The History of Islam podcast

The most essential history podcast right now must be The History of Islam podcast (feed) by Elias Belhaddad. Current affairs have a very palpable presence of Islam and much of the history since the rise of Islam (and it rose at lightning speed) has a strong presence of Islam. Yet most historiography (and podcasts as well) can only offer the perspective from without. Yet, as we are in crisis with Islam (and maybe we always were) it seems without a doubt extremely important to acquire understanding of Islam. I certainly feel that way.

Elias Belhaddad clearly has set this as a goal: to inform about Islam and convey its perspective to his audience. The consequence of this is that while we have proceeded 14 episodes into the series, we have only just now arrived at Muhammad and he is about to leave for Medina. Belhaddad has deliberately spent most of his time until this point in laying out the groundwork for what he sees is indispensable for understanding the world and people from which Muhammad and Islam came about.

He has invested in explaining the environment of the Arabian Penninsula and how the harsh nature designates the mentality and life style of the Arab peoples. Then he has gone through great lengths laying out the history of the Quraysh clan, how they came to control Mecca and from there on along the lineage down till Muhammad.

He is clearly passionate about the subject, he has great admiration for the Arab people (though not without criticism), he knows his Arabic and personally I assume he is a Muslim, although he has not divulged any such details about himself which is his full right of course.

Hence this is a podcast of great relevance, done with passion and with much purpose. In addition his audio is good and his delivery is much to my liking. Nevertheless I keep wondering with each and every episode: why is this important? What is the take away message? I am sure Elias has a clear idea where he wants to go, and why he narrates the way he does, but he reveals very little of it. Maybe he feels this keeping of the cards to his chest is an advantage, but I wager, the podcast would gain in depth if he were to be transparent on his decisions of what to put in, what to leave out and what it is he wants to make clear in particular.

The history of English and the history of the alphabet

Recently I have been dedicating all my listening time to one podcaster, Kevin Stroud, who offers two series on the web. The first is The History of English Podcast which has by now reached its 30th episode, 20 of which I have managed to cover since I made the discovery. The other is The History of the Alphabet which I learned about through the aforementioned and which I listened through from beginning to end in one fell swoop.

Kevin Stroud is an American lawyer with a love for language, who has taken up the unique challenge among history podcasts to relate the history of a language, any language. His history of the English language goes back to the earliest of beginnings, the Indo-European language and slowly takes it from there. He delivers a lot of linguistic samples but by following a historic narrative which is in many ways a retelling of the main stream history from the dawn of civilization up to modern times. This means he delivers material that is touched upon by many other podcasters. I am not sure whether he is familiar with them all, but I find his history to be closely in synch with what is known through other sources. What makes the podcast unique, original and highly interesting is the linguistic perspective. In addition, Stroud has a good voice and delivers his text in a way that is highly effective in audio, that is, his sentences are straightforward and he does not shy away from repetition so that you cannot get lost and his point passes really well. (feed)

During this podcast, Stroud naturally gives a lot of attention to the development of script in general and the alphabet in particular. For example he dedicated a whole episode to the letter C. However, for a more extensive and systematic discussion of the alphabet and this different letters, he decided to make another series: The history of the alphabet. This is more of an audio-book and it can be purchased from several vendors at a price around $9, but I bought it for $6 directly at the podcast's website. It is the first time I have actually paid money for audio and I have not regretted it for a single moment. This series has shown me how the Hebrew alphabet that I had to learn at a later age is much more closely related and traceable in the Latin alphabet with which I grew up than I thought. It clarifies some of the strange spellings you encounter, especially in English and French, but not much less in Dutch. I also never knew that the letters J and V are actually so new in our language that the first dictionaries that were made, like for example Samuel Johnson's (1755), did not even treat them separately from I and U.

I'll continue to catch up with Stroud's podcast and in the mean time I should be updating you on many other new podcasts I have been picking up on of late. Many of these also dive into ancient history, so it seems I am really going through a 'back to the roots' phase as it were. My playlist contains The Ancient World, Myths and History of Ancient Greece and the Podcast History of our World to name a few along this line.

