Literature and History
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, Late Antiquity, and dawn of the 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 the episodes in any order, although most listeners begin at the beginning and proceed from there, as the podcast itself is chronologically organized. Doug Metzger finished his Ph.D. in literature in 2011. His chief scholarly interest, following his dissertation work, continues to be 19th-century realism and postbellum American philosophy.
Episodes
The Rashidun caliphate, from 632-661, completely changed the history of the world. Learn the story of the greatest imperial expansion of the first millennium, together with the complex political and theological history behind it.
Episode 120 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-120/
Episode 120 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-120-the-rashidun-caliphate
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory...
The Qur'an has deep roots in the Bible and in the unique religious climate of Late Antique Mecca. Learn about its many references to the Bible and ancient Arabian religion in this episode.
Kevin Stroud's The History of English:
https://historyofenglishpodcast.com/
Episode 119 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-119/
Episode 119 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-119-the-quran-part-3
Oxford M.A.S...
Learn about the foundations of Islamic Law in the Qur'an - the 350 or so verses that tell believers what they're required to do, and what's prohibited.
Episode 118 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-118/
Episode 118 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-118-the-quran-part-2
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory
YouTube:
...
Learn the basics of the Qur'an - its size, structure, how and when it came together, and the book's most important contents.
Episode 117 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-117/
Episode 117 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-117-the-quran-part-1
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@l...
During the final years of the Prophet Muhammad's life and the immediate aftermath of his death, the Muslims conquered Mecca, the first caliph Abu Bakr came to power, and the stage was set for the great Islamic conquests of the seventh century.
Episode 116 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-116/
Episode 116 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-116-the-life-of-muhammad-part-3
Bonus Content:
https://l...
Between 622 and 628, Muhammad and the first Muslims made a home from themselves in Medina, fended off assaults from the Quraysh and others, and changed the course of history forever.
New Spotify Bonus Content Channel:
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/lahbonuscontent/subscribe
New Patreon Store:
https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory/shop
Episode 115 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-115/
Episode 115 ...
An orphan and caravan trade agent, Muhammad (570-632) lived a fairly ordinary life up until the age of 40. Then, everything changed.
New Songs Page:
https://literatureandhistory.com/songs/
Episode 114 Quiz:
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-114/
Episode 114 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-114-the-life-of-muhammad-part-1
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon:
http...
Antarah ibn Shaddad, a killer, a lover, and an epic hero, was also one of early Arabic literature's most famous poets.
Parker's Song:
https://youtu.be/bTVWrxfb5wk
Episode 113 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-113/
Episode 113 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-113-antarah-ibn-shaddad
Antarah's Poetry:
War Songs (Library of Arabic Literature)
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonu...
Prior to the dawn of Islam, the Arabian Peninsula had a great poetic tradition, with many genres, and many poets who are still celebrated and studied today.
Episode 112 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-112/
Episode 112 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-112-pre-islamic-arabic-poetry/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibs86z0py04
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
...
Leading up to the birth of the Prophet Muhammad in about 570 CE, the Arabian Peninsula was an increasingly populous and globally interconnected region.
Episode 111 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-111/
Episode 111 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-111-pre-islamic-arabia/
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/literatureandhistory
YouTub...
In Episode 110, Literature and History host Doug Metzger answers dozens of listener questions about making the show, books, and how and why the podcast came to be.
Literature and History's Upcoming Seasons:
https://literatureandhistory.com/upcoming-seasons/
The Actual First Novels Bonus Series:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content#tafn
Episode 110 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-110-questions/
...
Episode 109 brings our long season on Late Antiquity to a close, reviews the past 24 programs on the beginnings of the Middle Ages, and introduces our new season on early Islamic History.
The Actual First Novels Bonus Series:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content#tafn
Literature and History's Upcoming Seasons:
https://literatureandhistory.com/upcoming-seasons/
Episode 109 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.co...
One of the great scholars of Late Antiquity, Isidore (c. 560-636) left behind a compendium called the Etymologies, an encyclopedia of his epoch's knowledge, a book second only to the Bible during the Middle Ages.
Episode 108 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-108/
Episode 108 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-108-isidore-of-seville/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kT74jAXCA4
Bonus Content:
...
The Merovingian court poet Venantius Fortunatus (c. 530-600), at work in Francia in the late 500s, shows us the world of the Middle Ages blooming from Roman ruins.
Episode 107 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-107/
Episode 107 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-107-venantius-fortunatus/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpQP2na7oFM
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-conten...
The second half of the History of the Franks (591) is a deep dive into the grime and intrigue of the Merovingian dynasty, written in a style that's as medieval as it is classical.
Episode 106 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-106/
Episode 106 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-106-gregory-of-tours-part-2/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekc6frwUohI
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhisto...
Gregory of Tours (c. 539-594) completed The History of the Franks in 591. The long book's account of Clovis and the Merovingian Dynasty has been one of our most important sources on early Medieval History, ever since.
Episode 105 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-105/
Episode 105 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-105-gregory-of-tours-part-1/
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLz16V1Gr7E
Bon...
Second only to the Tanakh, the 63 Tractates of the Talmud are the main text of Rabbinic Judaism, containing the teachings of thousands of ancient rabbis.
Upcoming Seasons:
https://literatureandhistory.com/upcoming-seasons/
Episode 104 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-104/
Episode 104 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-104-introduction-to-the-talmud
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqpgvj_r...
In the twilight of the Western Empire, Boethius (c. 476-523) served as consul, but ended his life imprisoned by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric, writing The Consolation of Philosophy.
Episode 103 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-103/
Episode 103 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-103-boethius
Song
https://youtu.be/ul1PUVPDAcQ
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/bonus-content
Patreo...
Augustine's City of God, Part 2 of 2. The second half of the City of God contains some of Late Antiquity's most influential writings – most notably Augustine's take on Original Sin.
Episode 102 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-102/
Episode 102 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-102-an-old-mans-book
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYwI5aM4ZP8
Bonus Content:
https://literatureandhistory.com/...
Augustine's City of God, Part 1 of 2. The first half of the City of God is a broadside against paganism – its culture, religion, and history, subjects about which Augustine had much to say.
Episode 101 Quiz
https://literatureandhistory.com/quiz-101/
Episode 101 Transcription:
https://literatureandhistory.com/episode-101-against-the-pagans
Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3sErObfrVc&pp=0gcJCYsJAYcqIYzv
Bonus Content:
ht...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Two Guys (Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers). Five Rings (you know, from the Olympics logo). One essential podcast for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Bowen Yang (SNL, Wicked) and Matt Rogers (Palm Royale, No Good Deed) of Las Culturistas are back for a second season of Two Guys, Five Rings, a collaboration with NBC Sports and iHeartRadio. In this 15-episode event, Bowen and Matt discuss the top storylines, obsess over Italian culture, and find out what really goes on in the Olympic Village.
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com