Yuri Gagarin: life of the week
Yuri Gagarin’s journey from a Nazi-occupied Soviet village into outer space make him one of the most famous people on Earth. In this episode, historian Asif Siddiqi tells Danny Bird about the life beh...
10 Aug 46min
How Christianity conquered the Roman empire
The Roman empire was home to a multitude of religious cults in the first century AD. However, only one – Christianity – rose to global domination. But why? That's a question that Tim Whitmarsh sets ou...
9 Aug 32min
The Odyssey’s forgotten epilogue
Why did Alexander the Great sleep with a copy of the Odyssey under his pillow? In this final episode of HistoryExtra's four-part series, Kev Lochun and classicist Daisy Dunn explore the astonishing cu...
8 Aug 44min
Why did witches confess?
Who were the people that were accused of witchcraft in the 1640s British witch trials? And why did they confess to being in league with the devil? In this episode, Marion Gibson breaks down the trial ...
6 Aug 47min
Inside the Maya storyworld
The Maya have a rich and varied storyworld shaped by diverse traditions and communities. In this episode, Mallory E Matsumoto tells Emily Briffett about her recent book, The Maya Myths, which explores...
4 Aug 44min
Zheng Yi Sao: life of the week
Few pirates in history wielded as much power as Zheng Yi Sao, the woman who rose from obscurity to command one of the largest pirate fleets the world has ever seen, challenging the Qing empire's contr...
3 Aug 48min
The Fifth Crusade: triumph, disaster and the battle for Egypt
In 1217, crusaders launched an ambitious campaign to conquer Egypt, believing it held the key to reclaiming Jerusalem and securing the Holy Land. Historian and author Thomas Smith tells Emily Briffett...
2 Aug 45min
Is the Odyssey myth or memory?
The Odyssey is a tale of impossible monsters, angsty gods and the unquiet dead – but does that mean it holds no truth? In this third episode of HistoryExtra's four-part series, Kev Lochun and classici...
1 Aug 43min