Early Middle Ages (Yale)

Open Yale is a great source for academic podcasts. Thanks to a tip from my reader Charles Lipson, I learned about a set of new courses that have become available at Yale, among others Paul Freedman's series about the Early Middle Ages (284-1000 CE) - (feed). After having heard the first four lectures (out of 22), I warmly recommend this series.

In the world of history podcasts there are a couple of other options to get information about the early Middle Ages; UCSD has an MMW part dedicated to this era and there is also a series about the Byzantine Empire that should be had when you are interested in these centuries and there is the multimedia experience of Europe From Its Origins. All of these tend to start with the Roman emperors Diocletian and Constantine to mark the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and then move on to cover the fall of Rome in the West and the consecutive developments in Western Europe.

Yale's Paul Freedman does the same, but with his lectures I was made to realize for the first time, how radical the change is, especially under Constantine and how this truly is the beginning of the Middle Ages, that era in the history of Western Europe that is dominated by Christianity and the Church power. It has been said before, but as Freedman emphasizes how odd it is that an insignificant minority sect such as the Christians, that is known for its pacifism, within a hundred years becomes the dominant creed and political power in this mighty and militaristic empire, I have come to understand more profoundly how remarkable the development is. Really the start of a new age. Neither religion nor the state were the same as before.

More Yale:
The Moral Foundations of Politics
History of epidemics,
Early Modern England,
European Civilization 1648-1945,
France since 1871,
New Testament, history and literature,
The Hebrew Bible.

More Medieval History:
Europe From Its Origins
Norman Centuries
12 Byzantine Rulers,
Byzantine Empire (UCSD),
Medieval Heritage (UCSD - Chamberlain),
Medieval Heritage (UCSD - Herbst).

Getting the Silk Road

I am fascinated by the Silk Road and if you, like me, would like to learn more about it, here are some good tips. First of all, Laszlo Montgomery's great China History Podcast (feed) has begun a series about the Silk Road just now. There was also an In Our Time issue about the Silk Road in 2009 which can now be had from the In Our Time History Archive (feed). Other podcast tips I have come up with in the past are:
Zhang Qian,
The Parthians,
Turfan,
Jade artifact 
The Kushan.

The basics of the Silk Road are not difficult to understand: it was -already by 200 BC and still is today- a network of land routs that connected China with the rest of Asia and Europe and which allowed for trade between distant cultures such as the Roman Empire, the Han Chinese, India and more. Notably Silk and Jade were traded along the routes and if you stop here, you are just fine. I try to imagine how this actually worked and then the idea of a Silk Road becomes very complicated to understand. If you begin considering the sheer distances, the difficulty of the terrain, the problems of logistics and so on, I fail to see how it could actually work. How could a trader from China transport something extremely valuable like silk over such a distance alone? He'd be away for at least a year, he'd take enormous risks along the road and assuming he'd manage to sell his goods in Rome, he'd have to get home safely. On the other hand, if the trader wasn't to sell the silk in Rome himself, but rather rely on a chain of middle men, I would expect that the silk, by the time it reached Rome, had become so expensive, nobody would be willing to pay the price.

I am still to get an answer to this basic question, but from Laszlo Montgomery's opening episode, I learned of a solution that addressed one of the logistic problems that would have made the journey impossible: the problem of fresh water. If traders had had to carry the water they needed for the journey, along with the goods they wanted to trade with, the amount of luggage would have become simply too large. Yet, most of the roads pass arid terrain, if not outright desert. The way this was addressed was by local populace that had dug canals from the snowy mountain tops, until numerous wells along the route. This allowed the traders to journey with just their goods. I also understand that this brought the routes down to a very limited amount of possibilities: only those places where the mountains were sufficiently close by and wells had been established.

I still have to get an answer to the practical questions of how the trade was actually pulled off, because it continues to escape me how anyone would have taken the risk of the whole journey or how it could deliver affordable goods within an endless chain of middle men. Exposes about the Silk Road, whether podcast or not, rapidly leave the subject of trade and move on to emphasize what else began to travel along the Silk Road: ideas and technologies. The Silk Road allowed Buddhism to spread from India to the rest of Asia. Along the road also spread Manicheanism and early forms of Christianity. Eventually Islam took the road. Chinese inventions such as paper made it to the west over the road and of course Marco Polo traveled the Silk Road back and forth.

