Legendary leaders and notorious battles, we imagine the sound of clinking armour. But what did the Romans take with them into battle? In the second of our episodes recorded at Chalke Valley History Festival, Legio II Augusta's David Richardson talks through a selection of iconic weapons and deadly devices used by Roman soldiers. Legio II Augusta Website - https://www.legiiavg.org.uk/ For behind the scenes and extra Ancients, follow Tristan on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ancientstrista...
Sep 26, 2021•45 min•Ep. 137
It’s werewolf time on the Ancients! In this episode Exeter University’s Professor Daniel Ogden highlights how these mythical creatures have their origins in ancient times and thrived in a story world shared by witches, ghosts, demons and dragons. Join Tristan and Daniel as they shine a light on werewolf (or werewolf-related) stories that survive from antiquity. From Homer’s Circe to Petronius’ Satyricon. Also making an appearance is the Strix-Witch, a Roman phenomenon and persistent feature of t...
Sep 23, 2021•42 min•Ep. 136
In the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s death, his empire became the subject of a series of titanic clashes: the Wars of the Successors. In this episode of the podcast, Dr Nick Rauh takes us through some of the monumental Hellenistic super fortresses built during this period in ancient Rough Cilicia, modern day southeast Turkey, along the Northeast Mediterranean shoreline. He also highlights the importance of this area of the ancient world to preceding superpowers such as the Assyrians and the...
Sep 21, 2021•55 min•Ep. 135
Historian and author Dr. Emma Southon returns to the Ancients to shine a light on the life - and murder - of Publius Claudius Pulcher (aka Clodius), and why this horrible, colourful figure was so significant in the demise of the Roman Republic. Emma's Twitter - https://twitter.com/NuclearTeeth Tristan's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ancientstristan/
Sep 19, 2021•46 min•Ep. 134
With a history stretching back thousands of years, it’s about time that the Ancients started looking at the extraordinary Maya civilisation in Central America. Even with a range of sources that survive, many aspects of these ancient peoples remains debated and shrouded in mystery. This is especially true when studying warfare and the whole idea of ‘sacrifice’. What were the rules of engagement for the ancient Maya? What was the purpose of warfare? How did they define winning? And what would happ...
Sep 16, 2021•53 min•Ep. 133
The world is constantly changing, and so has the perception of civilisation, but what exactly are the origins of this concept? Helping us answer this question from an anthropological and archaeological perspective, Professor Nam Kim joins Tristan once again on The Ancients. We explore how advances in these disciplines are helping to answer this long-examined question. Nam is an anthropological archaeologist and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sep 12, 2021•59 min•Ep. 132
We’ve covered bloody battles, we’ve covered stunning cities, we’ve covered civilisations far away from the ancient Mediterranean. But in some 120 episodes of The Ancients we hadn’t covered one of the most popular topics in the world: sex. That is, until now. In today’s episode, strap yourself in for almost an hour’s worth of content all about what the Romans thought of sex. What was acceptable? What wasn’t? And why were the Romans so obsessed with carving penises at sites across the Roman Empire...
Sep 09, 2021•56 min•Ep. 131
In 83/84 AD a battle was fought somewhere in Scotland between the Roman forces of Gnaeus Julius Agricola and the 'Caledonians' – the great climax to Agricola’s campaigns in Northern Britain. Details of the clash are few and far between, with our sole literary source for the event being the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus. But how much of Tacitus’ account can we really believe? And what locations have archaeologists suggested as being the site of this lost battlefield? Taking on the chall...
Sep 05, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 130
When one mentions Roman military installations you would be forgiven for instantly thinking of their forts, the remains of which we can see today dotted around the country. From the Kent coast to central Scotland. But what about their camps, these often-temporary structures that formed a keystone of Roman military activity. Roman camps have now been discovered across the former empire, but Britain boasts a wealth of them. To discuss the different types of camps and how we can tell them apart, Tr...
Sep 02, 2021•52 min•Ep. 129
Nan Madol. It is one of the most awesome, enigmatic and unique ancient sites in the World, and yet most people have never heard the name. Labelled the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ by US aviators during the Second World War, this ancient Micronesian metropolis is not your usual city. Situated offshore, it was constructed on corals – ‘a floating citadel’. All across the site today, the remains of centuries-old monumental architecture can be seen, built on top of artificial islets. So what do we know ab...
