An ancient, colossal site in Northeastern Louisiana, Poverty Point is a mystery amongst archaeologist and anthropologists a like. Dating back nearly 4 millennia, Poverty Point is renowned for it's massive earthworks, with gigantic concentric circles, complex mounds, and towering ridges - it's a s...

Deception and trickery have always been a universal feature of warfare and the wars of the Middle Ages were no exception - from the Battle of Hastings to the “fake corpse ruse”.  But how did Medieval mores justify deception during wars?  Was cunning considered an admirable quality in a warrior? W...

The Second World War placed a tremendous strain on Britain's natural resources. One of the most important materials for fuelling the war effort was wood - used to make everything from ammunition boxes to Spitfires, Britain's timber would be harvested at an unprecedented rate during the war. It wa...

After speaking to Gone Medieval in April 2022 about the first volume of his magisterial biography of Henry III, David Carpenter promised Matt Lewis that he would pay the podcast a return visit when the second volume came out. Henry III 1258-1272: Reform, Rebellion, Civil War, Settlement picks up ...

In the summer of 1791, thousands of enslaved people in Saint Domingue, as Haiti was then known, cast aside their shackles and revolted against French colonial rule. The Haitian Revolution lasted for over a decade, and Haiti became the first independent country to be founded by former enslaved peo...

One of the most famous Babylonian Kings - Nebuchadnezzar II was a legendary ruler who appears in biblical stories, cuneiform texts, and was immortalised in monumental architecture. Ruling Babylon at it's imperial height, and commanding an empire that spanned from the Mediterranean to the Persian ...

The de la Pole dynasty played a central role in the Wars of the Roses. Theirs is a fascinating story of the rises and falls that plagued families - and the disputes within them - as they tried to chart the stormy waters of a civil war. 

In this edition of Gone Medieval, Matt Lewis meets Michèle ...

In this episode of The Ancients, host Tristan Hughes speaks with historian Honor Cargill-Martin about the notorious Empress Messalina, third wife of Emperor Claudius. A lot has been said about Messalina over two millennia: that she was a nymphomaniac who organised orgies and engaged in prostituti...

On the night of the 16th May, 1943, Operation Chastise commenced - 133 RAF airmen in their iconic Lancaster bombers took off from England, bound for Germany. Armed with specially designed 'bouncing bombs', the highly trained crews were tasked with destroying key installations in Germany's industr...

On the night of the 16th of May, 1943, Operation Chastise commenced - 133 RAF airmen in their iconic Lancaster bombers took off from England, and headed for Germany. Armed with specially designed 'bouncing bombs', the highly-trained crews were tasked with interrupting German industry by destroyin...

The 16th century in Europe was an age of great Queens. But just because they were in charge, didn't always mean they were powerful or safe; it was tough being a queen in the Renaissance and. Author and Former Professor of French at The George Washington University Leah Redmond Chang joins Dan to ...

This episode contains references and words of a sexual nature.

Did Alexander the Great and the Queen of the Amazons really have sex for 13 days solid? What do we know about his male lovers? And how did his sex life stand up to that of his dad’s?

Today, the guest is our very own Tristan Hughes, ...

In 1831, the French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville left the troubled continent of Europe and set sail for America. Travelling in the shadow of the French Revolution, his goal was to learn about the world's largest democracy and work out how France could move forward. He would eventually publish...

As Shirley Bassey once said, "He's the man. The man with the Midas touch." But who was the man that's inspired stories from Greek myths to Bond bangers?

In this episode, Tristan Hughes is joined by archaeologist and classicist Professor Brian Rose to discuss the real King Midas, ruler of the Phr...

One of the most consequential eras in North American history was the Medieval Warm Period of 800-1300 CE, when the continent was shaped by climate change or – as its peoples then believed – controlled by gods of wind and water.  A great religious movement swept Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the...

J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth is perhaps the most captivating fantasy world ever created. His mythology and folklore continues to influence the work of writers, film-makers, musicians and artists to this day. He first conceived of the idea during the First World War, and built his world to examin...

Perhaps a name better known for recent appearances in horror films - Lilith is a woman who's origins go far beyond that of the Hollywood screens. Often blamed for illnesses, ailments, and male embarrassment - Lilith is force to be reckoned with. So just where does Lilith come from, and can ancien...

This is a special episode from a series we made in collaboration with Ubisoft, the makers of Assassin's Creed.

In Assassins vs Templars, we're immersing ourselves in the real history that inspired the first game. As well as exploring rise and fall of The Knights Templar and the Assassins, we cha...

When we think of democracy in the ancient Greek world, our minds often go straight to Athens, the purported birthplace of democracy. But was Athens truly the home of democracy? And if so, who's responsible for giving a voice to the people?

In this episode, Tristan chats to Professor Paul Cartled...

The commandos have become a byword for elite raiding and cutting-edge military operations. They were set up during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from Winston Churchill, for special forces that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe. As Monty Halls says, they...

All this month, Gone Medieval has been your perfect companion to the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III. 

In this final special episode, Matt Lewis takes a look at the use and meaning of coronation regalia and what happens after the ceremonial aspects - the coronation banquet. He is joi...

As preparations for the Coronation of King Charles III get underway, you're going to see words everywhere like 'anointing,' 'enthronement,' and 'crowning.' Despite how medical they sound, they are in fact ceremonial acts steeped in centuries of British history and tradition.

There'll be talk of...

The legend of the Minotaur and its labyrinth has captivated us for centuries, but is there any evidence of it really existing?

In this episode, Tristan visits the Ashmolean museum in Oxford to interview Dr. Andrew Shapland, the curator of a new exhibition exploring the Bronze Age settlement of K...

All this month, Gone Medieval is your perfect companion to the forthcoming coronation of King Charles III.

In this third special episode, Matt Lewis finds out more about the major ceremonial elements of the coronation with Dr. George Gross. Two components which still remain and are particularly...