Another point that is not always made, but needs to be held in mind is an inequality that also played a part in the age of exploration when the sea routes also connected China with the rest: China had all the splendid stuff, but what did the rest of the world, especially the Europeans have to offer China? In the later years it was silver from South America, but what traveled on the Silk Road from west to east? How did the Romans pay for their much craved silk? Montgomery mention that spices, ivory and horses were wanted by the Chinese, but this is stuff from other parts of Asia and possibly Africa. What came from Europe? One thing that could not possibly be all, comes as a surprise: chairs. I hope the China History podcast will have more answers in the coming chapters.

More China History Podcast:
Deng Xiaoping,
Chronology of Dynasties,
China History Podcast.

Summertime tip: across podcast listening

While your favorite podcast may be on a summer break you probably are looking for something else to listen to. Suppose your favorite podcast's subject is what you are generally interested in and this might be the time to look for other podcasts who touch upon the same subject and get a broader perspective.

When I listened to the Irish History Podcast (feed) I got fascinated by its episodes about the Viking era in Irish history. For lack of a Viking History Podcast, some holes in this history are not covered by the Irish History Podcast. What was their trade? Where did they exactly come from? Why did they go on plunder?And how is it they got to be so successful? It goes to show there is much to be found out about Vikings and Normans, Scandinavian history in general and the time in the Middle Ages that they dominated Europe. Although there is not one podcast that takes care of the subject, there are several that touch upon it (like the Irish History podcast) and by listening across podcasts, a lot can be learned.

Not only Ireland was beset by Vikings, also Anglo-Saxon England was visited and the podcast History of England (feed) by David Crowther does a very good job of relating this era. In a good portion of the first thirty episodes you get to learn a lot and it wonderfully complements the Irish story. For example, from David we learn that the Vikings that landed in Ireland were mostly from Norway, whereas England was dominated by the Danes. The Swedes concentrated their efforts towards the Baltic. Those Vikings that got hold of Normandy, eventually became the Normans, a Francophone branch of this Scandinavian family. The podcast Norman Centuries (feed) is dedicated to the Normans.

The Norman story and the English story obviously come together around 1066, which is also elegantly told by Notes on History (feed), but apart from England, Norman conquests also take us into the Mediterranean and eventually all the way to Constantinople, where Normans became the famous Varangian Guard, about whom you will also learn in the podcast 12 Byzantine Rulers (feed)

There in the east, the Normans met Vikings who reached the same point but through a different route. Swedish Vikings conquered eastward and became known as the Rus, the founders of later Russia as we learn in the opening issues of the Russian Rulers History Podcast (feed)

As usual with Historic subjects, the archives of BBC's In Our Time are worth a visit and offer among others:
Athelstan,
Volga Vikings,
The battle of Stamford Bridge,
Alfred and the battle of Edington
And The Norman yoke.

More:
Irish History Podcast,
Norman Centuries,
Notes on History,
12 Byzantine Rulers,
Russian Rulers History Podcast.

Notes on history

The amateur podcast Notes on History which comes out infrequently, has begun a series about American Presidents which looks quite promising. At this opportunity I would like to turn your attention to a much older issue in the series which I found particularly good and originally executed. (feed)

Host Paul Stoetzel took on the challenge of retelling the historic events of 1066, William the Conqueror's taking over of England. In a two-part production he turns the story into a veritable drama, complete with suspense and surprise turns of events and a touch of comedy. In the process he manages to bring clarity in the facts and keep track of the multitude of characters involved including their confusing names (three Harolds to name but a few of those challenges). 1066, part 1 ; 1066 part 2.

European Unity - Europe from its origins

The multimedia podcast Europe from its Origins tells a history of Europe treating it as a cultural unity stemming from the Western part of the Roman Empire. It relates history from around the third century and aims to continue until today. This extraordinary project deserves much praise and attention. Although it can be listened to as an audio podcast, it pays to sit down and actually watch the multitude of slides and video that accompany the narration. (feed)

The maker Joseph Hogarty not only treats Europe as a unity, while chronologically going through its history, he also tries to make and argument for this idea as he goes along. Also in the latest issue (Episode 19: AD 1347 - 1396) the question of Europe's unity or division comes up. As he argued before that Christendom was the concept and culture that unified Europe, he argues here that states are not what divided Europe. States, he goes on to show, is an idea that was developed later and applied to Europe of the Middle Ages where neither the practice nor the concept existed.

