Fall of Civilizations podcast
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 7 history podcasts
Recommended for engaging, high-quality retellings of ancient history, with a rich narrator and polished production.
Recommended for engaging, high-quality retellings of ancient history, with a rich narrator and polished production.
21 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 20
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 95%
Recommended in 7 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 20 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 20 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 7 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Excellent audio and production quality
“The audio is splendid as well though.”
Comment from 22 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?” “The Paul Cooper production is great.”
Comment from 11 Feb 2026 in “Single bone in Spain offers first direct evidence of Hannibal's war elephants” “Agree it’s also really well done.”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?” - Comment from 10 Jul 2026 in “Late Bronze Age Collapse”
- Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “The Fall of Ancient Civilisations: 20: Achaemenid Persian Empire”
Consistently praised as top-tier
“Compare that Fall Of Civilizations (a fantastic podcast btw) that often has 7 months between videos.”
Comment from 13 Nov 2025 in “SlopStop: Community-driven AI slop detection in Kagi Search” “The fantastic Fall of Civilizations podcast also had an episode about it”
Comment from 10 Jul 2026 in “Late Bronze Age Collapse” “Top of my list are Empire, Fall of Civilizations”
Comment from 26 Feb 2026 in “Those who can, teach history” - Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Best Podcasts of 2025?”
- Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “Why the Bronze Age Collapsed”
Engaging, rich retellings of history
“it's such an epic story and the narrator builds such a rich picture of the times and events”
Comment from 11 Feb 2026 in “Single bone in Spain offers first direct evidence of Hannibal's war elephants” “Each episode is of exceptional quality and retells history in an engaging manor.”
Comment from 28 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: Best Podcasts of 2025?”
Other history podcasts people recommend
The four most recommended other history podcasts, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall of Civilizations podcastThis page | 20 | 1 | 95% | 7 | — | Approved |
| The Rest Is History podcast | 14 | 1 | 93% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Hardcore History by Dan Carlin | 13 | 1 | 93% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Revolutions Podcast by Mike Duncan | 12 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The History of English Podcast by John McWhorter | 12 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
16 of the 22 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“there is also good content on YouTube (Fall of Civilizations podcast, etc.)”
“Such a great podcast series.”
“I noticed editing quirks (that would have never passed the bar if a human read it) and overly consistent vocalization”
“Podcasts that take real effort (Hardcore History, Fall of Civilizations, Gastropod) are absolutely worth my time”
“The whole channel is top quality”
“The fantastic Fall of Civilizations podcast also had an episode about it”
“Top of my list are Empire, Fall of Civilizations”
“Agree it’s also really well done.”
“The audio is splendid as well though.”
“I've just about finished all of The Fall of Civilisations and am already feeling a sense of loss.”
“The Paul Cooper production is great.”
“it's such an epic story and the narrator builds such a rich picture of the times and events”
“Each episode is of exceptional quality and retells history in an engaging manor.”
“Fall of Civilizations is excellent too.”
“The quality is incredible.”
“Compare that Fall Of Civilizations (a fantastic podcast btw) that often has 7 months between videos.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.