Echoes of History

How long is the Great Wall of China? When was it built? Are there really skeletons buried inside it?

Matt Lewis poses these questions and many more to Dr Jeremiah Jenne, co-host of the Chinese history podcast, Barbarians at the Gate. Together they recount the storied development of the wall from its origins as earthen banks to its deserved place as an iconic monument that can be seen from space - or can it? They also reveal how accurate is the depiction of the wall as a building site under attack in Assasssin's Creed Chronicles - China, and answer the ultimate question: why didn't the Great Wall keep out the Mongols?

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on Youtube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Tim Arstall

Produced by: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Theme Master by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

Prologue by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

Great Wall Session by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

Forbidden City Escape by Aaron Miller & Mark Rutherford

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What really happened to the French crown jewels? On the 19th October, 2025, a gang of thieves disguised as construction workers broke into the Louvre. Their target: the Gallery of Apollo, where the French Crown Jewels were on display. They made off with eight pieces of the crown jewels, worth around $100 million. It was all over in eight minutes.

History repeats itself. In September 1792, the crown jewels of Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette were stolen. Assassin's Creed Unity lets players take part in the aftermath of this daring robbery, recovering the last of the lost jewels in the "French Crown Jewels" Paris Story. But what happened to the other extraordinary treasures owned by the royal family when the monarchy was abolished during the French Revolution?

Matt Lewis joins Dr David Gilks from the University of East Anglia to find the answers. He’s the author of Quatremére de Quincy: Art and Politics during the French Revolution. The tentative title of his next book is How to Become a French Revolutionary Hero. Read David's blog HERE - https://bit.ly/3Tt1o36

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Robin McConnell

Produced by: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Monarch Enemy by Christ Tilton

Nothing Is True by Chris Tilton

The Mob Accuses by Sarah Schachner

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected]

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What were the main causes of the Russian Revolution? Why were the Romanovs murdered?

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia transports us to the tense atmosphere of World War One as Russia made the difficult transition from an imperial state to a socialist republic. But what was it like for the ordinary person on the streets of Moscow, or in the wheatfields of Kursk? Did they passionately pursue the political shifts that were underway? Or did they just fear the threat - and the fact - of violence while they looked for their next meal?

To help Matt Lewis understand the experience of the worker during the Russian Revolution, he's joined by Professor Sarah Badcock from the University of Nottingham, author of Politics and the People in Revolutionary Russia; A Provincial History.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Michael McDaid

Produced by: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music by Aaron Miller, Mark Rutherford

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was Cleopatra actually Egyptian?

It's a surprisingly important question. When most people think of Cleopatra, they have a specific person in mind. The Egyptian queen who married Julius Caesar and loved Mark Antony, and nearly ruled the Roman Empire for herself. But she was merely the final chapter in the long story of the Ptolemaic rulers of ancient Egypt. Who were the women who came before her? And though she is the most famous, does that mean she was the greatest Cleopatra?

Matt Lewis and Dr Deirdre Klokow unpack the mighty and sometimes mysterious legacy of the Cleopatras. Keep an eye out for her book, The Seleucids And Their Land, coming out in 2027.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this episode and more on our YouTube channel.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Robin McConnell

Produced by: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Ptolemy's Lament by Sarah Schachner

The Alexandrian Pleiad by Sarah Schachner

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

Tell us your favourite episode or Assassin's Creed game at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The unforeseen consequences of this war led to the first scientific history book, the birth of philosophy. and the rise of Alexander the Great. Assassin's Creed Odyssey puts us at the heart of the expansive conflict that occurred when Athens went to war with Sparta: the Peloponnesian War. Guest host Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Roel Konijnendijk to recount the causes, events and legacy of this pivotal war in the ancient Greek world.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™.

Hosted by: Tristan Hughes

Edited by: Michael McDaid

Produced by: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Delphi by The Flight

Pirates, Thugs and Bandits by The Flight, Michael Georgiades

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here. You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Benjamin Hornigold... Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced recreates the key people, places and events of the Golden Age Of Piracy. The game puts players in the salty shoes of Captain Edward Kenway as he rubs shoulders with real historical pirates as they fight for their freedom from the British and Spanish empires.

In the final episode of this special series, Matt Lewis is joined by the game’s Narrative Director Joel Janisse, and Level Design Director Julien Koch to find out how Ubisoft meticulously recreated the world of pirates with new historical details; and what were the biggest challenges of revisiting a fan-favourite game?

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. You can watch this interview on YouTube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Robin McConnell

Produced by: Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

A Short Life But A Merry One by Brian Tyler

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag Theme by Brian Tyler

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected]

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

02:09 - Did you reuse assets from the OG Black Flag?

09:31 - New decade, new tech: how did you stay faithful to Black Flag?

12:21 - Did you do new historical research?

