Fall of Civilizations Podcast

Episode 18 is out now for subscribers

18. Egypt - Fall of the Pharaohs

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 rela...

Episode 17 video - available now for patrons!

I'm very excited to release the video version of Episode 17. This time round I've avoided releasing it in two parts, and just produced it as a single video. I hope this keeps the feeling of a continuous, unbroken story. And this is my first try of the Patreon video function - so I hope it works!

For this episode, I've e...

Sources for Episode 17

For those looking for recommended reading, Richard Miles' Carthage Must be Destroyed is a brilliant, detailed and pacy retelling of the Punic Wars. Adrian Goldsworthy's The Fall of Carthage is also very well-written, and caters more to the detail of the military history.

Sources

Barceló, Pedro. “THE ...

Episode 17 is now available for subscribers

I'm very excited to announce that our 17th Episode is now available to listen for all subscribers. Thanks for your patience on this one, but I hope the length makes it worth the wait. The script to this one was around 30,000 words, and I wanted to make sure that every aspect of it was done to the standard that this epic story...

16. Bagan - City Of Temples

I'm excited to release this video accompaniment to Episode 16 on the kingdom of Bagan, now with video accompaniment - currently for patrons only. The setting of this episode is so visually stunning that I've been really looking forward to sharing this one with you. As always, we're able to afford some of the world's top foota...

Sources for Episode 16

Sources

Aung-Thwin, Michael, and Aung-Thwin, Maitrii. A History of Myanmar Since Ancient Times: Traditions and Transformations. United Kingdom, Reaktion Books, 2013.

Aung-Thwin, Michael. Pagan: The Origins of Modern Burma. University of Hawai’i Press, 1985. JSTOR, 2022-10-03 14:49:35 +0000 UTC View Post

Episode 16 now live for subscribers

Thanks to everyone for your patience waiting for this next episode, and as always for your continued support, messages and kind words. This episode was a lot of fun to make, so I hope you enjoy it!

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In the lowlands of Burma lie the remains of thousands of crumbling temples...

In this episode,...

15. The Nabataeans - The Final Days Of Petra

I'm happy to announce that Episode 15 is now out with a full video accompaniment, exclusively available to patrons. 

This has been one of my favourite episodes so far - I've always been fascinated with Petra since I first visited many years ago, and the otherworldly beauty of the place really has to be seen to be b...

Bibliography and recommended reading for Episode 15

Addison, Erin. “The Nature of Culture: In Search of the ‘Real’ Landscape of Petra.” SiteLINES: A Journal of Place, vol. 11, no. 2, 2016, pp. 13–16, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24889515. Accessed 16 May 2022.

Al Farajat, Moha...

Episode 15 Patron-only preview

I'm pleased to announce the release of Episode 15, now available only for supporters of the show. The new episode will be released to the public soon, and then will arrive on all the usual podcasting platforms.

In this episode, we look at one of the most peculiar stories of civilizational survival to come down to us fro...

14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors of South India

Thank you to everyone for your great reaction to the latest episode. This has been a great video to put together, as the ruined site at Hampi really has to be seen to be believed. I hope this helps bring the story to life.

Your support of the show has helped us to furnish this episode with top quality aerial footage of ...

List of sources for Episode 14

Bibliography

Asher, Catherine B., et al. India Before Europe. United Kingdom, Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Barron, E.J.; Harrison, C.G.A.; Sloan, J.L. II; Hay, W.W. (1981). "Paleogeography, 180 million years ago to the present". Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae. 74 (2): 443–470.

Dalrymple...

Download Aruna Sairam's Music from Episode 14

We were joined on Episode 14 by the wonderful Aruna Sairam, who agreed to record 7 tracks exclusively for this episode, in several south Indian languages and Sanskrit. Subscribers can download this music below.

Here are some brief notes on the music:

Song 1 - Kadana Kutoohalam - a traditional piece of C...

Episode 14 now live for Patrons

I'm very glad to announce the advance release of Episode 14, exclusively to patrons. This episode aims to tell the story of one of the most interesting but least-known societies, that has left a series of stunning ruins in the rocky landscape of South India.

