Fall of Civilizations Podcast
Paul Cooper
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A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fall? And what did it feel like to watch it happen?
Available episodes
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Oldest first
Apr 11, 2023
17. Carthage - Empire Of The Phoenicians
Buried beneath the city streets of the Tunisian capital of Tunis, an ancient city lies forgotten...
In this episode, we look at one of the most dramatic stories to come down to us from the ancient world: the rise and fall of the empire of Carthage. Find out how this city rose out of the Phoenician states of the Eastern Mediterranean, and set out on voyages of discovery and settlement that put them at the centre of the ancient world. And hear how the city of Carthage was destroyed, and its memory nearly wiped from the earth.
SOURCES: https://www.patreon.com/posts/sources-for-17-81369494?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Credits:
Written and produced by Paul Cooper
Sound engineering by Alexey Sibikin
Voice actors:
Michael Hajiantonis
Lachlan Lucas
Alexandra Boulton
Simon Jackson
Tom Marshall-Lee
Chris Harvey,
Nick Denton
Paul Casselle
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Oct 2, 2022
16. Bagan - City Of Temples
In the lowlands of Burma lie the remains of thousands of crumbling temples...
In this episode, we tell one of the most colourful stories of civilizational survival: the story of the Bagan Empire of Myanmar. Find out how this kingdom rose up in the Irrawaddy river valley of central Myanmar, and built one of the most remarkable series of monuments to have survived from the medieval world. Discover what life was like for the people who lived there, and find out what happened to cause its sudden and complete collapse.
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Jun 15, 2022
15. The Nabataeans - The Final Days Of Petra
In the deserts of Jordan, a city lies hidden for centuries in a valley of rose-red stone...
In this episode, we look at one of the most peculiar stories of civilizational survival to come down to us from the ancient world, the story of the Nabataeans. Find out how these once humble traders rose to become masters of the desert sands, and to defy empires. And discover what happened to finally bring down the empire of Nabataea.
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Feb 18, 2022
14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors Of South India
On the rocky banks of South India's Tungabhadra River, an enormous ruined city lies crumbling...
In this episode, we look at the Vijayanagara Empire of Southern India, a civilization that has all but faded from memory in many parts of the world.
Find out how this remarkable society rose up out of an age of conflict and fragmentation, how it built one of the largest and most impressive medieval cities in the world, and developed an identity that was both South Indian in nature, and global in its outlook. With readings in Sanskrit, and the sounds of traditional Carnatic music, find out what happened to bring the great stone temples of Vijayanagara crashing down in fire and flame.
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Credits:
Voice actors:
Peter Walters
Michael Hajiantonis
Kim Heron
Nick Denton
Paul Casselle
Sound engineering by Alexey Sibikin
Original music performed and composed by Aruna Sairam.
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Jun 14, 2021
13. The Assyrians - Empire of Iron
In the lowlands of Northern Iraq, a series of enormous cities lies crumbling in ruins...
In this episode, find out about one of the most remarkable ancient civilizations: the society known today as the neo-Assyrian Empire. Discover how the Assyrians built their empire out of the ashes of the Bronze Age, and built an empire of iron that lasted for centuries. Explore the extraordinary flourishing of art and technology that they fostered. And finally, discover what happened to cause their final, devastating collapse.
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Jan 12, 2021
12. The Inca - Cities in the Cloud
High up on the craggy peaks of the Urubamba Canyon, a lost city lies wreathed in cloud...
In this episode, we explore the mountains of the Andes, and tell the story of the Inca Empire. Find out how these mountain people built the largest empire in the Western Hemipshere, in one of the toughest terrains on earth. With Inca poetry, Quechuan hymns and authentic Andean instruments, discover the unique culture of the Inca. And find out what happened to bring their society crashing down around them.
Sound engineering: Thomas Ntinas & Alexey Sibikin
Voice actors:
Annie Kelly
Jamie Tanner
Gerald Condlin
Lachlan Lucas
Peter Walters
Jimmy Lai
Original music by Pavlos Kapralos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzgAonk4-uVhXXjKSF-Nz1A
Also heard: “Andean illusion” by Kanti Quena (Carlos Saldana) and
"Ollantay" by Leandro Alviña.
