Fall of Civilizations Podcast - Podcast - Apple Podcasts Search Home New Top Charts Sign In Fall of Civilizations Podcast Fall of Civilizations Podcast 4.9 (5.4K) History A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fall? And what did it feel like to watch it happen? Latest Episode Follow Episodes 11/12/2025 20. Persia - An Empire in Ashes In the highlands of the Iranian Plateau, a collection of enormous pillars reach up to the sky... In this episode, we tell the story of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Find out how this remarkable ancient power sprung up from the rubble of a ruined world to become the most powerful human society on earth. Hear how they raised their grand palaces and monuments, and brought an unprecedented number of people together within their borders, as well as coming into conflict and cooperation with other ancient peoples. And finally find out what happened to bring the palaces of the Persian kings crashing down in fire and flame. CREDITS Voice actors: Henry Stenhouse Michael Hajiantonis Lachlan Lucas Alexandra Boulton Simon Jackson Tom Marshall-Lee Chris Harvey Jack Jacobs Nick Denton Amrit Sandhu Paul Casselle Tim Stephenson Ameen Taher Readings in Old Persian were performed by Mateen Arghandepour In Spanish by Scott Fins And readings in Greek were performed by Dimitris Chavres Singing of the Zoroastrian gathas was performed by Ardalan The Theme music is Home at Last by John Bartmann Sound design was by Alexey Sibikin Historical advisor was Dr. Mateen.M. Arghandehpour at the University of Oxford Full list of sources available here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/145588047 5h 29m 12/09/2024 19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 2) In the far east of the Eurasian steppe, the sound of hoofbeats is growing...In this episode we travel along the vast grassland corridor of the steppe, to hear one of the most remarkable and unlikely stories from medieval history – the story of the Mongol Empire. Find out how this group of nomadic horse riders united the peoples of the Mongolian steppe, and forged them into a truly unique kind of state. Discover how they conquered much of the lands of Eurasia, and brought the distant cultures of China, Persia, the Middle East and Europe into contact. And hear the story of how the world’s largest land empire finally came apart, and left the world as we know it in its wake.Voice Actors:Michael HajiantonisHenry StenhouseLachlan LucasAlexandra BoultonSimon JacksonTom Marshall-LeeChris Harvey,Nick DentonAmrit SandhuSebastian BalzaroloMatt BidulphPaul CasselleReadings in Arabic were performed by Oussama Taher.Readings in Chinese were by Richard Teng.Readings from the secret history of the Mongols in Mongolian were performed by Uiles 2h 45m 12/05/2024 19. The Mongols - Terror of the Steppe (Part 1) In the far east of the Eurasian steppe, the sound of hoofbeats is growing...In this episode we travel along the vast grassland corridor of the steppe, to hear one of the most remarkable and unlikely stories from medieval history – the story of the Mongol Empire. Find out how this group of nomadic horse riders united the peoples of the Mongolian steppe, and forged them into a truly unique kind of state. Discover how they conquered much of the lands of Eurasia, and brought the distant cultures of China, Persia, the Middle East and Europe into contact. And hear the story of how the world’s largest land empire finally came apart, and left the world as we know it in its wake.Voice Actors:Michael HajiantonisHenry StenhouseLachlan LucasAlexandra BoultonSimon JacksonTom Marshall-LeeChris Harvey,Nick DentonAmrit SandhuMatt BidulphPaul CasselleReadings in Arabic were performed by Oussama Taher.Readings in Chinese were by Richard Teng.Readings from the secret history of the Mongols in Mongolian were performed by Uiles 4h 1m 02/01/2024 18. Egypt - Fall of the Pharaohs Far in the distance, three colossal shapes tower over the desert horizon…In this episode, we travel to the Nile Valley, and tell the story of one of the most iconic cultures ever produced by humankind – the civilizations of ancient Egypt. I want to show how this series of related cultures grew up in the floodplains of their great river, and built some of the most enduring and recognizable structures in the world. And I want to tell the story of what happened to bring the age of the Pharaohs finally and cataclysmically to an end. Credits: Michael HajiantonisNick DentonPaul CasselleAlexandra BoultonTom Marshall-LeeRhy BrignellPeter WaltersLachlan LucasNarrated and produced by Paul CooperSound engineering by Alexey SibikinReadings in Arabic by Nassim El-BoujjoufiReadings in reconstructed ancient Egyptian by Seqnenra (Mohammad Habib) and Doha Abd Allah Amin 3h 58m 04/11/2023 17. Carthage - Empire Of The Phoenicians Buried beneath the city streets of the Tunisian capital of Tunis, an ancient city lies forgotten...In this episode, we look at one of the most dramatic stories to come down to us from the ancient world: the rise and fall of the empire of Carthage. Find out how this city rose out of the Phoenician states of the Eastern Mediterranean, and set out on voyages of discovery and settlement that put them at the centre of the ancient world. And hear how the city of Carthage was destroyed, and its memory nearly wiped from the earth.SOURCES: https://www.patreon.com/posts/sources-for-17-81369494?