If, in Hogarty's view, there was at all something of a state in the Europe of the 14th century, it was the pagan Lithuania, that over the 14th century got incorporated into Christendom, which makes Europe as large as the EU today. The Plague sets in to give that Europe a unified experience of disaster.  Meanwhile, this unity succeeds in keeping the Muslim Arabs at bay, however not the Ottoman Turks. This enmity is to continue for many more centuries. This is where Hogarty -apparently- will continue the 15th century into the next installment. I cannot wait.

More Europe from its origins:
A history of Europe (3),
Cultural shift in the High Middle Ages,
A history of Europe (2),
Podcast with pictures - Europe from its origins,
A history of Europe (1).

Norman Centuries - The Great Count

What is Sicily? Part of Italy - right? A month ago I saw a movie that took place on Sicily and I noticed how the language sounded so different from the Italian I know. Now let us get back in history. The Middle Ages. A lot of the people who live on the island are Greeks, they are ruled by Arab Muslims and those have brought Berber troops to maintain order. The Arabs and the Berbers begin to compete for influence and some Italian lords from the main land also show interest. But then the Normans arrive.

This is but a rough and inaccurate way of describing, but it gives in a nut shell what I learned from Lars Brownworth's podcast Norman Centuries. Over the last episodes, the Normans have begun arriving in Italy and Sicily and expanded their influence. The last episode, #11 - The Great Count, tells the tale of the Norman Roger de Hauteville, who over the 11th century eventually wrestled Sicily from the Arabs and the Berbers and came to rule it by himself. (feed)

So what have we learned by now? We have learned how the Normans gained a foothold in Normandy and began to be a power in France. We knew of course of William the Conqueror, who crosses the Channel and established Norman reign in England. Now we have had a couple of shows about the sons of Tancred de Hauteville who tried their luck in Italy and Sicily and succeeded over there. Apart from William the Conqueror I had hardly any idea of the extent of Norman influence, until Lars came with his podcast.

More Norman Centuries:
6 more podcasts I listened to when I was away from the blog,
Norman Centuries - Lars Brownworth,
William the Conqueror,
Magnificent Devil,
Richard the Fearless.

Europe from its origins - A history of Europe

The history vodcast Europe from its Origins just came out with a new chapter. This podcast delivers the history of Europe from the early middle ages, from the break down of the Roman empire and it describes how the modern Europe slowly evolves from this eclipse. (feed)

In the new chapter the years 1276 - 1347 are being discussed. It is the time when the Crusades are more or less over. However, the competition between Christian Europe and the Muslim powers continue. Much of this struggle is about the last spoils of the Byzantine empire, but this also implies a question of the Christian unity and where its focal point lies.

Not only do the eastern and western Christianities not succeed in uniting, the western Christian Res Publica, the European world, although in some ways standing as a unity towards the Muslim world in the east, is thoroughly divided. The podcast then expands on this division and where it ends, more problems are awaiting Europe.

This podcast is a great multimedia experience. One could do without the visuals, however the way they are incorporated are absolutely exquisite and I'd say you would not want to miss out on them.

More Europe from its origins:
Europe from its origins - Cultural shift in the High Middle Ages,
Europe from its origins - A history of Europe,
Podcast with pictures - Europe from its origins,
A history of Europe.

History, linguistics and the downside of society

I want to point you to a lecture on iTunes U which has the lengthy title From Early Judeo-Iranian Jargons to Central Asiatic Argots of Rom Groups: Evidence for an Influential Jewish Underworld in the Late Abbasid Period. Martin Schwartz (Berkeley) spoke at UCLA about his research into the language of beggars and criminals of Central Asia as can be found in late medieval sources and which has traces until today. The lecture was published in the series from the Center for Near Eastern Studies (feed).

Schwartz's research is mostly linguistic, but since it uses Arabic and Persian sources from the 10th to the 14th century it becomes historic research already by virtue of that. In addition, once he delves into the linguistic peculiarities of his subject, you also get an indicator of historic influences and social stratifications. It seems almost impossible and not serious to research the underworld languages of beggars and thieves, but apart from the fact that there are sources, it always serves looking at society from below, while regular historiography most of the time takes on the top of society.