14:10 - What's your favourite historic detail?

16:31 - Why is it called "Resynced"?

20:07 - Narrative vs Level Design

21:49 - Does History get in the way of Gameplay?

26:09 - 2013 vs 2026: the changes to working on Black Flag 

29:48 - What's your favourite level/mission in the game?

30:15 - New Crew: are they based on historical people?

33:56 - Avoiding Pirate Tropes

37:28 - Did Matt Ryan re-record his performance as Edward Kenway?

39:31 - Why remake Black Flag?

44:17 - Why did Ubisoft remove the Abstergo sequences?

45:56 - Combat gameplay: fighting like a true pirate

47:56 - What did you learn making this game?

50:23 - What other games will be Resynced?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did Theseus escape the Labyrinth? Is the Labyrinth real? Who created the Minotaur? Assassin’s Creed Odyssey immerses players in the mythology of Ancient Greece. In particular, they can walk in the footsteps of Theseus through the Labyrinth and come face to face with the mythical Minotaur. Archaeology reveals the real roots of the myth and how it developed over time.

How is the myth connected to Knossos palace on Crete? Prof Nicoletta Momigliano guides Tristan Hughes from The Ancients podcast through the maze of myth vs reality that is the Minoan Labyrinth.

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Hosted by: Tristan Hughes

Edited by: Alex Jones

Produced by: Robin McConnell, Anne-Marie Luff

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Phoibe the Orphan by The Flight, Michael Georgiades

The Minotaur by The Flight

Barnabas by The Flight, Michael Georgiades

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did pirates really bury treasure, fly the Jolly Roger and walk the plank?

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced avoids many of the clichés of pirate fiction. Yet staying true to history still includes tropes of pop culture pirates - there may be no talking parrots, but they still drink a lot of rum. Matt Lewis rejoins Dr Rebecca Simon to debunk pirate myths!

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

06:08 - Did Pirates Use Black Flags?

12:30 - What does "Jolly Roger" mean?

13:24 - Peg Legs & Eye Patches

18:47 - Pets!

20:59 - Pirate Bling

23:54 - Did Pirates force folk to Walk the Plank?

25:07 - Did Pirates Maroon Enemies?

26:32 - The Pirate Code

32:32 - Did Pirates Bury Their Treasure?

37:16 - X Marks The Spot?

38:24 - Where Is The Rum?

41:10 - What's Your Favourite Pirate Myth?

42:15 - Why do Pirate Myths persist?

48:52 - Enter the Animus: which myth do you want to prove?

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Robin McConnell

Produced by: Matt Lewis, Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

The Buccaneers by Brian Tyler

Confrontation by Brian Tyler

Fare Thee Well by Brian Tyler

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite episode or Assassin's Creed game at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the legendary Hattori Hanzo embodies both samurai and shinobi warriors. As history's most famous ninja, he was also a samurai: his fierce dual nature earned him the nickname, "The Demon".

How did Hattori Hanzo reach such legendary status? And what does his story tell us about the warring loyalties of late Sengoku Japan?

Joining Matt Lewis to answer these questions and more are Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt, authors of Ninja Attack!: True Tales Of Assassins, Samurai And Outlaws. You can keep up to date with Hiroko and Matt's work on their blogs blog.hirokoyoda.com and blog.pureinventionbook.com

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. 

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Tim Arstall

Produced by: Matt Lewis, Robin McConnell, Peta Stamper

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

Explore Bamboo Forest by The Flight

Roaming the Wild by The Flight

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. Take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite Assassin's Creed game or podcast episode at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced puts us in the heart of the pirate world during the Golden Age Of Piracy: the island of New Providence and its capital, Nassau. As we roam around its highly detailed recreation in the game, we get a sense of what it was like to live in a place that wanted to be free from the yoke of kings and empires. But was it really a tropical paradise? Is its reputation as a bastion of democratic freedom founded in fact or fiction?

Matt Lewis is joined by pirate historian Dr Rebecca Simon, author of Why We Love Pirates and Pirate Queens: The Lives of Anne Bonny and Mary Read to answer these questions and more!

Echoes of History is a Ubisoft podcast, brought to you by History Hit. Watch this episode on YouTube.

Hosted by: Matt Lewis

Edited by: Robin McConnell

Produced by: Matt Lewis, Robin McConnell

Senior Producer: Anne-Marie Luff

Production Manager: Beth Donaldson

Executive Producers: Etienne Bouvier, Julien Fabre, Steve Lanham, Jen Bennett

Music:

The Buccaneers by Brian Tyler

Confrontation by Brian Tyler

Fare Thee Well by Brian Tyler

If you liked this podcast please subscribe, share, rate & review. You can take part in our listener survey here.

Tell us your favourite episode or Assassin's Creed game at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.