{"podcast":{"title":"Literature and History","slug":"literature-and-history-1050057","podcast_index_feed_id":1050057,"rss_url":"https://literatureandhistory.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://literatureandhistory.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/3/f/1/2/3f12417906e95777/literature_and_history_cover.jpg","author":"Doug Metzger","episode_count":125,"summary":"With millions of downloads, hundreds of hours of soundtracked content, and an overall emphasis on the cultural history behind famous works of literature, Literature and History is one of the most popular independent podcasts on its subject. Starting with Sumerian cuneiform in 3,100 BCE, Literature and History moves forward in chronological order through Assyriology, Egyptology, the Old Testament, Ancient Greece and Rome, the birth of Christianity, and the early Middle Ages. The show's current season is on early Islamic history. A typical episode (they average about two hours) features a general introduction to a work of literature, then a full summary of that work that expects no prior knowledge, and finally, an analysis of the cultural, biographical, and historical forces that gave rise to the work in question. Original symphonic and ambient background music is woven throughout each show, and all episodes offer free full, illustrated, footnoted transcriptions as well as quizzes for purposes of review. The show has no advertisements, and its host takes pride in a professional approach that avoids chitchat and ephemera and gets straight to the educational content. You can listen to…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057"},"episodes":[{"title":"Episode 125: The Zoroastrian Bundahisn","slug":"episode-125-the-zoroastrian-bundahisn","published_at":"2026-05-15T13:51:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-125-the-zoroastrian-bundahisn","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":7361,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-125-the-zoroastrian-bundahisn/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-125-the-zoroastrian-bundahisn.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 124: The Last Great War of Antiquity","slug":"episode-124-the-last-great-war-of-antiquity","published_at":"2026-04-15T15:48:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-124-the-last-great-war-of-antiquity","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8019,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-124-the-last-great-war-of-antiquity/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-124-the-last-great-war-of-antiquity.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 123: An Introduction to the Hadiths","slug":"episode-123-an-introduction-to-the-hadiths","published_at":"2026-03-15T14:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-123-an-introduction-to-the-hadiths","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":7279,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-123-an-introduction-to-the-hadiths/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-123-an-introduction-to-the-hadiths.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 122: The Early Abbasid Caliphate","slug":"episode-122-the-early-abbasid-caliphate","published_at":"2026-02-15T17:49:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-122-the-early-abbasid-caliphate","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8725,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-122-the-early-abbasid-caliphate/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-122-the-early-abbasid-caliphate.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 121: The Umayyad Caliphate","slug":"episode-121-the-umayyad-caliphate","published_at":"2026-01-15T17:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-121-the-umayyad-caliphate","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8100,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-121-the-umayyad-caliphate/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-121-the-umayyad-caliphate.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 120: The Rashidun Caliphate","slug":"episode-120-the-rashidun-caliphate","published_at":"2025-12-15T16:46:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-120-the-rashidun-caliphate","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8685,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-120-the-rashidun-caliphate/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-120-the-rashidun-caliphate.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 119: The Qur'an, Part 3: Origins","slug":"episode-119-the-qur-an-part-3-origins","published_at":"2025-10-22T16:10:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-119-the-qur-an-part-3-origins","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8344,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-119-the-qur-an-part-3-origins/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-119-the-qur-an-part-3-origins.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 118: The Qur'an, Part 2: Ordinances","slug":"episode-118-the-qur-an-part-2-ordinances","published_at":"2025-10-15T14:59:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-118-the-qur-an-part-2-ordinances","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8226,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-118-the-qur-an-part-2-ordinances/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-118-the-qur-an-part-2-ordinances.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 117: The Qur'an, Part 1: Overview","slug":"episode-117-the-qur-an-part-1-overview","published_at":"2025-10-08T14:31:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-117-the-qur-an-part-1-overview","url":"https://www.literatureandhistory.com","duration_seconds":7618,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-117-the-qur-an-part-1-overview/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-117-the-qur-an-part-1-overview.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 116: The Life of Muhammad, Part 3: Conquest","slug":"episode-116-the-life-of-muhammad-part-3-conquest","published_at":"2025-09-15T18:02:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-116-the-life-of-muhammad-part-3-conquest","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":7450,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-116-the-life-of-muhammad-part-3-conquest/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-116-the-life-of-muhammad-part-3-conquest.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 115: The Life of Muhammad, Part 2: Community","slug":"episode-115-the-life-of-muhammad-part-2-community","published_at":"2025-08-15T15:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-115-the-life-of-muhammad-part-2-community","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8139,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-115-the-life-of-muhammad-part-2-community/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-115-the-life-of-muhammad-part-2-community.