From Here to History

Lord Chelmsford, looking to redeem himself from his failed first invasion,  crosses into Zululand in force for a second attempt. Pressure on Chelmsford mounts as Field Marshal Garnet Wolseley races to South Africa to assume full command. Cetshwayo sues for peace but assembles his army for one last showdown at the capital city of Ulundi

Join Chris and Jason as they conclude their look at the rise and fall of the Zulu nation.

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Once again, here is a possible reading list on the Zulus and the Anglo-Zulu War:
The Washing of the Spears by Donald Morris
Anatomy of the Zulu Army by Ian Knight
The Zulus at War by Adrian Greaves & Xolani Mkhize
Brave Men's Blood by Ian Knight
In the Shadow of Isandlwana by John Laband
Who's Who in the Zulu War Vols I & II by Adrian Greaves and Ian Knight
This article by DP O'Connor is an interesting take on Sir Bartle Frere
Running the Gauntlet by George Mossop

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In this episode on the Zulu nation, we discuss Cetshwayo's violent march to the Zulu throne, his cozying up to the British as a bulwark against the Boers, and then the inexplicable events that thrust his people into a war with England. As the English columns  invade Zululand, a story of victory and defeat unfolds, with heroism and tragedy on both sides of the conflict.
 
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These are great places to start reading on the Zulu War:
The Washing of the Spears by Donald Morris
Anatomy of the Zulu Army by Ian Knight
The Zulus at War by Adrian Greaves & Xolani Mkhize
Brave Men's Blood by Ian Knight
In the Shadow of Isandlwana by John Laband
Who's Who in the Zulu War Vols I & II by Adrian Greaves and Ian Knight
This article by DP O'Connor is an interesting take on Sir Bartle Frere
Running the Gauntlet by George Mossop

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The Zulu nation as we remember it was forged in a world of upheaval under the leadership of the intelligent, dynamic, and ruthless king Shaka Kasenzangakhona. Shaped by the tumultuous events known as the Mfecane, Shaka imposed and maintained a new order on his world by the force of his will, his innovative military tactics, and his brutal efficiency.  After he was brought down by the assassin's spears, he was followed on the Zulu throne by two half brothers. And their reigns would collide in what many Zulus today  remember as the moment the nation's soul began to break.
Join us in this episode for a fascinating journey through the reigns of these three Zulu kings.

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We posted a selected reading list with part 1 of this series but here it is again for convenience:

The Washing of the Spears by Donald Morris
Anatomy of the Zulu Army by Ian Knight
The Zulus at War by Adrian Greaves & Xolani Mkhize
Brave Men's Blood by Ian Knight
In the Shadow of Isandlwana by John Laband

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We took a holiday hiatus but we're back with the first in a 3-part series on the most dominant tribal nation in 18th-century South Africa: The Zulus. In this episode, we range from their Bantu origins to the emergence of Shaka and his military innovations. We will briefly meet The Boers as they race across the frontier from Cape Town on a collision course with the Zulus, then settle down to a tour of Zulu war rituals and tactics.

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If you're interested in further reading on the topic, here are some great suggestions. It is far from an exhaustive list but we think any of them are a good place to start.

The Washing of the Spears by Donald Morris
Anatomy of the Zulu Army by Ian Knight
The Zulus at War by Adrian Greaves & Xolani Mkhize
Brave Men's Blood by Ian Knight
In the Shadow of Isandlwana by John Laband

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In From Here to History's first ever Halloween episode, spirits, demons, and the bodies they try to possess are the topic. Join Chris and Jason as they discuss an  anthology of stories and beliefs about possession and exorcism from across time and cultures.

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There are a lot of sources on the subject out there, here were some of ours:

The Penguin Book of Exorcisms  A great anthology of exorcism stories from across time and from different cultures

A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity by Francis Young

The Devil is Afraid of Me by Fr. Gabrielle Amorth

An Exorcist Tells his Story by Fr. Gabrielle Amorth

Entertaining Satan by John Demos. This one centers on witchcraft in 17th Century New England but the material on possession, the worldview of the Puritans, and how these cases were often handled is worth a plunge

Spirit Possession Around the World by Joseph Laycock

The Devil Came to St. Louis by Troy Taylor. Excellent summary of the Ronnie Hunkeler case

Demonic Possession and Exorcism in Early Modern France by Sarah Ferber

There are also great books on the Anneliese Michel case, we recommend the one by Felicitas Goodman, and The Devils of Loudun is a classic on the Loudun possessions 

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The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III inaugurated the golden age of his empire's power between 745 and 727 BC. Just over a century later, Sin-Summu-Ishkin watched as that empire took its dying breaths. It was a meteoric rise and cataclysmic fall for the now largely forgotten Assyrian Empire.

In this episode, Chris and Jason discuss the story arc of the Neo-Assyrians: their kings and armies, their conspiracies and palace coups, and then, ultimately, the enemies who brought them down.

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Notes on sources
One big caveat when it comes to reading material on Assyria is that it is mostly a field for specialists. The academic material is vast, but there are very few 'popular' histories of the Ancient Assyrians. That means much of what is available may be reasonably inaccessible (and a bit pricey) for the reader with a general interest in Assyrian history.

But if you wish to forge ahead, we relied heavily on the following works:

Assyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm

Ancient Assyria: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Very Short Introduction Series) by Karen Radner

A Companion to Assyria (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World) Ed by Eckart Frahm

The Imperialisation of Assyria: an Archaeological Approach by Bleda During

Happy history hunting!

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Massive statues of winged bulls with human heads, stone reliefs depicting gruesome lion hunts and mass executions of captured soldiers, ancient history's most impressive library, kings with complex names, the famous Lost Tribes of Israel. All of these elements and more come together in Ancient Assyria. Some historians credit them as being the world's first true empire. But today, outside of specialists in the field or anyone with a deep familiarity with the Hebrew Bible, the Ancient Assyrians are largely forgotten.

In the first of 2 episodes devoted to this incredible society, Chris and Jason discuss how a minor city-state on the Tigris first appeared in history and became a wealthy trading hub. How a few visionary kings forged the city of Ashur's place in the world of ancient Mesopotamia and laid the foundations for the empire that was to come. 

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One episode just wasn't enough to capture the Spartans, so we settled on two episodes. Now, looking back, two episodes probably weren't enough, either. They were a major force in the ancient Greek world for nearly half a millennium, but eventually the regime of Lycurgus failed and Sparta faded into history.

In this episode we take a quick tour of some of Sparta's most colorful personalities, a few of their battlefield clashes, and their ultimate downfall. 

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Music credit: Ancient Mystery Waltz by Kevin Macleod

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They were controversial in their own time as well as ours. A society capable of impressive discipline and moments of jaw-dropping heroism. They were also a rigidly hierarchical culture who could use brutal suppression to maintain their preferred social order. 
With this episode, we're beginning a series on some of history's famous warrior civilizations and we chose one of the most notorious of those as our jumping off point: the Ancient Spartans. 

Music credit: Kevin Macleod Ancient Mystery Waltz

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Back in March we hosted our second annual tournament of history on our campus. Styled after the NCAA March Madness tournament, our students considered 16 names and voted their way to a champion. Last year the tournament was about the greatest US president. This year, in honor of Women's History Month, our competitors were significant and influential women in history. 

If you'd like to know how it all turned out, tune in as Chris, Jason and Elizabeth review the tournament and reveal the winner.

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