In Our Time With Melvyn Bragg

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Siege of Tenochtitlan. In 1521 the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes led an army of Spanish and native forces against Tenochtitlan, the spectacular island capital of the Aztec civilisation. After a prolonged siege and fierce battle, the city finally fell. This major confrontation between Old and New Worlds precipitated the downfall of the Aztec Empire and marked a new phase in European colonisation of the Americas. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Alan Knight of the University of Oxford, Elizabeth Graham of University College London and Caroline Dodds Pennock of the University of Sheffield.

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Delacroix's painting July 28: Liberty Leading the People. In 1830 revolution once more overtook France, when a popular uprising toppled the French Bourbon monarch, Charles X. Delacroix's allegorical work, personifying Liberty as a female figure, has become an iconic symbol of human freedom, and one of the most influential works of art of the nineteenth century. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Tim Blanning of the University of Cambridge, Tamar Garb of University College London and Simon Lee of the University of Reading.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Ming Voyages. In 1405 a Chinese admiral, Zheng He, set sail with an enormous fleet of ships carrying more than 27,000 people. This was the first of seven voyages which took Zheng and his ships all over the known world, from India to the Gulf of Persia and as far as East Africa. They took Chinese goods, evidence of the might of the Ming Empire, to the people they visited; and they also returned to China with treasure from the places they visited, and exotic items including a live giraffe. These extraordinary journeys live on in the imagination and the historical record - and had a profound effect on China's relationship with the rest of the world. With: Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford; Julia Lovell, Lecturer in Chinese History at Birkbeck College, University of London; Craig Clunas, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford. Producer: Thomas Morris.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the work of the philosopher David Hume. A key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment of the eighteenth century, Hume was an empiricist who believed that humans can only have knowledge of things they have themselves experienced. He gave a sceptical account of religion, which caused many to suspect him of atheism. He was also the author of a bestselling History of England. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Peter Millican of the University of Oxford, Helen Beebee of the University of Birmingham and James Harris of the University of St Andrews.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Etruscan civilisation which flourished in Italy for much of the first millennium BC. Developing a sophisticated culture, they were skilled soldiers, architects and artists. Eventually the Etruscan civilisation was absorbed into that of Rome, but not before it had profoundly influenced Roman art, religion and politics. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Phil Perkins of the Open University, David Ridgway of the University of London and Corinna Riva of University College London.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Japanese belief system of Shinto, a religion without gods, scriptures or a founder. Shinto shrines are some of the most prominent features of the Japanese landscape, where over 100 million people - most of the population - count themselves as adherents. Although it has changed considerably in the face of political upheaval and international conflict, it remains one of the most significant influences on Japanese culture. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture; Richard Bowring, Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge; and Lucia Dolce Senior Lecturer in Japanese Religion and Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Hippocratic Oath. The Greek physician Hippocrates, active in the fifth century BC, has been described as the father of medicine, although little is known about his life and some scholars even argue that he was not one person but several. A large body of work originally attributed to him was disseminated widely in the ancient world, and contains treatises on a wide variety of subjects, from fractures to medical ethics. The best known is the Hippocratic Oath, an ethical code for doctors. Although it has often been revised and adapted, the Hippocratic Oath remains one of the most significant and best known documents of medical science. With: Vivian Nutton, Emeritus Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London Helen King, Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University Peter Pormann, Wellcome Trust Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick