The Ancients
A podcast for all ancient history fans! The Ancients is dedicated to discussing our distant past. Featuring interviews with historians and archaeologists, each episode covers a specific theme from antiquity. From Neolithic Britain to the Fall of Rome. Hosted by Tristan Hughes.
New episodes every Sunday and Thursday.
From History Hit, the world's best history channel and creators of award-winning podcasts Dan Snow's History Hit, Gone Medieval, and Betwixt the Sheets.
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Episodes (59)
The First Pharaohs
Unveiling the Enigmatic Story of Egypt's First Pharaohs, roughly 5,000 years ago. Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Aidan Dodson to discuss the renowned Scorpion King and early dynasties, the...
Inanna: Mesopotamian Sex Goddess
Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Kate Lister to take us on a journey through the fascinating history of Innana, an ancient goddess of love, war, fertility, and political power. They delve into her...
The Picts: Rulers of the North
Tristan Hughes journeys up to windswept Scotland to uncover the secrets of the Picts — fierce warriors, skilled artisans, enemies of Rome and rulers of the North.In this special episode of The...
The Permian Extinction: When Life Nearly Died
It was the biggest mass extinction event in Earth’s history. 250 million years ago, a 252 million years ago, Earth faced its deadliest crisis. 97% of all life was wiped out in the Permian Extinction –...
541 AD: The Worst Year in History
Was this the worst year in human history? Bubonic plague sweeps across the Mediterranean. The sun vanishes behind volcanic ash. Crops fail, famine bites, and the Roman empire lurches towards...
Fall of the Sumerians
Tristan Hughes continues our special series on Great Disasters, journeying back to ancient Mesopotamia with Dr Paul Collins to explore the fall of the Sumerians.4,000 years ago, the great cities of...
The Minoan Eruption: Bronze Age Cataclysm
More than 3,500 years ago, a massive volcanic eruption devastated Thera - modern day Santorini - engulfing the Bronze Age world in ash and fire. Entire landscapes were buried, ash darkened the skies,...
How Greece Shaped Rome
Professor Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins join Tristan in this episode all about Greece and Rome - the two greatest civilisations of classical antiquity.How did the Romans borrow, adapt, and...
The Sumerians
More than 5,000 years ago, in what is today southern Iraq, one of the world’s first civilisations emerged. A civilisation often credited with the invention of writing, the wheel and cities. The...
The Sea Peoples
Tristan Hughes sits down with Professor Eric Cline to explore the enigmatic Sea Peoples, often blamed for the catastrophic Bronze Age collapse over 3,000 years ago.Together they explore surviving...
Origins of Homo Sapiens
Where do we come from? The origins of modern humans stretch back hundreds of thousands of years, and new discoveries are reshaping how we understand our species’ story. In this episode, recorded...
Ashurbanipal: The Last Great King of Assyria
Known as the 'King of the World' and the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal bestrode the ancient Mesopotamian world as a warrior but also a scholar, ruling the great Assyrian empire at the...
The White Huns
The Huns weren’t just Attila’s warriors in Europe — in Central Asia, the White Huns built the most powerful Hunnic empire, ruling for a century and dominating the ancient Silk Roads.While the European...
Roman Aqueducts
How did Roman aqueducts help build an empire? They’re some of the most iconic structures from the ancient world — feats of engineering that transformed cities. But how exactly did Roman aqueducts...
How to Survive in Carthage
From towering tenements to Punic porridge — step into the streets of ancient Carthage.In this immersive episode of The Ancients, Tristan travels back to 210 BC to explore daily life in the heart of...
The Olmec: Mother of Mesoamerican Civilisations
Iconic monumental stone heads, the intriguing Lord of Las Limas, the enigmatic 'were-jaguar' figures, so much survives from the ancient Olmec civilisation.Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Jillian...
Livia: Empress of Rome
Powerful, cunning, uncompromising, even murderous (allegedly)... meet Rome’s first empress and one of ancient history’s ultimate power players.Livia Drusilla has long been cast as the bloodthirsty...
