Professor Zainab Bahrani tackles popular internet search queries, and questions submitted by listeners, about the Mesopotamian city, which was one of the jewels of the ancient world. Topics range from religion, food and kings to the Hanging Gardens and the myth of the Tower of Babel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Yesterday
Alan Turing: life of the week
Alan Turing is one of the most celebrated of all British scientists. His work in cracking Nazi codes at Bletchley Park, and his role in the evolution of the computer, has earned him worldwide acclaim. Yet he died at the age of just 41, two years after being prosecuted for homosex ... Show More
45m 39s
May 2021
Ancient Afghanistan: The Land of a Thousand Cities
<p>Situated north of the Hindu Kush and south of the Oxus (Amu Darya) River, the history of the ancient region of Bactria is rich and diverse. From the Oxus Civilisation that flourished in the Bronze Age to the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, the Greco-Bactrians and the Kush ... Show More
51m 54s
Apr 2025
Episode A1 - The Four Quarters
Synopsis: The launch of “The Ancient World – Ages”, a new series covering the Early Bronze Age Collapse (c. 2200 BC) and the remaking of Southwest Eurasia. We start things off with a discussion of the Ubaid and Uruk Periods of early Mesopotamia. “After Anu, Enlil, Enki, and Ninhu ... Show More
40m 22s
Aug 2024
179. The Golden Road: Rise of the Indosphere
For a millennium and a half, India was a confident exporter of its diverse civilisation, creating around it a vast empire of ideas. Indian art, religions, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology blazed a trail across the world, along a Golden Ro ... Show More
41m 58s
Aug 2025
Ashurbanipal: The Last Great King of Assyria
Known as the 'King of the World' and the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal bestrode the ancient Mesopotamian world as a warrior but also a scholar, ruling the great Assyrian empire at the height of its power.In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Assyriologist Dr Sel ... Show More
52m 11s