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkCredits:Written and produced by Paul CooperSound engineering by Alexey SibikinVoice actors:Michael HajiantonisLachlan LucasAlexandra BoultonSimon JacksonTom Marshall-LeeChris Harvey,Nick DentonPaul Casselle 3h 38m 10/02/2022 16. Bagan - City Of Temples In the lowlands of Burma lie the remains of thousands of crumbling temples...In this episode, we tell one of the most colourful stories of civilizational survival: the story of the Bagan Empire of Myanmar. Find out how this kingdom rose up in the Irrawaddy river valley of central Myanmar, and built one of the most remarkable series of monuments to have survived from the medieval world. Discover what life was like for the people who lived there, and find out what happened to cause its sudden and complete collapse. 2h 7m 06/15/2022 15. The Nabataeans - The Last Days of Petra In the deserts of Jordan, a city lies hidden for centuries in a valley of rose-red stone...In this episode, we look at one of the most peculiar stories of civilizational survival to come down to us from the ancient world, the story of the Nabataeans. Find out how these once humble traders rose to become masters of the desert sands, and to defy empires. And discover what happened to finally bring down the empire of Nabataea. 2h 1m 02/18/2022 14. Vijayanagara - The Last Emperors Of South India On the rocky banks of South India's Tungabhadra River, an enormous ruined city lies crumbling...In this episode, we look at the Vijayanagara Empire of Southern India, a civilization that has all but faded from memory in many parts of the world. Find out how this remarkable society rose up out of an age of conflict and fragmentation, how it built one of the largest and most impressive medieval cities in the world, and developed an identity that was both South Indian in nature, and global in its outlook. With readings in Sanskrit, and the sounds of traditional Carnatic music, find out what happened to bring the great stone temples of Vijayanagara crashing down in fire and flame.----------Credits:Voice actors:Peter WaltersMichael HajiantonisKim HeronNick DentonPaul CasselleSound engineering by Alexey SibikinOriginal music performed and composed by Aruna Sairam. 3h 14m See All (22) Hosts & Guests PC Paul Cooper Host Ratings & Reviews 4.9 out of 5 5,375 Ratings Masterpiece Jul 8 GiveMePants12 Incredible. My only regret is that I’ve bit 5 stars to give. So glad to find this podcast 4d ago Uber Irritated This podcast it top notch. The subject matter is fascinating and the narrator Paul Cooper is fantastic. Am only 3 episodes and hooked. It makes me wish I’d paid more attention in 9th grade world history. There are only 2 things that disrupt these well researched narratives: 1. Paul Cooper is not a fan of the US and the anti-Americanism snark isn’t germane to the story. 2. The voice actors, while talented, completely destroy the flow. Would prefer Paul Cooper without the distraction of the Greek chorus. Brilliant Jul 3 colleeneelloc I wish there were more episodes. I have a long commute and these are the best. I’ve listened to the countless times . Really well done. Jun 15 WhaleBlood The podcast is really good. My only critique is that for some reason, for some translations, the host decides to play the native language overlayed by an English translation. I understand that the host wants to listener to get a feel for the sounds of the place but honestly, it’s pretty distracting and difficult to listen to. I really prefer it when he doesn’t do that but the guy has been doing this for a long time and my opinion probably doesn’t matter anyway. Great show otherwise! Definitely give it a listen! About A history podcast looking at the collapse of a different civilization each episode. What did they have in common? Why did they fall? And what did it feel like to watch it happen? Information Creator Fall of Civilizations Podcast Years Active 2019 - 2025 Episodes 22 Rating Clean Copyright © Fall of Civilizations Podcast Show Website Fall of Civilizations Podcast You Might Also Like History History Updated Semiweekly History History Updated Weekly History History Updated Mar 15 History History Updated 11/28/2025 Politics Politics Updated May 20 History History Updated Semiweekly History History Series United States Español (México) العربية Русский 简体中文 Français (France) 한국어 Português (Brazil) Tiếng Việt 繁體中文 (台灣) Select a country or region Africa, Middle East, and India See All Algeria Angola Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Cameroun Cape Verde Chad Côte d’Ivoire Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The Egypt