Empire: World History
Goalhanger
The rise and fall of empires and the events that shaped world history.
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the intricate stories of revolutions, imperial wars, and the people who built and lost empires.
From the British Empire to the Ottomans to Ancient India, history is shaped by power struggles and territorial conquests. How does it continue to affect the world today?
Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to live show tickets, bonus episodes, book discounts, our exclusive newsletter, and access to our members’ chatroom on Discord! Head to empirepoduk.com to sign up.
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the intricate stories of revolutions, imperial wars, and the people who built and lost empires.
From the British Empire to the Ottomans to Ancient India, history is shaped by power struggles and territorial conquests. How does it continue to affect the world today?
Empire Club: Become a member of the Empire Club to receive early access to miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to live show tickets, bonus episodes, book discounts, our exclusive newsletter, and access to our members’ chatroom on Discord! Head to empirepoduk.com to sign up.
For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books
63 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 48min
336. Bronze Age Apocalypse: How To Survive The End of The World (Ep 5)
Eric Cline, archaeologist and author known for 1177 B.C., joins to explore the Late Bronze Age collapse. He traces who the Hittites were and how trade and tin supply shaped their fate. He maps the west-to-east spread of collapse, the rise of iron in Cyprus, and which ancient societies adapted best to crisis.
98 snips
Feb 19, 2026 • 1h
335. Bronze Age Apocalypse: Solving The Mystery of The Collapse (Ep 4)
Eric Cline, archaeologist and author of 1177 B.C., unpacks the sudden Bronze Age collapse. He explores mega-droughts, earthquakes, disease and migrations as a perfect storm. He examines who the Sea Peoples were, migration imagery in Egyptian reliefs, and the archaeological and textual traces of Ugarit, Troy, the Philistines and early mentions of Israel.
93 snips
Feb 17, 2026 • 43min
334. Bronze Age Apocalypse: Did Homer Write History? (Ep 3)
Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek Literature and Culture at King’s College, Cambridge, discusses Homeric poetry and oral tradition. He questions single authorship, explains performance and memorised recitation, and teases how Homer preserves fragments of Bronze Age life amid imaginative storytelling. He also explores gods, heroic flaws, and how the poems were fixed into text.
87 snips
Feb 12, 2026 • 52min
333. Bronze Age Apocalypse: The Fall of Troy with Stephen Fry (Ep 2)
Stephen Fry, British writer and actor famed for his retellings of Greek myths, explores Homer and the Bronze Age collapse. He discusses Homeric oral tradition, the archaeological layers at Troy, links between myth and Linear B records. They debate the Trojan Horse as strategy or metaphor and consider earthquakes and climate as forces behind ancient destruction.
163 snips
Feb 10, 2026 • 41min
332. Bronze Age Apocalypse: Before The Collapse (Ep 1)
Josephine Quinn, Cambridge professor and author specializing in ancient Mediterranean networks, outlines a web of trade from the Levant to Afghanistan and Sudan. She traces palace economies, Phoenician traders, archives and shipwreck evidence. Conversations cover diplomacy, shared gods and technologies, plus how deep interconnection made civilizations vulnerable to systemic collapse.
52 snips
Feb 5, 2026 • 38min
331. The Iranian Revolution: Will The Shah Return To Iran? (Ep 2)
Ramita Navai, Tehran-born documentary-maker and journalist, offers first-hand reporting on modern Iranian society. Scott Anderson, author and historian, traces the 1979 revolution and its echoes in 2026. They compare market-driven protests then and now. They examine the Shah's isolation, US intelligence failures, women's roles across eras, the IRGC's entrenchment, and regional stakes and outcomes.
93 snips
Feb 3, 2026 • 33min
330. The Iranian Revolution: 1979 vs. 2026 (Ep 1)
Ramita Navai, Iran-born journalist and documentary-maker who reports on contemporary society and protests. Scott Anderson, author and historian who studied the 1979 revolution. They compare 1979 and 2026 protests. They discuss the Shah’s US visit and its fallout. They explore how reform demands shifted to calls for regime change, the scale of repression, and economic drivers of unrest.
21 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 42min
329. Indian Uprising 1857: The British Raj is Born (Part 8)
A dramatic finale centered on Lucknow’s role in the 1857 uprising. The story follows Begum Hazrat Mahal’s coalition-building and the desperate sieges and relief attempts. It covers Campbell’s brutal counterattacks, massacres like Secunderbagh, cultural destruction, and the political aftermath that ended Company rule and reshaped Indian society.
26 snips
Jan 27, 2026 • 48min
328. Indian Uprising 1857: The Reign of Terror (Part 7)
A dramatic retelling of the brutal siege that ended Mughal rule and reshaped Delhi. They cover the ten-day bombardment, ladder assaults at Kashmiri Gate, and high urban casualties. They explore how a solar eclipse shifted loyalties and the terrifying reprisals, public executions, and looting that turned the city into a wasteland.
17 snips
Jan 22, 2026 • 48min
327. Indian Uprising 1857: The British Strike Back (Part 6)
Discover how the 1857 uprising in India faced a turning point as British reinforcements, led by the feared John Nicholson, gathered strength. Explore the chaos within rebel Delhi, where class tensions erupted amid the struggle. Learn about Nicholson's brutal tactics that shifted the momentum and the plight of the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, as his city faced inevitable despair. The episode paints a vivid picture of trench warfare, dwindling resources, and the fierce complexities of loyalty during a pivotal moment in history.