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 114: The Life of Muhammad, Part 1: Cobwebs","slug":"episode-114-the-life-of-muhammad-part-1-cobwebs","published_at":"2025-07-15T21:22:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-114-the-life-of-muhammad-part-1-cobwebs","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8512,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-114-the-life-of-muhammad-part-1-cobwebs/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-114-the-life-of-muhammad-part-1-cobwebs.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 113: Antarah ibn Shaddad","slug":"episode-113-antarah-ibn-shaddad","published_at":"2025-06-15T16:50:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-113-antarah-ibn-shaddad","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":7448,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-113-antarah-ibn-shaddad/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-113-antarah-ibn-shaddad.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 112: Pre-Islamic Arabic Poetry","slug":"episode-112-pre-islamic-arabic-poetry","published_at":"2025-05-14T14:26:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-112-pre-islamic-arabic-poetry","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8383,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-112-pre-islamic-arabic-poetry/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-112-pre-islamic-arabic-poetry.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 111: Pre-Islamic Arabia","slug":"episode-111-pre-islamic-arabia","published_at":"2025-04-15T15:09:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-111-pre-islamic-arabia","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8539,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-111-pre-islamic-arabia/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-111-pre-islamic-arabia.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 110: Questions","slug":"episode-110-questions","published_at":"2025-03-22T15:23:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-110-questions","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8450,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-110-questions/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-110-questions.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 109: Cornerstones","slug":"episode-109-cornerstones","published_at":"2025-03-15T14:37:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-109-cornerstones","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":7782,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-109-cornerstones/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-109-cornerstones.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 108: Isidore of Seville","slug":"episode-108-isidore-of-seville","published_at":"2025-02-15T16:28:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-108-isidore-of-seville","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8052,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-108-isidore-of-seville/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-108-isidore-of-seville.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 107: Venantius Fortunatus","slug":"episode-107-venantius-fortunatus","published_at":"2025-01-15T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-107-venantius-fortunatus","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":7924,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-107-venantius-fortunatus/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-107-venantius-fortunatus.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 106: Gregory of Tours, Part 2","slug":"episode-106-gregory-of-tours-part-2","published_at":"2024-12-14T21:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-106-gregory-of-tours-part-2","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":7677,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-106-gregory-of-tours-part-2/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-106-gregory-of-tours-part-2.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 105: Gregory of Tours, Part 1","slug":"episode-105-gregory-of-tours-part-1","published_at":"2024-11-07T21:11:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-105-gregory-of-tours-part-1","url":"https://literatureandhistory.libsyn.com/episode-105-gregory-of-tours-part-1","duration_seconds":8826,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-105-gregory-of-tours-part-1/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-105-gregory-of-tours-part-1.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 104: An Introduction to the Talmud","slug":"episode-104-an-introduction-to-the-talmud","published_at":"2024-08-09T01:54:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-104-an-introduction-to-the-talmud","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8511,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-104-an-introduction-to-the-talmud/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-104-an-introduction-to-the-talmud.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 103: Boethius","slug":"episode-103-boethius","published_at":"2023-09-22T01:44:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-103-boethius","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8470,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-103-boethius/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-103-boethius.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 102: An Old Man's Book (Augustine's City of God, Part 2 of 2)","slug":"episode-102-an-old-man-s-book-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-2-of-2","published_at":"2023-03-04T17:19:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-102-an-old-man-s-book-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-2-of-2","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8858,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-102-an-old-man-s-book-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-2-of-2/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-102-an-old-man-s-book-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-2-of-2.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]},{"title":"Episode 101: Against the Pagans (Augustine's City of God, Part 1 of 2)","slug":"episode-101-against-the-pagans-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-1-of-2","published_at":"2023-02-04T18:24:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-101-against-the-pagans-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-1-of-2","url":"https://literatureandhistory.com/","duration_seconds":8131,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/literature-and-history-1050057/episodes/episode-101-against-the-pagans-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-1-of-2/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/literature-and-history-1050057/episode-101-against-the-pagans-augustine-s-city-of-god-part-1-of-2.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}]}