The Ancients
Episodes
Ancient Afghanistan: The Land of a Thousand Cities
13 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Situated north of the Hindu Kush and south of the Oxus (Amu Darya) River, the history of the ancient region of Bactria is rich and diverse. From the O...
The Rise of Olympia
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Forget the Games, ancient Olympia’s importance stretched much further than simply being the birthplace of its namesake sporting festival. Boasting h...
How the Romans Treated Eye Infections
09 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Traditionally believed to be ‘windows to the soul’, the health of eyes in the Roman Empire could be compromised by lamentable hygiene practices, u...
How Corinth Became Christian
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Occupied since around 3000 BC, the Ancient city of Corinth is not unique in its transition from a Pagan, Greco-Roman state to a Christian one. What ma...
The Truth About The Huns
02 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Huns! The name of this ancient people triggers a multiplicity of responses and evokes a number of images (nearly all of them negative). They have ...
The Olympic Games
02 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The most famous sporting event in the world is upon us, so it's only right that we consider what do we know about the ancient origins of the games in ...
Cicero’s Fight for the Roman Republic
25 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Caesar Octavian, Mark Antony, Decimus Brutus and Cicero: the Battle of Mutina, April 43 BC, was a clash of giants. It also became the beginning of the...
Roman Prisoners of War
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We know all about the battles of the Roman Empire: the opposing sides, their weapons and incentives. But if history is written by the winners, what ha...
Introducing 'Leonardo: The Official Podcast'
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Here on The Ancients, we think that you will love Leonardo, the official podcast accompanying the murder-mystery period drama starring Aidan Turner. L...
The Legacy of Thermopylae
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ever since its occurence in 480 BC, the Battle of Thermopylae has been the stuff of legend. Echoes of this battle, reportedly fought between a seven t...
Edges of Empire: Chesters Roman Fort
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Described as one of the most complete cavalry forts that survives in Britain, Chesters Roman Fort is also home to the best preserved military baths on...
Lessons from the Antonine Plague
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A plague which affects people from across society, mass exodus from city centres and numerous opinions on how best to stay well ... all familiar to pe...
Persia's Untapped Source: The Persepolis Fortification Texts
08 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Persepolis Fortification Tablets / Texts are the who’s who of the Ancient Achaemenid Empire, a unique insight into the administrative workings o...
Jewish Burial at the Time of Jesus
04 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
According to the Gospels, Jesus died and was removed from the cross on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath (Friday afternoon), before his body was placed in...
The Xiongnu: History's First Nomadic Empire?
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD, the Xiongnu inhabited the area surrounding Mongolia. They influenced the later Hun Empire, and had ...
Music in Ancient Greece
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Without recordings, and with notation and instruments long forgotten, how can we possibly know what music soundtracked Ancient Greek life? James Lloyd...
The Rise of Cicero
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cicero is often considered to be one of the greatest orators of Ancient Rome. But how did he reach prominence in Roman politics? Why are his speeches ...
Boudica: Through Roman Eyes
21 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Iceni warrior who led a revolt against the Roman Empire around 60 AD often stands alone in our memory of ancient queens in Britain, but in this ep...
Petra: The Rose City
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A city of caves, temples and tombs, Petra gains its nickname from the pink sandstone from which it was carved. In this second part of his conversation...
The Ides of March
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 44 BC, the Ides of March took on a new significance. Previously observed as the first full moon of the new year, the 15 March is today remembered a...
Women and Power in Ancient Egypt
11 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kara Cooney has been studying 6 of the remarkable female pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. In this episode she explains why many of them have been forgotten,...
Boudica: Britain's Warrior Queen
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Boudica has become a hero of British folklore. Her leadership of the Iceni in an uprising against the forces of the Roman Empire in around 60 AD is ec...
The Origins of Warfare
04 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Popular discussions of human history are punctuated with conflict, but when did warfare begin? To discuss this massive question, Professor Nam Kim has...