To be sure, the beggars and thieves do speak the common languages of their environment, whether it is Arabic, Persian or Turkic languages. Yet they have a need for switching to a slang of their own in order not to be understood in the environment when they need to. Strictly their colloquial is not a language but rather a jargon or an argot as Schwartz calls it. What is striking is that they look for replacement words that cannot easily be understood and often find them in Hebrew or Aramaic even if the speakers themselves are not Jewish.

More from the Center of Near Eastern Studies:
Jonathan Mark Kenoyer on Indus Valley Civilization.

Power struggle over Ireland - Irish History Podcast

In the tenth century Gaelic clans and Vikings struggled for dominance over Ireland and this history is in a very captivating manner told by Fin Dwyer at the Irish History Podcast (feed).

Changing Times in Ireland 902-930 is the fifth episode in this podcast that chronologically takes us through the history of Ireland. Dwyer kicks off in this episode on 902, when the Vikings for a short time had lost power in Ireland and the two major Irish power brokers the O'Neills and the Eoganacht battle it out for dominion over the whole island. As Dwyer frequently emphasizes during this chapter this internal war was to have many unexpected outcomes and would eventually see a deep change in the power balance.

Dwyer produces short episodes (around 30 minutes) with clear breaks within them to make sure the listener does not get distracted, making for a very accessible history. People who would want to learn more about Irish history should not just follow the audio of Irish History Podcast, but read the blog posts as well.

A thing that surprises me until this point in the chronology is how little connection there is between Ireland and the history outside, apart from that of the Vikings. I expected influences from England and Scotland especially, though in these ages, they were also under the Vikings. And while we talk Vikings, I would also recommend the latest issue of BBC's In Our Time, about Vikings, even if it were too short to my taste.

More Irish History:
Conspiracy Trials in Ireland,
Hidden Heritage,
Irish History in Podcasts,
Irish History Podcast.

Iran History Podcast - Columbia

By lecture 10 Professor Richard Bulliet's lecture series about the history of Iran (at Columbia University) reaches the arrival of Islam. Bulliet introduces Islam in the same general fashion as he introduced other topics in this course, which, by the way, once again, draws the whole course beyond the regional focus. (feed)

I have had general introductions in Islam at the history courses of UCSD (MMW3 and MMW4) and eventually also Bulliet delivers the traditional narrative as is presented at UCSD. This is the inception story of Islam that the Muslims tell themselves. Bulliet expands only a little bit by not just telling Mohammed was divinely inspired and dictated the Koran by the angel Gabriel. He explores the contemporary traditions which might precede the content of the Koran. The traditions that used Arabic verse and makes an implicit conjecture that Mohammed came from such a background.

However, before Bulliet gives the traditional narrative, he spends a lecture on skeptics about Islam. Eventually he completely rejects their doubts and alternative histories, but he deems it important to familiarize hi audience with their existence. For me, this was completely new. I had never heard of the term Hagarism, in place of Islam and had no idea there were researchers who tried some kind of linguistic analysis of the Koran and study suggestions that the Koran was not written (or recited) by Mohammed, but rather some 200 years later by scholars in Iraq. I hear Bulliet when he claims these ideas are improbable and I understand why he delivers them in a nutshell. I was happy he did just to get an idea where the questions lie.

More:
Armenian History - Nina G. Garsoïan,
History of the Parthians,
History of Iran,
A tip from Baxter Wood,
Iran today.

Armenian History - Nina G. Garsoian

As I wrote before I am tremendously enjoying Professor Richard Bulliet's 2008 course on the history of Iran at Columbia university. While at it, I was motivated though, to make a side step and search the realms of podcast in search for some of the names and places he brings up that I would love to find out more about.

For example about the Armenians. I could not find any podcast dedicated to Armenian History and I know of very few general podcasts that have given ample attention. One interesting lecture I found in a vodcast from the Metropolitan Museum of Art - Medieval Art. The museum acquired an Armenian stone cross (Armenian Khatchkar) on loan and for the occasion invited historian Nina G. Garsoïan to speak about Armenian Medieval History. (iTunesU feed) In spite of the fact that this is video, there is absolutely nothing you miss out if you merely listen to it.

