Excavate

Welcome back and thanks for listening! In this episode Khalid will tell you about the Han Dynasty and one of the most important creations in history before going into what is widely regarded as China's Golden Age. We will also be introduced to the terrifying invading force that are often associated with the wall  in popular culture.   Follow Khalid on Instagram Twitter London Archaeological tours with Khalid https://excavatetours.com/ Podcast directed by Emily Ling Williams

Welcome to the second episode in our series on The Great Wall of China. After introducing you to China's first dynasties we will now introduce the Qin. The Qin did not rule for a long time but they were responsible for the creation of some of the most iconic symbols of China. It was the Qin who took the series of walls made by different states and unified them into one great wall. But, this came at a great cost to the people of China, many of whom paid with their lives.   Follow Khalid Winter on Twitter or Instagram Directed by Emily Ling WIlliams

Welcome to our series on the Great Wall of China. Whilst it is focused on the wall this series will be about Chinese history in a broader sense. Therefore, the first episode starts way before construction of the wall. We're going to give you some context by taking you through the first dynasties of China and into the periods known as the spring and autumn period and the warring states period. Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy the podcast!   Follow the host: Twitter Instagram   Directed by Emily Ling Williams

In the previous episode we described the decline of the Abbasid caliphate and the rise of new Islamic powers and factions like the Fatimids and Assassins. Then we alluded to a looming threat from Europe, the crusades. In this episode we will talk about the early crusades, the muslim response in particular the great leader Saladin and his rivalry with Richard Lionheart of England. Finally, we'll introduce a new existential threat from the east that swept all before them and many believe brought about the end of the Islamic Golden Age.   Follow the host https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter   Directed by Emily Ling Williams

In this episode Khalid will tell you about the Anarchy at Samarra and the decline of the Abbasid Empire, as well as how new groups rose to fill the power vacuum. We'll also learn about an order started in response to one of these new powers, an order that would go on to become the stuff of legend and feared all over the world, the Assassins.    Follow the host https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter Directed by Emily Ling Williams

In the last episode we talked about the founding of Baghdad and the Caliph Harun al-Rashid building the house of wisdom which brought in the academic pinnacle of the Islamic Golden Age. This episode is a story of three brothers, it is a story about how the power afforded to an unelected monarch can help progress but can also result in disaster. The academic tradition put in place by Harun al-Rashid would continue with his son Al-Amin and in particular with his son al-Mamun. His third son however al-Mutasim would oversee a shift in the caliphate towards an empire based primarily on a military comprised mainly of foreign soldiers, this shift would signal the beginning of the end of Abbasid power and the Islamic Golden Age. Al-Mutasim went as far as to build a whole new capital city and later on in the episode we will take a look at the archaeology of that capital. First though, before we get to al-Mutasim and how he changed the face of the caliphate we are going to talk about his two older brothers. After their father Harun al-Rashid died in 809 it plunged the empire into chaos with al-Amin in Baghdad and al-Mamun in Persia, fighting for control and the right to continue their father's legacy. So, let's begin with the Abbasid civil war.

Welcome back. In the episode Khalid will continue our exploration of the Islamic Golden Age by telling you how the Abbasids brutally consolidated their power following the revolution. Then he'll tell you about their restructuring of the Empire and how they built one of the greatest libraries and places of learning in history. Thanks for listening, this is the Islamic Golden Age.    Directed by Emily Ling Williams Follow the host https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter 

Hi and welcome to the first episode in this series of Excavate. In this episode Khalid will be introducing you to the beginning of the Islamic Golden Age. We will start before Islam came into being and explore how a group of people from one of the most arid and resource poor regions on earth became arguably the most powerful and advanced empire on the planet. Thank you for listening to Excavate. This is The Islamic Golden Age.    Follow the host https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter https://www.instagram.com/khalidwinter/   Directed by Emily Ling Williams  

Welcome back.  This is the bonus episode to go along with our series on the Viking Age. Assassin's Creed Valhalla was just released and it is of course set in the Viking Age. I thought this would be a great opportunity to do a special episode and talk about the archaeology in Assassins Creed and video games in general. I've asked Tristan French onto the podcast. Tristan wrote a masters dissertation and co-authored a book chapter on archaeology in video games. We talk about authenticity, just how accurate the games are, using video games for education, how the assassin's creed developers worked with archaeologists, cool things we've both noticed in the games and more. 

