Experts on History

The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert by John Lee is a story of a boy who grows up in poverty, facing racism and violence, a boy who seemed like he would have no opportunities. But thanks to dedicated teachers – both black and white –, his unceasing drive to learn, and the opportunities that unexpectedly presented themselves, he was able to rise from those humble beginnings and achieve in a lot of different areas. My book takes this story from his boyhood in Augusta, Georgia, through his early education in Georgia. It takes him to his years at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he was only the third African American graduate. Then it takes him to Athens, Greece, where he was one of the very first students of the new American School of Classical Studies at Athens. It was the first research institution that the United States had ever planted overseas. He became one of the first 50 Americans of any race, ethnicity, or background to do professional archaeological work in Greece. — FROM THE BACK OF THE BOOK — The First Black Archaeologist reveals the untold story of a pioneering African American classical scholar, teacher, community leader, and missionary. Born into slavery in rural Georgia, John Wesley Gilbert (1863-1923) gained national prominence in the early 1900s, but his accomplishments are little known today. Using evidence from archives across the U.S. and Europe, from contemporary publications, and from newly discovered documents, this book chronicles, for the first time, Gilbert's remarkable journey. As we follow Gilbert from the segregated public schools of Augusta, Georgia, to the lecture halls of Brown University, to his hiring as the first black faculty member of Augusta's Paine Institute, and through his travels in Greece, western Europe, and the Belgian Congo, we learn about the development of African American intellectual and religious culture, and about the enormous achievements of an entire generation of black students and educators. — BUY THE FIRST BLACK ARHCAEOLOGUST: A LIFE OF JOHN WESLEY GILBERT — https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-first-black-archaeologist-9780197578995?utm_campaign=oupac-campaign:1350568266611279117&utm_source=third%20party&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=web+banner+link&utm_term=world+history+encyclopedia — LEARN MORE! — John Wesley Gilbert https://www.worldhistory.org/John_Wesley_Gilbert/ John's UCSB web page https://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/john-w-i-lee/ Paine University https://www.paine.edu/web/mycampus/home American School of Classical Studies at Athens https://www.ascsa.edu.gr — SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON— https://www.patreon.com/join/whencyclopedia — BUY OUR MERCH — https://www.worldhistory.store​/​ — CHAPTERS — 0:00​ Introduction 0:39 What is the book about and who is John Wesley Gilbert? 5:28 Why did John write the book? 12:13 What was the most interesting thing you learned during your research? 16:12 What is something that everyone should know about Professor Gilbert and your book? 22:20 Did you have any involvement with the community in Augusta, Georgia while researching and working on this book? 27:51 Outro — ATTRIBUTIONS — The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on: https://www.ancientlyre.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A World History Encyclopedia www.worldhistory.org

Katherine Pangonis' new book Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule sheds light on the somewhat overlooked women, queens and princesses of Outremer (the Crusader States). The book is about a dynasty of women who ruled in the Middle East during the medieval period, specifically in the 12th century during the times of the Crusades. It starts with Morphia of Melitene. She's an Armenian Princess who marries Baldwin II to become the first crowned Queen of Jerusalem. The book looks at her life and the role she played politically during her husband's life and then also the lives of her four daughters including Queen Melisende Jerusalem and Princess Alice of Antioch and then her granddaughters, the daughters of those daughters. As well as the first queen to go on crusade, Eleanor of Aquitaine Despite living in a quite strongly patriarchal and medieval environment, these women were able to seize real power due to the instability in the region. The fact that Morphia had four daughters was a major factor as well. There were no sons to inherit, which meant that women were able to succeed in political positions and actually wield power. — BUY KATHERINE'S BOOK — Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule https://www.worldhistory.org/books/164313924X/ Katherine's Website https://www.katherinepangonis.com/ — SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON — https://www.patreon.com/join/whencyclopedia — BUY OUR MERCH — https://www.worldhistory.store​/​ — CHAPTERS — 0:00​ Introduction 0:53 What is the book all about? 1:55 Is there a gap in the scholarship around the Crusades? 4:27 Which women are focussed on in the book? 10:52 William of Tyre and other Medieval sources 16:43 Working through the bias of Medieval sources 21:00 Eleanor of Aquitaine as a Crusader Queen 30:33 Katherine favourite woman in the book 33:31 Outro — WANT TO KNOW MORE? — Kingdom of Jerusalem https://www.worldhistory.org/Kingdom_of_Jerusalem/ Crusader States https://www.worldhistory.org/Crusader_States/ Crusades https://www.worldhistory.org/Crusades/ Antioch https://www.worldhistory.org/Antiochia/ Edessa https://www.worldhistory.org/edessa/ Eleanor of Aquitaine https://www.worldhistory.org/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine/ Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule Book Review https://www.worldhistory.org/review/262/queens-of-jerusalem-the-women-who-dared-to-rule/ — WATCH — Eleanor of Aquitaine: the Medieval Queen of England and France in the High Middle Ages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAP7OHmBcZY The Crusades: A Brief History of the Medieval Religious Wars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E33qpetUCVQ Courtly Love in the High Middle Ages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxfEMc6Z2aY A Short History of the Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pewasA24hPs — ATTRIBUTIONS — The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on: https://www.ancientlyre.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A World History Encyclopedia www.worldhistory.org

