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Every episode
Fall of Civilizations Podcast
22 episodes
21. Majapahit - Empire of the Islands
Ep 21 · Jul 31, 2026 · 4 hr 31 min
Beneath the shade of an Indonesian teak forest, a great brick gateway stands in ruins... In this episode, I want to tell the story of the Majapahit Empire of medieval Indonesia. I want to show how this empire of the islands grew up on the volcanic island of Java, and how it beat the odds to survive in a world of medieval superpowers. I want to show how Majapahit expanded its influence and dominion to other lands, and undertook voyages that have few precedents in history. And I want to show what…
20. Persia - An Empire in Ashes
Ep 20 · Nov 12, 2025 · 5 hr 29 min
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 anc…
19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 2)
Dec 9, 2024 · 2 hr 45 min
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…
19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 1)
Dec 5, 2024 · 4 hr 1 min
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…
18. Egypt - Fall of the Pharaohs
Feb 1, 2024 · 3 hr 58 min
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 fina…
17. Carthage - Empire Of The Phoenicians
Apr 11, 2023 · 3 hr 38 min
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…
16. Bagan - City Of Temples
Oct 2, 2022 · 2 hr 7 min
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…
15. The Nabataeans - The Last Days of Petra
Jun 15, 2022 · 2 hr 1 min
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.
14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors Of South India
Feb 18, 2022 · 3 hr 14 min
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 o…
13. The Assyrians - Empire of Iron
Jun 14, 2021 · 3 hr 5 min
In the lowlands of Northern Iraq, a series of enormous cities lies crumbling in ruins...In this episode, find out about one of the most remarkable ancient civilizations: the society known today as the neo-Assyrian Empire. Discover how the Assyrians built their empire out of the ashes of the Bronze Age, and built an empire of iron that lasted for centuries. Explore the extraordinary flourishing of art and technology that they fostered. And finally, discover what happened to cause their final, dev…
12. The Inca - Cities in the Cloud
Jan 12, 2021 · 3 hr 21 min
High up on the craggy peaks of the Urubamba Canyon, a lost city lies wreathed in cloud...In this episode, we explore the mountains of the Andes, and tell the story of the Inca Empire. Find out how these mountain people built the largest empire in the Western Hemipshere, in one of the toughest terrains on earth. With Inca poetry, Quechuan hymns and authentic Andean instruments, discover the unique culture of the Inca. And find out what happened to bring their society crashing down around them.Sou…
11. Byzantium - Last of the Romans
Jul 14, 2020 · 3 hr 28 min
On the outskirts of modern Istanbul, a line of ancient walls lies crumbling into the earth...In this episode, we look at one of history’s most incredible stories of survival - the thousand-year epic of the Byzantine Empire. Find out how this civilization suffered the loss of its Western half, and continued the unbroken legacy of Rome right through the middle ages. Hear about how it formed a bridge between two continents, and two ages, and learn how the impregnable walls of Constantinople were fi…
10. China's Han Dynasty - The First Empire in Flames
Feb 24, 2020 · 2 hr 54 min
A city in ruins. A dynasty in tatters. An empire in ashes...This episode, we look at the remarkable story of the first empire of ancient China, the Han dynasty. With ancient Chinese poetry, songs and folk music, we look back at the first empire's rise, its remarkable technological advances, and its first, tentative attempts to make contact with the empires of the west. Finally, we look at all the reasons behind the first age of Imperial China's final, dramatic fall.Credits:Sound engineering by T…
9. The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds
Dec 16, 2019 · 4 hr 15 min
Beneath the busy streets of Mexico City, a buried god lies waiting to be discovered...This episode, we look back at the age of the Aztecs. Learn how this society grew from nothing to create one of the world's largest cities in the middle of a lake. Discover Aztec riddles, poetry and songs, as well as the bloody ritual of the flower wars. And hear the remarkable story of how this thriving empire collapsed all at once, in a matter of days.Credits:Sound engineering by Thomas NtinasVoice Actors:Jake…
8. The Sumerians - Fall of the First Cities