Kanti Quena (Carlos Saldana): Quena, Quenacho, Tarkas, Bombo, Charango
Phaxsi Coca (Jeanettte Rojas): Siku Malta, Siku Zanka, Jach'a Siku, Bombo, Chajchas
Ana Maria Ramirez Bautista: Quena
Maya McCourt: Cello
Pavlos Kapralos: Chajchas, Palo de Lluvia
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Jul 14, 2020
11. Byzantium - Last of the Romans
On the outskirts of modern Istanbul, a line of ancient walls lies crumbling into the earth...
In this episode, we look at one of history’s most incredible stories of survival - the thousand-year epic of the Byzantine Empire. Find out how this civilization suffered the loss of its Western half, and continued the unbroken legacy of Rome right through the middle ages. Hear about how it formed a bridge between two continents, and two ages, and learn how the impregnable walls of Constantinople were finally brought crashing to the ground.
This episode we're joined by members of the St Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral Choir in London, and a number of musicians playing traditional Byzantine instruments.
Support Fall of Civilizations on Patreon: http://patreon.com/fallofcivilizations_podcast
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Nicolas Rixon
Joey L
Annie Kelly
Cleo Madeleine
Original Compositions and music supervision:
Pavlos Kapralos
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzgAonk4-uVhXXjKSF-Nz1A
Chanters of The St Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral:
Michael Georgiou
Alexandros Gikas
Matthew Tomko
Stephanos Thomaides
Pavlos Kapralos
Traditional Musicians:
Monooka (Monica Lucia Madas), vocals
Alexandros Koustas, Lyra (other names: Byzantine Lyra/ Lyra of Istanbul/ Kemence)
Konstantinos Glynos, Kanonaki (other names: qanun; in Byzantine Greek: psaleterion)
Theofilos Lais, Cretan Lyra
Dario Papavassiliou, Santouri (other name: Greek Santur)
Pavlos Kapralos, Oud
Other music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: incompetech.com/
Title theme: Home At Last by John Bartmann. https://johnbartmann.com/
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Feb 24, 2020
10. China's Han Dynasty - The First Empire in Flames
A city in ruins. A dynasty in tatters. An empire in ashes...
This episode, we look at the remarkable story of the first empire of ancient China, the Han dynasty. With ancient Chinese poetry, songs and folk music, we look back at the first empire's rise, its remarkable technological advances, and its first, tentative attempts to make contact with the empires of the west. Finally, we look at all the reasons behind the first age of Imperial China's final, dramatic fall.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Claire Hynes
Jake Barrett-Mills
Shem Jacobs
Alex Peattie
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/
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Dec 16, 2019
9. The Aztecs - A Clash of Worlds
Beneath the busy streets of Mexico City, a buried god lies waiting to be discovered...
This episode, we look back at the age of the Aztecs. Learn how this society grew from nothing to create one of the world's largest cities in the middle of a lake. Discover Aztec riddles, poetry and songs, as well as the bloody ritual of the flower wars. And hear the remarkable story of how this thriving empire collapsed all at once, in a matter of days.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Jake Barrett-Mills
Rhy Brignell
Shem Jacobs
Annie Kelly
Lou Millington
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
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Oct 25, 2019
8. The Sumerians - Fall of the First Cities
In the dusts of Iraq, the ruins of the world's first civilization lie buried.
This episode, we travel into the extremely distant past to look at the Sumerians. These ancient people invented writing and mathematics, and built some of the largest cities that the world had ever seen. Find out about the mystery of their origins, and learn how they rose from humble beginnings to form the foundation of all our modern societies. With myths, proverbs and even some recreated Sumerian music, travel back to where it all began, and find out how humanity's first civilization fell.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Jake Barrett-Mills
Rhy Brignell
Shem Jacobs
Nick Bradley
Emily Johnson
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
Sumerian Music kindly provided by Gayle and
Philip Neuman, of Ensemble De Organographia. Their CD, "Music of the Ancient Sumerians, Egyptians and Greeks," is available from
northpacificmusic.com.