Join World History Encyclopedia as they sit down with author and historian James Lacey to chat all about Rome: Strategy of Empire, the first work to lay out Roman strategic thinking from its start under Augustus until its final demise in 476 CE From Octavian's victory at Actium (31 bc) to its traditional endpoint in the West (476), the Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years—an impressive number by any standard, and fully one-fifth of all recorded history. In fact, the decline and final collapse of the Roman Empire took longer than most other empires even existed. Any historian trying to unearth the grand strategy of the Roman Empire must, therefore, always remain cognizant of the time scale, in which she is dealing. Although the pace of change in the Roman era never approached that of the modern era, it was not an empire in stasis. While the visible trappings may have changed little, the challenges Rome faced at its end were vastly different than those faced by Augustus and the Julio-Claudians. Over the centuries, the Empire's underlying economy, political arrangements, military affairs, and, most importantly, the myriad of external threats it faced were in constant flux, making adaptability to changing circumstances as important to Roman strategists as it is to strategists of the modern era. By employing an expansive definition of strategy and by focusing much of the narrative on crucial historical moments and the personalities involved, James Lacey provides a comprehensive, persuasive, and engaging account of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. It assimilates the most recent work of classical historians and archaeologists to correct the flaws and omissions of previous accounts, thus presenting the most complete and nuanced narrative of Roman strategic thinking and execution ever published. — BUY ROME: STRATEGY OF EMPIRE — Buy the book from Oxford University Press https://global.oup.com/academic/product/rome-9780190937706?utm_campaign=1433189261099882389&utm_source=third%20party&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=text+advert&utm_term=WHE — SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON— https://www.patreon.com/join/whencyclopedia — BUY OUR MERCH — https://www.worldhistory.store​/​ — CHAPTERS — 0:00​ Introduction 0:51 James Jacey's background 6:00 Focus of the book - the strategy of Ancient Rome 17:34 Modern-day strategy and its links with Ancient Roman strategy 35:19 Outro — WANT TO KNOW MORE? — Ancient Rome https://www.worldhistory.org/Rome/ Roman Empire https://www.worldhistory.org/Roman_Empire/ The Extent of the Roman Empire https://www.worldhistory.org/article/851/the-extent-of-the-roman-empire/ Enemies of Rome in the 3rd Century CE https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1145/enemies-of-rome-in-the-3rd-century-ce/ Roman Warfare https://member.worldhistory.org/Roman_Warfare/ Roman Army https://member.worldhistory.org/Roman_Army/ — WATCH — The Roman Invasion of Britain with Richard Hingley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNfdfuH7z1c Rome: An Empire's Story with Greg Woolf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTQSrskjPRs The Roman Epic Poem The Aeneid: Introduction and Summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2dcqDjxl_c History of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty of the Roman Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE7l5GL8KcI — ATTRIBUTIONS — The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on: https://www.ancientlyre.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A World History Encyclopedia www.worldhistory.org

Ian Richardson, Senior Treasure Registrar at the British Museum, explores how everyday discoveries made by the public have reshaped our understanding of Britain’s past. He explains the Portable Antiquity Scheme and the Treasure Act, showing how ordinary finds from metal detecting, gardening, or chance become part of the national record. In this talk, he shares stories of remarkable discoveries including a Bronze Age gold vessel mistaken for a light fitting, a rare Roman cavalry helmet, thousands of Anglo-Norman silver pennies buried after the Battle of Hastings, and even a jar of American gold coins hidden in a London garden. Richardson also explains how finds are reported, how museums decide what to keep, and why recording even small objects can reveal lost settlements and forgotten landscapes, while reflecting on the luck, strategy, and thrill behind uncovering history beneath our feet. Ian Richardson and Michael Lewis wrote Beneath Our Feet: Everyday Discoveries Reshaping History, going into greater depth on many of these stories and exploring the important role of the public in uncovering the past. 📚 Buy the book here: Beneath Our Feet: Everyday Discoveries Reshaping History by Ian Richardson & Michael Lewis https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0500027528 — SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON— https://www.patreon.com/join/whencyclopedia — BUY OUR MERCH — https://www.worldhistory.store​/​ — ATTRIBUTIONS — The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on: https://www.ancientlyre.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A World History Encyclopedia www.worldhistory.org

Step into the fascinating world of Elizabethan England with historian and educator Harrison Mark, as he explores the life, works, and mysterious death of Christopher Marlowe, one of the most influential—and controversial—figures in English literary history. In this conversation, Harrison shares his passion for history and literature, tracing Marlowe’s journey from his humble beginnings to his groundbreaking plays and poetry that transformed English drama. Discover how Marlowe’s bold themes of politics, religion, violence, and forbidden love pushed the boundaries of Renaissance theater and inspired none other than William Shakespeare. The lecture also dives deep into the mysteries surrounding Marlowe’s life: his rumored role as a spy for Queen Elizabeth I, his dangerous ideas on religion, his sexuality, and the suspicious circumstances of his early death—murder or secret escape? Harrison unpacks the myths and historical evidence with clarity and insight. — BUY OUR MERCH — https://www.worldhistory.store​/​ — SUPPORT US VIA OUR PATREON— https://www.patreon.com/join/whencyclopedia — ATTRIBUTIONS — The music used in this recording is the intellectual copyright of Michael Levy, a prolific composer for the recreated lyres of antiquity, and used with the creator's permission. Michael Levy's music is available to stream at all the major digital music platforms. Find out more on: https://www.ancientlyre.com https://open.spotify.com/artist/7Dx2vFEg8DmOJ5YCRm4A5v?si=emacIH9CRieFNGXRUyJ9 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ1X6F7lGMEadnNETSzTv8A World History Encyclopedia www.worldhistory.org