147. Disease, the New World and modern pandem...

What are the origins of Merlin, the powerful wizard and King Arthur’s advisor? Who was Geoffrey of Monmouth, and what role did he play in evolving the tales of Arthur and the Round Table? And, was Merlin based on a real historical figure from the Saxon invasion of Britain in the ...  Show more

Who was the real Lancelot, King Arthur’s dashing love rival from the Arthurian legends? Was he the first medieval knight? How would his relationship with Queen Guinevere come to shape romance and chivalry for centuries to come? And, was there a historical Camelot…? Join Tom and D ...  Show more

Catharine Arnold joins us to discuss her new book Pandemic: 1918, which explores the story of the influenza outbreak that caused devastation across the globe a century ago Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcast ...  Show more

From when our ancestors first mastered fire to the rise of modern cities, humanity’s progress has been accompanied by a revolving door of parasites, bacteria and viruses, wreaking havoc on our health. Kyle Harper, author of Plagues Upon the Earth, discusses the sprawling history ...  Show more

Professor John Hatcher answers listener questions about the medieval pandemic, and reflects on how the Covid-19 crisis might shape our understanding of the plague   Professor John Hatcher, author of The Black Death: A Personal History, responds to listener questions and internet ...  Show more

As recent history has shown us, human societies can prove surprisingly frail in the face of a tiny, yet powerful force: the microbes that cause infectious disease. Speaking with Matt Elton, Jonathan Kennedy explores the myriad ways in which pandemics have shaped the course of hum ...  Show more