Eswatini Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea-Bissau India Iraq Israel Jordan Kenya Kuwait Lebanon Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger (English) Nigeria Oman Qatar Congo, Republic of Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Sri Lanka Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic Of Tunisia Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uganda Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Asia Pacific See All Afghanistan Australia Bhutan Brunei Darussalam Cambodia 中国大陆 Fiji 香港 Indonesia (English) 日本 Kazakhstan 대한민국 Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic 澳門 Malaysia (English) Maldives Micronesia, Federated States of Mongolia Myanmar Nauru Nepal New Zealand Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Philippines Singapore Solomon Islands 台灣 Thailand Tonga Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vietnam Europe See All Albania Armenia Österreich Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France (Français) Georgia Deutschland Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italia Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg (English) Malta Moldova, Republic Of Montenegro Nederland North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal (Português) Romania Россия Serbia Slovakia Slovenia España Sverige Schweiz Türkiye (English) Ukraine United Kingdom Latin America and the Caribbean See All Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina (Español) Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda Bolivia (Español) Brasil Virgin Islands, British Cayman Islands Chile (Español) Colombia (Español) Costa Rica (Español) Dominica República Dominicana Ecuador (Español) El Salvador (Español) Grenada Guatemala (Español) Guyana Honduras (Español) Jamaica México Montserrat Nicaragua (Español) Panamá Paraguay (Español) Perú St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia St. Vincent and The Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Uruguay (English) Venezuela (Español) The United States and Canada See All Canada (English) Canada (Français) United States Estados Unidos (Español México) الولايات المتحدة США 美国 (简体中文) États-Unis (Français France) 미국 Estados Unidos (Português Brasil) Hoa Kỳ 美國 (繁體中文台灣) Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Internet Service Terms Apple Podcasts web player & Privacy Cookie Warning Support Feedback To listen to explicit episodes, sign in. Sign In Stay up to date with this show Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates. Sign In Select a country or region Africa, Middle East, and India See All Algeria Angola Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Cameroun Cape Verde Chad Côte d’Ivoire Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The Egypt Eswatini Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea-Bissau India Iraq Israel Jordan Kenya Kuwait Lebanon Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger (English) Nigeria Oman Qatar Congo, Republic of Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Sri Lanka Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic Of Tunisia Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uganda Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Asia Pacific See All Afghanistan Australia Bhutan Brunei Darussalam Cambodia 中国大陆 Fiji 香港 Indonesia (English) 日本 Kazakhstan 대한민국 Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic 澳門 Malaysia (English) Maldives Micronesia, Federated States of Mongolia Myanmar Nauru Nepal New Zealand Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Philippines Singapore Solomon Islands 台灣 Thailand Tonga Turkmenistan Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vietnam Europe See All Albania Armenia Österreich Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France (Français) Georgia Deutschland Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italia Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg (English) Malta Moldova, Republic Of Montenegro Nederland North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal (Português) Romania Россия Serbia Slovakia Slovenia España Sverige Schweiz Türkiye (English) Ukraine United Kingdom Latin America and the Caribbean See All Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina (Español) Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda Bolivia (Español) Brasil Virgin Islands, British Cayman Islands Chile (Español) Colombia (Español) Costa Rica (Español) Dominica República Dominicana Ecuador (Español) El Salvador (Español) Grenada Guatemala (Español) Guyana Honduras (Español) Jamaica México Montserrat Nicaragua (Español) Panamá Paraguay (Español) Perú St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia St. Vincent and The Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Uruguay (English) Venezuela (Español) The United States and Canada See All Canada (English) Canada (Français) United States Estados Unidos (Español México) الولايات المتحدة США 美国 (简体中文) États-Unis (Français France) 미국 Estados Unidos (Português Brasil) Hoa Kỳ 美國 (繁體中文台灣)