- 1 hour 4 minutesThe Catiline Conspiracy
In 63 BC, Rome faced a conspiracy that threatened to tear the Roman Republic apart. At its centre stood two figures: Marcus Tullius Cicero, the grand old orator of Rome and Lucius Sergius Catilina, accused of plotting violence, rebellion and the overthrow of Rome’s political order. But was the danger as great as Cicero claimed?
In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Catharine Edwards to uncover the truth behind the Catiline Conspiracy. Did Cicero save the Roman Republic in his finest hour, or did he exaggerate the threat to destroy a political rival? Join us to discover the story behind one of ancient Rome’s most notorious political crises.
MORE:
Cicero
Battle of Mutina: Cicero's Fight for the Roman Republic
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Astall. Produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
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2 August 2026, 2:00 am - 1 hour 12 minutesAlexander the Great's Mad Scientist
WARNING: graphic descriptions of violence and warfare
Meet Diades, Alexander the Great’s overlooked military engineer, the man who made the impossible siege of Tyre happen.
Tristan Hughes and Professor Edmund Richardson retell the thrilling, brutal, brilliant story of invention, ambition, and ancient warfare at its most extreme.
In 332 BC, he turned a coastal blockade into a 1km causeway, then faced fire ships, molten sand, and a city that refused to yield.
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Alexander the Great | Rise to Power
Tyre: The Jewel of Phoenicia
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Astall. Produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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, PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
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30 July 2026, 2:00 am - 1 hour 10 minutesHollywood’s Odyssey: The Historians' Verdict
Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film Odyssey brings Homer’s epic roaring back to life and Tristan Hughes and Dr. Emily Hauser are here to unpack every storm, monster and star-making turn. From the brilliance of the adaptation to the ancient story beneath it, Tristan and Emily bring their expert historical knowledge to challenge what Nolan keeps, what he changes, and why Odysseus still captivates us after 2,500 years.
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Zeus
Cassandra: Priestess of Troy
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - tickets are selling fast, last few available here.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. The editor is Natasha Hughes. Studio manager is Hanif Hussain. The video producer is McKenna Fernandez, producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
26 July 2026, 2:00 am - 56 minutes 31 secondsThe First New Zealanders
What if the first New Zealanders crossed an ocean, landed in a brand-new world, and built a whole society in just a few generations?
Tristan Hughes and Dr Richard Walter tell the story of East Polynesian voyagers who reached Aotearoa around the late 1200s, bringing canoes, knowledge, and ambition from Hawaiki to a vast, forested island world.
From the moa-rich site of Wairau Bar to archeological evidence of exquisite stone tools, ornaments, and fishhooks, Tristan and Richard discuss how these settlers adapted fast, explored far, and laid the foundations for Māori life in New Zealand.
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The First Hawaiians
Ancient Polynesia: Pioneers of the Pacific
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - final tickets are available here.
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Arstall. Produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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, PLUS early ad-free podcasts and exclusive subscriber-only episodes every fortnight. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
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23 July 2026, 2:00 am - 1 hour 8 minutesOdyssey | Sea of Monsters & Slaughter of the Suitors
When Odysseus finally returns to Ithaca, his homecoming turns into a ruthless reckoning. Tristan Hughes and Dr. Emily Hauser dive into the shocking climax of Homer’s Odyssey, where hospitality, vengeance and survival collide in a blood-soaked finale.
What drives Odysseus to unleash such fury, and what does the massacre reveal about power, justice and ancient heroism?
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - final tickets are available here.
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. The editor is Natasha Hughes. The video producer is McKenna Fernandez, producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.
Watch Tristan Hughes and Dan Snow retrace the Odyssey in Greece in a new documentary on History Hit TV! Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts and exclusive subscriber episodes. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
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19 July 2026, 2:00 am - 57 minutes 54 secondsCaral: Oldest City in the Americas?
Long before the age of the Inca and Maya, a remarkable city once flourished on the coast of modern Peru. Founded more than five thousand years ago, the sacred city of Caral is home to monumental pyramids, lavish temples and one of the world's earliest urban societies.
