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The Ancients — History
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.

History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™

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.

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Copyright: © Hit Networks

Latest Episodes:

The Rise of Cicero Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

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 so well remembered and what makes them extraordinary? Catherine Steel from the University of Glasgow joined Tristan to talk through the ascent of this statesman, lawyer and scholar from the Late Roman Republic.

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Boudica: Through Roman Eyes Mar 21, 2021

Show notes

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 episode we explore Boudica’s portrayal in comparison to her contemporaries. In this second half of Tristan’s chat with Caitlin Gillespie, author of ‘Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain’, she also examines Boudica’s legacy, and the outcome of her revolt.

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Petra: The Rose City Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

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 with Tristan, Professor David Graf, who directed excavations in the ancient Nabataean city, describes the finer details of the architecture and artefacts found there. David and Tristan discuss Petra’s position on trade routes, its leadership and culture and whether, after becoming a client kingdom of Rome in the 1st century BC, and being annexed in 106 AD, much changed for the city. Did the Nabataeans maintain any autonomy or individuality? And what was to lead to Petra’s slow demise?

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The Ides of March Mar 14, 2021

Show notes

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 as the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar. In this episode, Dr Emma Southon talks Tristan through the events leading up to the Caesar’s assassination: was he forewarned with omens in the days preceding his death? Who was involved in the plot and why did they want to kill him? Did Caesar really say 'et tu Brute?' And what of the more important 'other' Brutus? Emma tells the story of this momentous day.

Quick note: Caesar wasn't technically killed in the Senate House. He was killed in the senate meeting room, which at that time was held in the Curia of Pompey.

We also follow the theory that it was upon seeing Decimus Brutus, not Marcus Brutus, that Caesar gave up and stopped resisting his assassins. The debate continues!

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Women and Power in Ancient Egypt Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

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, and others regularly misrepresented. Professor of Egytian Art and Archaeology at UCLA, Kara introduces us to the lives and rules of Merneith, Neferusobek, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Tawosret and Cleopatra, and explains how their reigns were used as tools of control in a patriarchal society.

Kara is the author of: 'When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt'.

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Boudica: Britain's Warrior Queen Mar 07, 2021

Show notes

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 echoed around school classrooms. But what evidence do we have for her actions, appearance and eventual defeat? Caitlin Gillespie is the author of ‘Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain.’ In this first of two episodes, she speaks to Tristan about the sources that have helped us to find out more about this legendary woman.

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The Origins of Warfare Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

Popular discussions of human history are punctuated with conflict, but when did warfare begin? To discuss this massive question, Professor Nam Kim has returned to the Ancients. Taking in examples from Ancient Germany, Britain, Kenya and Vietnam, Nam uses Anthropological Archaeology to decipher whether Ancient societies were involved in warfare before the birth of nation states, and to explore the question of why humans have been prone to violence between groups.

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Cheddar Man: Science and the Skeleton Feb 28, 2021

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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 scientist who has drilled a (very small) hole in him. Dr Selina Brace is a biologist who works with ancient and degraded DNA. At the Natural History Museum in London, where Cheddar Man currently resides, Selina and her team have been able to examine this iconic skeleton’s genetic makeup and deduce from it more information about the evolution of our species, as well as the lifestyles and even appearances of Homo sapiens moving from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic era.

For more visit: https://access.historyhit.com/videos/the-first-britons

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Petra: Rise of the Nabataeans Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

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 myth about the ancient Nabataeans. In this first episode in another two part podcast, Tristan was joined by Professor David Graf from the University of Miami to talk about the early history of the Nabataeans and their close links to the extraordinary ancient city of Petra. A leading expert on the history and archaeology of Petra and its people, David was excavating at the Rose City when Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was being filmed at the ancient site 30 years ago.

David, who has a particular fascination with the early history of the Nabataeans, explained how he has attempted to piece together information about the Nabataeans from various archaeological sources. From papyri fragments to inscriptions to ostraca to rare coinage. Part 2, focused around Petra's later ancient history, will be released soon!

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Lugdunum: The Biggest Battle in Roman History? Feb 21, 2021

Show notes

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 Cassius Dio, this was the greatest and bloodiest clash between two Roman armies in history. 300,000 soldiers were present in total, according to Dio. The numbers are debated, but nevertheless the titanic scale of this clash in ancient history is clear to see. In this episode Tristan speaks to Dr Jonathan Eaton about the lead up to the battle, how Severus and Albinus went from friends to foes, and whether we can really call this the biggest battle in Roman history. Jonathan is Academic Registrar at Teeside University and author of ‘Leading The Roman Army: Soldiers and Emperors 31 BC - 235 AD’.

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