Ancient

Ancient

Share
Ancient
  • 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...

  • Hannibal
    1 season

    Hannibal

    1 season

    The story of legendary Carthaginian general Hannibal. From his beginnings as an enemy of Rome in the Iberian Peninsula, to his daring crossing of the Alps and the decisive Battle of Zama against Roman general Scipio Africanus.

    Alexander Siddig performs as Hannibal, supreme commander of the Carth...

  • 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 ...

  • On the Rocks

    1 season

    A being with a cube-shaped skull, like an astronaut’s helmet sprouting long antennas linked together with filaments, and without feet, nor legs. This picture does not come from some visionary artist’s canvas but it is drawn in the Utah desert. Here, as in many other incredible natural spots, awes...

  • Maya: Ancient Metropolis

    1 season

    Recent discoveries from archaeological excavations reveal much of the Maya civilization: lost citadels in the Guatemalan jungle found around Tikal, a sacred cenote at Chichen Itza, and underground network of tunnels discovered at Teotihuacan. How were these ancient people able to build such struc...

  • The Cutting Edge: Testing the Stone Age

    History Hit visits Kent State University, Ohio to film a fascinating ‘cutting-edge’ experiment that takes us to the beginnings of the Stone Age, over 2.6 million years ago.

    Kent State is home to one of the world’s leading experimental archaeology laboratories, scientifically exploring the distan...

  • Walking with Cavemen

    1 season

    Professor Robert Winston meets Lucy, the first upright ape, and follows her ancestors on the three-million-year journey to civilisation. Broadcast in 2003, Walking with Cavemen combined special effects with the latest scientific theories, to show us what it really means to be human.

  • Gladiators: History's Greatest Fighters

    Gladiators, from Spartacus to Ridley Scott’s Maximus Decimus Meridius, we’ve been fascinated by them for hundreds of years. Dan Snow is on the hunt to find out why we’re still so obsessed with the men who controlled the Roman arena from the ground up!

    Dan joins experts in Italy and England to in...

  • 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...

  • Prehistoric Ireland

    1 season

    Tristan Hughes travels to Ireland to delve into the mysteries and myths of prehistoric Ireland.

    In the first 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. A...

  • The First Emperor of China

    In March 1974, one of the most astonishing archaeological discoveries in history was made in the heart of China: the Terracotta Warriors. These incredible clay statues were built and buried over 2000 years ago - but who made them? And why?

    Dan Snow comes face to face with the warriors and heads...

  • Silk Road: Destination Xi'an

    Dan Snow heads to China to one of the oldest and most historic cities in the country - Xi’an. It’s a city that is now home to 10 million people, a modern metropolis, but it’s a city that wears its heritage proudly. This was the capital city of China’s most dynamic and important dynasties, the Tan...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Gladiators of Roman Britain

    History Hit’s Tristan Hughes heads behind the scenes at the British Museum to get a special look at items from their exhibition touring the UK in 2025-2026: Gladiators of Britain.

    Taking visitors back nearly 2,000 years to the Roman province of Britannia and beyond, the exhibition brings togethe...

  • 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 ...

  • Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Decoded

    Have you ever wanted to learn how to read hieroglyphs? Egyptologist Chris Naunton explores the history of hieroglyphs and how they were decoded.

  • Fragments of History: Rome's Greatest Armour

    In 2017, the oldest and most complete set of Roman armour was unearthed in Kalkriese, Germany. Roughly 2,000 years old, it is one of the greatest examples of Roman military equipment ever discovered, we know it as the lorica segmentata. Consisting of 40 sheets of iron fastened together with leath...

  • Alexander the Great in Egypt

    History Hit's Tristan Hughes travels to Egypt to explore its extraordinary links to one of the most famous names from antiquity, Alexander the Great. Of all the lands in the Eastern Mediterranean, it is Egypt that has the most fascinating - and enduring - connection to this ancient conqueror.

    I...

  • Debunking The Myths Of Tutankhamun

    Who was Tutankhamun? How did he die? Was Tutankhamun's tomb cursed? In this video we attempt to answer all these questions and more with Prof Joyce Tyldesley from the University of Manchester.

    Tutankhamun, 'The Boy King' of Ancient Egypt, is one of history's most famous names. Though his short r...

  • Debunking Myths of Spartan Warriors

    Characterised as super soldiers, formidable fighters who would rather perish than surrender - their reputation truly did proceed them.

    But how accurate is this image - and does it correlate with what the ancient sources actually tell us?

    In this filmed episode of The Ancients podcast Sparta mi...

  • 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;...

  • The Incredible Story of William J. Bankes - Adventurer, Collector, Spy

    Tristan Hughes follows in the adventurous footsteps of William John Bankes. From the deserts of Egypt to the elaborate interiors of Kingston Lacy, he explores the incredible achievements of this 19th century daredevil.

    Bankes was the Georgian Indiana Jones - an adventurer, collector and spy, cha...