We consider how the crisis of legitimacy and breakdown of order following the downfall of the Zhou dynasty spurred on a flowering of philosophy, as various scholars and sages sought new principles to guide life and achieve harmony, giving rise to the enduring teachings of Taoism and Confucianism, as well as other long-forgotten sects ranging from draconian legalists to humanitarian pacifists.

Hear the first lecture on China here:  https://soundcloud.com/historiansplaining/china-pt-1-making-the-middle-kingdom

Image:  Song-era painting of a landscape with three men laughing, symbolizing Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.

Please support this podcast to hear patron-only materials, including the recent lecture on Conspiracy Theories:  https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632

China, pt. 2 -- Water and Music: Early Chinese Philosophy

00:00:00  Credentials Establishing Critical Foundation for Course
00:07:25   Absolute truth of God's Word
00:26:09   Plagues of Egypt
00:31:55   Demonia (Demons)
00:37:36  Pre-Suppositions
00:46:40  1996 Archeological Dive-Red Sea
00:53:28  Hieroglyphics (Slides)
00:57:22  Anchoring your soul-Believing the Bible is true
01:02:41  Homework
01:03:14  Genesis 1
01:17:20  Prayer

Ancient History (Audio) Class #1- Introduction & Gen 1

sg - bag  ft. h4md [prod. liko x pradalex]

Two randomly selected excerpts from Myth of the Month 24, on the Epic of Gilgamesh:
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 at any level, to hear this lecture and many others:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/114062724

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."

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

Inspired by a New Scientist article about human remains in Spain’s El Mirador Cave—bones bearing cut marks, boiling evidence, and signs of deliberate consumption—"Cannibal Cave" dives into a darker chapter of Neolithic life. Drawing on ideas from Joseph Jordania’s Why Do People Sing, the song blends raw storytelling with pounding rhythm to capture the ritual, humiliation, and warfare that may have driven this ancient act. It’s not famine, but victory and vengeance, echoing through 5,700 years of history.

Cannibal Cave

What were the ancient alternatives to democracy? Did people in the Bronze Age forget how to write – or deliberately stop? And what's the use in studying ancient languages?

In a Downstream IRL recorded at EartH Hackney, Aaron Bastani speaks to Josephine Quinn, Professor of Ancient History at Cambridge University, about some lesser-known aspects of the ancient world, as explored in her book How the World Made the West. 

Help us build people-powered media: https://novara.media/support

Downstream: The Political Possibilities of the Ancient World w/ Josephine Quinn

The Magical Mystery Tour Dec 18 2015 Graham Hancock Magicians Of The Gods

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 engineering by Thomas Ntinas

Voice Actors:

Shem Jacobs
Jacob Rollinson
Jake Barrett-Mills
Bryan Tshiobi
Helena Bacon

Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
Additional music (The Hurrian Hymn) by Michael Levy

Fall of Civilizations

2. The Bronze Age Collapse - Mediterranean Apocalypse

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 finally brought crashing to the ground. 

This episode we're joined by members of the St Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral Choir in London, and a number of musicians playing traditional Byzantine instruments.

Support Fall of Civilizations on Patreon: http://patreon.com/fallofcivilizations_podcast

Credits:

Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas

Voice Actors:

Nicolas Rixon
Joey L
Annie Kelly
Cleo Madeleine

Original Compositions and music supervision:

Pavlos Kapralos 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzgAonk4-uVhXXjKSF-Nz1A

Chanters of The St Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral: 

Michael Georgiou 
Alexandros Gikas 
Matthew Tomko
Stephanos Thomaides 
Pavlos Kapralos

Traditional Musicians:

Monooka (Monica Lucia Madas), vocals 
Alexandros Koustas, Lyra (other names: Byzantine Lyra/ Lyra of Istanbul/ Kemence)
Konstantinos Glynos, Kanonaki (other names: qanun; in Byzantine Greek: psaleterion)
Theofilos Lais, Cretan Lyra 
Dario Papavassiliou, Santouri (other name: Greek Santur)
Pavlos Kapralos, Oud

Other music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: incompetech.com/

Title theme: Home At Last by John Bartmann. https://johnbartmann.com/

11. Byzantium - Last of the Romans

How did a small movement of Jewish fanatics, devastated by the ignominious demise of their leader, rise to become the official state religion of the Roman empire, Armenia, Georgia, and Ethiopia?  We trace the dramatic rise of the new faith through three centuries of preaching, prophesy, and persecution.

image:  fresco of a woman at the 3rd-century house-church of Dura-Europos

please become a patron! -- www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632

suggested reading:  E. Glenn Hinson, "The Early Church"

for context:
--on composition of the New Testament texts:  https://soundcloud.com/historiansplaining/who-wrote-the-bible-new-testament
--on the historical Jesus:  https://soundcloud.com/historiansplaining/the-historical-jesus

The Early Church, pt. 1 -- Christianity on the Road

It would mean a lot to me if you would follow me on Audius!

https://audius.co/adamrsweet

Diving into the heart of things, exploring new ideas and new ways of seeing and being in this wondrous crazy world we share together, featuring in depth interviews with cutting edge creative out of the box thinkers, authors, healers and explorers of consciousness

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.

A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fall? And what did it feel like to watch it happen?

Popular tracks tagged #ancient history