Oct 25, 2019 · 2 hr 29 min
In the dusts of Iraq, the ruins of the world's first civilization lie buried. This episode, we travel into the extremely distant past to look at the Sumerians. These ancient people invented writing and mathematics, and built some of the largest cities that the world had ever seen. Find out about the mystery of their origins, and learn how they rose from humble beginnings to form the foundation of all our modern societies. With myths, proverbs and even some recreated Sumerian music, travel back t…
7. The Songhai Empire - Africa's Age of Gold
Aug 29, 2019 · 2 hr 16 min
Today, the Songhai Empire is all but forgotten by history. But this medieval kingdom was once the most powerful force in Africa.Find out how this civilization grew up on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, among some of the most extreme conditions that nature can throw at us. Discover how it grew and flourished, passing through a process known as the imperial cycle, and learn about what ultimately caused its sudden and dramatic collapse.Credits:Sound engineering by Thomas NtinasVoice Actors:Jake B…
6. Easter Island - Where Giants Walked
Jun 29, 2019 · 1 hr 44 min
On one of the world’s most isolated islands, hundreds of vast stone statues lie mouldering in the grass. In this episode, we take a look at one of archaeology’s most enduring puzzles: the mystery of Easter Island. Find out how this unique community grew up in complete isolation, severed from the rest of the world by a vast expanse of ocean. Discover the incredible story of how it survived for so many centuries, and examine the evidence about what happened to finally bring this society, and its s…
5. The Khmer Empire - Fall of the God Kings
May 3, 2019 · 1 hr 39 min
Deep in the Cambodian Jungle, a ruined city crumbles among the roots of banyan trees. In this episode, we look at the history of the Khmer Empire of medieval Cambodia, and the ancient mega-city of Angkor. I want to explore how this great civilization rose to a size and wealth virtually unprecedented in the world, how it overcame the challenges of its climate and landscape, and all the factors that led to its final, dramatic collapse.Credits:Sound engineering by Thomas NtinasVoice Actors:Rhy Brig…
4. The Greenland Vikings - Land of the Midnight Sun
Mar 24, 2019 · 1 hr 22 min
One of the most unlikely tales of a society’s fall in is the incredible saga of the Vikings of Greenland. Find out the history of how these European settlers built a society on the farthest edge of their world, and survived for centuries among some of the harshest conditions ever faced by man. Discover how this civilization was able to overcome the odds for so long, and examine the evidence about what happened to cause its final and mysterious collapse. Including Viking poetry, Inuit folktales a…
3. The Mayan Collapse - Ruins Among the Trees
Feb 7, 2019 · 1 hr 10 min
In the tropical forests of Central America, vast stone pyramids slowly crumble beneath the trees.In this episode, we look at one of history's great romantic mysteries: the fall of the Classic Maya Civilization. Find out how this great civilization grew up among environmental conditions that no other civilization has ever contended with, learn about the fatal flaws that lay beneath its surface, and what happened after its final, cataclysmic collapse.Credits:Sound engineering by Thomas NtinasVoice…
2. The Bronze Age Collapse - Mediterranean Apocalypse
Jan 21, 2019 · 1 hr 5 min
Around the year 1100 BC, a wave of destruction washed over the Eastern Mediterranean. It wiped whole civilizations off the map, and left only ash and ruin in its wake. This catastrophe, known as “the Late Bronze Age Collapse”, has become one of the enduring puzzles of history. I want to explore how so many societies could collapse all at once, and seemingly without warning, as well as examine the lessons it might teach us in our increasingly globalised and interconnected world.Credits:Sound engi…
1. Roman Britain - The Work of Giants Crumbled
Jan 19, 2019 · 1 hr 4 min
A vast ruined bath house, a fire-damaged poem and a world teetering on the brink of collapse. In this episode, we look at the history of the collapse of Roman Britain. Find out how a great civilization grew up almost overnight on the island of Britannia, how it endured the test of centuries against barbarian invasions and foolish rulers, and what happened after its final dramatic collapse.Credits:Sound engineering by Thomas NtinasVoice Actors:Shem JacobsJacob RollinsonJake Barrett-MillsMusic by…
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