The Ancients

Where do we come from? The origins of modern humans stretch back hundreds of thousands of years, and new discoveries are reshaping how we understand our species’ story.  In this episode, recorded on location at London’s Natural History Museum, Tristan Hughes speaks with Professor Chris Stringer, one of the world’s leading paleoanthropologists. Together they explore fossil evidence, our genetic links to Africa, encounters with Neanderthals, and the search for “Mitochondrial Eve.” This is your definitive guide to how Homo sapiens emerged and spread across the planet. MORE The First Britons - https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cKCCdeptxhxOMRD8HGavq?si=5127601ade01478b [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cKCCdeptxhxOMRD8HGavq?si=5127601ade01478b] Human Evolution: Dragon Man - https://open.spotify.com/episode/128XsUffcThVirTghas7OA?si=34c571e9526f491d [https://open.spotify.com/episode/128XsUffcThVirTghas7OA?si=34c571e9526f491d] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan and 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. LIVE SHOW: Buy tickets for The Ancients at the London Podcast Festival here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/ [https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/] 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].  You can take part in our listener survey here [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on]: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Known as the 'King of the World' and the last great king of Assyria, Ashurbanipal bestrode the ancient Mesopotamian world as a warrior but also a scholar, ruling the great Assyrian empire at the height of its power. In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by Assyriologist Dr Selena Wisnom to uncover the dual legacy of this fearsome conqueror and passionate intellectual. From brutal military triumphs to the vast Library of Nineveh - packed with texts on medicine, mathematics, law, and literature - they explore how Ashurbanipal turned his capital into the greatest empire and the greatest knowledge hub of the ancient Mesopotamian world. MORE Rise of the Assyrians: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Y3JdYSZ1nJ3cBXa91YzrI?si=56553edc20b0406f [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Y3JdYSZ1nJ3cBXa91YzrI?si=56553edc20b0406f] The Scholars of Assyria: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sM9ODjMw2f0JqfpsKNLoD?si=ec06ab7a656548f6 [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sM9ODjMw2f0JqfpsKNLoD?si=ec06ab7a656548f6] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan and 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. LIVE SHOW: Buy tickets for The Ancients at the London Podcast Festival here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/ [https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/] 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].  You can take part in our listener survey here [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on]: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Huns weren’t just Attila’s warriors in Europe — in Central Asia, the White Huns built the most powerful Hunnic empire, ruling for a century and dominating the ancient Silk Roads. While the European Huns fought Rome, the White Huns commanded trade routes, overthrew kingdoms, and waged relentless campaigns across Central and South Asia. Their influence reached from Persia to India, transforming politics, warfare, and culture. In today's episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Hyun Jin Kim to uncover the origins, rise, and legacy of this formidable yet often overlooked empire. MORE Attila the Hun: Scourge of God: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7y5w7yyVOqwYxvqHAAfthi?si=0a9aaff5b64b4d36 [https://open.spotify.com/episode/7y5w7yyVOqwYxvqHAAfthi?si=0a9aaff5b64b4d36] Attila the Hun: Terror of Rome: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5f12sJEHRH8KPrQCopenrG?si=1bb6c6b6b8164dea [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5f12sJEHRH8KPrQCopenrG?si=1bb6c6b6b8164dea] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan and 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. LIVE SHOW: Buy tickets for The Ancients at the London Podcast Festival here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/ [https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/] 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].  You can take part in our listener survey here [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on]: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How did Roman aqueducts help build an empire? They’re some of the most iconic structures from the ancient world — feats of engineering that transformed cities. But how exactly did Roman aqueducts work, and why were they so revolutionary? Join Tristan Hughes and Dr Duncan Keenan-Jones as they explore the rise and reach of Roman aqueducts. From mountain springs to city fountains, discover how these stone channels powered urban life across the empire — supplying baths, homes, and temples. Discover how they were built, the technology behind them, and why they became essential to to the growth of Rome's ancient cityscape. Click here for images of the Pont du Gard: https://www.uzes-pontdugard.com/en/incontournables/le-pont-du-gard-joyau-romain/ [https://www.uzes-pontdugard.com/en/incontournables/le-pont-du-gard-joyau-romain/] MORE Roman Roads: https://open.spotify.com/episode/29idUM2fYpgzCEYZVYRAkH [https://open.spotify.com/episode/29idUM2fYpgzCEYZVYRAkH] How to Survive in Ancient Rome: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JTitvxh96n2XflQQ7qwo4 [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1JTitvxh96n2XflQQ7qwo4] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan and 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. LIVE SHOW: Buy tickets for The Ancients at the London Podcast Festival here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/ [https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/] 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].  You can take part in our listener survey here [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on]: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

From towering tenements to Punic porridge — step into the streets of ancient Carthage. In this immersive episode of The Ancients, Tristan travels back to 210 BC to explore daily life in the heart of one of the ancient world’s richest and most vibrant cities. Joined by Dr Eve MacDonald, together they uncover what it took to survive in Carthage before its fall — from bustling markets to religious rituals. Discover how Carthaginians lived, worked, ate, and worshipped in this thriving cosmopolitan hub - arguably the capital of the ancient Mediterranean. MORE Origins of Carthage: https://open.spotify.com/episode/522qoJ8gm5pQT0IYunKiTJ [https://open.spotify.com/episode/522qoJ8gm5pQT0IYunKiTJ] Fall of Carthage: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5C37HVbPQnUujk2qBZ45HA [https://open.spotify.com/episode/5C37HVbPQnUujk2qBZ45HA] Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan and 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. LIVE SHOW: Buy tickets for The Ancients at the London Podcast Festival here: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/ [https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/the-ancients-2/] 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].  You can take part in our listener survey here [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on]: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on [https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.