Aug 29, 2021•57 min•Ep. 128
Among the rulers of Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra VII has long held a place in legend, her story having been told in folklore, by Shakespeare and in Hollywood movies. In reality, however, her story remains unfinished. The location of her final resting place remains lost to us. Dr Chris Naunton is back with us to explore the possible answers to this mystery, from Alexandria to Taposiris Magna, join us on this trawl through the evidence of Cleopatra’s final days.
Aug 26, 2021•26 min•Ep. 127
Today it is the second largest city in France. But Marseilles is also the country’s oldest city. Founded at the turn of the 7th century BC by Greek settlers, the ancient history of Marseilles (known to the Greeks as Massalia and the Romans as Massilia) is rich. Strategically positioned close to the River Rhone it soon became a wealthy trading metropolis. Notable names are plenty. Artemis is closely linked with the city’s foundations; the explorer Pytheas hailed from Massalia. And who can forget ...
Aug 24, 2021•48 min•Ep. 126
He was one of the greatest enemies the Romans ever faced. An excellent general and a larger-than-life figure, he led an army across the alps and dealt a series of crushing defeats upon the Romans on Italian soil. His achievements have become a thing of legend and his name has become immortalised. He was Hannibal Barca. Hannibal rests amongst antiquity's greatest generals, but how did he rise to become such a stellar commander, leading his men to incredible victories against the then dominant pow...
Aug 22, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 125
It is the one possible case of urbanisation in Britain prior to the arrival of the Romans, and that is just the start of the story of Colchester. In this chat with Tristan, Dr Frank Hargrave from Colchester Museum reveals the city’s long and prestigious ancient history. From the Bronze Age to Boudica.
Aug 19, 2021•42 min•Ep. 124
He was one of the greatest rebels of Rome from the 1st century AD, but his name is not one you might initially think of. Derided by Roman historians as being little more than a bandit, the truth is very much the opposite. For several years, between 17 and 24 AD, Tacfarinas led a revolt against the Romans in North Africa, sending the province into turmoil and becoming the bane of all troops stationed there to fight him. Several times the Romans believed they defeated Tacfarinas and his Berber fol...
Aug 17, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 123
Persepolis is arguably the most famous ancient site associated with the Achaemenid Persian Empire, but it certainly wasn’t the only administrative centre of this ancient superpower. In this second part of our interview with Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd talks us through some of the other key urban centres of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. From Susa to Ecbatana to Pasargadae. Lloyd is a Professor in Ancient History at Cardiff University. His new book, Persians: The Age of Great Kings, will be out ...
Aug 15, 2021•24 min•Ep. 122
Among Pompeii’s great wealth of surviving artefacts is one with a rich globe trotting history that only goes to emphasise the interconnected nature of the ancient world: the Pompeii Lakshmi, a small statuette originally crafted in India. But what do we know about this object? Does it really depict Lakshmi? How might it have reached Pompeii? Where in India do we think it was crafted? Laura Weinstein came on the podcast to answer all these questions and talk through what we know about this iconic ...
Aug 12, 2021•40 min•Ep. 121
Love them or loathe them, the Roman emperors were some of the most influential figures in history. In this episode Barry Strauss, Professor of History and Classics at Cornell University, talks through ten of the most important - starting with Augustus and ending at Constantine. Barry’s book, Ten Caesars, is out now. He is also the host of the podcast ANTIQUITAS: https://barrystrauss.com/podcast/
Aug 10, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 120
Often found high on the list of Rome’s worst emperors, the short reign of the teenager Elegabalus in the early 3rd century AD is filled with controversy. But it was also a time when several remarkable women came to the fore in the Roman Empire, playing central roles in both the rise and fall of this young emperor. In this podcast late Severan Empresses expert Matilda Brown, currently studying for her PhD at Edinburgh University and old amigo of Tristan, came on the show to shine a light on these...
Aug 08, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 119
Cleopatra. Hers is one of the most famous names that endures from antiquity. The victor of a civil war. The mistress of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. The last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. The protagonist of one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. A fearsome leader and brilliantly astute politician. The whereabouts of her tomb remains one of the great mysteries of the ancient world. But what about the baths? Over the past year Dr Chris Naunton has been looking into old references to ‘Baths of Cleop...
Aug 05, 2021•30 min•Ep. 118
Mention the word gladiator and you would be forgiven for instantly thinking of the 2000 namesake epic movie. Of spectators watching on as men battled each other with a variety of weapons, sometimes to the death, for the entertainment of the crowd. But did women also fight as gladiators? Was the gladiatrix a thing? The references are rare and vague and much debate still surrounds this topic. To talk through the literary and archaeological evidence that survives, Tristan chatted to Alisa Vanlint a...
