The Ancients

An astonishing ancient tomb is Ireland's most famous prehistoric monument; Newgrange. Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Muiris O’Sullivan, an expert on the many Stone Age monuments of Ireland, including Newgrange, and they revel in the astonishing construction techniques used by ancient builders over 5,000 years ago and the intricate rock art such as the triple spiral, which has an intriguing backsto...

From clashing rocks to golden treasure, Jason and the Argonauts is the ultimate Greek mythological adventure. But what lies behind the legend? And why has it endured for millennia? In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by bestselling author Caroline Lawrence to chart Jason’s epic quest for the Golden Fleece. From harpies and dragons to the witch Circe and the bronze giant Talos, discover the m...

From the steppes of prehistoric Eurasia to the languages we speak today, the story of Indo-European is one of ancient roots and global impact. But what exactly is Indo-European? Who spoke it? And how did a single language family come to dominate nearly half the world? In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Laura Spinney to uncover the origins of Proto-Indo-European. From Sanskrit to Latin, m...

From Gladiator to Rome Total War to I, Claudius, today the Cohortēs praetōriae are one of the most distinctive military units of Imperial Rome. It was their job to protect the Roman Emperor and his household, a task for which they hold a somewhat ‘chequered’ record (especially when we focus in on the Praetorian Prefects). But what do we know about this unit’s origins? How did this powerful force b...

From the wilderness of ancient Judea to the pages of the New Testament, John the Baptist is one of the most compelling and mysterious figures in biblical history. But who really was he? What was his message? And why did he choose to live in isolation, wearing camel hair and eating wild locusts and honey? In this special episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes takes you to Bethany – the traditiona...

*This episode discusses sexual assault* Cursed by Apollo to always speak the truth but never be believed; what makes Cassandra's story so timeless and compelling? Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Emily Hauser to explore the mythological and historical connections of Cassandra, the tragic prophetess of Troy. They discuss how Cassandra's story and appalling treatment at the hands of both gods and men...

70 AD. Tens of thousands of Roman troops surround Jerusalem. What follows is one of the most brutal sieges in ancient history—and the dramatic climax of the Great Jewish Revolt. In this episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Guy Maclean Rogers to uncover the full story of this epic uprising against Rome. From its origins in rising tensions and religious strife to the devastating...

How did we go from ancient apes to the dominant species on Earth? The story of human evolution is one of survival, adaptation, and extinction - stretching back 7 million years. In this episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Henry Gee to unravel the complex origins of humanity. From the first bipedal hominins to the evolutionary leaps that set Homo sapiens apart, together they ex...

In 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius unleashed devastation on the Roman world, burying entire towns beneath volcanic ash. While Pompeii is world-famous, another extraordinary site met the same fate - Herculaneum. In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadrill to explore the incredible remains of this lesser-known Roman town. From lavish seaside villas and multi-s...

In the heart of ancient Nigeria, a mysterious civilisation flourished - known today only through archaeology. The Nok Culture, symbolised by its striking terracotta figurines, remains one of Africa’s most fascinating yet overlooked ancient societies. In this episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Kevin MacDonald to uncover the secrets of the Nok. Who were they? Where did they li...

Tristan Hughes explores Ancient America's true age; how 19th-century fossil discoveries across North America revealed a history far older than previously believed, challenging the notion that the Americas were a 'New World.' Tristan is joined by Professor Caroline Winterer as they discuss walking on 4 billion-year-old rocks in Eastern Canada, uncovering the first trilobites and the sensational din...

In 404 BC, Athens faced total defeat. Once the dominant power of the Greek world, their navy was shattered, their food supply cut off, and on the horizon an armada of Spartan ships signalled the city’s final reckoning. In this episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Alastair Blanshard to explore the dramatic downfall of Athens in the final years of the Peloponnesian War. Th...

A story of war, honour, and destiny, The Iliad is one of the greatest epics in history. Written by Homer and featuring legendary figures like Achilles, Hector, and Agamemnon, it captures the drama and devastation of the final days of the Trojan War. In this episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Edith Hall to explore the origins, themes, and lasting influence of The Iliad...

