Echoes of History

“Behind every great man is an even greater woman.” During the first century of the Abbasid Caliphate, the caliphs oversaw an Islamic Golden Age. These men expanded territory, science and the arts, leaving a lasting mark on human civilisation. But the caliphs were managed, sometimes manipulated, and even murdered, by the women at their side. Most notorious amongst these is Qabiha, the ultimate villain of Assassin’s Creed Mirage.Matt Lewis is joined by Dr Ali A. Olomi, historian, writer and podcaster, to talk to us about the lives of three formidable women in the medieval Middle East, and how they influenced the course of history from behind the curtain.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch these interviews and exclusive videos on our YouTube channel.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Michael McDaidProduced by: Robin McConnell, Peta StamperSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:Mirage Theme by Brendan Angelides, Layth SidiqPut Your Faith In Me by Brendan AngelidesSpices by Brendan AngelidesIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Assassin’s Creed games specialise in recreating the places and sounds of the past. But how can we know what music our ancestors listened to? If we can, how well does ancient music work within a modern audience’s expectations of what music is? And how does making music for a video game differ from all the other forms of entertainment we have today?Dr Holly Nielsen is joined by Steph Economou, the composer for the Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris and Dawn of Ragnarok, for which she won the first ever Grammy award for video game music. Rounding out the trio is Ari Mason, who performed on both scores, and who is a specialist in the art of historical performance. Together, they can shed light on the fascinating process of transporting us to the past through music.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch these interviews and exclusive videos on our YouTube channel.Hosted by: Dr Holly NielsenEdited by: Robin McConnellProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:Francia by Steph EconomouHásæti by Steph EconomouThe Siege Of Paris by Steph EconomouDawn of Ragnarök by Steph Economou, Einar SelvikIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry reminds us of an often overlooked turning point in history: the Haitian Revolution, when the slaves of Haiti overthrew their masters and the might of the French, British and Spanish militaries to create their own state. But this remarkable achievement was overshadowed by the American and French Revolutions, and has traditionally been viewed as just a byproduct of those famous rebellions. When did the Haitian Revolution take place? How did the slaves defeat both Napoleon's army and the British Empire? How did pirates influence the course of Haiti's history?To learn more about what Haiti was like in the 18th century, and the key people and moments of the Haitian Revolution, Matt Lewis is joined by Dr Erica Johnson, author of Philanthropy and Race in the Haitian Revolution, and contributor to the Universities Studying Slavery consortium, a huge research project to uncover and understand the links of US universities’ history with slavery.Listen to how the American Revolution and French Revolution started with the Battles of Lexington & Concord and the Storming of the Bastille.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch these interviews and exclusive videos on our YouTube channel.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Robin McConnellProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:False Paradise by Olivier DeriviereThe Storm by Olivier DeriviereOunsi by Olivier DeriviereIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among the many cool characters from the Viking Age that are brought to life in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is Alfred the Great. Before his military success against the vikings, Alfred also boasts one of the all-time great comeback stories. In January 878 all looked lost: Alfred was hiding in marshlands, his army defeated and scattered, and the Vikings controlled his kingdom. The key event that almost saw the end of Anglo-Saxon England was the Battle of Chippenham.Assassin’s Creed Valhalla recreates the battle and puts players in the heart of combat. But what do we really know about the battle? How big was a viking army? What did the Anglo-Saxons count as a 'real' battle?To help answer these questions, Matt Lewis is joined by Professor Ryan Lavelle from the University of Winchester. In addition to writing Alfred's Wars: Sources and Interpretations of Anglo-Saxon Warfare in the Viking Age, he consulted on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch these interviews and exclusive videos on our YouTube channel.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Michael McDaidProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:Leofirth's Honor by Jesper KydFrozen Lands by Sarah SchachnerKingdom of Wessex by Jesper KydIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assassin's Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory transports players to the medieval Abbasid caliphate. One place in particular that is recreated in the game is the remarkable Jabal Ikmah, the ancient Open-Air Library. Here, on the mountains surrounding AlUla, archaeologists have found a treasure trove of texts that stretch across centuries in multiple languages and from several civilisations. Who made these inscriptions, and why? What do they reveal about the daily lives of the ancient peoples who lived in the oasis?Matt Lewis is joined by Solaiman al-Theeb, professor at the AlUla Language Institute. His work with ancient languages and inscriptions at Jabal Ikmah makes him the perfect person to reveal more about the writings in the rock.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this interview and exclusive videos on our YouTube channel.Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Michael McDaidProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic by Brendan AngelidesIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assassin’s Creed III recreates many key events from the American Revolution, including the Boston Tea Party, when colonists resisted British taxes by dumping tea into Boston Harbor. But the game challenges the popular perception of the protest as a pure and noble defiance of tyranny. In fact, the legend of the Party started to develop nearly half a century after the event. What were the true motives of the Sons of Liberty? Did they really dress up as Native Americans? Was the Boston Tea Party as impactful as its reputation suggests? And how much tea did they destroy?Matt Lewis is joined by Prof. James Fichter, author of Tea: Consumption, Politics, and Revolution 1773-1776, to explain the real intentions and outcomes of the Boston Tea Party.Listen to our previous expert chats about the Declaration Of Independence and the Battles of Lexington & Conchord. Watch this episode here on YouTube.Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Hosted by: Matt LewisEdited by: Robin McConnellProduced by: Robin McConnellSenior Producer: Anne-Marie LuffProduction Manager: Beth DonaldsonExecutive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen BennettMusic:Welcome to Boston by Lorne BalfePhiladelphia by Lorne BalfeEscape in Style by Lorne BalfeIf you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at echoes-of-history@historyhit.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.