479. The Birth of Civilizations: Unpacking a 4,000-Year Global History feat. Josephine Quinn

At what point did the concept of civilization and civilizations emerge? In what ways  do we know that societies were mingling and exchanging ideas and objects with each other? How were the Crusades responsible for our culture’s current sugar obsession?

Josephine Quinn is a Professor of Ancient History at the University of Oxford, and the author of several books, including her latest work How the World Made the West: A 4,000 Year History and also In Search of the Phoenicians.

Greg and Josephine discuss the challenges and insights from piecing together 4,000 years of global history, and digging into the concept of 'civilizational thinking' and its origins. Josephine explains how civilizations intertwine through war, trade, and cultural exchange, and also highlights how modern perspectives shape our understanding of past human interactions. They also discuss the subject of another of Josephine’s books and unpack the significant yet often misunderstood impact of Phoenicians and other early civilizations on today's world.

*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*

Show Links:

Recommended Resources:

• Phoenicia
• Age of Discovery
• Crusades
• Levant
• Herodotus
• Ottoman Empire
• Minoan civilization
• Arthur Evans
• Knossos
• Heinrich Schliemann
• Barlaam and Josaphat
• Abbasid Caliphate
• The Invention of Tradition
• Zoroastrianism
• Fernand Braudel

Guest Profile:

• Faculty Profile at the University of Oxford
• Wikipedia Profile
• Social Profile on Instagram

Her Work:

• Amazon Author Page
• How the World Made the West: A 4,000 Year History
• In Search of the Phoenicians