Season 6 Episode 17: The (Brief) Portuguese Conquest of Kilwa
The Portuguese have conquered Kilwa. Let's see how much pain their victory causes them in the long run.
Jul 21, 2025•23 min•Ep. 56
History of Africa
Take a deep dive deep into African history with this in-depth podcast. From Casablanca to Cape Town, tune in to this podcast to learn about the magnificent and oft-forgotten history of Africa. To access more free resources about African history, provide feedback, or support the show, check out our associated website at https://historyofafricapodcast.blogspot.com
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Episodes
Season 6 Episode 16: The Portuguese Arrive
The Portuguese arrive in Kilwa. This should go well.
Jun 30, 2025•20 min•Ep. 55
From the Vault: Zengjiani, the Zanzibari Traveler in China
As my voice recovers, please enjoy this "from the vault" episode about Zengjiani, a famous East African traveler who reached numerous impressive destinations.
Jun 09, 2025•12 min•Ep. 54
Season 6 Episode 15: The Unstable 15th Century part 2: Emir Muhammad the Powerful
After decades of civil strife and conflict, a powerful leader finally emerges in Kilwa Kisiwani as the 14th century reached its climax. With the power of the sultanate waning, a powerful judge named Muhammad Al Kawab asserts himself as the true power behind the throne. The age of powerful monarchs is over, and Kilwa's era as an oligarchy begins.
May 19, 2025•20 min•Ep. 53
Season 6 Episode 14: The Unstable 15th Century Part 1: Age of the Viziers Arrives
Today, we enter into an age of transformation. For a prominent period in Kilwa's history, the city and its many satellites will no longer be under the reign of the centuries-old monarchy. Instead, a new apparatus of bureaucratic elites will begin to exert control over the state, and eventual make the monarchy little more than a shadow of its former self.
Apr 28, 2025•19 min•Ep. 52
Season 6 Episode 13: The Stone City of Songo Mnara
Urban sprawl and social instability leads Kilwa to develop a sister city on a nearby peninsula. Songo Mnara grows rapidly to become a major urban center on the Eastern Coast of Africa.
Apr 07, 2025•20 min•Ep. 51
Season 6 Episode 12: Ibn Battuta’s Kilwa Vacation
The great traveler Ibn Battuta arrives in Kilwa, and paints a tale of a country at the peak of its power, wealth, and prestige...but with a potentially bleaker future awaiting.
Mar 17, 2025•23 min•Ep. 50
Season 6 Episode 11: The Father of Gifts
Every historic civilization has one or two famous leaders who rise above all others in their fame and prestige. Kilwa's most famous ruler was certainly Abu al Mawahib, the Father of Gifts.
Feb 24, 2025•21 min•Ep. 49
Season 6 Episode 10: The Mahdali Coup
The Sultanate of Kilwa influenced Zanzibar. Today, Zanzibar influences Kilwa back.
Feb 03, 2025•21 min•Ep. 48
Season 6 Episode 9: The height of the Shirazi Dynasty
In today's episode, we examine the height of the Shirazi Dynasty - with Kilwa's absorption of several nearby islands and territories, as well as the transformation of Kilwa from an island of wooden buildings to an island of coral limestone structures.
Jan 13, 2025•30 min•Ep. 47
Season 6 Episode 8: The Age of Rebellions
The 11th century: a period of tumult in Kilwa's history. The sultanate overthrows the yoke of the Xanga, only to find that this rebellion is not the last.
Dec 23, 2024•21 min•Ep. 46
Season 6 Episode 7: Kilwa is Conquered
In today's episode, a mysterious conqueror from the mainland captures the island of Kilwa. In this episode, we examine the story of the matata mandalin, and the mysterious kingdom of Xanga, a mysterious great power that brought the nascent kingdom of Kilwa to its knees.
Dec 02, 2024•23 min•Ep. 45
Season 6 Episode 6: Lime, Iron, and Salt
In today's episode, we chart the growth of Kilwa as a major economic center, from its growth as a manufacturer of lime and iron, to its rise as a middleman in the trade of gold from Africa's southern reaches, as well as its blossoming into a maritime power.
Nov 11, 2024•21 min•Ep. 44
Season 6 Episode 5: Make Way for Prince Ali - The Mysterious Kilwa Chronicle
It seems unlikely that he had 75 golden camels, but it's hard to say much else about Prince Ali of Shiraz. This historical figure has semi-historical origins, attested to in a mysterious document known as the "Kilwa Chronicle." In today's episode, we assess various interpretations of the Kilwa Chronicle, as well as the Sultanate's origins.
Oct 21, 2024•28 min•Ep. 43
Season 6 Episode 4: Second Fiddle In East Africa
Throughout the early middle ages, Kilwa remained a small settlement, laying in the shadow of the much greater city of Mogadishu.
Oct 07, 2024•17 min•Ep. 42
Season 6 Episode 3: The Lost Cities of Azania
Hidden in the brackish estuary of the Rufiji River, one of the greatest archaeological finds of the modern era might be waiting: the remains of a still poorly understood ancient trade hub referred to in ancient texts from across the world. Rhapta, a maritime metropolis, was likely the most influential city of its region, and one which still remains enigmatic.
Sep 23, 2024•27 min•Ep. 41
Season 6 Episode 2: The World's Oldest Trade Route?
In this episode, we explore the origins of farming in East Africa, as well as some of the oldest evidence for long-distance trade reaching the region.