Aug 03, 2021•23 min•Ep. 117
Alexander the Great is one of the most famous generals and empire builders in history, but the story of his death is almost as remarkable as his life. For this episode, our host and Alexander the Great superfan, Tristan Hughes, joins Dan Snow to tell the almost unbelievable tale of what happened after Alexander died. The ensuing titanic struggle for power and control over Alexander's empire involves war, body snatching, extremely slow carriage chases and a thousand soldiers being eaten alive by ...
Aug 01, 2021•30 min•Ep. 116
The Theban Sacred Band was one of the greatest military corps of Ancient Greece, thriving from the city-state of Thebes for almost 50 years in the mid 4th century BC. In addition to their fighting prowess, however, there is another fascinating aspect to their history; this 300-man elite corps was made up of 150 pairs of male lovers, many of them buried side by side where they fell in battle. To hear more about this, Tristan spoke to James Romm, author, reviewer, and James H. Ottaway Jr. Professo...
Jul 29, 2021•29 min•Ep. 115
In the mid-20th century French archaeologists came across a remarkable collection of ancient items from Eastern China, the Indian subcontinent and the Roman Mediterranean, all in one place. In this second episode about Begram, Tristan is once again joined by the University of Freiburg’s Lauren Morris, who takes us into the details of the lacquerwares, ivory furniture, bronzes and glassware. Lauren and Tristan then explore what the hoard tells us about the global nature of this area in Central As...
Jul 27, 2021•46 min•Ep. 114
Often known as ‘Britain’s first town’, Colchester is a city rich in ancient history and on 24 July 2021, a new exhibition will open at the Colchester Museum revealing more about some of its earliest Roman occupants. Called ‘Decoding the Roman Dead’, the exhibition focuses around cremations found in the area around Colchester dating to almost 2,000 years ago. Thanks to new scientific methods, the team have been able to analyse these burnt remains and find out some astonishing details about who th...
Jul 25, 2021•44 min•Ep. 113
A legendary city-state in Ancient Greece, we associate Sparta with fierce warriors in battle. But what about the everyday? In this second episode with Professor Stephen Hodkinson, we discuss the eating habits, training and even kingship of Sparta. Stephen is Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Nottingham. Part 1 - The Truth About Spartan Society: https://podfollow.com/the-ancients/episode/f08dc2f18e4fabe1ecf7ee5bd91d88bc44b2f2b2/view
Jul 22, 2021•24 min•Ep. 112
It’s a crossover with Jaws and Open Water that we never expected, but a 3,000 year old corpse has thrown a surprising topic into the mix: shark bites. The body, found in the prehistoric Tsukumo hunter-gatherer burial site in Japan, unexpectedly presented evidence of traumatic injuries compatible with a shark bite, making it the earliest known victim of a shark attack. Following this discovery, Tristan spoke to Alyssa White from the University of Oxford. Alyssa was part of the team who studied bo...
Jul 20, 2021•27 min•Ep. 111
It was one of the most powerful empires in history, leaving marks and remnants across the globe, but in this episode we are looking specifically at the impact of the Romans on Brittany. Tristan was joined once again by Sir Barry Cunliffe, who takes us through the Roman occupation of Brittany, the response of the residents, and the impact on both cultures. From slaves and wine, to fish sauce and rebellion, this is an intriguing look into the character of Brittany and the realities of a Roman occu...
Jul 17, 2021•37 min•Ep. 110
What could be more terrifying than an army racing towards you? An army on chariots? What if those chariots had blades mounted on either side? In this episode, Tristan speaks to Dr Silvannen Gerrard about the use of this unconventional mode of transport during the Hellenistic period, particularly by the Seleucid Empire. They discuss the benefits and difficulties of using these chariots, and how they fit in with other unusual modes of troop transportation, from war-elephants to camel-archers. Silv...
Jul 15, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 109
480 BC is a year widely-celebrated in Greek history. When Leonidas' Spartan core and their Hellenic allies fought a powerful Persian army at Thermopylae, and an outnumbered, Athenian-led navy defeated a mighty Persian armada at Salamis. Yet it was not just off the coast of Athens that one of antiquity’s most well-known battles was fought that year. 600 miles to the west of Salamis, supposedly on the same day the naval engagement occurred, another battle was fought: the Battle of Himera. In this ...
Jul 13, 2021•47 min•Ep. 108