Cheddar Man: Science and the Skeleton
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cheddar Man is the oldest almost complete skeleton of a Homo sapien ever found in Britain and, for this fantastic episode, Tristan spoke to the scient...
Petra: Rise of the Nabataeans
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The assumption had once been that they were nomads until the Romans came. But more recent archaeological work in modern day Jordan is dispelling this ...
Lugdunum: The Biggest Battle in Roman History?
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 197 AD, the armies of Septimius Severus and Clodius Albinus met at Lugdunum, on the site of present day Lyon. If we believe the numbers given in Ca...
Palmyra: Pearl of the Desert
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Palmyra features in headlines today as a casualty of IS destruction, but during its heyday it was a monumental city set on an oasis in the Syrian dese...
Myths of Masada
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 73 AD, 967 Jewish rebels against the Romans committed mass suicide atop the Masada Fortress. Or did they? In this second part of Tristan’s interv...
Rome: 'The Eternal City'
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rome. The Eternal City. One of the most recognisable names that many associate with the Ancient Mediterranean World. To provide a detailed run down of...
Besieging Masada
07 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dramatically placed on a plateau with drops of 400m to the east and 90m to the west, Masada translates from Hebrew as fortress. It became just that wh...
Beasts of Battle: Indian War Elephants
04 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The four components of the Ancient Indian battlefield: infantry, cavalry, chariots … and elephants. These magnificent creatures were dominant in con...
Edges of Empire: Rome's Northernmost Town
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Roughly two miles south of Hadrian’s Wall lie the remains of Roman Corbridge, the northernmost town of the Roman Empire. The site’s archaeology is...
Roman Military Tombstones: Uncovering the Unknown Warriors
28 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
From Northern Britain to the Near East, Roman tombstones have been uncovered on various far flung frontiers of the Roman Empire. Dedicated to those au...
The Mystery of the Ninth Legion
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The legions of Rome were the nucleus of Rome’s military might for centuries. From campaigning in northern Scotland to the Persian Gulf, these devast...
Edges of Empire: The Sasanian Frontiers
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, arguably the greatest external threat the Roman Empire faced came from the East. From the Sasanian Persian Empire. With its nucleus sit...
Indonesian Cave Art: A Dramatic New Discovery
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a paradox for the ages, breaking news about people who lived and died thousands of years ago. This discovery is no different, because Adam Brum...
Tomyris: A Warrior Queen's Revenge
14 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Her legend afforded her a place alongside Eve, Cleopatra and Venus, to name just a few of the famous women whose biographies were collected by Giovann...
Oppian’s Halieutica: Creatures of the Ancient Deep
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The deep blue sea is the subject of speculation to this day but, in this episode, we have access to the mysteries, myths and misgivings that were asso...
Hannibal: Battle by the Trebia
07 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s 218 BC, and Hannibal has made the mammoth journey across the Alps en route to Italy, accompanied by his army, their horses, and their elephants...
How Ancient Egypt Stayed Egyptian
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The length of time between the rule of Cleopatra and the erection of the Pyramids is the same as that between now and the birth of Jesus Christ. With ...
El Kurru: Egypt's Nubian Pharaohs
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 8th and 7th centuries BC, Ancient Egypt was ruled by an extraordinary dynasty. This was the 25th Dynasty, also known as the Nubi...
Hatshepsut: Egypt's Hidden Pharaoh
27 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hatshepsut – whose name means “foremost of noblewomen” – was an exceptional figure in the history of Ancient Egypt. Only the second woman in h...
The Mystery of Mithras: A Pagan Christmas?
24 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The clichéd Christmas: white snow, hot fires, mulled wine and a feast. This might not be the case were the holiday not to fall on 25 December and, al...
Saturnalia: Bonus Episode!
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode from the History Hit archive, Dan talks to Kevin Butcher about the Roman festival of Saturnalia. Held between the 17 and 23 December, ...