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Aug 29, 2019
7. The Songhai Empire - Africa's Age of Gold
Today, the Songhai Empire is all but forgotten by history. But this medieval kingdom was once the most powerful force in Africa.
Find out how this civilization grew up on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, among some of the most extreme conditions that nature can throw at us. Discover how it grew and flourished, passing through a process known as the imperial cycle, and learn about what ultimately caused its sudden and dramatic collapse.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Jake Barrett-Mills
Rhy Brignell
Bryan Tshiobi
Pip Willett
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
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Jun 29, 2019
6. Easter Island - Where Giants Walked
On one of the world’s most isolated islands, hundreds of vast stone statues lie mouldering in the grass.
In this episode, we take a look at one of archaeology’s most enduring puzzles: the mystery of Easter Island. Find out how this unique community grew up in complete isolation, severed from the rest of the world by a vast expanse of ocean. Discover the incredible story of how it survived for so many centuries, and examine the evidence about what happened to finally bring this society, and its statues, crashing down.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Jake Barrett-Mills
Jacob Rollinson
Annie Kelly
Shem Jacobs
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
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May 3, 2019
5. The Khmer Empire - Fall of the God Kings
Deep in the Cambodian Jungle, a ruined city crumbles among the roots of banyan trees.
In this episode, we look at the history of the Khmer Empire of medieval Cambodia, and the ancient mega-city of Angkor. I want to explore how this great civilization rose to a size and wealth virtually unprecedented in the world, how it overcame the challenges of its climate and landscape, and all the factors that led to its final, dramatic collapse.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Rhy Brignell
Lou Millington
Sebastian Garbacz
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
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Mar 24, 2019
4. The Greenland Vikings - Land of the Midnight Sun
One of the most unlikely tales of a society’s fall in is the incredible saga of the Vikings of Greenland.
Find out the history of how these European settlers built a society on the farthest edge of their world, and survived for centuries among some of the harshest conditions ever faced by man. Discover how this civilization was able to overcome the odds for so long, and examine the evidence about what happened to cause its final and mysterious collapse. Including Viking poetry, Inuit folktales and thousands upon thousands of walrus.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Jacob Rollinson
Jake Barrett-Mills
Sebastian Garbacz
Special thanks to Jordan Ashley Moore (Ancient Literature Dude) for his readings of Old Norse poetry.
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
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Feb 7, 2019
3. The Mayan Collapse - Ruins Among the Trees
In the tropical forests of Central America, vast stone pyramids slowly crumble beneath the trees.
In this episode, we look at one of history's great romantic mysteries: the fall of the Classic Maya Civilization. Find out how this great civilization grew up among environmental conditions that no other civilization has ever contended with, learn about the fatal flaws that lay beneath its surface, and what happened after its final, cataclysmic collapse.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Bryan Thsiobi
Jacob Rollinson
Jake Barrett-Mills
Helena Bacon
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
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Jan 21, 2019
2. The Bronze Age Collapse - Mediterranean Apocalypse
Around the year 1100 BC, a wave of destruction washed over the Eastern Mediterranean. It wiped whole civilizations off the map, and left only ash and ruin in its wake.
This catastrophe, known as “the Late Bronze Age Collapse”, has become one of the enduring puzzles of history. I want to explore how so many societies could collapse all at once, and seemingly without warning, as well as examine the lessons it might teach us in our increasingly globalised and interconnected world.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Shem Jacobs
Jacob Rollinson
Jake Barrett-Mills
Bryan Tshiobi
Helena Bacon
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-fre…isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: incompetech.com/
Additional music (The Hurrian Hymn) by Michael Levy
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Jan 19, 2019
1. Roman Britain - The Work of Giants Crumbled
A vast ruined bath house, a fire-damaged poem and a world teetering on the brink of collapse.
In this episode, we look at the history of the collapse of Roman Britain. Find out how a great civilization grew up almost overnight on the island of Britannia, how it endured the test of centuries against barbarian invasions and foolish rulers, and what happened after its final dramatic collapse.
Credits:
Sound engineering by Thomas Ntinas
Voice Actors:
Shem Jacobs
Jacob Rollinson
Jake Barrett-Mills
Music by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100209
Artist: http://incompetech.com/
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