Garsoïan takes on the lecture with a very ambitious goal. She sets out to do something other than outline the bloom period of Armenia in the Middle Ages, but rather embark on an analysis of the various rises and falls of Armenia and try to explain why it is that the Armenian culture has survived when most of history there was no geographic or political integrity that could be called Armenia. In her words: how could the Armenians survive as a people without a land? And this reaches to the heart of Armenian History, the culture and an explanation for its resilience. The paradoxical thing is that the Armenians rather by division than by unity seem to stand.

More:
History of the Parthians,
History of Iran,
A tip from Baxter Wood,
Iran today,
Iran in 2009.

Europe from its origins - Cultural shift in the High Middle Ages

The history vodcast Europe from its Origins just came out with a new chapter Cultural Shift 1200-1300 (feed). This chapter explains exactly as the tile indicates, the cultural shift that takes place through the 13th century. Europe urbanizes and its economy shifts from subsistence to a market economy. Simultaneously art and religion show changes and most remembered is the development in architecture from the Romanesque style to Gothic.

Gothic, by the way, as host Joseph Hogarty explains, is about as bad a misnomer as it could be. The high rising, pointy churches associated with this name are first developed in Paris at the Church of Saint-Denise (which by the way also figures in the book and TV Series Pillars of the Earth) and are rather French than German, let alone Gothic. On top of that, Gothic in those times had the meaning of barbaric - a far cry to the high-tech of the day.

What this all amounts to is not just to note how the high middle ages are different from the earlier, but Hogarty also seems to suggest that the burgeoning Renaissance is already enclosed in these developments and by virtue of that is much less of a revolutionary occurrence than it is usually portrayed as. Again Hogarty has given us a great piece of history podcast (video podcast) which professionally tells and explains history and in one fell swoop takes a courageous opinion in historiography.

More Europe from its origins:
Europe from its origins - A history of Europe,
Podcast with pictures - Europe from its origins,
A history of Europe.

Norman Centuries - Lars Brownworth

It is an amazing thing how in Norman history the geographic focus switches. Somehow you expect it to be Scandinavia, but the podcast Norman Centuries kicked off in Normandy, made an excursion to England and over the last chapters has moved to Italy. (feed)

Normans got to Sicily and the peninsula as fortune seekers and worked their way up starting as mercenaries to the Byzantines. William Iron Arm (episode 8) thus made it to count and Robert Guiscard (episode 9) started as a knight and while making a name as a general, he succeeded in playing the latin power politics. Although he saw himself mostly pitted against the Roman Catholic Church and the Pontiff, but his ability to move into a position of power, made the Papacy sway and eventually ally with the Normans.

Robert Guiscard is a contemporary of William the Conqueror and so, by the time of 1066, when William attempts to invade England, Robert tries his luck with Sicily. Both succeed and what lies next for the Normans is the real prize of the time: Byzantium. We await the next episode to find out how such a grand ambition pans out.

More Norman Centuries:
William the Conqueror,
Magnificent Devil,
Richard the Fearless,
Norman Centuries - Lars is back!.

Mark Schauss: Russian Rulers History Podcast

Two months ago I reported about the Russian Rulers History Podcast for  the first time. Then it had just started and by now it has picked up speed. Maker Mark Schauss has improved the podcast while churning out a good stream of some 10 new episodes. The sound is better, the reading is better, the main subject is adorned with additional rubrics, in short: this podcast is becoming a joy to listen to. (feed)

Before I started listening I knew a very little bit of Russian history. Just enough to place it in the larger scheme of things and to make the mental connection from the Rus, Kiev, Moscow, Czars to Bolshevists and the present. Schauss is not only filling in the gaps, but also tackles the theory of this history for example by delving into the question why is it that Moscow came to dominate Russian history and not Kiev, Novgorod, Rostov, Vladimir or other cities.

It seems Schauss is rising to the task of filling not just my gap. He manages to reach a wider audience and he also interacts with it. He takes on the questions and suggestions and lately he has been rewarding the audience also with free iPhone apps for the podcast.

