The Ten Commandments
07 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did Moses really receive the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, or is that just ancient legend? Trista...
Origins of Chocolate
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Cameron McNeil, Mesoamerican archaeologist, to explore cacao, in anc...
The Khmer Empire: Angkor Wat
30 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did Indian culture shape the wonders of Southeast Asia?Tristan Hughes is joined by William Dalry...
The World's Oldest Letters
27 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do the world’s first letters reveal about life in the Bronze Age?Tristan Hughes is joined by ...
Emperor Tiberius: Monster or Misunderstood?
23 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
*WARNING: This podcast contains adult themes and discussion of paedophilia*A brilliant general. A br...
Zoroastrianism
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A faith born in the distant prehistoric past, rooted in ancient Iranian texts over 4,000 years old, ...
Decline & Fall of the Ancient World
16 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes invites Matt Lewis, host The Ancients's sister podcast Gone Medieval, for a lively de...
Roman Toilets
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
They built roads, aqueducts, and bathhouses but what about toilets?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Ha...
The Ancients Recommends: History Daily
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today in this bonus episode Tristan introduces us to History Daily podcast, where host Lindsay Graha...
Antony and Cleopatra
09 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rome. Egypt. Love. War. Over 2,000 years ago, the fates of two ancient worlds collided in one of his...
Proto-Vikings: The Nordic Bronze Age
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who were the Vikings' ancient ancestors? In this episode Tristan Hughes explores the fascinating mar...
Fall of Babylon
02 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The year is 539 BC. The greatest city of the ancient world has fallen. Babylon has opened it's gates...
Origins of Yoga
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Warrior, Cobra, Downward Dog. If you do Yoga today, those are poses you’re surely aware of. But wh...
Boudica's Tribe: How the Iceni Survived the Romans
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a special episode of The Ancients, recorded on-site in Norfolk, as we delve into the fas...
Bog Bodies
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What lurks under the surface of the dense black peat pits strewn across northern Europe? Bog bodies,...
Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher Emperor
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
He's known as Rome’s philosopher-emperor and faced plague, rebellion and war in the East. Yet Marc...
The Sons of Attila the Hun
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The year is 453 AD. The most feared warlord in Europe - Attila the Hun - lies dead on his wedding ni...
Rise of Islam
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the 7th century, a new empire rose from the sands of Arabia - united by faith, driven by conquest...
The First Hawaiians
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes goes on an exploration of Hawaii's earliest settlers, guided by the insights of Dr. P...
Gladiators: A Day in the Life
05 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Colosseum packed with roaring crowds, the sand stained with sweat and blood. But today, you’re...
Origins of Mythology
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From Cinderella to Beauty and the Beast, the roots of fairy tales stretch back thousands of years —...
The First Pharaohs
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unveiling the Enigmatic Story of Egypt's First Pharaohs, roughly 5,000 years ago. Tristan Hughes is ...
Inanna: Mesopotamian Sex Goddess
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Kate Lister to take us on a journey through the fascinating history ...
The Picts: Rulers of the North
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes journeys up to windswept Scotland to uncover the secrets of the Picts — fierce warr...
The Permian Extinction: When Life Nearly Died
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It was the biggest mass extinction event in Earth’s history. 250 million years ago, a 252 million ...
541 AD: The Worst Year in History
14 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Was this the worst year in human history? Bubonic plague sweeps across the Mediterranean. The sun va...
Fall of the Sumerians
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes continues our special series on Great Disasters, journeying back to ancient Mesopotam...
The Minoan Eruption: Bronze Age Cataclysm
07 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More than 3,500 years ago, a massive volcanic eruption devastated Thera - modern day Santorini - eng...
How Greece Shaped Rome
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins join Tristan in this episode all about Greece and Rome - ...
The Sumerians
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More than 5,000 years ago, in what is today southern Iraq, one of the world’s first civilisations ...
The Sea Peoples
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes sits down with Professor Eric Cline to explore the enigmatic Sea Peoples, often blame...
Origins of Homo Sapiens
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Where do we come from? The origins of modern humans stretch back hundreds of thousands of years, and...
Ashurbanipal: The Last Great King of Assyria
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Known as the 'King of the World' and the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal bestrode the ancie...
