Season 3 Episode 21 - The Rise of Kofi Kakari

Explore the history of the Wolof Empire with us this season. In this episode we set the stage for what is to come by examining the geography and prehistory of Senegambia. From the evolution of its archaeological cultures to the famous Senegambian megaliths, let's encounter this f ...  Show more

Kilwa is brought to its knees by one final foreign invasion, which leads the island into an irreversible decline and the eventual dissolution of the sultanate. 

Queen Njinga, the 17th-century ruler of Ndongo and Matamba, in modern-day Angola, established an impressive reputation for her skills as a warrior and diplomat. At a time when Portuguese colonists were ramping up operations in the region, Njinga had to fight tooth and nail for su ...  Show more

Amurru (Part 4): Reconquista. The land of Amurru, and its leaders, have been a noteworthy part of the story in recent decades. Since the reigns of Amunhotep III and Akhenaten, the lords of Amurru have caused great trouble in Egypt’s northern empire. They have raided, plundered, a ...  Show more

Sold as a slave to the great Abbasid Caliph, al-Khayzuran quickly rose to the very top of the pyramid. Through marriage and motherhood, she became wife of the caliph and then Queen Mother and in both instances she wielded extraordinary power. In the court at Baghdad - the very he ...  Show more

Synopsis: A coalition marshalled by Hadad-ezer of Aram-Damascus and Urahilina of Hamath successfully defends southern Syria from further Assyrian encroachment. But a decade of campaigning by Shalmaneser begins to take its toll. “I destroyed, devastated, and set fire to Qarqar, hi ...  Show more