Ancient

Ancient

The ancient world is full of wonder and mystery. From the discovery of Britain's oldest complete human skeleton to the disappearance of the Roman Ninth Legion, we have documentaries, interviews and podcasts covering all of periods and key events in antiquity. Learn more about this fascinating period in history with world leading experts such as Mary Beard and follow us as we take you on tours around some world famous sites as well as the more unknown hidden gems of the ancient and classical era.

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Ancient
  • Ancient Adventures: Libya

    Join Dan Snow on a special expedition that goes far off the beaten track of history as we venture to Libya in North Africa to explore extraordinary Greek and Roman sites, centred around one of the greatest cities of the ancient world, Cyrene.

    After years of civil war and instability, History Hit...

  • The Trojan Horse: On the Trail of a Myth

    The history of the Trojan horse is probably one of the most famous stories ever told.

    A gigantic wooden horse is loaded with Greek soldiers and presented to the Trojans as a gift. Unsuspecting, they swallow the bait and pull the horse into the city. Under cover of darkness the Greeks slip out of...

  • The Melsonby Hoard

    Join Tristan Hughes on an exploration into the Iron Age, as he uncovers one of the most extraordinary archaeological discoveries in British history.

    With exclusive access to the Melsonby Hoard, quite possibly the largest Iron Age hoard ever found in Britain, Tristan explores a treasure trove of ...

  • Enemies of Rome: In Search of the Picts

    For centuries they were depicted as enemies and barbarians, only portrayed through the eyes of the Roman Empire. Now, through new archaeological discoveries and research, the story of the Picts is being rewritten.

    Join Tristan Hughes as he travels across Scotland, meeting experts in stone-carvin...

  • Lost City of Gaul: Unearthing Bibracte

    In the heart of the French region of Burgundy, deep in a forest, lies a hidden city that had been dormant for 2,000 years. It’s called Bibracte, the most important oppidum in all of Gaul. That is where the Aedui, a Gallic tribe allied to the Romans, once built a fortified city on top of a mountai...

  • Prehistoric Ireland: Secrets of the Stone Age

    The Brú na Bóinne complex holds some of the most extraordinary structures of the prehistoric world. In this episode, History Hit’s Ancients expert Tristan Hughes travels to Ireland to delve into the mysteries of Newgrange and its surrounding tombs — exploring the secrets of Stone Age Ireland. Alo...

  • Prehistoric Ireland: A Metal Revolution

    4000 years ago change was sparking in Ireland, a revolution was on the horizon, the age of metal was coming! Join Tristan Hughes as he traverses Ireland, exploring a golden age of transformation, Ireland’s Bronze Age.

    Copper mining started in Ireland around 2400 BC, in the Chalcolithic, or copp...

  • Dicking About

    Penises, they’re everywhere in ancient art and sculpture…But back in Ancient Greece they were artistically embodied a bit differently…why? Size spoke volumes.

    Dr Kate Lister and her handy tape measure are on a quest to get the measure of Ancient Greek statues in the Cambridge Museum of Classics...

  • The Ashmolean Up Close: Demons of Mesopotamia

    The second film in our series exploring the remarkable collections of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. In this episode, Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb journeys into the world of Ancient Mesopotamian protectors. Guided by curator Dr Nancy Highcock, we uncover a fascinating array of objects, from fearsome ...

  • The Man Who Discovered Egypt

    Chris Naunton investigates the Victorian maverick who pioneered modern field archaeology.

    Most of us have never heard of Flinders Petrie, but this maverick genius undertook a scientific survey of the pyramids, discovered the oldest portraits in the world, unearthed Egypt's prehistoric roots - an...

  • Egypt: What Lies Beneath

    Dr Sarah Parcak uses cutting-edge satellite technology to identify thousands of ancient sites.

    The Pyramids, the Sphinx and the tombs of the Pharaohs are all fabulous monuments to Egypt’s past. But according to Dr Sarah Parcak, the astonishing antiquities already discovered are just a tiny perce...

