logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2022
41m 51s

Who Were the Human Sacrifices in Shang C...

Wondery / Patrick Wyman
About this episode

Human sacrifice is an ugly but essential topic in understanding the Shang Dynasty, but we know very little about precisely who these people were, where they came from, and what their lives were like prior to their deaths. Dr. Christina Cheung is a bioarchaeologist specializing in the study of stable isotopes, and she has produced some of the first work to shed light on who the sacrificial victims were. But that’s just one part of Dr. Cheung’s fascinating body of work, which extends all the way to Roman Britain and Neolithic France.


Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World in hardcopy, ebook, or audiobook (read by Patrick) here: https://bit.ly/PWverge 


Listen to new episodes 1 week early, to exclusive seasons 1 and 2, and to all episodes ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/tidesofhistory.


Please support us by supporting our sponsors!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Today
Encore: Jakob Fugger: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived?
At the end of the fifteenth century, the center of European banking suddenly swung from its birthplace in Italy to south Germany. The key figure in that transition was Jakob Fugger of Augsburg, maybe the richest man who ever lived.Patrick's book is now available! Get The Verge: R ... Show More
52m 48s
Jul 8
Encore: The Rise and Fall of the Medici Bank
The Medici name still carries echoes of power and labyrinthine politics. But the Medici got their start as bankers, and built a financial empire that spanned fifteenth-century Europe. Popes, kings, and merchants all did business with the Medici, and the family's power over Floren ... Show More
54m 19s
Jul 3
The Roman Conquest of the Hellenistic World
For most of its history, Rome barely bothered with the Greek east. Then, quite suddenly, Rome exploded onto the scene, laying low the two most powerful Hellenistic warrior-kings of the past century. Within ten years, Rome became the undisputed hegemonic power of the Mediterranean ... Show More
43m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2022
DuPont Chemical Cover-Up | Dry Run Creek | 1
A devastating plague strikes a cattle farm in West Virginia. As he investigates the mystery, an attorney uncovers a secret that threatens a corporate empire.Want to listen to the remaining episodes of DuPont Chemical Cover-Up? Episodes 2-4 are available exclusively and ad-free on ... Show More
40m 52s
Jul 2022
Hitler Diaries | Hoaxed | 3
The stories around the diaries and their authenticity begin to unravel. For all the people who have their reputations and their livelihoods on the line, who will survive this humiliating scandal? And who, when the dust settles, will still come out on top?Listen early and ad free ... Show More
47m 15s