The White Huns
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Huns weren’t just Attila’s warriors in Europe — in Central Asia, the White Huns built the ...
Roman Aqueducts
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did Roman aqueducts help build an empire? They’re some of the most iconic structures from the ...
How to Survive in Carthage
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From towering tenements to Punic porridge — step into the streets of ancient Carthage.In this imme...
The Olmec: Mother of Mesoamerican Civilisations
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Iconic monumental stone heads, the intriguing Lord of Las Limas, the enigmatic 'were-jaguar' figures...
Livia: Empress of Rome
03 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Powerful, cunning, uncompromising, even murderous (allegedly)... meet Rome’s first empress and one...
Siberian Ice Mummies
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode of the Ancients, released just hours after the embargo on new research was l...
Fall of Roman London
27 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why was London transformed from a bustling Roman metropolis into a ghost town by the fifth century?T...
Irish Mythology
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Epic heroes, sacred rivers & ancient gods – this is Irish mythology as you’ve never heard it. Fr...
Megalodon
20 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As part of our week of Sharks on the Ancients, today we tell the story of Megalodon, the largest liv...
The First Sharks
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Long before the first dinosaurs, the first trees or even the formation of the rings of Saturn, our p...
The Queen of Sheba
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A figure of wealth, wisdom, and global fascination - how did the Queen of Sheba become one of histor...
Doggerland: The North Sea Atlantis?
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Rachel Bynoe who has literally dived into the enigmatic world of Dog...
Hannibal's March on Rome
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It was perhaps Hannibal’s greatest gamble — after years of victories, not least his famed trek a...
Plato's Republic
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we journey into the creation of Plato's Republic. Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. James Romm t...
The Apocryphal Gospels
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you've heard of the mysterious and often controversial Apocryphal Gospels, you may have been told...
Seahenge
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a 4,000-year-old timber circle uncovered on a Norfolk beach, Seahenge is one of Britain’s most ...
Rise of Nero
22 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before he became one of Rome’s most infamous tyrants, Nero was a golden boy - young, talented, and...
Pirates of the Mediterranean
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Rome rose to power, pirates seized the seas - wreaking havoc from Spain to Syria and challenging ...
The Amazons
15 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What makes the Amazons one of the most captivating myths in ancient Greek culture?Tristan Hughes is ...
The Kushan Empire
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Embark on an epic journey with Tristan Hughes and acclaimed author William Dalrymple as they unravel...
Rise of the Minoans
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Tristan Hughes journeys into the heart of one of history's most intriguing civilisations: the Minoan...
The Kingdom of Aksum
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How is the unique narrative of the Ark of the Covenant deeply rooted in Ethiopian culture and tradit...
Pompeii: The Buried City
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Buried in ash, frozen in time—Pompeii offers one of the most extraordinary windows into everyday l...
Origins of Astronomy
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Long before telescopes or space agencies, ancient Mesopotamians were decoding the secrets of the cos...
Successors of Alexander the Great
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What happened after Alexander the Great died?On June 11, 323 BC, at just 32 years old, Alexander lef...
The Saxons
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Saxon mercenaries, collapsing Roman order, and a new chapter for Britain. Tristan Hughes is joined b...
The Council of Nicaea
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
1700 years ago, the Roman Emperor Constantine called an unprecedented meeting of early Christian lea...
The Last Roman Emperors
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
No grand battle. No final blaze of glory. In 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire collapsed not with a r...
Did Plague Destroy the Roman Empire?
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
War, invasion, civil unrest… or plague? Could a series of deadly pandemics have helped bring down ...
Barbarian Invaders: The Sacks of Rome
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did the Huns, Goths, and Vandals help bring down the Roman Empire - and sack the city of Rome it...
The Fall of Rome: Origins
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Roman Empire, once an ancient powerhouse, experienced a dramatic fall from its golden age to eve...
Prehistoric Ireland: Newgrange
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
An astonishing ancient tomb is Ireland's most famous prehistoric monument; Newgrange. Tristan Hughes...
Jason and the Argonauts
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
From clashing rocks to golden treasure, Jason and the Argonauts is the ultimate Greek mythological a...
The Birth of Indo-European
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
From the steppes of prehistoric Eurasia to the languages we speak today, the story of Indo-European ...