Sep 09, 2024•21 min•Ep. 40
Season 6 Episode 1: The Swahili Coast
Despite being the most widely spoken African language on Earth, KiSwahili originates from a people who are shockingly small in number. However, what the Swahili lacked in numbers, they made up for in influence and fascination. Join us for our sixth season, as we dive into the history of the Swahili coast, and the fascinating history of how its residents became adept city-builders, advanced maritime navigators, sly traders, and the masters of many fascinating civilizations. This includes the grea...
Aug 19, 2024•22 min•Ep. 39
Season 5 Episode 7: The Fezzan After the "Collapse"
Most histories of the Garamantian kingdom end after its political collapse in the 4th century. However, the archaeological and written record seem to indicate that while the Garamantian kingdom may have died, the civilization that it spawned persisted well into the middle ages.
Jun 17, 2024•24 min•Ep. 38
Season 5 Episode 6: The Mysterious Garamantian Collapse
Pop histories of the Garamantian civilization often posit that Garama died of thirst: the Garamantes used up the fossil water reserves they had depended on for centuries, sealing the destruction of their advanced irrigation system. However, various pieces of historical evidence cast doubt on this narrative, and the reality is far more complex. Today, we discuss the possibility of rebellions, slave trading, economic decline, and loosening control over their nomadic neighbors as the possible root ...
Jun 03, 2024•26 min•Ep. 37
Season 5 Episode 5: Life During the Garamantes' Golden Age
As trade intensifies across the Sahara, the Garamantes become an ever-wealthier civilization. This episode examines how the growth of the Garamantian kingdom influenced the architecture, living standards, religion, and burial practices of the Garamantes.
May 20, 2024•28 min•Ep. 36
Season 5 Episode 4: The Roman Invasion of the Sahara
When Garamantian raids and control of trade routes become too much to bear, the Romans do what they do best: invade their neighbors. In this episode, Roman administrator Lucius Balbus leads a series of legions against the Garamantes in battle.
May 06, 2024•16 min•Ep. 35
Season 5 Episode 3: Trans-Saharan Trade in the Garamantes Civilization
Horses, carbuncles, gold, salt, and more. What do all these things have in common? They were first traded across the Sahara by the Garamantes. Today's episode discusses the earliest rise of Garamantian trans-Saharan trade, the first documented example of trade across the vast desert.
Apr 22, 2024•21 min•Ep. 34
Season 5 Episode 2: Fossil Water Farming
Brought to the Sahara following the Persian conquest of Egypt, the spread of a new irrigation technology allowed Garamantian civilization to expand dramatically The earliest evidence of a unique Garamantian culture comes from the settlement of Zinkekra, located at the top of a rocky plateau near the Wadi al Ajal. However, settlements gradually drifted further down the valley. The location at the bottom of these valleys allowed new Garamantian settlements to better take advantage of a technology ...
Apr 08, 2024•23 min•Ep. 33
Season 5 Episode 1: Paintings in the Libyan Sahara
Today we begin our journey into the history of the Garamantes, a civilization from the Libyan Sahara. This fascinating civilization transformed the barren wasteland of the Idehan Ubari into an impressive metropolis of late antiquity. Our current episode examines the prehistory of Libya through close inspection of rock art.
Mar 25, 2024•22 min•Season 5Ep. 1
What Does Bantu Mean: A Historiography of Bantu Linguistics and History (Part 2)
The Bantu Migration is one of the most important and seminal events in the history of the African continent. But what if this theory of Bantu origins, concocted by a European colonial administrator trying to understand the history of the continent he was colonizing, was entirely off base? What are some of the holes in the theory of Bantu expansion? What are its strengths which have withstood through the criticism? And, with a revised and iterated view of Bantu expansion, how does this theory imp...
Feb 26, 2024•31 min•Ep. 32
What Does Bantu Mean: A Historiography of Bantu Linguistics and History
Bantu is a term which has become one of the most contentious in the study of African history. The name of a language family stretching across much of the southern half of the African continent, the term has been used in many distinct ways. In anthropology, it has often extended beyond mere linguistics into an idea of a larger shared culture and history across southern and central Africa. In apartheid South Africa, "Bantu" was used as a euphemism for "black" in many of the country's most oppressi...
Feb 12, 2024•29 min
Season 4 Episode 29: The Fall of the Twelve Hills
In a betrayal of previous commitments to Madagascar, Britain revoked its recognition of Malagasy sovereignty in a deal with France, in exchange for French recognition of a British protectorate over Zanzibar. Soon after this deal, the French invaded Madagascar, landing troops in Mahajanga and Toamasina. The final war to conquer Madagascar had begun. Support the show
Jan 15, 2024•29 min•Season 4Ep. 29
Season 4 Episode 28: The Malagasy Gold Rush
Rainilaiarivony makes a desperate bet to try and repair his nation's floundering economy following the end of the French blockade of Madagascar. His desperate solution: to open Madagascar's long dormant gold mines for business. Support the show
Jan 01, 2024•17 min•Season 4Ep. 29
Season 4 Episode 27 Madagascar’s Independence (Partially) Defended
As the French begin their invasion of Madagascar's major ports in 1883, the queen of Madagascar falls deathly ill. In this atmosphere of chaos, the prime minister Rainilaiarivony must mount a desperate attempt to protect Merina sovereignty with the help of an unexpected ally. Support the show
Dec 18, 2023•25 min•Season 4Ep. 27
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