They’ve both been described as the greatest military commander in the ancient world, but who really takes the title (if either of them)? Alexander, the undefeated conqueror of one of the largest empires the world had yet seen, or Caesar, a leader who was critical in expanding and creating what later became the Roman Empire?

For this episode, Tristan is joined by Dr Simon Elliott, author of Alexander the Great versus Julius Caesar: Who was the Greatest Commander in the Ancient World? Together, they analyse their leadership styles, victories, and their tactical and strategic genius, to finally answer who really was the greater military leader.

Order Tristan’s book today: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perdiccas-Years-323-Alexanders-Successors/dp/1526775115/ref=zg_bsnr_271237_68/260-7675295-7826601?pd_rd_i=1526775115&psc=1

While you’re here, don’t forget to leave us a rating and review - let us know who you think was the greatest leader.

For more ancient content, subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here.

If you'd like to learn even more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to the Android or Apple store

Music:

Phoenix Rising - Edgar Hopp

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

We’re finishing off 2021 with what is perhaps Julius Caesar’s greatest legacy. It’s not a military victory or battle, but one of the many political reforms that truly has stood the test of time: the Julian calendar. Before, calendars were largely based on the lunar calendar, and believe it or not, were pretty flexible, and therefore easily manipulated for political gain. (Need more time to collect some taxes? Just add three more days!)

In this episode, Tristan is joined by Dr Philip Nothaft to discuss how and why this reform came about, and the lasting impact of this watershed moment today.

Thank you so much for listening to The Ancients this year, it’s been so fun to have you along for the chariot ride. We can’t wait to bring you even more exciting ancient history in 2022! If you can’t wait, why not subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here. If you've enjoyed the podcast this year, why not leave a rating and review, we'd love to know what you think.

If you'd like to learn even more, we also have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

Music:

Time Is Palpable - Bradley Andrew Segal & Dorian Charnis

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

For the first 4 centuries AD/CE, the ancient Greek novel was the most popular literary form in the Roman Empire and at the heart of these popular texts is discussion over race and identity. Could a Phoenician living within the Empire also identify as Roman? Could they be both X and Y? And can we use these novels as a lens through which to see how people in the ancient Mediterranean viewed prominent powers beyond Rome’s borders, for instance the Kingdom of Axum in modern day Ethiopia. To explain this and more, with a particular focus on Heliodorus’ Aethiopica, Tristan spoke to Dr Mai Musié, Public Engagement Manager at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford.  

Wishing you all a very happy Boxing Day from the Ancients team! 

If you’re enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating Ancient content, then subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here.

If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit.

To download, go to Android or Apple store

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

It’s fair to say that winter battles weren’t commonplace in the ancient Mediterranean world. There is, however, one striking exception. A clash that occurred in mid/late December 218 BC, in northern Italy very close to the Po River. This clash was the Battle of the River Trebia, fought between the Roman consular army of Sempronius Longus and the conglomerate Carthaginian force under the leadership of the legendary Hannibal Barca. In this special podcast, Dr Eve MacDonald, Dr Louis Rawlings and Dr Adrian Goldsworthy talk you through the run up to this decisive winter clash, before delving into the details of the battle itself. From Hannibal and his weary, worn down force emerging from the Alps to Roman soldiers wading through the icy waters of the Trebia, sit back and enjoy as Eve, Louis and Adrian talk you through the story of Hannibal’s first great victory against the Roman Republic.

Part 1: The Rise of Hannibal

While you're here, why not leave us a rating and review! We'd love to know what you think.

For more ancient content, why not subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here.

If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit - subscribe today! To download, go to Android or Apple store.

Music:

Epidemic & POND5

Battle of The Nile - Grant Newman

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

Thanks largely to his feature in the Gospel of Matthew, King Herod ‘the Great’ of Judaea is one of the most infamous figures from the whole of history. So what do we know about this ancient near eastern ruler, who in his lifetime had contacts with a series of ‘goliath’ figures from the ancient Mediterranean World: from Caesar to Cleopatra and from Marc Antony to Augustus. To talk about King Herod, with a particular focus on the material and meaning of his monumental tomb at Herodium, Tristan was re-joined by Holy Land archaeologist Dr Jodi Magness. A wonderful speaker, Jodi has previously been on the podcast to talk all about the Siege of Masada and Jewish burial at the time of Jesus.

If you’re enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating Ancient content, then subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here.

Music:

Valley of the Kings - Hampus Naeselius

If you'd like to learn more, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit.

To download, go to Android or Apple store

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

Contrary to popular belief, parties in Ancient Rome were not all depraved wine-fuelled orgies. In fact, Roman get-togethers were relatively tame by the standards of today. They often consisted of noble families sharing elaborate food dishes and entertaining one another with theatrical hysterics. Parties among less wealthy citizens were simpler, yes, but no less raucous. Bashes of all kinds—whether to celebrate great military victories or mark important festivals such as Saturnalia—were beacons of status and huge networking opportunities, which explains why they became such a core feature of everyday Roman life. So, not all crazy sex parties after all! In this episode, Tristan is joined by Dr Ian Goh, Professor of Ancient History at Swansea University, to find out how to party like it’s 1 BC.

If you’re enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating Ancient content, then subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here.

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

What the Book of Genesis is to the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, songlines are to Indigenous Australians. Epic tales of desire, pursuit, shape-shifting spirits, strength and family ties, these are stories of the land, communicated only by a handful of elders. Today, Tristan is joined by Margo Neale, lead of the "Songlines: Tracking The Seven Sisters" exhibition, which is making its European debut at The Box in Plymouth till February 2022. Not only is this an art exhibition, but also a science and history exhibition, encouraging people to engage with stories that are thousands of years old and that tell us how to look after ourselves and the planet.

If you’re enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating Ancient content, then subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here.

Music:

Earth Awakens - Jon Bjork

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

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

Today we’re talking all about science, Stonehenge and what we know about a massive migration into Britain at the start of the Bronze Age some 4,500 years ago: the Steppe migration. For years the details of this incredibly important event have been hotly-debated. But recently, a huge new study has analysed the remains of several hundred individuals buried in Britain and dating to this time period, hoping to uncover more about the nature of this migration.

Among the remains that were studied included a series of bronze age burials discovered around Stonehenge. So what did the results of the study reveal? How did this migration affect the Neolithic British population that already inhabited this island? And how did these new people perceive ancient monuments such as Stonehenge?

To talk through the study and its results, with a particular focus on certain bronze age burials around Stonehenge, Dr Selina Brace returned to the show. An ancient DNA specialist, Selina works at the Natural History Museum and previously appeared on the Ancients podcast for the hit episode ‘Cheddar Man: Science and the Skeleton’.

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

Today we’re going back to the beginning – no Romans, Celts, Egyptians or Macedonians in sight. We’re going much further back, covering billions of years of prehistory as we look at the emergence of life on Earth. From the rise of the earliest microscopic membranes to the arrival of the dinosaurs.

To talk through this massive topic, Tristan was joined by Henry Gee, a palaeontologist, evolutionary biologist and senior editor of the science journal Nature. Henry is also the author of a new book: A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth. Prepare to be blown away, as Henry expertly narrates you through several billion years of history in just under 90 minutes.

If you’re enjoying this podcast and looking for more fascinating Ancient content, then subscribe to our Ancient History Thursday newsletter here.

Music:

The Beginning - Jessica Jones

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