Tristan Hughes is joined by Jason Nesbitt to uncover the story of this remarkable Mesoamerican settlement. How did this ancient city emerge in the arid Supe Valley? What do its pyramids and plazas reveal about life 5,000 years ago? And is Caral truly the oldest city in the Americas?
See photos of the Sacred City of Caral-Supe here
MORE
The Ancient Amazon
Ancient Americas: The Moche
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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.
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16 July 2026, 2:00 am - 1 hour 4 minutesOdyssey | Cyclops, Circe and Calypso
What if the world’s most famous homecoming was really a nightmare of monsters, gods, and one very stubborn king trying to get back to Ithaca?
In our new series Tristan Hughes and classicist Dr. Emily Hauser dive into Homer’s Odyssey, an epic of shipwrecks, sorcery, giants and divine meddling, where Odysseus is never quite sure whether the next shore will save him or destroy him.
They trace his journey from the ruins of Troy to Calypso’s island, the Phaeacians, Circe, the Cyclops, and even the Underworld, asking what kind of hero Odysseus really is, and why his story has lasted for more than 2,500 years.
Ahead of the release of Christopher Nolan's new epic film, get across the story and all the key characters and plot lines, including rich historical context.
MORE
The Iliad
Homer
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Natasha Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight. Video producer is McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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 PLUS early access ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
12 July 2026, 2:00 am - 50 minutes 39 secondsEgypt's Book of the Dead
For over a thousand years, the Book of the Dead guided ancient Egyptians through the afterlife. Filled with powerful spells these remarkable texts were designed to help the dead overcome the dangers of the underworld and reach eternal life in the company of Osiris, God of the Dead.
Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by Yekaterina Barbash to explore the fascinating history of the Book of the Dead. Why was it so important to ancient Egyptian burial beliefs? How were these extraordinary papyri made? And what can one of the finest surviving examples reveal about death, magic and the afterlife in ancient Egypt?
MORE
Hieroglyphs
Treasures of Tutankhamun
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
9 July 2026, 2:00 am - 1 hour 9 minutesThe Trojan War
The story of Achilles, Odysseus and the siege of Troy has captivated audiences for millennia, but behind the legends lies a deeper mystery. Was this epic war a myth, a memory of a real Bronze Age conflict, or something in between?
Today Tristan Hughes is joined by Eric Cline to explore the reality behind Homer’s greatest tale. From the legendary heroes of The Iliad to the ruins of Troy, discover what archaeology and ancient texts reveal about the Trojan War, and whether the story of Helen, Paris and the fall of Troy truly has a historical foundation.
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Troy
The Bronze Age Collapse
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
The Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcast
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
5 July 2026, 2:00 am - 56 minutes 24 secondsThe Flood Myth
Thousands of years before the story of Noah and the Ark, people in ancient Mesopotamia were already telling tales of a devastating divine flood. Written into the Epic of Atrahasis, this ancient story describes a man chosen to survive catastrophe by building a great boat and preserving life from destruction.
Today, Tristan Hughes is joined by Sophus Helle to explore this legend from ancient Babylonian folklore. What does the story of Atrahasis reveal about ancient Babylonian beliefs? How similar is it to the biblical account of Noah? And why did the memory of a great flood become one of humanity’s most enduring stories?
MORE
Epic of Gilgamesh: Rise of Enkidu
Babylon's Epic of Creation
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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 PLUS early access, ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
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2 July 2026, 2:00 am - 55 minutes 13 secondsDelphi: Centre of the Ancient World
For more than a thousand years, Delphi was considered a cultural centre of the ancient world. Every year a throng of pilgrims climbed the slopes of Mount Parnassus to seek the words of Apollo through the famous Oracle of Delphi.
Today Tristan Hughes is joined by Michael Scott to uncover Delphi's story, the sanctuary that shaped the ancient Mediterranean. How did the Pythia become the most famous oracle of antiquity? Why did rulers travel from across the Greek world to seek its guidance? And what can Delphi’s temples, monuments and Olympic-like festivals reveal about the power and influence of this extraordinary sacred site?
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Athens vs Persia: The Legend of Themistocles
Keros: Bronze Age Mystery
We're going on *TOUR* to Australia and New Zealand! - grab your tickets here.
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 June 2026, 2:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App