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.

#90 in the Top 100 history All time chart

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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

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4 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

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3 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

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.

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

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

Nefertiti

The Ancients

10/07/21 • 51 min

Very few figures in history are recognizable from their silhouettes, but included in this small group is Nefertiti, one of the most famous queens of Ancient Egypt. Professor Joyce Tyldesley speaks to Tristan not only about the famous image of Nefertiti, but also about the theories surrounding her life, death and burial (no aliens in sight!). Joyce is a professor at the University of Manchester and an expert on the role of women in Ancient Egypt.

1 Listener

Persia's Untapped Source: The Persepolis Fortification Texts

The Ancients

04/08/21 • 53 min

The Persepolis Fortification Tablets / Texts are the who’s who of the Ancient Achaemenid Empire, a unique insight into the administrative workings of this jurisdiction emerging from present day Iran. 30,000 of these clay tablets, inscribed in cuneiform, have so far been identified. Each forms a new piece of evidence for who the people of the Achaemenid Empire under Darius I were, where they were, what they did, and even what they ate. Tristan was joined by Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones from Cardiff University to discuss how these texts have completely reshaped our understanding of this civilisation, and how the Ancient Persian perspective has demonstrated its remarkable networks, trade, administration and international travel.

Lloyd's new book, out in April 2022, is called: 'Persians: The Age of the Great Kings'.

1 Listener

How Ancient Egypt Stayed Egyptian

The Ancients

01/03/21 • 55 min

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 that in mind, it is perhaps no surprise that some periods of Ancient Egypt fall beneath the radar. The Late Period of Ancient Egypt, however, is not without drama. These final centuries are characterised by repeated invasions and leadership by foreign rulers. Chris Naunton is an Egyptologist, writer and broadcaster. He spoke to Tristan about the influence of external forces on Ancient Egyptian society from the Third Intermediate Period through the Late Period. This included Libyan, Assyrian, Persian and, notably, an Ancients’ favourite, the Macedonian Alexander the Great.

1 Listener

Old Testament Warriors

The Ancients

12/06/20 • 49 min

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 nation state. Simon Elliott is an archaeologist, historian and broadcaster. He came onto the podcast to talk to Tristan about 7,500 years of history - in under an hour. Using the Bible as a jumping off point, Simon takes us through the technological developments and innovation of warfare, bringing in other archaeological findings to support the singular perspective of the bible. This episode runs through the first walled settlement at Jericho, the first battle chariots and the development of different strategies. This truly is a who’s who of the Ancients, including the Assyrians, Babylonians, Sumerians, Akkadians, Egyptians of all kingdoms, Hittites, Sea Peoples, Philistines and Hebrews.

1 Listener

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