The Bronze Age Collapse and The Story of Phoenicia and Carthage

Our next two episodes cover the period of the collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean region.  The first program will give an insight as to what happened in that period of catastrophe and anarchy which may well be the inspiration of Homer's Iliad stories.  The second program is a podcast telling the story of the Phoenicians and their expansion from the eastern Mediterranean coast  along the North African coast as well as  Cyprus, Sardinia and Southern Spain and to South West Britain.  Whilst they were mostly aggressive traders they established the Carthaginian empire.  One of the interesting stories as to the origin of the term Pyrrhic Victory.

The Bronze Age Collapse - Mediterranean Apocalypse    

The Punic Empires of Phoenicia and Carthage

Further Reading:

Late Bronze Age collapse - Wikipedia    

Phoenicia - Wikipedia

The Assyrian Empire Part 2

 Here are a couple more YouTubes about the Assyrians.  They might be a little easier to watch

Concise History of Ancient Assyria and the Assyrian Empire (Historical Highlights and Great Kings)    

Shamshi-Adad & the Old Assyrian Empire (2000-1750 BC) // Ancient History Documentary

The Assyrian Empire

The Assyrian Empire, was a Mesopotamian kingdom and empire of the ancient Near East who lived in the Levant that existed as a state from perhaps as early as the 25th century BC (in the form of the Assur city-state^]) until its collapse between 612 BC and 609 BC – spanning the periods of the Early to Middle Bronze Age through to the late Iron Age. This vast span of time is divided into the Early Period (2500–2025 BC), Old Assyrian Empire (2025–1378 BC), Middle Assyrian Empire (1392–934 BC) and Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–609 BC). 

The Ancient Assyrian Empire

Further Reading

The Assyrian Empire - Wikipedia

The Assyrian Empire - Ancient History Encyclopedia

The Akkadian and Babylonian Empires

The Akkadian Empire  was the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia, after the long-lived civilization of Sumer. It was centered in the city of Akkad and its surrounding region. The empire united Akkadian (Assyrian and Babylonian) and Sumerian speakers under one rule. The Akkadian Empire exercised influence across Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia, sending military expeditions as far south as Dilmun and Magan (modern Bahrain and Oman) in the Arabian Peninsula.

The Akkadian Empire and the Sargonic Dynasty    

The Babylonian Empire - Great Civilizations of History

Further Reading

The Akkadian Empire _ Wikipedia    

Ancient Mesopotamian civilizations - Khan Academy

The Sumerians

The Sumerians were the people of southern Mesopotamia whose civilization flourished between c. 4100-1750 BCE. Their name comes from the region which is frequently – and incorrectly – referred to as a “country”. Sumer was never a cohesive political entity, however, but a region of city-states each with its own king 

Ancient Mesopotamia - The Sumerians

Further Reading

Ancient Mesopotamia - The Sumerians   -  Ancient History Encyclopedia

Sumer - Wikipedia

IRAQ: The Cradle of Civilization

After thousands of years as a hunter/gatherer, man built the first cities 5,000 years ago on the banks of the Euphrates in Southern Iraq. Civilization began. City life transformed the human race with the glorious cultures of Mesopotamia such as Ur and Babylon. Historian Michael Wood stands in the Iraqi desert amid crumbling ruins and dry desolation. He describes a once-thriving metropolis, where merchants brought their goods into the city over a network of lush canals. All that remains is a sea of golden sand, the once-large population drifted away, the complex society vanished. As the world approaches the 21st century, this new series reminds us that other nations and cultures prospered for hundreds or even thousands of years. Now all that remains is the legacy of their civilizations, present and influential in our own. 

IRAQ: The Cradle of Civilization    

Further Reading:

The Cradle of civilization - The Khan Acadamy    

Cradle of civilization Wikipedia

Tibetan History

This week we are going to look at the history of Tibet.  Tibet is a region in East Asia covering much of the Tibetan Plateau spanning about 2.5 million km². It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Tamang, Qiang, Sherpa, and Lhoba peoples and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han Chinese and Hui people

 The links below are two documentaries that I have found on YouTube

The Lost World of Tibet

The Forgotten World of Tibet

Further Reading

Tibet - Wikipedia

The Story of Canada Part 4

Connected (1824 - 1890)

Inventors and entrepreneurs dream of uniting the country using the latest design and technology – and make their fortunes in the process. An extraordinary generation will revolutionize transportation, engineering and communications, making Canada the high-tech superstar of a newly-wired world.

Connected (1824 - 1890)

 Further reading

Titans: From brewers, to rail barons, to oil-and-gas giants, these tycoons changed Canada.    

Economic history of Canada - Wikipedia

The Story of Canada Part 3

 War of Independence (1812 - 1813)

The War of 1812 is Canada's War of Independence. With the British Empire entrenched in a European war, a disparate group of Indigenous, French Canadian, Scottish, African Canadian and even ex-pat American fighters join together to fight for their new homeland.

