Alexander the Great forged one of the largest empires of ancient history. But his early death, aged 32, ensured that it came crashing down within decades of his passing. In many ways, the story of this extraordinary conqueror’s early demise is more fascinating than that of his life.

Over the yea...

This week marks 80 years since the miracle at Dunkirk, in which a quarter of a million allied troops were evacuated from German-held France. Historian Josh Levine, historical advisor to Christopher Nolan's 'Dunkirk', joins Dan Snow to talk about that fateful moment in WWII.

Dr Lindsey Fitzharris joins Dan Snow to teach us all about the gory past of Surgery in the Victorian times, and how lucky we are to have the medical facilities we have today!

In this series, Alice Loxton and Dan Snow head to Stratford-upon-Avon to uncover the secrets of William Shakespeare’s early life and upbringing. Who were Shakespeare’s parents? What was rural Warwickshire like in the 16th century, and how was it changing? What sort of childhood did William have?
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In this fascinating interview, Dan Snow chats to the world's greatest living explorer Ranulph Fiennes about Ernest Shackleton and his heroic expeditions in the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Dan chats to Greg Jenner about how we should interpret the past and what the role of a historian is - featuring meringues, ear trumpets and Agincourt!

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...

People have always looked to the wonders of the ancient world for awe and inspiration. In the Ancient era, people embarked on dangerous pilgrimages to visit storied sites like the Pyramids of Giza, or the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. While only one of them remains, they still excite us thousands of...

In Dan Snow's long career as a broadcaster, he's come across all sorts of unexplained phenomena, myths and mysteries- from searching for the Nazi Gold Train in Poland to debunking the mummy's curse in Tutankhamun's tomb and looking for answers about ball lightning.

History is full of the weird ...

Egyptologist Answers Google’s Most Popular Questions About Ancient Egypt

From where did humans originate? What did the earliest humans look like? Why did homo sapiens survive while other hominin species went extinct?

In this filmed episode of The Ancients podcast, we're on location at the Natural History Museum in London as Tristan Hughes delves into a huge topic; t...

Roger Crowley is the author of the new book, Accursed Tower: The Crusaders' Last Battle for the Holy Land. The city of Acre, powerfully fortified and richly provisioned, was the last crusader stronghold. When it fell in 1291, two hundred years of Christian crusading in the Holy Land came to a blo...

In today's episode Dan is joined by David Freidel, often regarded as the real life Indiana Jones, to talk through the history of the Mayans and some of his own discoveries in that area.

The Ancients host Tristan Hughes sits down with Professor John Mcnabb at the University of Southampton to discuss the extinct species of archaic human, Homo Erectus (aka the 'Upright Man') that existed about 2 million years ago.

Were these ancient ancestors the first to make stone tools? Were th...

9 November 1989 was one of the most significant dates in 20th century history. The Berlin Wall fell, changing the entire geopolitical situation and marking the start of the decline of Russia's world standing. Author Rory MacLean was present when the Wall fell, and he talks about the jubilation of...

In today's episode, Dan is joined by Serhii Plokhii, professor at Harvard University and author of Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe. They explore what caused the disaster at the plant in 1986, and the after effects of it.

In today's episode Dan Snow is joined by historian and leading expert on the Third Reich, Frank McDonough. Frank is here to discuss Adolf Hitler, his health and his dependence on various medications.

What made you attractive in the Middle Ages? In this filmed episode of the History Hit podcast Betwixt the Sheets, Dr Kate Lister interviews medieval historian Eleanor Janega about medieval beauty standards, hygiene and the perspectives of women throughout the Middle Ages.

You can listen to Kat...

Did the Ancient Greeks really invent the olympics? What did they wear? How did they party? What did Ancient Greek music sound like?

Host of 'The Ancients' podcast, Tristan Hughes, answers the most searched Google questions about Ancient Greece.

People seem forever reimagining the seafaring Vikings from northern Europe, but 'the Viking Age' is one of the most confusing periods in European history. When did it really start and why? What does 'Viking' really mean? What kind of helmets did they actually wear?

One of the best ways to delve ...

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

Joined by historian Honor Cargill-Martin, Tristan Hughes explores the real sex lives of ancient Rome.

From popular series to kinky paintings, there is a recurring image today of Romans as sex-mad degenerates. And although there are sex stories in the dozens from the Roman period, when it comes ...