Wecome back. In the final episode of the series Khalid will tell you about the last 100 years or so of what we have come to call the Viking age. You will learn what actually happened to the Vikings. Did they dissapear or did they just change? We'll talk about Rollo, probably the most succesful Viking of all time. We'll also discuss the legacy of Alfred the Great through to the crisis of 1066, culminating in the famous battle of Hastings.    Follow the host - https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter Diected by - Emily Ling Williams

Welcome back, in this episode Khalid will take you through possibly the most significant Viking archaeological site in Britain and explain the techniques Archaeologists use, as well as what these discoveries teach us about the Great Heathen Army. Then we'll explore a time where Anglo-Saxon Britain teetered on the edge of total annihilation and Alfred the Great was forced to earn his name.   Follow the host https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter Directed by Emily Ling Williams

Welcome back, in the last episode Khalid introduced you to the Great Heathen Army which invaded Britain led by Ivar the Boneless and conquered Northumbria founding Jorvik, the first Viking city in Britain. He then told you about the siege of Nottingham and introduced you to the legendary Alfred the Great. In this episode we will continue to follow the Great Heathen Army as they turn their sights on more of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and begin an intense and violent period in British history. This is the story of The Viking Age.   Follow the host https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter Directed by Emily Ling Williams

Welcome back, in this episode Khalid will take you through a series of events that lead to massive upheaval and start a new chapter in the Viking age. He'll attempt to separate myth from legend and inform you about the terrifying force the Anglo Saxon Chronicle calls The Great Heathen Army.    Follow the host https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter Directed by Emily Ling Williams    

Welcome back, this episode begins with a huge fleet of Vikings just off the French coast in 845, Khalid will tell you about about the most famous event in the life of the most legendary Viking. He'll also use the site of a Viking raid in Scotland to explain how archaeologists are able to piece together stories from objects. Then he'll take you back to southern England where the Vikings are evolving into more than just raiders, where the Anglo-Saxons must fight for not only their wealth, but their very existence. This is the story of The Viking Age.    Follow the Host - https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter Directed by Emily Ling Williams   https://www.excavatepod.com/

Welcome to the first episode in the second series of the Excavate Podcast. In this episode, Khalid introduces you to an age that will shape Europe for millennia to come. He will be recounting how a new group of warriors came to be feared across Europe and what made them so dangerous compared to others. The story begins on a small island off the south coast of England where three strange ships have been blown off course. From there we are led to the rest of the British Isles and across the sea to the Carolingian Empire where Emperor Charlemagne struggles to contain this new threat. This is the story of the Viking Age.   Follow the host - https://twitter.com/KhalidWinter  Directed by Emily Ling Williams

Welcome back, over the past three episodes we have explored the trail of sickness and death taken by history's most destructive disease. As our time with this tale comes to a close, Khalid will be moving our focus to the legacy of the plague. We'll also be taking a closer look at the specifics of the disease and considering some of the theories as to why the fourteenth century outbreak was so deadly compared to others. This is the story of the Black Death.

Welcome back, to the story of one of the world's darkest times. In this instalment, Khalid will dive deep into the plague's destructive reign over England, why it was so devastating here specifically, and what that meant for the kingdom's people. This is also where we'll be following the disease's decline, the reasons for it slowly dying out, and what happened in the wake of its ending. This is the story of the Black Death.

Welcome back, to our chronicling of the Black Death's terrible journey across the world. In this episode, Khalid will be diving into Europe's many responses to this horrifying disease, the powerful reaction of the church, and the tremendous impact the disease had on the Jewish community. This is the story of the Black Death.

Welcome aboard the maiden voyage of the Excavate Podcast. In this episode, Khalid will be recounting to you the origins of a terrible disease that would come to be feared across the world. This story begins in 1346, with the Golden Horde of Mongolia and the Crimean city of Kaffa. From there we are led across the seas to Europe, following this plagues first steps on a journey that would lead to the death of half the world. This is the story of the Black Death.