More Russian history:
Russian Rulers Podcast,
The Caucasus,
Jews in the Russian army,
Lies and truths by Jan Struys,
The great dictators.

Irish History in Podcasts

The medieval history of Ireland is heavily influenced by the Vikings. The new Irish History Podcast (feed) has already dedicated two different shows to the Vikings. Next to this podcast, I checked also what another Irish history podcast reported about Ireland and the Vikings: Irish Hedgerow history Lessons (feed) The first is an Irish podcast, the second is an American, Irish roots podcast.

It is interesting to find out that Ireland was not just raiding ground for the Vikings. First of all it was a place for trade and eventually it was also a place for settlement. In addition to the era of fear and negative approach to the Vikings which made the Irish rather flee than seek contact, in the end there was a relation of influence. And Ireland became integrated in the wide world of Scandinavia.

Eventually the Irish also influenced the Norse and especially in the Christianization of the Scandinavians the Irish were instrumental.

More Irish History:
Irish History Podcast

Exploring Environmental History (EEH podcast)

It has been some time since I have reported about the Exploring Environmental History Podcast (feed). It is with this podcast as with so many others that I follow regularly. Although I keep listening to them, I cannot find easily something new to write about them. Just as the others EEH continues to be the podcast it always was: an academic level history podcast in which the maker, Jan Oosthoek, interviews colleagues from the field of environmental history to talk about their research.

I especially enjoyed the last two podcasts in which Jan interviewed first Cath Knight and then Colin Tyner. Both podcasts had a distinct Japanese content to them. Cath Knight researched the different approach of Japan and New Zealand to conservation in general and the protection of the Asiatic Black Bear. Colin Tyner researched the environmental history of the Ogasawara Islands (which as of recent belong to Japan, but have no exclusive Japanese history).

Both podcasts are interesting, not only for the one interested in Environmental History, in these specific cases, there is also a lot of Japanese culture coming out in the mix, which, at least to me, gave a very special additional touch to them.

More Exploring Environmental History:
Volcanoes in European History,
Environmental History in the Middle Ages,
New weeds in Africa,
Biological invasions and transformations,
Environmental history: an applied science.

Irish History Podcast

Here is a new podcast that is off to a promising start. The Irish History Podcast started a couple of months ago and has produced two fascinating episodes so far (feed). It has paid some attention to the earliest known inhabitants of Ireland - those barbarians the Greeks and Romans referred to. And it has begun a series about the Vikings.

When I was listening to this podcast I was reminded of the beginning of the Celtic Myth Podshow. This series kicked off two years earlier. It vividly retells Celtic myths and at the time started with the Irish myths. These Irish tales contained a lot of coming into existence and historized narrative. At the time I would have loved the CMP to compare the myths to history. And in exactly the same way, I was hoping, and am still hoping, the Irish History Podcast will take on Irish tales and address them as some kind of source for the earliest history of Ireland, or at least as a viable source to compare with what regular history makes of Irish history.

Maybe this is to come when the podcast reaches the middle ages, when most of those old tales were written down or to the later ages when Celtic culture was rediscovered as the roots of many from the British Isles. In any case, no history can go without historiography and the construction of histories, the imagined history if not as the actual history than as the cultural history. Yet, even without that, the Irish History podcast is a welcome addition to the world of history podcasts especially since it addresses a realm that nobody else pays that kind of attention to.

History of Jerusalem - UCLA

UCLA offers a course Jerusalem: The Holy City: A History of Jerusalem from Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel which initially had an audio feed, but that was discarded which left us with just the video feed.

There is a lot wrong with this way the course is offered. The sound of the video is poor, the camera is static so there is not much of a gain in seeing the lecturer (Professor Robert Cargill) and also the view on the screen with his slides is rather poor. What one might gain in seeing a bit of the slides is traded for the general drawbacks of vodcast: the files are big, the download takes a lot of time (and often fails), the material takes a lot of space and many players do not support the format.

Still, all you needed to know about the Middle-East in a 3000 year span nut shell is offered in this course. It shows how Jerusalem takes on huge meaning for everyone involved in spite of its poor military and economic weight. More than anything this course shows how politics and the course of history can be dominated by our constructions of holiness alone.