with absolutely no infantry.  Find out what Crassus would do to deal with this unique threat.

73 BCE - The story of the first acts of rebellion by the group of slaves involving Spartacus.  It would be one thing for a few dozen gladiators escaping captivity, but how did this become a problem of national significance?

146 - 44 BCE - The story of the Optimates and the Populares and the characters who witnessed Rome's gradual decline from its being the most powerful entity in the world to a republic fragmented by civil strife, and introducing the incredible life of Julius Caesar.

202 BCE - This world isn't big enough for both of us.  Carthage under Hannibal takes on Rome under Scipio.

216 BCE - If crossing the Alps with 37 elephants wasn't enough to impress you, then what Hannibal achieved at Cannae just a couple of years later defies belief on the deadliest day in the history of Europe before this battle.

221 - 146 BCE - The incredible story of how Hannibal crossed the Alps with tens of thousands of men and a number of war elephants and penetrated the lands of the Romans in such a way that Rome's very existence was under threat.  Who won the war and what was the ultimate consequence?

264 - 219 BCE - After King Pyrrhus of Epirus left modern Italian lands, much tension existed between the societies and the eventual escalation led to the First Punic War centred in and around the island of Sicily.  See what happens to the economies of two mighty powerhouses when each of them refuses to back down.

509 - 272 BCE - With the monarchy abolished, Rome would still continue to have political and social issues as the Conflict of the Orders brought tensions between the patricians and the plebeians and threatened to halt Roman expansion before it even began.

753 - 509 BCE - The story of Romulus and Remus and the Seven Kings of Rome, but just how much of it was actually true and how much was pure mythology?

3400 - 2600 BCE - The Yamnaya Culture was a successful part of the wider Kurgan culture of the Pontic-Caspian Steppe. This Bronze Age culture influenced its neighbours and may have brought Bronze Age culture and modern European language to the European continent, as well as influencing the futures of Persia and India. (True first publish date - 1st May 2013)