The Ancients

Was the Roman Empire really made by conquest? Or was it powered by something much darker?For centuries, millions of enslaved people sacrificed their lives and their labour on the altar of Roman progress, an integral cog in the grinding imperial machine. And so today on The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Emma Southon, author of Servus: How Slavery Made The Roman World to bring their overlooked stories back into the limelight. From the mines and farms to the households of the imperial elite, they discover how slavery was woven into the fabric of the Roman society and ask what life was really like for enslaved Romans.MORESpartacus:Listen on AppleListen on Spotify Zenobia: Queen of Palmyra:Listen on AppleListen on SpotifyPresented by Tristan Hughes. Producer is Joseph Knight. Edited by Natasha Hughes. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe 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. 

In today's exclusive subscriber-only episode, Tristan Hughes sits down with fan-favourite guest and friend of the show Dr. Eve MacDonald to hear about where her joint passions for Carthage and Sasanian Persia began, why the ruins of Palmyra in modern-day Syria are one of her favourite ancient sites and why we'll never really know which route Hannibal took over the Alps.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 SoundsThe 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. 

The story of Romulus and Remus is one of the most famous myths from the ancient world. But the Romans believed the founding of their city stretched far beyond the tale of the twin brothers. Heroes, kings and exiles all played a part in Rome's legendary beginnings.Tristan Hughes is joined by Jeremy Armstrong to explore the myths behind the founding of Rome. Why did the Romans link their origins to figures like Aeneas and Romulus? What do these stories reveal about Roman identity? And could there be any historical truth behind the legends of Rome's earliest days?MOREOrigins of Rome's EmpireListen on AppleListen on Spotify The Kings of RomeListen on AppleListen on Spotify Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Arstall. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe 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 and subscriber-only episodes. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. 

Few rulers humbled Rome quite like Shapur I. A King of Kings, he rebuilt the Sasanian Persian Empire, defeated Roman armies and captured Emperor Valerian in one of antiquity's most remarkable military triumphs.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Eve MacDonald to explore the rise of Shapur the Great. Why did he find so much success against the ancient Roman behemoth? How did he help forge a new Persian superpower on the Empire’s eastern frontier? And is he worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Hannibal, Boudicca, and Spartacus in the Roman villain hall of fame?MOREPersia Reborn: Rise of the SassaniansListen on AppleListen on SpotifyEdges of Empire: The Sassanian FrontiersListen on AppleListen on Spotify Presented by Tristan Hughes. Editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. Video producer is McKenna Fernandez, channel manager is Vilde Osknes.The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe 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. 

Three thousand years ago, prehistoric Scotland was a landscape of rival communities, raids and warfare. Bands of warriors fought for power and territory leaving behind extraordinary weapons that reveal a more violent side to Scotland’s ancient past.In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Matthew Knight, Senior Curator of Prehistory at the National Museum of Scotland, to explore Scotland’s first warriors. Who were these Bronze Age fighters? What did their weapons reveal about their status and identity? And how did warfare shape life in prehistoric Scotland?MOREThe Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcastPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. Video Editor is Matthew Wilson. Produced by Joseph Knight and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe 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.

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.ORATOR by Catharine Edwards is published in hardback, eBook and audio by Hutchinson Heinemann, 23rd July.MORE:CiceroListen on AppleListen on Spotify Battle of Mutina: Cicero's Fight for the Roman RepublicListen on AppleListen on SpotifyThe Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcastPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Astall. Produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe 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.

Fresh from the choppy, azure seas of the Aegean after our 3-part Odyssey series, Dr Emily Hauser sits down with Tristan one last time for this exclusive subscriber episode. Together they unearth why Homer's epics - The Iliad and the Odyssey - have remained compelling and enduring for over 3,000 years, explore the real-life kernels of history that inspired the feats of the Mycenaeans in ancient literature, including a hypothesised Trojan version of the Iliad, and delve into Emily's literary achievements, including her best-selling book Mythica - a history of Homer's world and the women written out of it.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 SoundsThe 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.

WARNING: graphic descriptions of violence and warfareMeet 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.MOREAlexander the Great | Rise to PowerListen on AppleListen on SpotifyTyre: The Jewel of PhoeniciaListen on AppleListen on SpotifyThe Ancients is now on YouTube! Watch here: @TheAncientsPodcastPresented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Astall. Produced by Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic SoundsThe 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.