We're joined on this episode by the brilliant Indian Classical...

13. The Assyrians - Empire of Iron

I'm very excited to announce the launch of our video accompaniment to the 13th episode, The Assyrians: Empire of Iron. This episode got a great response in audio, so I've felt a lot of pressure to do the subject justice in the visual medium.

- This episode features the return of Kais Jacob Ishak, and his 3D reconstructi...

12. The Inca - Cities in the Cloud (Part 2 of 2)

See Part 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/53591669

12. The Inca - Cities in the Cloud (Part 1 of 2)

I'm very excited to announce the early release of Episode 12 as a video. This has been an incredible episode to work on, since the landscapes and environments of the Andes, as well as the monumental ruins of the Inca, really have to be seen to be believed. We're joined on this episode by state-of-the-art drone photographers, ...

🌴🦁EPISODE 13 IS NOW LIVE 🦁🌴

Thank you to everyone for your patience in waiting for this new episode. These long episodes always take a long time to make, but when it comes to this subject, I felt I couldn't leave anything out. 

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In the lowland...

11. Byzantium - Last of the Romans (Part 2 of 2)

See Part 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/46642108

11. Byzantium - Last of the Romans (Part 1 of 2)

I'm very excited to announce the release of the video accompaniment to Episode 11, on the Byzantine Empire. This was one of the most enjoyable episodes to translate into video, as there's so much to see in terms of architecture, maps and images.

The community here on Patreon has allowed the show to increase its producti...

Original Music from Episode 12

On Episode 12, we were joined by the musician and composer Pavlos Kapralos, who created a number of beautiful original tracks, using authentic Andean instruments like Andean flutes, cellos and Peruvian percussion.

Also heard: “Andean illusion” by Kanti Quena (Carlos Saldana) and "Ollantay" by Leandro Alvi...

Episode 12 Sources and Further Reading

Bauer, Brian S., and R. Alan Covey. “Processes of State Formation in the Inca Heartland (Cuzco, Peru).” American Anthropologist, vol. 104, no. 3, 2002, pp. 846–864. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3567261. Accessed 27 Aug. 2020.

Bauer, Brian S. Ancient Cuzco: Heartland of the Inca. 2004.

Bingham, Hiram. "In the ...

🗻⛰️ EPISODE 12 IS NOW LIVE ⛰️🗻

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 In...

10. The Han Dynasty - The First Empire in Flames

Thanks to everyone who's been patient waiting for this, and for the new audio episodes. New lockdowns in the UK have once again made my life very difficult with regards to recording, but the final stages of Episode 12 are finally coming together, and I hope to release before Christmas. I hope this video for Episode 10 makes u...

9. The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds (Part 2 of 2)

See part 1: https://www.patreon.com/posts/fall-of-tv-9-1-43242683

9. The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds (Part 1 of 2)

I'm really excited to announce the re-release of Episode 9 of Fall of Civilizations, now with a video accompaniment. This has been an absolutely huge labour, resulting in two feature-length documentaries chronicling the rise and the fall of the Aztec Triple Alliance.

Subscribers from around the world have chipped in to ...

8. The Sumerians - Fall of the First Cities

I'm excited to share the newest video episode of Fall of Civilizations with all of you! This was one of my all-time favourite episodes to write, and it's been a real pleasure to return to it. The world of the Sumerians can now come to life using cutting edge 3D recreations of ancient Sumer, from the Iraqi digital architecture...

7. The Songhai Empire - Africa's Age of Gold

The latest video episode is out now, and as usual you guys are the first to see it. Thanks once again for sticking by the show through these tough times, and for all the support that the last episode received.

19th century photo of the Theodosian Walls, around the time Gautier visited

Full list of sources for Episode 11

Andrea, Alfred. The Capture of Constantinople: The "Hystoria Constantinopolitana" of Gunther of Pairis. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997. Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/book/3607

Andrea, Alfred J., and Brett E. Whale. Contemporary Sources for the Fourth Crusade : Revised Edition, BRILL, 2008. ProQues...