Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Fall of the Incas: Empire of Gold (Part 1)
Episode 644
Why was the Spanish conquest of the Incas one of the most pivotal moments in world history? Who was Francisco Pizarro, the buccaneer behind this bloo…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Carthage Destroyed (Part 4)
Episode 643
Three decades after the defeat of Hannibal, how had the Roman Empire managed to conquer vast swathes of the known world? Why did the predatory eyes o…
1 month, 4 weeks ago
Greatest Paintings: The Ghost of Spain – Velázquez’s Las Meninas
Why does Diego Velázquez’ Las Meninas represent the fading Spanish Golden Age? How did he challenge the boundaries between viewer and artwork? And, i…
1 month, 4 weeks ago
Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Bloodbath in Africa (Part 3)
Episode 642
Would the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio successfully march on Africa? What happened when Hannibal and Scipio - the greatest commanders of th…
2 months ago
Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Hannibal’s Nemesis (Part 2)
Episode 641
What happened at the Battle of Ibera, a totemic though overlooked battle of the Punic Wars? With the forces of Carthage closing in on a depleted Rome…
2 months ago
Greatest Paintings: Dawn of the Dutch Golden Age - The Arnolfini Portrait
Why is Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait perceived as one of the greatest mysteries of the arts? What elements and symbolisms provoke debates about i…
2 months ago
Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Carthage at the Gates (Part 1)
Episode 640
Did Hannibal march on Rome after his legendary victory at the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC? How could Rome fight on after losing so many men? And, wher…
2 months, 1 week ago
Revolution in Iran: Death in the Desert (Part 4)
Episode 639
How did America respond after the American Embassy in Tehran was seized, and American citizens taken hostage? Would the hostages survive? And, what b…
2 months, 1 week ago
Revolution in Iran: The Hostage Crisis (Part 3)
Episode 638
Why and how was the American Embassy stormed in 1979, at the height of the Iranian Revolution? Did America respond when large numbers of American civ…
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Revolution in Iran: Rise of the Ayatollah (Part 2)
Episode 637
What set off the final uprisings of the Iranian Revolution, against the last Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi? Would President Jimmy Carter and Am…
2 months, 2 weeks ago