The Ancients

History Hit

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.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

#20 in the Top 100 history Monthly chart

...more

34 Listeners

1 Comment

All episodes

Best episodes

Top 10 The Ancients Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Ancients episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Ancients for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Ancients episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Moses & The Exodus

The Ancients

06/12/24 • 44 min

The story of Moses and the Exodus is one of the oldest and most well known in history. It is full of instantly recognisable episodes like the parting of the Red Sea, the ten plagues of Egypt, and the burning bush but it is also foundational to many modern-day faiths. So today we’re asking what does the historical and archaeological record reveal about this epic biblical narrative?

In this episode of The Ancients - the second in our Old Testament mini-series - Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Dylan Johnson to delve deep into the history of the ancient Israelites, to explore whether Moses was a real historical figure and to discover what historical parallels may have inspired the Exodus origin story.

This episode was edited by Aidan Lonergan and produced by Joseph Knight

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

4 Listeners

Origins of the Wheel

The Ancients

12/05/24 • 52 min

It is one of the most pivotal inventions in human history - the wheel.

New research suggests that the wheel was first created by prehistoric miners in the Carpathian Mountains to transport copper. Tristan Hughes speaks to the team behind this fascinating theory; archaeologist Dr Richard Bulliet, and computational engineer Dr Kai James. They take a fascinating journey through ancient innovations and cutting-edge science to reveal when the wheel was first created and by who - questions that have fascinated historians for decades, if not centuries.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer and audio editor is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

All music from Epidemic Sounds

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

3 Listeners

Julius Caesar’s Invasions of Britain

The Ancients

07/11/21 • 42 min

On the day of the Euro 2020 final, we’re talking England versus Italy...Ancients style (well, sort of). Historian and archaeologist Dr Simon Elliott returns to the podcast to talk us through Julius Caesar’s two invasions of Britain in 55 and 54 BC. Hear what the Romans knew about Britain before the expedition, why Caesar wanted to invade, and what the “greatest PR man of the ancient world” learnt from the first, less successful, campaign. Simon’s book, Roman Conquests: Britain is out at the end of July 2021.

3 Listeners

The First Dogs

The Ancients

02/01/24 • 40 min

For millennia dogs have been undoubtedly man’s best friend. But when did humans first start keeping dogs as pets? The fascinating story of how ancient hunter gatherers first domesticated our now beloved canines is the subject of today’s episode and takes us right back into the depths of the Ice Age.

Tristan is joined in this episode by archeologist Dr Angela Perri to chat about how the wild wolf packs that roamed the icy wastes of the ancient world gradually became the four pawed friends we know and love today.

This episode was edited by Aidan Lonergan and produced by Annie Coloe and Joseph Knight

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code ANCIENTS sign up now for your 14-day free trial HERE.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

3 Listeners

Ice Age America

The Ancients

11/21/24 • 49 min

A group of hunter-gatherers encounter diverse habitats full of creatures they’ve never seen before. A land of opportunity, but also danger.

Join host Tristan Hughes and expert Dr David Meltzer as they delve into the Ice Age in North America, over 10,000 years ago, a land of saber toothed tigers, direwolves, woolly mammoths, mastodons. They discuss how ancient DNA is revolutionising our understanding of human displacement and extinction events and how these explorers adapted to their new world.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight, audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.

2 Listeners

Jewish Burial at the Time of Jesus

The Ancients

04/04/21 • 64 min

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 family tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. For 'three days and three nights', Jesus’s body was entombed. But do the accounts of his burial correlate with the archaeology? Do they accurately reflect the manner in which the Jews of ancient Jerusalem buried their dead?

To talk through this extraordinary topic, from what we know about ancient Jewish burial customs to the Talpiot Tomb controversy, I was delighted to be re-joined by Professor Jodi Magness. Jodi has appeared on the Ancients once before, the star of our highly-popular two part podcast on Masada.

You can view Jodi's library of books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Jodi-Magness/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AJodi+Magness

2 Listeners

Pyrrhus: Warlord of Ancient Greece

The Ancients

10/27/24 • 67 min

It’s 279 BC. On a large plain in Southern Italy near the town of Asculum, a famous Greek warlord likened to Alexander the Great faces down the legions of the Roman Republic. His name was Pyrrhus of Epirus. And the victory that he won at Asculum would come to define his legacy.

In this instalment of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Louis Rawlings to dive into the cauldron of political intrigue and backstabbing that followed the death of Alexander the Great and talk through the story of Pyrrhus, his battles against Romans, Carthaginians, Sicilians, Greeks and how he managed to win the first ever 'Pyrrhic Victory'.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight, audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription

You can take part in our listener survey here.

2 Listeners

Atlantis

The Ancients

01/05/25 • 35 min

The story of Atlantis is one of history's enduring legends. So what’s the actual, ancient tale of Atlantis? Where does it come from? Was Atlantis real? And if not, why has the name become a byword for a lost city beneath the waves?

In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is back and ready to kick off 2025 with a bang. He is joined by Prof. Edith Hall to delve into the mystery that makes this fictional island so famous and discuss Atlantis's fictional origins in Plato's dialogues. Together they uncover why Plato created this mythical city and how it reflects his views on Athens' naval power, democracy, and morality.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Theme music from Motion Array, all other music from Epidemic Sound

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.

You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

2 Listeners

The Oldest Known Shark Attack

The Ancients

07/20/21 • 27 min

It’s a crossover with Jaws and Open Water that we never expected, but a 3,000 year old corpse has thrown a surprising topic into the mix: shark bites. The body, found in the prehistoric Tsukumo hunter-gatherer burial site in Japan, unexpectedly presented evidence of traumatic injuries compatible with a shark bite, making it the earliest known victim of a shark attack. Following this discovery, Tristan spoke to Alyssa White from the University of Oxford. Alyssa was part of the team who studied body No. 24. She explains how they came across No. 24, the evidence which led them towards the cause of death, and the archaeological science and forensic techniques used to recreate the misfortune of this early shark victim.

2 Listeners

Plague of Athens

The Ancients

06/24/20 • 35 min

Plague in the ancient world was nothing unusual. Bouts of illness were common occurrences, but we do have accounts of some exceptional outbreaks: epidemics that brought powerful empires and city-states to their knees. One of the most infamous occurred in 430 BC: the Plague of Athens. Recently I was fortunate enough to interview Alastair Blanshard, a Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Queensland, about this devastating episode in Athenian history.

2 Listeners

Show more best episodes