The Ancients

The Real Armageddon

Armageddon is more than just a biblical prophecy hailing the end of days. It is a real place: Megiddo, an ancient city that for thousands of years stood at the crossroads of empires, trade routes and wars in the ancient Near East. In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by friend of the show Eric Cline to uncover the true story of the real Armageddon. Why did Megiddo become associated with the world’s final battle? What made this city so strategically important for millennia? From Bronze Age kingdoms to biblical tradition and modern archaeology, discover the remarkable history behind one of the most famous names in history and myth. MORE Bronze Age Collapse: Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000641437640] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4dEddIFS5yfamKqVZd6xAE?si=6e1a2405cc174b11] The Sea Peoples: Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000722939838] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5EDFa6xFJv9yYft9v1xnvV?si=q5iPu1G4RyO_OySP2xRDGA] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe [https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe].  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Ancient China: The Warring States

How did ancient China plunge into 261 years of chaos, and how did that turmoil forge an empire? Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Andrew Seth Meyer to explore the Warring States period, from collapsing Zhou power and ruthless coups to mass armies, crossbows, and battlefield slaughter. They trace the rise of Confucian ideas, the seven great states, and the brutal climb of Qin toward China’s first emperor To find out more about Andrew's new book To Rule All Under Heaven, head to his website: https://www.andrewsethmeyer.com/ [https://www.andrewsethmeyer.com/] MORE The Romans and China Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/mu/podcast/the-romans-and-china/id1520403988?i=1000760040779] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4q9kcq1A86OBnYA4NFeiW8] The Terracotta Army: Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000552068206] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OS8DvUDisR3eSHz1gsX4G?si=JYhafg0LSfOlMLTWoIshOw] Presented by Tristan Hughes. The producer and audio editor is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe [https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe].  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Prehistoric Plague

The first ever outbreak of 'plague' - Yersinia Pestis, the most feared disease in human history - was long thought to be the Plague of Justinian in 541 AD. But new studies of ancient DNA have revealed traces of Yesinia Pestis dating back more than 5,000 years.  In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Laura Spinney to explore the origins of prehistoric plague. How did this pestilence emerge to blight the Neolithic world? Where did it come from? And could it have triggered a Stone Age collapse which signalled the dawn of the Bronze Age in Europe? Discover how this deadly pathogen reshaped entire Stone Age societies, long before the advent of written history.  MORE Did Plague Destroy the Roman Empire? Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000706973118] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0K6AuikL1odBVrbMOZxwP8?si=cXTWhyK6RGOYzhwmeH05hQ] The Birth of Indo-European Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000704468243] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OSBoNA7godfxbLZEn3VUp?si=goy9CURRRRqgx_nG6nfSSA] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe [https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe].  Audio for Uploader: ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Persian Gulf

Near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital commercial chokepoints, lies an ancient trade route that powered civilisation 4,000 years ago: the Persian Gulf - where goods and ideas flowed between the great cities of Mesopotamia, Arabia and beyond to the far flung cities of the Indus Valley and the Indian subcontinent. In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Steffen Laursen and Dr Lloyd Weeks to uncover the story of this Bronze Age superhighway. How did this narrow sea connect such distant civilisations? What kinds of goods travelled its waters, and who controlled these vital routes? From the thriving Bahraini port of Dilmun to the wider networks beyond the Gulf, discover how this region became a crossroads of trade, culture and power, and why it still matters so much today. MORE Ea Nasir and the World's Oldest Letters: Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000738350099] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/6a5mDAW5O22fM8sE9tkrUB?si=s47ePjKEStKiGH99gOB1nw] The Romans and India: Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000668187744] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RSacQ0ngYW2YjrE2UMeVF?si=zviaM1KtQ3WJRaP_u-DjDg] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe [https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe].  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Last Days of Pompeii

In 79 AD, life in Pompeii unfolded beneath the shadow of a tremoring Mount Vesuvius. Streets bustled, businesses thrived, and merchants built fortunes, unaware disaster was hours away. But what happened when that disaster struck? How did these ordinary Roman citizens seek to survive last days of Pompeii? In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr. Jessica Venner to uncover the final moments before and during the eruption. From the famous fish sauce trade to the chaos of ash and fire, discover how ordinary Pompeians experienced one of history’s most devastating disasters, and what their stories reveal about life and death in the Roman world. MORE Pompeii: The Buried City Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1759820234?i=1000710711822] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/4QfFKEj8umg9UiQl8OHxWC?si=01aa6be9425948f7] Sex Work in Pompeii Listen on Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-ancients/id1520403988?i=1000624891099] Listen on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/episode/2k5CQDHXHmIRKCmu4kk9SB?si=mROZnkp0Sb-DYOJ7BgNqHA] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Arstall. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds The Ancients is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe [https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe].  ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.