Hi! My name is B.S. Drejer, I'm a historian from Denmark. This Podcast dives into many different topics and themes related to history. From current conversations in academic history, to counterfactual history or just the way us modern people perceive history. Find me on Twitter @BS_Drejer!
Old Audio I found of an article I wrote a long while back.
A short overview of the history of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
How new research suggests that the 1641 eruption of Mount Parker, might have been the deciding factor in the fall of the powerful Ming Empire.
A short episode on the curiously large number of Japanese Prime Ministers.
I have become annoyed with articles on the internet and in popular history magazines, where individuals are lauded for achievements at young ages, without acknowledging the help they got and their fortuitous circumstances. Specifically I talk about Mary Shelley, Horatio Nelson and Alexander the Great. The same critical thinking on their stories, can be applied to pretty much every historical figure.
Why it annoys me, that some people still question the construction & engineering abilities of ancient peoples.
A short episode on how Indonesia, an often overlooked country, came to be.
Some thoughts on how skewed our view of life in the past, as it pertains to health, hygiene & well-being, has become.
Events, innovations and ideas from the Renaissance, and why that era holds such a prominent position in European history.
Some thoughts on the way geography has shaped the history of humanity. Based on chapters in the excellent book "Prisoners of Geography" by Tim Marshall. (*Was a little under the weather while recording, hope it doesn't interfere too much)
More than an hour, all about city-states. What they were, what they are, as well as many examples from history. Content: Intro 0:00 - 4:47. // Sumerian City-states, Ur & Uruk 4:47 - 11:10. // Phoenician City-states, Carthage & Rome 11:10 - 21:20. // Greek City-states, Athens & Sparta. 21:20 - 34:46. // Philistine City-states 34:46 - 36:31. // Mayan City-states & Cahokia 36:31 - 43:06. // Somali Port-cities 43:06 - 46:11. // Central & South East Asian city-states 46:11 - 50:44. // The Hanseatic League & The Swiss Confederacy 50:44 - 56:50. // The Italian City-states 56:50 - 1:07:44. // Singapore 1:07:44 - 1:12:15. // Outro 1:12:15 - 1:16:24.
Why you ought to watch "The King," if you are interested in medieval European history.
Some reflections on the use of comparative analysis in the study of history.
The Paleo-Siberian language Isolates and what they tell us about Human prehistoric migration in the Far East.
A few thoughts on our modern image of ancient religions, and how religion has always been very complex.
Explaining the historical reasons that Taiwan is in a difficult position in modern international politics.
How things were in Mongolia around the time of the First World War, and the reasons that Mongolia from 1924 to 1992 was a communist state.
A walkthrough of some examples of historical quarantining practices.
Highlighting new findings from an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science
A look at new research on the WW2 Battle of Britain, published in the Journal of Military History. And why I sincerely doubt the Nazis could have ever achieved their goals.
Telling the story of the Sikh Empire, which ruled much of the Punjab region between 1799-1849. As well as looking at the way we describe historical geographical & political entities such as empires.
An account of how North Korea ended up where it is today, and exploring the political philosophy of "Juche" or "Self-reliance," based on research by Charles K. Armstrong.
An interesting and open-ended question that was posed to me. So I recorded a (hopefully) thought-provoking episode elaborating on the very same question.
All about the chronicler Peter Martyr, and his writings on the early Spanish colonization of "New Spain" as it was then known.
A book recommendation episode. I muse a little bit on modern Native American history, and tell you why David Treuer has written a great book.
Thoughts on names and naming practices throughout history.
Thoughts on the legend of Gaius Martius Coriolanus, the precariousness of the early Roman Rebuplic & William Shakespeare's play based on the story about Coriolanus' life.
For the first ever episode I'm going way back in time, for some facts and thoughts on a few cousins to our species.
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