Do all roads lead to Rome? We find out in today's episode all about one of the Roman Empire's greatest legacies - it's web-like network of roads and route-ways. From the famous Via Appia, the longest road in mainland Italy, to Watling Street, the road on which Boudica was defeated, Rome's roads left an indelible mark on the territories their centurions conquered.

But what do we actually know about these ancient streets and pathways? What was road travel like back in Roman times? And most importantly, what was their equivalent of a service station?

To explain all this and much more Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Catherine Fletcher, author of a new book called The Roads to Rome.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

It’s the end of the 12th century BC, and a once remarkable Near eastern world lay in ruin. Drought, warfare, famine, earthquakes, plague - all had combined to brutally devastate ancient civilisations stretching from Mesopotamia to Egypt to mainland Greece. 

It was a catastrophe unlike anything else - a Bronze Age collapse. But that’s only half the story. What happened next? Would these people adapt to this new age of chaos?

Dr Eric Cline joins Tristan Hughes to discuss the dawn of the Iron Age. They’re talking Egyptians, Hittites, Mycenaeans, Cypriots, Phoenicians and many more.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Joseph Knight. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

More than 3,000 years ago, a coalition of Bronze Age rulers existed across the Near Eastern world. Kings reigning over great Bronze age powers like New Kingdom Egypt, Babylon and the Hittites coexisted and interacted with each other. They exchanged precious goods, signed treaties and even married into each other's families. But how exactly did this brotherhood of kings emerge? And how important was it to the history of the ancient Near East?

In today's episode of The Ancients Tristan Hughes is joined by Prof. Amanda Podany to talk about what has come to be known as the first ‘international age’.

Together they uncover how the brotherhood of kings ruled supreme across the Near Eastern world and explore why they built such a sophisticated and intricate web of diplomatic ties and connections.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original TV documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Sign up HERE for 50% off your first 3 months using code ‘ANCIENTS’. https://historyhit.com/subscription

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

The crisis of the Roman Republic is a period littered with iconic male power players. Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Pompey, Brutus and the Gracchi brothers. But less famous, and often overlooked are the women that shaped these famous Roman statesmen.

In today's episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Daisy Dunn to shine a light on some of the most remarkable women in Roman history. From Cornelia, the mother and tutor of the Gracchi brothers, to Fulvia, the wife of Mark Antony and a commander in the Perusine War, we take you on a journey through the lives and stories of four of Rome's foremost Domina.

Daisy Dunn's new book The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It is out now in the UK and publishes 7/30 in the US.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Temple Mount is one of the most sacred places in Jerusalem. A rocky outcrop that has become important for Islam, Judaism and Christianity and the acropolis of the ancient city, with links to figures like King David, Solomon, Herod, Jesus and Muhammad. It’s an area of the world rich in religious history.

And in today's episode of The Ancients - the last in our Old Testament miniseries - we're going to be delving into the archaeology of this famous ancient site and exploring what remains of the glorious buildings that once sat atop this important mountain. To help, Tristan is joined by Jodi Magness, author of new book, Jerusalem Through The Ages, which chronicles the history of the holy city from its very beginnings to the Crusades.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

The story of the ancient kingdom of Israel is a central part of the Old Testament. Famous for its kings like Saul, David and Solomon, the kingdom supposedly emerged in the southern Levant in the late 2nd millennium BC. Most of what we know about this kingdom comes from the Hebrew Bible. But what does the archeology say? Are there any remains that might corroborate what the bible tells us?

In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan continues our Old Testament mini-series and interviews archeologist Felicity Cobbing. Together they delve into both the biblical narrative and the archaeological evidence in an attempt to answer some the questions that shroud the story of this biblical kingdom.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. Edited by Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight, the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a podcast from History Hit.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Tristan Hughes continues the Greek Gods and Goddesses series with today’s deity; the most popular mythical hero of them all: Heracles, or Hercules. Same hero.

His story has never faded, reimagined in various media formats from Hollywood and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, to Disney, to The Ancients podcast. Professor Alastair Blanshard joins Tristan to discuss who Heracles was, what were some of the many myths surrounding this hero, and what were his 12 labours?

Presented by Tristan Hughes and produced by Joseph Knight. The audio editor is Aidan Lonergan and the senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. Scriptwriter is Andrew Hulse. Voice Actor is Nichola Wooley

The Ancients is a podcast from History Hit.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most famous, yet mysterious, objects mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. This special box that held the sacred 10 Commandments, written by God himself.

But what exactly was it? What stories are told about it? And, most intriguingly of all, what happened to it? Tristan Hughes visits the University of Cardiff and Dr Dylan Johnson to find out.

Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer is Joseph Knight, audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

The Ancients is a podcast from History Hit.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

The Celts are an ancient people shrouded in mystery and intrigue. In the minds of most people the word ‘Celt’ refers to the people of Iron Age Britain, or the ferocious Galatians of central Turkey. But the original Celts were very different. They settled in places like southern France and northern Italy and came into direct contact with the Etruscans and the Greeks. So what do we know about these Iron Age Celts and their early Celtic world? 

In today’s episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Rachel Pope to decode and decipher the origins of the Celts. Together they explore how these early Iron Age Celts spread from their ancestral lands in central France and how their unique Celtic culture evolved down the centuries, culminating with their sacking of Rome in the early 4th century BC. 

This episode was produced by Joseph Knight and edited by Aidan Lonergan.

The Ancients is a podcast from History Hit

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

The story of Moses and the Exodus is one of the oldest and most well known in history. It is full of instantly recognisable episodes like the parting of the Red Sea, the ten plagues of Egypt, and the burning bush but it is also foundational to many modern-day faiths. So today we’re asking what does the historical and archaeological record reveal about this epic biblical narrative?

In this episode of The Ancients - the second in our Old Testament mini-series - Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Dylan Johnson to delve deep into the history of the ancient Israelites, to explore whether Moses was a real historical figure and to discover what historical parallels may have inspired the Exodus origin story. 

This episode was edited by Aidan Lonergan and produced by Joseph Knight

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code ANCIENTS - sign up here.

Vote for The Ancients in the Listeners Choice category of British Podcast Awards here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.