  • Rise of Herod

    King Herod is considered one of the biggest villains in history, best remembered for a fabled, biblical slaughter. But this infamous legacy has overshadowed the rest of Herod’s extraordinary story. Born in the early 1st century BC, Herod fought his way to prominence during a time of great turmoil...

  • The Jordan: A River Through Time

    Dan Snow explores Biblical lands, discovering the places where religion and history intersect on the east bank of the River Jordan. It is a region full of evidence of the connections early Christians made here with places and events in the Bible, from Moses to the baptism of Jesus.

    The journey b...

  • Crossroads of History: 1 - Secrets in Stone

    History Hit goes on a special expedition to the Middle East - a spectacular journey through time in beautiful northern Jordan. Join Dan Snow in this two part series that takes us through this fascinating region of ancient wonders - from the Greeks to the Romans, Byzantines, the coming of Islam, t...

  • Crossroads of History: 2 - Jewel of the Desert

    Dan Snow continues his historical road trip across northern Jordan, investigating extraordinary sites which straddle centuries of history.

    Having explored the vast Greek and Roman city at Jerash and discovered the fascinating Byzantine town of Umm El Jamal in the first episode, Dan now heads in...

  • Dunhuang: A Silk Road Oasis

    The Silk Road was a historic trading network that linked East to West. But this trade network exchanged far more than objects, through this route came a trade of knowledge, culture and religion. One of its most important stopping points was the Chinese city of Dunhuang. This centre held an import...

  • Petra and the Nabataeans

    History Hit’s Tristan Hughes travels to the magnificent ancient wonder of Petra - a spectacular city in the desert, fabled as the "rose-red city, half as old as time". From advanced engineering to beautiful rock cut tombs, Tristan uncovers the reality of Petra and the fascinating civilisation tha...

  • Medusa with Natalie Haynes: Episode One

    History Hit goes on a remarkable journey with classicist Natalie Haynes to the beautiful Greek island of Corfu to discover the truth behind the myth of Medusa: a woman who both beguiles and terrifies us.

    In this first episode, Natalie explores the roots of the extraordinary myth and follows it ...

  • Medusa with Natalie Haynes: Episode Two

    History Hit goes on a remarkable journey with classicist Natalie Haynes to the beautiful Greek island of Corfu, to discover the truth behind the myth of Medusa: a woman who both beguiles and terrifies us.

    In the second and final episode, we explore Medusa’s tragic death at the hands of Perseus;...

  • Human Evolution with Tristan Hughes

    Human evolution can’t help but fascinate us - the story of where we came from. Today we, Homo sapiens, are the only human species left. But that wasn’t always the case….

    For millions of years, there thrived a great range of early human species. From small-brained island dwellers in Indonesia to ...

  • Dragons: Myth & Reality

    Dragons... from myths to fantasy novels, we’ve been obsessed with them for thousands of years, but what is a dragon and where do their stories originate? From 21st Century London to Ancient Mesopotamia, join Classicist Jasmine Elmer on a quest to investigate the Indo-European Dragon.

    Jasmine beg...

  • Rise of Cleopatra

    In this film three leading Egyptologists explore how Cleopatra became one of the most influential and powerful women of the ancient world.

    We trace how Cleopatra's learning and intelligence enabled her to gain control of her own Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt; skilfully and ruthlessly overcoming her...

  • Greatest Discoveries: Lost Lives of Pompeii

    The story of Pompeii’s destruction is renowned across the world. In 79 AD, this prosperous Roman town was destroyed by a massive, volcanic eruption. Pompeii became frozen in time, only to be rediscovered c.1500 years later.

    Warning: contains very strong language and sexual content.

    Vesuvius’ er...

  • Greatest Discoveries: Last Days of Pompeii

    Tristan Hughes explores the destruction of Pompeii, using extraordinary eyewitness testimony and the revelations of archaeology to understand what really happened here nearly 2000 years ago.

    In 79 AD, one of the greatest natural disasters in Roman history occurred in southern Italy, when Mount V...