The Ancients

In 1919, excavators working near Edinburgh in Scotland unearthed the largest hoard of Roman hacksilver ever found. The trove, containing mostly silver vessels but also some personal items and coins, was probably buried in the early 5th century AD - just as the legions were finally pulling out of Britannia.The treasures - found at the ancient hillfort site of Traprain Law - shine a fascinating light on the connections between the Iron Age peoples of what is now Scotland and the rest of the Roman Empire.In this episode Tristan is joined by archaeologist Dr Fraser Hunter, Principal Curator at the National Museum of Scotland, who shares his passionate insights into the Traprain Law Treasure and what it tells us about late Roman Britain.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boudica has become a hero of British folklore. An ancient queen, her leadership of the Iceni in an uprising against the forces of the Roman Empire in around 60 AD is echoed around school classrooms. But what evidence do we have for her actions, appearance and eventual defeat? And how was she portrayed by the Romans in comparison to her contemporaries. On this Platinum Jubilee, we have put all of our Boudica content into one episode. Listen as Tristan speaks with Caitlin Gillespie, the author of ‘Boudica: Warrior Woman of Roman Britain’ about Boudica's power and our differing memories of her.This episode was published in two parts on 7th March and 21st March 2021.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Saint Patrick is a household name, celebrated around the globe every March. But what do we know about another of Ireland’s patron saints, Brigid?In this episode, find out about Patrick’s pupil and successor, her miracles and the ways in which her sainthood differs from that of her male counterparts.Lisa Bitel is Dean's Professor of Religion and Professor of Religion and History at the University of Southern California. She previously came onto the podcast to talk about Saint Patrick. You can find this episode here: pod.link/1520403988If 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greece and Rome, they are the heavyweights of ancient history. But what happened when they came face to face with one another? Tristan is once again joined by Simon Elliott to talk about some of the great clashes that occurred between the Greeks and the Romans. From Cynoscephalae, to Magnesia, to Pydna - how did the forces match up and how did they evolve in armour, weapons and strategy to better compete against each other.For more from Simon, you can find his book here.For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The residents of Britain during the Iron Age are often collectively called 'Celts'. However, both before and during the Roman occupation, this term is a huge generalisation. In this episode we explore the real characteristics and variations of the lifestyle and communities of present day Wales in the 1st millennium BC.The people of Southern Britain were written about in part by both Ptolemy, who gives us the geographical location of different groups, and Tacitus who gives a slightly more colourful account of the people the Romans encountered. But with ongoing excavations and discoveries registered with the Portable Antiquities Scheme, more and more of the realities of their lives are revealed. Tristan speaks to Dr Oliver Davis from Cardiff University to find out more about what this evidence tells us about the people of Iron Age Wales. In particular, they discuss Caerau hill-fort, which once was home to between one and two hundred people, and is an incredible example of hill-forts from this area and period.To find out more about Caerau, please find it here: https://www.caerheritage.org/iron-ageFor more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Iliad and the Odyssey are two of the world’s most famous poems. But who was their author, Homer, and how have his name and poems survived so long, preserved for almost 3 millennia?In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan is joined once again by author, classicist, and cultural critic, Daisy Dunn. Daisy helps us dissect the complex works, legacy and influence of Homer. From the Trojan War to Ionic and Aeolic Greeks, we find out more about the inspiration and impact that Homer holds.For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do we know about the earliest hominins to exist? With a story spanning one million years and counting, we're discovering more about how we came to be every day. In this episode of The Ancients, we're on location in the Natural History Museum in London as Tristan covers a huge topic; the history of human evolution! Today's guest, Professor Chris Stringer, joins us as we delve into the origins of modern humans. As a leading expert in the creation of our species, Chris takes us through his research on the origins of Homo Sapiens. From Neanderthals, fossil evidence, and Mitochondrial Eve, to his findings on our genetic relationship with Africa.For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The treatment of mental health has been rapidly growing and improving over the past few decades, but it actually goes back thousands of years.Whether it was the Ancient Greek physician Galen’s humoral theory - in which people’s mental health was determined by imbalances in the levels of four different substances in the body - or Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius’ meditations for guidance and self-improvement, ideas of mental health and its treatment have ranged from the intriguing to the totally bizarre, but many of them still have uses to this day.Tristan is joined once again by Dr Nick Summerton practicing doctor and author of ‘Greco-Roman Medicine and What it Can Teach Us Today’, published by Pen & Sword.The OSPP Four Temperaments TestFor more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to Greek myth, Pandora was the first human woman - moulded from the earth by Hephaestus on the instruction of Zeus himself.We've all heard of Pandora's box, but in actual fact it was no such thing. Instead it was a jar containing all the evils of humanity, but even these contents of the jar are up for debate! So what is real story behind this often misunderstood, misinterpreted and maligned figure?In this episode Tristan is joined by esteemed author, broadcaster, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes to discover the truth about the first woman of Ancient Greek mythology.Natalie's book Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths is available on Amazon here.For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients 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! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Described as the "most important piece of prehistoric art to be found in Britain in the last 100 years", an elaborately decorated 5000 year-old chalk cylinder, discovered buried with 3 child skeletons in Yorkshire and as old as the first phase of Stonehenge, is going on display at the British Museum for the first time ever.To find out what the drum is, how it was found and what it tells us about Britain at the time Stonehenge was constructed, Tristan got special access to the World of Stonehenge exhibition. He spoke to Project Archaeologist Alice Beasley and Project Curator Dr Jennifer Wexler, who make up part of the team responsible for the drum's discovery, investigation and display.Find the full programme here: https://access.historyhit.com/ancient-and-classical/videos/the-world-of-stonehenge-revealedWhy This 'Chalk Drum' Is The Prehistoric Find Of The Century YouTube video.For more Ancients content, subscribe to our Ancients 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 Android or Apple store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.