Hannibal: Crossing the Alps
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 218 BCE, Hannibal Barca's Carthaginian army, accompanied by horses and elephants, completed one of the most audacious military marches of ancient M...
Thucydides: Thoughts on the Athenian Empire
17 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From 478 BCE until 404 BCE, a collection of Greek city-states were united under the leadership of Athens. Beyond inscriptions and a few minor sources,...
The Garamantes: Farming the Sahara
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Greco-Roman historians including Herodotus, Tacitus and Pliny the Elder would have us believe that the Garamantes were simple uncivilized cattle herde...
Scotland's Enigmatic Ancient Structures
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Brochs. Early archaeologists believed that they must have been built by the Danish, that the indigenous population could never have managed it. More r...
Old Testament Warriors
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s probably the most famous book in the world, and it’s also essentially the only literary source which covers the genesis of warfare and the na...
Spartacus: Life or Legend?
03 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
‘I’m Spartacus!’ In the field of epic film making, the 1960 historical drama ‘Spartacus’, is legendary. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, adapted...
Dura-Europos: The Syrian Pompeii
29 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of Pompeii, we remember the city which became frozen in time after a natural catastrophe. Well, in 1920, exactly 100 years ago, another ...
Pompeii and the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
26 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pompeii is back in the news. An extraordinary new, touching discovery, found during the Great Pompeii Project of Professor Massimo Osanna and his team...
Linothorax: Kevlar of the Ancients
22 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The House of the Faun in Pompeii is known for being one of the largest and most impressive private residences in the ancient city. Among its many work...
Volcanic Vineyards of Pompeii
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An ancient town, buried and preserved beneath volcanic ash, Pompeii is a gift to archaeologists and historians seeking to find out more about the live...
Terror in the Teutoburg Forest
15 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Its been used for nationalist propaganda across the ages and its just been dramatised for Netflix, but what do we actually know about the Battle of Te...
Agrippa and Augustus: The Golden Age
12 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Romans, an ancient conquering civilisation with an empire that spread from Europe across the Balkans to the Middle East and North Africa. For this...
The Other Alexander
08 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander, an Ancient Greek king and a victorious conqueror. No, not that one, not Alexander the Great. This time, we’re talking about his uncle, Al...
Philip and Alexander: Kings and Conquerors
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander the Great. One of the most recognisable names in history. In his short lifetime he conquered the mighty Persian Empire and marched his army ...
Catullus: Rome's Most Erotic Poet
01 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you're looking for a raunchy Roman poet, look no further than Catullus. Born into one of the most exciting periods in Roman history, in the early 1...
Ancient Ethiopia: The Kingdom of Aksum
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At its height the Kingdom of Aksum was considered one of the four great powers of the Ancient World. Situated primarily in what is now northern Ethiop...
The Origins of Ancient Vietnam
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It is one of the most extraordinary ancient archaeological sites in Southeast Asia, albeit one that is relatively unheard of outside of Vietnam. Cổ ...
The Battle of Philippi: Death of the Roman Republic
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In October 42 BC the Roman Republic committed suicide. Near the town of Philippi in northern Greece the forces of Brutus and Cassius, the famous assas...
Sophocles' Lost Plays
18 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Big Three. In antiquity it could mean a whole host of different things, the triumvirate of Caesar, Pompey and Crassus for instance. But for many, ...
69 AD: Rise of Vespasian
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
69 AD was a tumultuous year in Roman history. 4 Romans assumed the title of emperor; only one remained standing by the year’s end. His name was Vesp...
Crassus and the Battle of Carrhae: The Defeat of Rome
11 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Gareth Sampson, author of Defeat of Rome in the East: Crassus, the Parthians, and the Disastrous Battle of Carrhae, 53 BC came on the podcast to ...
Septimius Severus in Scotland
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Snow talks to Simon Elliott about Septimius Severus, the first Hammer of the Scots, about his Northern Campaigns, and the true story of this savag...