The War of Independence 1812 - 1813

Further Reading

War of 1812 - The Canadian Encyclopedia

The Story of Canada Part 2

Episode 2 - Hunting Treasure (1777 to 1793

A new generation of rebels and entrepreneurs compete for the key to this land's prosperity – its natural resources – while others fight to protect them. It's an epic quest for treasure that shapes the country to this day.

Hunting Treasure (1777 - 1793)

Further Reading

Exploration of Canada

The Story of Canada Part 1

This week we will begin an exploration of Canadian History.  I have found two series on YouTube but in both cases the full series was unavailable.  However, we will start with episode 1  - "Worlds Collide (pre-1608 – 1759).

Hundreds of Indigenous nations with advanced cultures already live in Canada when French and English colonizers arrive and fight for land claims. Indigenous people suffer as a result of first contact.

Canada: The Story of Us Part 1    

Further Reading

The History of Canada - Wikipedia

The History of South Africa

 This week we will look at the history of South Africa from two perspectives.  The first video is a view of South African history from the point of view of the white South African point of view and the second shorter video is from the point of view of black South African point of view.

South African History 1652 -1902

The TRUE history of South Africa    

Further Reading

History of South Africa

The Great Molghuls Part 3

 The stability of the previous reign continues, and Jahangir (r. 1605-1627) — more the aesthete and less the man of action than his father—is the right person to enjoy it. Meanwhile drama is provided by the rivalries which surround the emperor, especially between his wife and son.

Shah Jahan (r. 1628-1658) was something of an enigma. After murdering several relatives to secure the throne for himself, he built the world's most famous monument to love, the Taj Mahal.

Yhe Great Moghuls Part 3

The Great Moghuls Part 2

 When the second Emperor Humayun died suddenly, his thirteen-year-old son was crowned Emperor. He was called Akbar, meaning "Great". He would grow up to amply deserve the name, for he was the greatest of the Great Moghuls.

Aurangzeb murdered two brothers to inherit the throne and imprisoned his father. He greatly extended the Moghul Empire, but Sikh resistance to his attempts to impose Islam hastened his decline.

The Mughal Empire Part 2

The Great Moghuls Part1

The Mughal Empire  or Mogul Empire, self-designated as Gurkani, was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries.  For some two centuries, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan plateau in south India.

Episode 1

Through the Khyber Pass in 1526 came the founder of the great Moghul Empire, Babur. He rode around with a small band of followers seizing villages and cattle. By the time he came into India, he had built up a sizeable army and had firearms which helped him to win battles that enabled him to crown himself Emperor of India.

In Akbar's great palace city at Fatehpur Sikri near Agra we discover how a Great Moghul lived. Also examined are Akbar's first contacts with Europeans and his obsession with religion.

The Mughal Empire Episode 1     

Further Reading:

Mughal Empire - Wikipedia

History of India

 This week we are going to look at a documentary which looks at the history of India from the Indus Valley civilisations to the end of the Moghul Empire in the mid 19th century.  Next week we will start on a documentary about the Great Moghuls.

History Of India ~ Ancient India     

Some further Reading:

The History of Ancient India (Ancient History Encyclopedia)    

History of India - Wikipedia

Ancient History - Know India    

Indian History Chronology: Ancient India to Modern India

1066 A Year to Conquer England 3/3

Part 3/3

When the winds finally change, Duke William leads his vast invasion fleet across the Channel after months of being trapped in a port in northern France. But King Harold is 300 miles away in the north, having defeated the Vikings. He has to rush back south, gather a new army and head to Hastings to take on this new invasion. The two armies meet at battle in Sussex on 14 October 1066, and the outcome changes the shape of England and Europe forever.

1066 A Year to Conquer England 2/3

King Harold has to take on two invasion forces. First, his brother Tostig attacks the south coast. He is repelled, but there is more to come. Later in the year, a vast Viking invasion force led by King Harald Hardrada of Norway lands in the north of England.  Harold rushes to Stamford Bridge to fight for his kingdom and for his life.

Part 2 of 3 

1066 A Year to Conquer England 1/3

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman conquest of England. It took place approximately 7 miles (11 kilometres) northwest of Hastings, close to the present-day town of Battle, East Sussex, and was a decisive Norman victory.

Part 1

When King Edward the Confessor dies without an heir, it triggers a bitter race to succeed him as King of England. Earl Harold is on the spot and takes the crown. But in Normandy, Duke William believes the throne has been promised to him and decides to invade. Meanwhile, in Norway, the Viking king Harald Hardrada also fancies himself as King of England, and he too puts together an invasion force. Very soon, England will be under attack.

Episode 1 of 3 

Further Reading

The Battle of Hastings - Wikipedia

Spartacus Educational – Battle of Hastings

EyeWitness to History.com – The Battle of Hastings

King Arthur's Britain - Part 3

Episode 3 

In the last programme of the series Francis focuses his attention on the Anglo-Saxon invasion.

King Arthur's Britain - Part 3