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Mesopotamia

5 episodes

1. Babylon

   Melvyn Bragg discusses the truth behind Babylon, the world’s oldest and most enigmatic of empires; from the the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens to the Whore of Babylon.

   3 June 2004

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   Featuring: Eleanor Robson, Irving Finkel, Andrew George

   

   wikipedia article ↗

    
   Culture2nd-millennium BC establishmentsStates and territories established in the 17th century BCBabyloniaAncient Levant, States and territories disestablished in the 6th century BCFormer empires17th century BC6th century BCMesopotamia

2. Epic of Gilgamesh

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Gilgamesh Epic, often described as the earliest surviving great work of literature, with origins in Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BC.

   3 November 2016

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   Featuring: Andrew George, Frances Reynolds, Martin Worthington

   

   wikipedia article ↗

    
   CultureEpic poemsAkkadian literaturePoems adapted into filmsBookMesopotamia

3. The Code of Hammurabi

   Misha Glenny and guests discuss the enduring fascination with the laws Hammurabi, King of Babylon, established in Mesopotamia 4,000 years ago and the society that gave rise to them.

   12 February 2026

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   Featuring: Martin Worthington, Frances Reynolds, Selena Wisnom

   

   wikipedia article ↗

    
   HistoryLegal codesLegal historyAkkadian literatureBabyloniaMesopotamia

4. The Sassanid Empire

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Sassanian Empire, a grand imperial rival to the Roman Empire.

   13 December 2007

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   Featuring: Hugh N. Kennedy, Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, James Howard-Johnston

   

   wikipedia article ↗

    
   HistoryFormer empiresAncient AnatoliaAncient history of AfghanistanSasanian EmpireHistory of DagestanHistory of the LevantCountries in ancient AfricaAncient MesopotamiaAncient SyriaAncient history of Pakistan7th centuryMesopotamiaPersia

5. The Silk Road

   Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Silk Road, the trade routes which spanned Asia for over a thousand years, carrying Buddhism to China and paper-making and gunpowder westwards.

   3 December 2009

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   Featuring: Frances Wood, Tim Barrett, Naomi Standen

   

   wikipedia article ↗

    
   CultureHistory of foreign trade in ChinaAncient history of AfghanistanEurasian historyHistory of international relationsAncient MesopotamiaWorld Heritage Sites in ChinaEconomicsMaterialMesopotamia