News:        Web corner    -    Topic:   This week we return to a discussion on worldbuilding this time focusing more on games that allow for worldbuilding.   Music:&nbsp;Who Put That Ceiling There by niko &nbsp;

A VerySpatial Podcast - Episode 769

The globetrotting story of how humans have harnessed the geographical landscape and written ourselves onto our surroundings.

Mountains, meridians, rivers, and borders—these are some of the features that divide the world on our maps and in our minds. But geography is far less set in stone than we might believe, and, as Maxim Samson’s Earth Shapers contends, in our relatively short time on this planet, humans have become experts at fundamentally reshaping our surroundings.

From the Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca’s “great road,” and Mozambique’s colonial railways to a Saudi Arabian smart city, and from Korea’s sacred Baekdu-daegan mountain range and the Great Green Wall in Africa to the streets of Chicago, Samson explores how we mold the world around us. And how, as we etch our needs onto the natural landscape, we alter the course of history. These fascinating stories of connectivity show that in our desire to make geographical connections, humans have broken through boundaries of all kinds, conquered treacherous terrain, and carved up landscapes. We crave linkages, and though we do not always pay attention to the in-between, these pathways—these ways of “earth shaping,” in Samson’s words—are key to understanding our relationship with the planet we call home.

An immense work of cultural geography touching on ecology, sociology, history, and politics, Earth Shapers argues that, far from being constrained by geography, we are instead its creators.

Earth Shapers: How We Mapped and Mastered the World, from the Panama Canal to the Baltic Way (Sample)

In this week's episode, Sylvia and I talk about geography, autumn vibes, her bf and so much more!

TISU EP40: I'm Not Smarter Than A 5th Grader - Geography Mess!

GONDISHAPUR - A THOUSAND AND ONE PERSIAN NOTES

THE LEGACY OF SIALK

THE LEGACY OF SIALK - A THOUSAND AND ONE PERSIAN NOTES

THE HARP OF ARIAGAN - A THOUSAND AND ONE PERSIAN NOTES

Ecbatana: Where Empires Were Forged
Journey back to the dawn of history, to the legendary city of seven walls, each a different color shining beneath the sun. Ecbatana wasn't just a city; it was the first capital of an empire, the heart of the Medes, and a jewel in the crowns of the Achaemenid and Parthian empires.

How did this ancient metropolis pioneer such advanced urban systems? This track is a sonic exploration of its lost glory—a musical excavation of the power, wisdom, and ingenuity that echoed through its streets. Listen, and hear the whispers of a city that didn't just witness history… it created it.

ECBATANA - A THOUSAND AND ONE PERSIAN NOTES

ABARKUH - WHEN CYPRESS DANCES

ABARKUH - WHEN CYPRESS DANCES - A THOUSAND AND ONE PERSIAN NOTES

333
My contact lens is ripped in half
Soft like a knife in a heart
That’s retiring from working
In the mimes of Los Angeles
And your latest press release

I don’t see you and me
Lasting for a year
If the papers lied
If the music tried
We’ll be far away from here
On a train to the London Island 2
Blend in with the sheep
That meta conversation
While we counted in our sleep to ourselves

The microfilm is ripped in half
Soft like a black and white car
In flames for the New Year’s Eve
In a place made of gold
And wax and white teeth

I don’t see you and me
Lasting for a year
If the papers lied
If the music tried
We’ll be far away from here
On a train to the London Island 2
Blend in with the sheep
We made conversation with
While we counted in our sleep...

This is for forever
This is for forever
This is for forever

On this New Year’s Eve
Off like a kite in the dark
With a note on the bed for a human to find
Lovers lost for life
I don’t see this
I don’t see this
For you and me
777

yEAr fOr jApAn

Unlocked after 1 year for patrons only:  
He is the earliest human being whose name and life story are known to history. We examine the origins and contents of the most ancient narrative ever found anywhere on Earth, and trace how it has been rediscovered, re-used, and re-translated in the modern world, becoming a living and evolving text in a time of anxiety over the fate of civilization.

Please sign on as a patron in order to keep the podcast going and to hear patron-only lectures, including part 2 on the Epic of Gilgamesh! -- https://www.patreon.com/c/u5530632

Image: Sumerian bas-relief sculpture of a man subduing a bull, possibly representing Gilgamesh slaying the Bull of Heaven, 2200s BC.

Our previous lecture on the discovery of the Library of Ashurbanipal, where the Epic of Gilgamesh was rediscovered: https://soundcloud.com/historiansplaining/unlocked-the-great-archaeological-discoveries-pt-3-the-library-of-ashurbanipal

Suggested further reading: George, "The Epic of Gilgamesh"; N.K. Sandars, "The Epic of Gilgamesh"; Heidel, "The Epic of Gilgamesh and Old Testament Parallels"; Stephen Mitchell, "Gilgamesh"; Michael Schmidt, "Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem."

UNLOCKED:  Myth of the Month 24: The Epic of Gilgamesh -- pt. 1: The History

Robert Lohbihler has plenty of stories that we can all relate too. Sit back, relax and get ready to laugh because.. This Is So Us.

An Italian-Persian artist, is a versatile creative blending music, poetry, and visual arts into a distinctive style. Rooted between Florence and Persia, she merges classical elegance with contemporary sensibility, crafting songs that resonate and linger. Her performances and collaborations showcase a coherent and original artistic vision, capturing the attention of industry professionals.

History lectures by Samuel Biagetti, a historian (and antique dealer) with a Phd in early American history; my dissertation was on Freemasonry in the 1700s. I focus on the historical myths and distortions, from "the Middle Ages" to "Race," that people use to rationalize the world in which we live.   More info at www.historiansplaining.com

Please see my Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632, if you want to keep the lectures coming, and to hear the patron-only materials.

New tracks tagged #Geography