Julius Caesar is one of history’s most famous figures. But before his legendary conquests and romance with Cleopatra, how did he rise to power? In this episode of The Ancients , host Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Catherine Steel to explore Caesar’s early life, political struggles, and key allies and rivals - from Marius and Sulla to Pompey and Crassus. Together Tristan and Catherine uncove...

Ancient Egyptian obelisks stand as towering symbols of power and engineering brilliance, scattered across the world. But how were they built and what purpose did they serve? In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Steven Snape and Professor Joyce Tyldesley to uncover the incredible story of Egypt’s obelisks. From their religious significance to the astonishing feats of eng...

What really happened to the damned cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Tristan Hughes and Dr. Dylan Johnson delve into the infamous biblical story to discover the context and supposed locations of these cities near the Dead Sea, and explore whether there is any historical basis to their destruction. They discuss the theological implications and examines archaeological surveys that sought to uncover the...

Long before Stonehenge, ancient builders in southeast Türkiye were creating some of the world’s first monumental stone structures. Their most famous site? Göbekli Tepe. In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Lee Clare, coordinator of the Göbekli Tepe Research Project, to unravel the mysteries of this 10,000-year-old Neolithic site. Once called the world’s first temple, Gö...

Few figures in Greek mythology embody vengeance like Elektra, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Betrayal, grief, and justice shaped her tragic fate. In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Armand D’Angour to explore Elektra’s story and its powerful new London stage production starring Brie Larson. Along the way, they delve into Sophocles' and Euripides' strikin...

In 486 BC, King Xerxes ascended the Persian throne, inheriting its vast and glittering world empire. But his ambition didn’t stop there - he sought revenge on Greece. In this episode of The Ancients, the culmination of our two-part series on the Persian Wars, Tristan Hughes is joined once again by Dr. Roel Konijnendijk and Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to explore Xerxes' massive invasion. From t...

As Ice Age Britain thawed, temperatures surged, sea levels rose, and humans and animals faced a fight for survival. But this shift was anything but simple. In this final episode of our Ice Age miniseries, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Danielle Schreve to uncover the turbulent end of the last Ice Age in Britain. Discover how mammals like Siberian lemmings and Saiga antelope roamed this icy...

490 BC. On the plains of Marathon, Athens faced down a mighty army of the Persian Empire - the superpower of the time It was an underdog clash that would echo throughout history. But how did it all begin? In this episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes kicks off an epic two-parter on the Persian Wars with experts Dr Roel Konijnendijk and Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones. From the rise of the Persi...

For hundreds of thousands of years Neanderthals have roamed the lands of what is today Europe and western Asia. But how did they survive, and what caused their decline? Tristan Hughes delves into the fate of the last Neanderthals and continues our Ice Age mini-series with Professor Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum. They explore how Neanderthals thrived across diverse climates and inv...

Known as the barbarians of the north, the Scythians were expert horsemen that roamed the great steppe of Eurasia more than 2,000 years ago. But how much do we know about them? In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Owen Rees to explore this infamous nomadic culture who wore trousers, wielded bows and arrows and boasted Amazon-like warrior women who may even have fought...

Giant kangaroos. Killer wombats. Carnivorous lions. These beasts once roamed the barren landscape of Ice Age Australia - a vast supercontinent stretching from Papua New Guinea to Tasmania. Continuing our Ice Age miniseries, host of The Ancients Tristan Hughes heads down under to uncover this lost world. Joined by palaeontologist Prof. Larisa DeSantis , he explores how these creatures survived both...

From twisted flax to one-legged ibises, Egyptian hieroglyphs offer a window into the heart of ancient Egypt. But how did this script really work? In this episode of The Ancients , Tristan Hughes speaks with Egyptologist Hugo Cook to decode the symbols that adorned temples, tombs, and papyrus scrolls found up and down the Nile. Together they uncover how hieroglyphs recorded everything from poetry t...