Siberian Ice Mummies
In this special episode of the Ancients, released just hours after the embargo on new research was lifted, Tristan Hughes discusses the fascinating discovery of ancient Siberian ice mummies and their...
Fall of Roman London
Why was London transformed from a bustling Roman metropolis into a ghost town by the fifth century?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Dominic Perring to explore the rich archaeological findings that...
Irish Mythology
Epic heroes, sacred rivers & ancient gods – this is Irish mythology as you’ve never heard it. From Newgrange to the Hill of Tara, Ireland’s myths are rooted firmly in its prehistoric past.In today's...
Megalodon
As part of our week of Sharks on the Ancients, today we tell the story of Megalodon, the largest living marine animal, ever.Does this colossal prehistoric shark still lurk beneath the waves? Tristan...
The First Sharks
Long before the first dinosaurs, the first trees or even the formation of the rings of Saturn, our planet's oceans were ruled by prehistoric sharks.Across two special episodes of The Ancients this...
The Queen of Sheba
A figure of wealth, wisdom, and global fascination - how did the Queen of Sheba become one of history’s most enduring royal icons?In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Jillian Stinchcomb to...
Doggerland: The North Sea Atlantis?
Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Rachel Bynoe who has literally dived into the enigmatic world of Doggerland, a prehistoric landmass now submerged beneath the North Sea.They discuss how archaeological...
Hannibal's March on Rome
It was perhaps Hannibal’s greatest gamble — after years of victories, not least his famed trek across the snow-capped Alps, could he strike at Rome itself?In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan...
Plato's Republic
Today we journey into the creation of Plato's Republic. Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. James Romm to discover how Plato's encounters with the tyrant-ruled city of Syracuse and its rulers, Dionysius...
The Apocryphal Gospels
If you've heard of the mysterious and often controversial Apocryphal Gospels, you may have been told that they weren't important, or useful; that they 'didn't make the cut' to be included in the...
Seahenge
As a 4,000-year-old timber circle uncovered on a Norfolk beach, Seahenge is one of Britain’s most remarkable prehistoric finds. Discovered in 1998, it drew quick comparison as a 'Stonehenge by the...
Rise of Nero
Before he became one of Rome’s most infamous tyrants, Nero was a golden boy - young, talented, and full of promise.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by bestselling author Conn...
Pirates of the Mediterranean
As Rome rose to power, pirates seized the seas - wreaking havoc from Spain to Syria and challenging Roman dominance in the ancient Mediterranean.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is...
The Amazons
What makes the Amazons one of the most captivating myths in ancient Greek culture?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. David Braund, Emeritus Professor at the University of Exeter, to explore and celebrate...
The Kushan Empire
Embark on an epic journey with Tristan Hughes and acclaimed author William Dalrymple as they unravel the enigma of the Kushan Empire, the ancient superpower of Central Asia. Together they tell the...
Rise of the Minoans
Tristan Hughes journeys into the heart of one of history's most intriguing civilisations: the Minoans. With Professor Nicoletta Momigliano, he explores the origins and rise of these Bronze Age titans...
The Kingdom of Aksum
How is the unique narrative of the Ark of the Covenant deeply rooted in Ethiopian culture and tradition?Embark on a journey to the Kingdom of Aksum with host Tristan Hughes and archeologist Dil Singh...
Pompeii: The Buried City
Buried in ash, frozen in time—Pompeii offers one of the most extraordinary windows into everyday life in ancient Rome.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Gabriel...
Origins of Astronomy
Long before telescopes or space agencies, ancient Mesopotamians were decoding the secrets of the cosmos. Beneath skies unpolluted by modern light, they tracked the movements of planets, charted...
Successors of Alexander the Great
What happened after Alexander the Great died?On June 11, 323 BC, at just 32 years old, Alexander left an empire without a clear heir, sparking chaos among his generals. Tristan Hughes and Dr. Graham...
The Saxons
Saxon mercenaries, collapsing Roman order, and a new chapter for Britain. Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Peter Heather to explore the mysterious Saxon migrations, their Germanic roots, and how they...
The Council of Nicaea
1700 years ago, the Roman Emperor Constantine called an unprecedented meeting of early Christian leaders from across the empire to settle a fierce dispute threatening to split the early Church. The...
