The written word gives us all sorts of knowledge about the past... but what happens when that knowledge is locked up in the code of a language we can't read? And what happens when that code is broken?

The Condensed History Gems podcast is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Greg Chapman, juggler and comedy entertainer from Condensed Histories (@condensedhist) and Jem Duducu, history writer of HistoryGems (@historygems). Each week we have a half hour discussion episode, as well as a shorter ‘Fast 5’ episode featuring one of the two. Subjects range through history, from pirates to Saxons, Vikings to Victorians, and Romans to the Cold War! Find out more about the podcast at www.condensedhistories.com/gems