The Praetorian Guard: Rise to Power
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
From Gladiator to Rome Total War to I, Claudius, today the Cohortēs praetōriae are one of the most...
John the Baptist
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
From the wilderness of ancient Judea to the pages of the New Testament, John the Baptist is one of t...
Cassandra: Priestess of Troy
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
*This episode discusses sexual assault*Cursed by Apollo to always speak the truth but never be belie...
The Great Jewish Revolt
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
70 AD. Tens of thousands of Roman troops surround Jerusalem. What follows is one of the most brutal ...
Rise of Humans
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did we go from ancient apes to the dominant species on Earth? The story of human evolution is on...
Herculaneum
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius unleashed devastation on the Roman world, burying entire towns beneath volc...
Prehistoric Nigeria: The Nok
30 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In the heart of ancient Nigeria, a mysterious civilisation flourished - known today only through arc...
Jurassic America
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Tristan Hughes explores Ancient America's true age; how 19th-century fossil discoveries across North...
The Fall of Athens
23 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 404 BC, Athens faced total defeat. Once the dominant power of the Greek world, their navy was sha...
The Iliad
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
A story of war, honour, and destiny, The Iliad is one of the greatest epics in history. Written by H...
Rise of Julius Caesar
16 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Julius Caesar is one of history’s most famous figures. But before his legendary conquests and roma...
Obelisks
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Ancient Egyptian obelisks stand as towering symbols of power and engineering brilliance, scattered a...
Sodom and Gomorrah
09 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What really happened to the damned cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Tristan Hughes and Dr. Dylan Johnso...
Göbekli Tepe: The First Temple?
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Long before Stonehenge, ancient builders in southeast Türkiye were creating some of the world’s f...
Elektra: Revenge in Ancient Greece
02 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Few figures in Greek mythology embody vengeance like Elektra, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra...
The Persian Wars: Xerxes, Thermopylae and Salamis
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
In 486 BC, King Xerxes ascended the Persian throne, inheriting its vast and glittering world empire....
End of Ice Age Britain
23 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
As Ice Age Britain thawed, temperatures surged, sea levels rose, and humans and animals faced a figh...
The Persian Wars: Darius, Athens and the Battle of Marathon
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
490 BC. On the plains of Marathon, Athens faced down a mighty army of the Persian Empire - the super...
The Last Neanderthals
16 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
For hundreds of thousands of years Neanderthals have roamed the lands of what is today Europe and we...
The Scythians
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Known as the barbarians of the north, the Scythians were expert horsemen that roamed the great stepp...
Ice Age Australia
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Giant kangaroos. Killer wombats. Carnivorous lions. These beasts once roamed the barren landscape of...
Hieroglyphs
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
From twisted flax to one-legged ibises, Egyptian hieroglyphs offer a window into the heart of ancien...
Woolly Mammoths
02 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Towering over 11 feet tall and weighing 6 tonnes, the Woolly Mammoth ruled the Ice Age. But how did ...
The Chinese Zodiac
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The Year of the Snake is here! But how did a legendary tale of twelve animals shape Chinese astronom...
The Kingdom of Kush
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Beyond the ancient Nile’s fertile banks lay a civilisation that rivalled Egypt in power and presti...
Babylon's Epic of Creation
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The biblical story of creation is famous - but did you know an even older myth may have influenced i...
The Franks
19 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did the Franks rise to power in the fragmented Western Roman Empire?Tristan Hughes explores the ...
The Roman Invasion of Britain
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
43 AD. A large Roman armada sails across the perilous English Channel intent on conquest. It is the ...
Sargon of Akkad
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Over 4,000 years ago, Sargon of Akkad carved his name into history by forging what many consider the...
Rome's Crisis of the Third Century
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
What happens when emperors are murdered more often than they die of natural causes? Tristan Hughes i...
Atlantis
05 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
The story of Atlantis is one of history's enduring legends. So what’s the actual, ancient tale of ...
Who Was the Real King Arthur?
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
Was King Arthur a real historical figure or merely a mythical hero?Tristan Hughes and Dr. Miles Russ...
Emperor Constantine
29 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas • Default Dataset
How did Constantine the Great conquer his rivals and shape the Roman Empire?Tristan Hughes discusses...