logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
42m 31s

Hagia Sophia: Where Worlds Collide

History Hit & Assassin's Creed
About this episode

The Hagia Sophia is a landmark that has stood for 1500 years, and that players can clamber all over in Assassin’s Creed Revelations. It is remarkable not only for its longevity, but also for its blending of multiple cultures: their art, architecture, languages and faiths.


To unpack this complex history, Matt Lewis is joined by Emily Neumeier, Assistant Professor of of Islamic art and architecture at Temple University.


Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. 


Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Alex Jones

Produced by: Matt Lewis, Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Coordinator: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett


Music:

Altair and Darim by Lorne Balfe

Constantinopolis by Lorne Balfe

Welcome to Kostantiniyye by Jesper Kyd

Arrocco by Lorne Balfe


If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK


Tell us your favourite episode or Assassin's Creed game at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 7
Crusader Queens of Jerusalem
The very first Assassin's Creed video game takes us back to the Third Crusade, and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. As Saladin's Islamic armies tried to reconquer the Holy Land, the Christian rulers of Jerusalem faced as many threats from within as without - perhaps none moreso than Syb ... Show More
54m 4s
Jun 30
Assassin's Creed Writer Reveals How They Brought The French-Indian War To Life
Assassin’s Creed Rogue lets players explore the frozen world of the Arctic coastline of North America. Players inhabit the memories of Shay Cormac, an Irish Assassin who switches sides to join the Templars, against the backdrop of the Seven Years’ War, or as its American theatre ... Show More
53m 42s
Jun 23
The Northwest Passage: Doom of Arctic Explorers
Assassin's Creed Rogue and Assassin's Creed III let us sail through the frozen waters of the Northwest Passage at the most dangerous time in history.From Hudson Bay to Hawaii, the coasts of Canada and the USA were mapped as an unintended consequence of history’s greatest explorer ... Show More
39m 22s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Season 3 | 8. The Battle of Bouvines
John assembles a mighty Plantagenet alliance to return to France and reclaim what Philip Augustus stole from him. After a decade of preparations, the fate of his dynasty rests on the outcome of one bloody battle. This is History is a Sony Music Entertainment production. Find more ... Show More
27m 48s
May 20
Mount Hiei: Home of Japan's Warrior Monks
Assassin's Creed: Shadows gives players the chance to visit the imperial capital of medieval Japan. But today, we're heading to a mountain lying just northeast of the capital: Mount Hiei, a sacred site that was protected by a powerful army of warrior monks.Dr Chris Harding, Senio ... Show More
38m 4s
Nov 2024
Ramsès II ou les recettes de l'éternité (1/3)
C’est l’un des pharaons les plus célèbres de l’Egypte ancienne : Ramsès II. Grand guerrier, il a marqué l’Histoire grâce à ses conquêtes, tant territoriales que amoureuses. Il ne reste plus grand-chose de son puissant empire, si ce n’est les prestigieuses tombes, chef d'œuvres d’ ... Show More
29m 33s
Mar 2024
Season 4 | 6. The Battle of Lewes
When Queen Eleanor makes a move to restore Plantagenet power, the barons launch into all out war. Simon de Montfort assembles a small but powerful army to take on Henry and his family on a hillside in Southern England. The future of the entire Plantagenet dynasty hangs in the bal ... Show More
27m 55s
Jan 2025
The Rise and Fall of Al-Andalus
Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Brian A. Catlos to explore the nearly eight centuries of Al Andalus, Islamic Spain. From a daring invasion in 711 led by Tariq ibn Ziyad to the emergence of great cities like Cordoba, Matt and Brian delve into the multicultural experiment where M ... Show More
53m 13s
Nov 2023
Cities that turbocharged art history
From Renaissance Florence and ancient Babylon to the kingdom of Benin and Heian-era Kyoto, cities across history have served as launchpads for extraordinary outbursts of artistic flowering. Caroline Campbell, director of the National Gallery of Ireland and the author of The Power ... Show More
31m 28s
Jan 2024
Season 3 | Bonus: How to live like a monk - with Danièle Cybulskie
The new season of This is History will be landing on your feeds on February 20th. In the meantime, you can listen to hours of bonus content over on This is History Plus, where Dan has been interviewing the great and good of history about all things Plantagenet. In this free taste ... Show More
25m 29s
Sep 2023
Season 3 | 1. Softsword
King John’s first real test of leadership arrives, in the form of a treaty with Philip Augustus, the wily King of France. Will John spot the French King’s trap, or blunder straight into it? Meanwhile, a grim discovery in the river Seine sets the tone for the reign of England’s mo ... Show More
27m 45s
Nov 2023
Season 3 | 12. Salvation
John desperately clings on to power while Louis the Lion declares himself king in London. Meanwhile, the rebels close in. This could be the end for John, and the House of Plantagenet. But standing in the way of ruin, there’s still one loyal knight left who’s ready to ride into ba ... Show More
29m 4s
May 12
Decolonizing Architecture I Sandi Hilal & Alessandro Petti
In this episode of Tarwida, we speak with architects Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti, co-founders of DAAR—Decolonizing Architecture Art Residency. From refugee camps to schools and public spaces, Hilal and Petti reimagine space not as a neutral container, but as a political and ... Show More
54m 9s