Slavery on the medieval Silk Road

For those who lived through it, the Black Death left a legacy of fear, loss and uncertainty. But how did people cope with such overwhelming catastrophe? And what do contemporary records reveal about the disease’s emotional impact? In this second episode of our three-part Sunday S ...  Show more

This May marks the 100th birthday of leading British documentary-maker and natural historian David Attenborough. But what's the longer history of wildlife broadcasting? What inspired Attenborough to report back from the frontlines of the natural world? And how has he shaped our u ...  Show more

The Silk Road was a pivotal ancient exchange network that connected the grassy steppes of Asia and the Middle East with the western world. The passage of goods, ideas and technologies along this bustling commercial artery was crucial to the development of the ancient East and ...

For centuries, a vast and vibrant trade route connected the East and West. Its stories contain legendary names, like Marco Polo. Not only did it spread rare goods across the world, but ideas and belief systems too. It was known as "The Silk Road." Explore the history, culture, an ...  Show more

At the edge of the Gobi Desert, Dunhuang was once a bustling oasis on the famous Silk Road connecting China and the Mediterranean. For more than 1000 years, Dunhuang was an important pilgrimage site and a cultural melting pot where ideas, technologies and art flowed freel ...

Please note, this episode contains descriptions of racial violence that some listeners may find disturbing.

In November 1781, a British slave ship carrying hundreds of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic began to run out of water. The ship was call ...