In the early 5th century AD, after almost four centuries of iron-fisted Roman rule, the empire in Britain was beginning to fade. Franks, Saxons and Roman usurpers were running rampant. Britannia was on its last legs and in 410 AD, the Britons were told to ‘look to their own defences’.

However the story of the fall of Roman Britain is far more complex than the traditional tale of swift Roman withdrawal. In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Rob Collins and Dr James to journey from Londinium to Hadrians Wall and unpick the ultimate fate of Roman Britannia.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, 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.

The legends of Ra and Hathor, of Osiris and Isis, of Anubis and Set have been passed from mouth to ear in Egypt for millennia. They were painted on temple walls, etched on delicate papyrus and discovered at the heart of the pyramids. But who were the Gods of Egypt? How did their myths originate? And from where did the ancient Egyptians believe their Gods came from?

On the Ancients this September and October - across five special episodes - join Tristan Hughes to delve into the meaning of these stories and unpack Egypt's mysterious deities. In today's episode he is joined by Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley to kick off the series and explore the origins of the Gods and their enthralling creation story.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Scriptwriter is Andrew Hulse. Voice Actor is Menna Elbezawy.

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.

2000 years ago, in the year 9 AD, a Roman Army walked into a trap deep in wilds of Germania. Over 15,000 men were massacred at Teutoburg Forest, making it one of the bloodiest ambushes in history. But what happened next? 

Today's episode of the Ancients continues the terrifying story we began last week, as Tristan Hughes is joined by a host of leading experts to analyse the moves that played out on the battlefield, and the earth-shattering consequences that came after.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, 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.

Ancient India was the single greatest trading partner of the Roman Empire. For centuries, Indian sailors navigated the Indian Ocean and Red Sea to bring goods, ideas and religious beliefs to the Greco-Roman ports based on the Egyptian coast. But how did this lucrative trade begin? And what sorts of goods passed along it?

In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by William Dalrymple to explore 'The Golden Road' - one of the great trade routes of ancient history - and discover how India became the beating heart of the ancient world.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, 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.

Tristan Hughes travels to the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, one of the most epic defeats of the Roman army when an alliance of Germanic peoples ambushed three Roman legions.

Across two episodes leading experts analyse every move leading up to those terrifying days in early September 9 AD, deep in the Teutoburg Forest. All stemming from the Roman Invasion of Germany.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, 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

Despite being one of the most visited historic spots on the planet today, Petra was once a so-called ‘lost city,’ hidden from western eyes in a vast desert landscape for hundreds of years.

What is the story of this rose-red ancient city and its inhabitants? The powerful Nabataean civilisation who built Petra more than two thousand years ago, but remain a mystery to so many today.

Who were their kings? Their gods and goddesses? And how were they able to turn an arid desert into a green oasis?

In this special episode, Tristan Hughes goes to Petra in Jordan, one of the seven wonders of the world, to discover the secrets himself.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Written and produced by Charlotte Long. Mixed and edited by Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

Special thanks to Visit Jordan, Matthew Vincent and Jodi Magness.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024! 

Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions. 

Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

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

The word 'Sirens' conjures up many images, possibly of beautiful mermaid-like creatures luring sailors to their watery deaths. These ancient Greek mythical creatures, linked to the Queen of the Underworld Persephone, feature in well known myths such as Jason and the Argonauts and Homer’s story of Odysseus - The Odyssey. But their popular modern portrayal as 'sexy maidens' does not originate from ancient Greece, that is a much later invention. 

Sarah Clegg joins Tristan Hughes to discuss the story of the Sirens and how their legacy is intertwined with a number of other mythical creatures such as nymphs, the Mesopotamian demoness Lilith and, of course mermaids.

Listen to Tristan and Sarah Clegg's previous episode on Lillith here: https://podfollow.com/the-ancients/episode/83e3167b27baefea4d862da99ce26425ba43e291/view

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

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!

Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.

Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

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

It's one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the world. But did you know that beer is also one of the world's oldest beverages, with a history that stretches back more than 10,000 years. Beer was the beverage of choice for a whole host of ancient Bronze Age civilisations arrayed across Mesopotamia. But why did cities like Babylon and Uruk become the first great beer drinking cultures in history? And what traces of this love of alcohol did they leave behind?

In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Prof. Tate Paulette to discover how those living on the plains of ancient Mesopotamia bred such a love for liquid amber and explore how exactly they brewed it.

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

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!

Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.

Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

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.

Cats! These much loved furry friends have brightened people’s lives for millenia. And it was the same in ancient times. They were pets. They were pest control against rats. They were even in some cases considered sacred. But how did they become the pet of choice for homes the world over? And why were they first domesticated?

In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor James Serpell, an anthrozoologist from the University of Pennsylvania to delve into the origins of the First Cats and explore how they evolved from self-sufficient wildcats to the lovable felines we're familiar with today.

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

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!

Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.

Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

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.

It is the most famous monument of ancient Greece. Its remains standing tall above modern Athens today, more than 2,000 years old. The Parthenon. A temple, treasury, the residence of a powerful general after Alexander the Great’s death…and his courtesans, a church, a mosque, a gunpowder store, a tourist site. It’s safe to say that the Parthenon has had a pretty fascinating story over the past two and a half millennia. Not to mention the amazing art and architecture of the building that continues to awe people down to the present day. In this episode of our sister podcast Echoes of History, our very own Tristan Hughes joins Matt Lewis to find out more.

Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!

Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.

Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

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.

Overlooking the Argolid Plain in the eastern Peloponnese, Mycenae was once the envy of the Mediterranean world. It rose to prominence in the late Bronze Age, centuries before the great Greek states of Athens, Sparta and Corinth, and is known as the birthplace of mythical bronze age figures such as Agammemnon, King of the Greeks. But how do know so much about it? What remains of this once glittering Greek citadel?

In today's episode of The Ancients Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Jorrit Kelder to talk through Mycenae's archeology - from its Cyclopaean stone walls and monumental Tholos tombs, to it’s golden face masks and great lion entrance gate.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Peter Dennis and Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit Podcast

The Ancients is recording our first LIVE SHOW at the London Podcast Festival on Thursday 5th September 2024!

Book your tickets now to be in the audience and ask Tristan and his guest your burning questions.

Tickets on sale HERE https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients/

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

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