Today’s episode is not the story of an individual but rather of a collected body of sacred and secular writings, or rather bodies of writings. It’s a story of scripture, court records, correspondence, literature, scholarly studies, and more, of human life as it has left its echoes in writing. This is the story of the Cairo Geniza, an incredible collection of historical documents, from medieval manuscripts to modern divorces. It's about how that collection, brought from the Ben Ezra Synagogue...

Today's episode takes us to medieval Egypt, to old Cairo in the 11th and 12th century, to Fustat, to the Fatimid Caliphate during the period of the First Crusade, and to the life of a medieval woman named Wuhsha al-dallala who stands out in her time for strength, independence, and wild financial success (through lending and investment in trading ventures, including one to Gujarat, India). Her history comes to us through the fragments of the Cairo Geniza, in legal documents, and in a will. If...

The story of the legendary first kings of the Britons, complete with prophecy, a divine appearance, and a number of origin myths behind the names of Tours, Cornwall, New Troy, and Britain itself. For this episode, we go to Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicles for Britain's mythical Trojan origins, following Brutus of Troy as he receives visions from the goddess Diana and voyages to an Albion still inhabited by giants. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my...

Today we step outside the usual subject matter on the podcast for a look into Shakespeare's source for the story of Macbeth. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Holinshed, Raphael. Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. J. Johnson, et al., 1808. The Oxford Handbook of Holinshed's Chronicles, edited by Felicity Heal,...

The Grettir Saga concludes with his half-brother Thorstein finding freedom and romance in Constantinople. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009. Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974. Learn more about your...

Grettir's half-brother goes looking for revenge, and his killer goes to join the Varangian Guard. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009. Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press, 1974. Collingwood, W.G. A Pilgrimage...

Grettir, his little brother, and their reluctant helper face a new threat on Drangey. His story comes to a conclusion but not his saga. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009. Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press,...

The conclusion of Grettir's story, part one. He and his brother look for refuge on the island of Drangey, but they aren't the only ones who are interested in the island. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009. Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann...

Grettir wanders Iceland, never able to stay in one place for too long. He is cursed to fear the dark and wish for company because of it, even as that company wishes him dead. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009. Pavey, Sophie. "Outlawed but Not Alone: Friendships...

Grettir's story continues. He feels the effects of Glamr's curse as his luck turns against him and he is outlawed once more. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Grettir's Saga, translated by Jesse Byock. Oxford University Press, 2009. Grettir's Saga, translated by Denton Fox and Hermann Palsson. University of Toronto Press,...

The Saga of Grettir the Strong opens with his grandfather leaving King Harald's Norway for Iceland. We follow its portrayal of Grettir's troubled childhood and his tests of strength against boulders, men, bears, and (for some Halloween appropriate listening) draugr, the undead of the burial mound. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on...

A standalone episode on Tāj al-Dīn ‘Alī ibn Anjab ibn al-Sā’ī, and his solitary work that survives in its entirety, Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Ibn al-Sā'ī. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad, edited by Shawkat M. Toorawa. New York University Press,...

A standalone episode on the travels and career of a Ming dynasty diplomat and administrator. Chen Cheng would suffer professional setbacks outside of his control, and he would make the overland journey to Shah Rukh's Timurid Herat. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Hecker, Felicia J. “A Fifteenth-Century Chinese Diplomat in Herat.”...

The story of Ghiyath al-Din and the other Timurid envoys, and their visit to Yongle's Beijing. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: "Report to Mirza Baysunghur on the Timurid Legation to the Ming Court at Peking," in A Century of Princes: Sources on Timurid History and Art, selected and translated by W. M. Thackston. Aga Khan Program for...

In the early 15th century, the son of Timur sends an ambassador east to the target of his father's last military campaign. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: "Report to Mirza Baysunghur on the Timurid Legation to the Ming Court at Peking," in A Century of Princes: Sources on Timurid History and Art, selected and translated by W. M....

Another year of drought, another of famine, and even more disasters pile on for the early-13th-century Egyptians. We also see Abd al-Latif make a surprising 20th-century appearance. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī. A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years. NYU Press,...

What happens when the river fails to rise? In 597 (1200), Abd al-Latif found famine, crime, and cannibalism. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī. A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years. NYU Press, 2021. Lev, Yaacov. Administration of Justice in Medieval Egypt: From the...

Like many people ever since, and even now, Abd al-Latif was fascinated by Egypt's ancient sites and structures, the pyramids and the Sphinx. He was fascinated, but also disgusted with how their stones and contents had been treated as his contemporaries looked to them less with wonder, more with greed. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on...

We continue the Abd al-Latif series and dig into his observations on Egypt. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī. A Physician on the Nile: A Description of Egypt and Journal of the Famine Years. NYU Press, 2021. Bonadeo, Cecilia Martini. ʿAbd Al-Laṭīf Al-Baġdādī’s Philosophical Journey From Aristotle’s...

Born in the 12th century, Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi travelled the Ayyubid world in search of students, mentors, and patrons. His curiosity stands out, and does his impatience with scholars who, as he saw it, wasted their time with alchemy or other unimportant topics. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī. A...

Today's episode centres on an anonymous 16th-century account of the Hajj that first appeared in English in a 1599 Hakluyt publication. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Hakluyt, Richard. The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation. James MacLehose and Sons, 1904. One Thousand Roads to Mecca:...

It's the end of the Prester John story, or at least the end for now. The priest-king pops up in Tibet and dives into the world of fiction and comics, and the Dalai Lama makes an appearance. The History of Sport podcast which I mention can be found here and on all the other usual podcast platforms. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on...

This is a preview of my new/other podcast. It has its own podcast feed, so I won't be bombarding you with other episodes on this feed, but I'm putting this one here in case anyone is interested. You can find more on Apple Podcasts and all the usual other platforms. Back soon with the next Human Circus episode! Today's episode is about a piece of baseball history, very early baseball history. It's about an 18th-century children's book, about a nationalistic effort to claim ownership over...

What happens to a mythical priest-king when you get too close to him? Does he just disappear? If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Prester John: The Legend and its Sources, compiled and translated by Keagan Brewer. Taylor & Francis, 2019. Ray, John. A Collection of Curious Travels & Voyages. 1693. Salvadore, Matteo. The African...

In the early years of the 16th-century, Ethiopia's regent, Eleni, sent an ambassador to Portugal to propose an alliance. She sent a man named Mateus. Unfortunately for Mateus, almost nobody believed him. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, and I have some things on Redbubble. Sources: Prester John: The Legend and its Sources, compiled and translated by Keagan Brewer. Taylor &...