The Last Roman Emperors
No grand battle. No final blaze of glory. In 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire collapsed not with a roar, but with a quiet abdication. A boy emperor - Romulus Augustulus - handed over the regalia of...
Did Plague Destroy the Roman Empire?
War, invasion, civil unrest… or plague? Could a series of deadly pandemics have helped bring down the mighty Roman Empire?In the third episode of our Fall of Rome mini-series, Tristan Hughes is joined...
Barbarian Invaders: The Sacks of Rome
How did the Huns, Goths, and Vandals help bring down the Roman Empire - and sack the city of Rome itself, not once but twice?In this second episode of our special series on the Fall of the Western...
The Fall of Rome: Origins
The Roman Empire, once an ancient powerhouse, experienced a dramatic fall from its golden age to eventual collapse. Tristan Hughes and guest Dr. David Gwynn launch our new Ancients mini-series on...
Prehistoric Ireland: Newgrange
An astonishing ancient tomb is Ireland's most famous prehistoric monument; Newgrange. Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Muiris O’Sullivan, an expert on the many Stone Age monuments of Ireland, including...
Jason and the Argonauts
From clashing rocks to golden treasure, Jason and the Argonauts is the ultimate Greek mythological adventure. But what lies behind the legend? And why has it endured for millennia?In this episode,...
The Birth of Indo-European
From the steppes of prehistoric Eurasia to the languages we speak today, the story of Indo-European is one of ancient roots and global impact. But what exactly is Indo-European? Who spoke it? And how...
The Praetorian Guard: Rise to Power
From Gladiator to Rome Total War to I, Claudius, today the Cohortēs praetōriae are one of the most distinctive military units of Imperial Rome. It was their job to protect the Roman Emperor and his...
John the Baptist
From the wilderness of ancient Judea to the pages of the New Testament, John the Baptist is one of the most compelling and mysterious figures in biblical history. But who really was he? What was his...
Cassandra: Priestess of Troy
*This episode discusses sexual assault*Cursed by Apollo to always speak the truth but never be believed; what makes Cassandra's story so timeless and compelling?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Emily...
The Great Jewish Revolt
70 AD. Tens of thousands of Roman troops surround Jerusalem. What follows is one of the most brutal sieges in ancient history—and the dramatic climax of the Great Jewish Revolt.In this episode of The...
Rise of Humans
How did we go from ancient apes to the dominant species on Earth? The story of human evolution is one of survival, adaptation, and extinction - stretching back 7 million years.In this episode of The...
Herculaneum
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius unleashed devastation on the Roman world, burying entire towns beneath volcanic ash. While Pompeii is world-famous, another extraordinary site met the same fate -...
Prehistoric Nigeria: The Nok
In the heart of ancient Nigeria, a mysterious civilisation flourished - known today only through archaeology. The Nok Culture, symbolised by its striking terracotta figurines, remains one of Africa’s...
Jurassic America
Tristan Hughes explores Ancient America's true age; how 19th-century fossil discoveries across North America revealed a history far older than previously believed, challenging the notion that the...
The Fall of Athens
In 404 BC, Athens faced total defeat. Once the dominant power of the Greek world, their navy was shattered, their food supply cut off, and on the horizon an armada of Spartan ships signalled the...
The Iliad
A story of war, honour, and destiny, The Iliad is one of the greatest epics in history. Written by Homer and featuring legendary figures like Achilles, Hector, and Agamemnon, it captures the drama and...
Rise of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar is one of history’s most famous figures. But before his legendary conquests and romance with Cleopatra, how did he rise to power?In this episode of The Ancients, host Tristan Hughes is...
Obelisks
Ancient Egyptian obelisks stand as towering symbols of power and engineering brilliance, scattered across the world. But how were they built and what purpose did they serve?In this episode of The...
Sodom and Gomorrah
What really happened to the damned cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Tristan Hughes and Dr. Dylan Johnson delve into the infamous biblical story to discover the context and supposed locations of these...
About this Podcast
Copyright
Hit Networks
Language
en
Categories
History