Ancient Heroes

I rank these seven legendary structures from least impressive to most impressive.

Journalist and bestselling author Douglas Preston joins to discuss his first-hand investigations into some of archaeology's greatest mysteries.

What was the Lighthouse of Alexandria actually like? Why is it included in the list of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? We talk to scientist and scholar Michael Denis Higgins about the famous lighthouse and how it evolved over the centuries.

How did fossils inspire ancient Greek and Roman myth? Were the Amazons real? Historian and classical folklorist Adrienne Mayor joins me to answer these questions and many more.

The Elgin Marbles at the British Museum have long been a lightning rod for debate about whether museums are obligated to return artifacts that were taken from other parts of the world. I talk about the factors I would consider when trying to decide what the right answer is.

The Antonine Plague was a mysterious pandemic that hit the Roman Empire at the peak of its power. Historian Colin Elliott and I discuss what this historical pandemic was like, how the Romans reacted, parallels to the COVID-19 pandemic, and much more.

Inca expert Christopher Heaney joins the show to talk about this fascinating historic civilization of Peru and the Andes Mountains. We also talk about the controversies and challenges of Inca and other artifacts being owned by foreign museums.

We dive into the 700-year rivalry between the Roman and Persian Empires and how it shaped two superpowers of the ancient world.

Widely regarded as one of history's greatest philosophers, Plato is our leading source on the legend of Atlantis and the life and death of Socrates. Who was Plato and what can we learn from him? We talk to one of the world's top experts.

A primer on the famous story of Atlantis and the debate it has inspired. What do we actually know? What do the experts think?