logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2023
28m 23s

The Asante Empire (Radio Edit)

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Greg Jenner is joined by historian Dr Augustus Casely-Hayford OBE and comedian Sophie Duker to explore the incredible Asante Empire. We learn the roots of Ghanian heritage - from storytelling, fabric, food, music and rhythm as communication, to how centuries of traditions across the empire came together to protect the most sacred symbol of power in the Asante Kingdom from the hands of the British during the War of the Golden Stool.

For the full-length version of this episode, please look further back in the feed.

Produced by Cornelius Mendez Script by Greg Jenner and Emma Nagouse Research by Lloyd Roberts

A production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4.

Up next
Oct 10
Jane Austen: the life of a Regency literary icon
Greg Jenner is joined in Regency England by historian Dr Lucy Worsley and actor Sally Phillips to learn all about the life and works of literary legend Jane Austen on the 250th anniversary of her birth in December 1775. It is a truth universally acknowledged that Austen is one of ... Show More
56m 8s
Oct 8
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain introduce Curious Cases
Hello, You’re Dead to me listener. Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain here, we thought you might like to know we have a brand-new series of Curious Cases. To start things off we look into the world of crabs and look into the possibility of us all eventually turning into crab like being ... Show More
31m 23s
Oct 3
Marie Antoinette: last French queen before the Revolution
Greg Jenner is joined in the eighteenth century by historian Professor Katherine Astbury and comedian Jen Brister to learn about French queen Marie Antoinette. Born an Austrian princess, Marie Antoinette went on to be the last queen of France before the Revolution and the aboliti ... Show More
57m 43s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
The British Empire
The British Empire was one of the most influential and far-reaching empires in history. Dan and his guest journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera remember school lessons on the small island that rose to global dominance. From the 16th century to the 20th century, the British Empir ... Show More
25m 2s
Mar 2023
The Real-Life King Arthur May Have Been a Roman Equestrian Who Served Marcus Aurelius
King Arthur. The search for the historical figure behind what is arguably the most famous cycle of legends ever has been relentless over the centuries. Many think he was a Romano-British military commander in the 5th/6th centuries who fought the Anglo-Saxons and saved Britain in ... Show More
47m 4s
Sep 2023
Rise of the Tudors
Join Dan as he rollicks through the tumultuous life and rise to power of Henry Tudor, the man who would ultimately become King Henry VII of England. Step back to the late 15th century, a period marked by conflict, political manoeuvring and alliances as a young Henry Tudor, having ... Show More
50m 39s
Feb 2024
The Real King Arthur
If King Arthur never existed, why does he loom so large in England's history? Dan traces the real-life figures who could have been the legendary King Arthur- the medieval king who pulled the sword from the stone and led the English against the Anglo-Saxons who arrived in England ... Show More
1h 18m
Jan 2024
William the Conqueror
When his cousin King Edward the Confessor died childless, Duke William of Normandy saw the throne of England as his birthright. But one man stood in his way, Harold Godwinson, whom Edward had named as king on his deathbed. In the third episode of our special series examining the ... Show More
42m 8s
Feb 2024
Justinian: Greatest Byzantine Emperor?
The Eastern Roman Emperor from 527 to 565, Justinian was a ruler who infused even the most mundane tasks with spiritual and religious significance. The challenges he faced - climate change, battles over culture and identity, the first recorded global pandemic - and many of the so ... Show More
40m 4s
Mar 2023
Katherine of Aragon: England's First Renaissance Queen
In preparation for International Women's Day this Wednesday, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb takes a look at a Queen whose reputation has largely been shaped by her husband's midlife crisis. History does not see much further than Katherine of Aragon's so-called failure to provide Hen ... Show More
34m 9s
Sep 2023
The Legacy of Rome
Rome has attracted aspiring conquerors and leaders for millennia, not just as a great metropolis, but as an idea. It has long been a symbol of military might and universal power, defined by political and religious authority as well as great feats of engineering that would leave i ... Show More
23m 24s
Jun 2024
The Parthians
The Parthians were heavyweights of ancient Mesopotamia. Hailing from what is now modern day Iran, they charged onto the scene by destroying the Seleucid Empire and became one of Rome’s most formidable enemies. They are perhaps most famous for capturing Crassus - Rome’s spider-lik ... Show More
54m 58s
Feb 2023
Birth of Cornwall
In the fifth century, Western Europe began remaking itself in the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire. In south-west Britain, old tribal authorities and identities reasserted themselves and a ruling elite led a vibrant and outward-looking kingdom - today’s Corn ... Show More
35m 33s