Nero the Antichrist?
04 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Emperor Nero is one of antiquity's most infamous figures, having a particularly hostile relationship with the Christians. But did the early Christ...
Agrippa: Rome's Forgotten Hero
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are few men in Roman history that can claim to have been as influential as Marcus Agrippa. The right-hand man of Octavian / Augustus, his career...
The Polynesians: Ancient Mariners of the Pacific
27 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The ancient Polynesians remain the greatest seafarers in history. Already by the time of the legendary founding of Rome on 21 April 753 BC, Polynesian...
The Battle of Salamis
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We've had the Battle of Thermopylae with the brilliant Paul Cartledge; we've had the Battle of Artemisium with the great Owen Rees. And I'm delighted ...
The Rise of Constantine
20 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Emperor Constantine I, better known as Constantine the Great, is one of the most significant emperors in Roman history. His later Christian biogra...
Jason and the Golden Fleece
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week's episode from the History Hit archive features the brilliant Tom Holland telling the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, an epic story of hono...
Alexander the Great: Through Persian Eyes
13 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Conqueror. Destroyer. Convert. Legendary king. It's fair to say that Alexander the Great's relationship with ancient Persia was complicated. Despite c...
The Roman Forum
11 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Another one from the History Hit archive! The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum (Italian: Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum (...
The Vestal Virgins
06 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Priestesses of Vesta, Goddess of hearth, home and family, the College of Vestal Virgins were Rome’s only full-time priesthood. They numbered only si...
Pax Romana
04 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Time for a delve into the History Hit ancient history archives! In this podcast Dan Snow sits down with the brilliant Adrian Goldsworthy to ask the bi...
Kingdom of Kush
28 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Along the banks of the River Nile, directly south of ancient Egypt and hundreds of miles away from the Mediterranean, there was a flourishing kingdom....
Battle of Artemisium
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Around this time 2,499 years ago the famous Battle of Thermopylae was raging. But it is important to remember that this clash was not happening on its...
Battle of Thermopylae
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
2,499 years ago the Persian 'Great King' Xerxes launched history's largest amphibious invasion of Europe before D-Day. Accompanied by a huge army and ...
War Elephants
16 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Move over Hannibal. More over Carthage. This podcast is all about a much BIGGER elephant power in antiquity. A power that, at its height, stretched fr...
'Killing for the Roman Republic'
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 281/280 BC, the Hellenistic King Pyrrhus ventured to southern Italy to aid the Italiote-Greek city of Tarentum against a rising power based in cent...
Combat Trauma
09 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From the 2000 historical blockbuster 'Gladiator' to the Total War series, brutal hand to hand warfare is something we commonly associate with antiquit...
Stone Circles
02 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From Cornwall to Orkney, stone circles are scattered throughout the length and breadth of the British Isles. Their history stretches more than 2 mille...
Agrippina the Younger
26 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Agrippina the Younger (AD 15 - 59) was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Born during a time of radical political change i...
Horse Archery
19 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The horse archer was one of the most feared warriors of antiquity. Triumphing mobility and fluidity, these swift skirmishers came to epitomise a feare...
Antonine Wall
12 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In c.142 AD the Emperor Antoninus Pius ordered the construction of a new wall in Northern Britain. Situated between the Firth of Forth and the Firth o...
Housesteads and Hadrian's Wall
05 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Housesteads Roman Fort is one of the great, surviving treasures of Roman Britain. Once an auxiliary fort, it occupied a dominant position on Hadrian’...
Origins of Biological & Chemical Warfare
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The origins of biological and chemical warfare stretch far back; modern technology has not brought about these terrifying weapons. Throughout antiquit...
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the late 4th century and early 5th centuries two massive largely-Germanic confederations arrived on Roman borders, having been uprooted from their ...
Plague of Athens
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Plague in the ancient world was nothing unusual. Bouts of illness were common occurrences, but we do have accounts of some exceptional outbreaks: epid...